<h4>Chapter 202: Chapter 202 : Assembling a Team</h4>


    Neal.


    The situation with Ba was heartbreaking, and I was stuck. I really did love her and had been hoping she’d been missing me.


    I would be better for her than James, right? Well, maybe not.


    I wasn’t sure. I stared at my hands, sitting there on my couch and reaching up to rub my temples.


    So manyplex feelings. Here I was, unable to move on though I really needed to. For now, I basked in the silence, the distraction of the television no help.


    My mind kept bouncing between wishing I could end up with Ba and telling myself I should let things lie.


    They had just gotten through the situation with the kids, and from what I’d heard, the Cartwrights were terrible people. I got word from Allegra that they managed to move back to Italy.


    I was here as well, near Allegra, still on the hunt for those damn Russians who captured her.


    It was all connected. I wasn’t sure how much information La gave to them regarding Allegra, but I knew Ba had been in a lot of danger given the snake in the nest. Allegra had called me crying regarding La.


    My heart clenched at the memory of my sister’s voice. I didn’t always get along with her, but we were very close, and we’d only grown closertely. She was at my throat, constantly, about the Russians, but I couldn’t me her.


    She was starting a new life, one she had wanted to begin with La. Allegra took every chance she had to gush about someone she loved, only for that same person to stab her in the back. We both had love problems, though I had a feeling I was bringing myself down.


    Being so stuck on Ba was toxic. I told myself that over and over as I stared at the wall, trying to w myself out of this hole. I missed her so much, loved her, even, but James may be better for her. Or maybe not. He was cold, aloof, abrasive, and downright mean sometimes.


    When he’d called back to genuinely thank Allegra about this news, and apologize for not believing her, he told her that he’d gone off on La in the nursery, which rmed both Ba and the kids.


    Him losing his temper like that was very bad news.


    I clenched my fist, reaching over to the ss table in the living room and grabbing my coffee, downing it in a few sips. Well, now he was closer. All of us ended up in the same country, and I’d probably be seeing Ba more too.


    Would I be able to handle it? I pondered this. Given how she spoke with me on the phone, I highly doubted she would take well to seeing me around in general. Meanwhile, I would be reminded, constantly, of her choice, and how she didn’t miss me.


    Maybe she did, but it was unwise to press. There was never any clear answer during our phone call, after all. I scolded myself fortching onto that. It was over; I needed to ept it. Though it was monumentally difficult.


    I stood up, making my way to the bathroom to take a shower. My mind would clear up then, and I could focus on more important things. I needed to take down my enemies because my sister continued to be in danger while they were active.


    That was more important than swooning over a woman who was probably not interested in the slightest. I started up the hot water and waited, inspecting myself in the mirror. I had a five o’clock shadow I considered ridding myself of, but then decided to keep it. Why not?


    As steam built up in the bathroom, I stepped into the shower and began to clean myself with musky, woodsy scents, my mind drifting away from the Russians as I washed and to romance in the future.


    If I could get Ba out of my mind and move on, I could find someone who did care about me. As unhappy as I was with how James treated her, I knew it was her decision, and something she would need to live with.


    Their rtionship wasn’t abusive, and she loved him, but it still didn’t change how toxic he could be, and how dangerous his connections were for Ba. Though, the more I thought about it, the more the thought was riching from me.


    Hopefully, this Russian ordeal would end once and for all. I would have a target on my back, no doubt, after this hunt carried on. That is, if we didn’t manage to hit our target. The more we closed in, the more confident I got.


    When I got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around myself, I made my way to my bedroom and got dressed. Today would be about nning. I needed to shift my focus from Ba and our failed romance to the Russians.


    I sat in front of myputer and began typing, going through my protected emails and scanning what was said. Much to my delight, another ally joined the team, assembling a force to be reckoned with even further.


    We could now move on to the next phase. I told them we needed to set up an ambush and conveniently get them bagged by undercover Americans out for blood. They would take care of that business.


    Sure, they hated me. I wasn’t allowed in the United States. However, they hated these pieces of shit even more, and that’s all we needed to get them on our side. Along with a huge bribe, of course, and a promise that no more trouble would bring them harm.


    A few key ssified bits of information may have spoken my case well to convince them, too. Once we lured those bastards out of the shadows and threw them into the beak of an eagle, so to speak, we would have them off our back.


    I sent out this information to my team, exining that at this point, we needed to begin setting these traps and contingency ns. My smile widened in delight as I got confirmation we’d have all the materials and buildings we’d need to aplish this.


    It was going to be tight, and thew here would need to be evaded. Needless to say, I was confident we could make this happen. Eventually, I picked up the phone and dialed Allegra, wanting to tell her the good news myself.


    It rang a few times before she answered, her voice tinged with sadness yet still. The La situation still hit her so hard. I really hoped I could pull this off so she would have one less thing to worry about. She was starting her career on the runaway again and didn’t need this.


    “Neal?” she asked.


    “Yes. The team has been assembled, and ns are being made as we speak to trap them and hand them over to some very interested parties,” I exined, diving into detail regarding the n with her. She remained silent the entire time.


    “Thank you,” she said softly. “I hope this works. My mind has been fixed on both that and La. What if I ended up in their clutches again? What would happen this time? They weren’t able to get youst time, but they could take more extreme measures.”


    “That won’t happen,” I assured my sister, a fire brimming in my chest. The thought of something traumatic happening to my sister in the clutches of those bastards had me riled up, and I took a deep breath to calm myself down.


    “It already could have, though. I can’t believe La would do that. To get to Ba, too, of all people? Why were they even interested in her? Did you ever find out through your sleuthing?” Allegra asked.


    “The Michaelson brothers are working with Sergei’s son,” I replied. “He is still very much after James. Seems the two factions have put aside their differences and banded together against the four of us. It’s all entwined now.”


    “I see,” Allegra said with a sigh. “La was working with the brothers, then, on behalf of Sergei. Er, his son, I mean. Will your ns take out all of them, or will we always need to be looking behind us?”


    “I don’t know,” I said honestly. “Right now, I’m keen on getting at the Michaelson brothers first. Their allied faction will turn their gazes on us when we take them out. But I’ve exined that to my team, who express they can handle both.”


    “Both? They’re going to manage to trap both?” Allegra said with surprise. “I hope it all goes ording to n, or contingency n. Stay safe, Neal.”


    “I will. We’ll get through this. It’s going to end once and for all, and we’re going toe out alive and flourishing. You should focus on carrying on with your life. I think the opportunity you have right now is wonderful,” I told her genuinely.


    “Thank you,” she said. “Do you think La has any regrets?” Allegra asked after a pause. Her voice implied she was looking totch onto onest piece of hope that La could turn around and be hers. It was futile, though. We both knew it.


    “It doesn’t matter if she does,” I said firmly. “As you said, this could have happened a second time, and the oue? Far worse. Especially since those two factions have intertwined. I have no doubts they would have figured out a way to use Ba against you.”


    “You’re right,” Allegra said, her voice breaking a bit. I heard her sniffle and let out a soft sigh. Empathy dripped in my tone as I tried to reassure my sister.


    “We both lost someone and have to move on, I think, Allegra. It’s tough, but we’ll be all right,” I muttered.


    “You’re still hooked on Ba?” Allegra said. “Well, given she’s now here and with James even after everything, I think you should move on. Just like I need to with La.” I noted that she still sounded unsure as if she didn’t believe her own words. For thatst sentence, anyway.


    “Exactly. There are honest mistakes, and then there’s that. She knew she was working with the Michaelson brothers, the very people who captured you. You told me she said as much. I don’t know how they convinced her, but in my eyes, there is no excuse. Remember that.”


    “I will,” Allegra said. We bid each other farewell, but as I hung up the phone, I wondered how confident she was in her words. Surely, she wouldn’t take La back even if the other woman went crying to her?


    Allegra could be somewhat of a sap. This situation was too far. She really needed to hold her ground on this, like I needed to with my own mind. I returned to myputer and squared away a few more details on theputer before blinking slowly.


    Eventually, I switched to looking for both dating websites and bars. I’d told Allegra it was time to move on. Well, I needed to do what was best for me, as well.