CHAPTER 4 GOD OF WAR

James Donovan stared at his wife, Emily, his mind spinning from the words that had just come out of her mouth. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Caught? What do you mean by ‘caught’?” he demanded, his voice a mix of confusion and rising dread.

Emily’s face was pale, her eyes filled with a mixture of guilt and fear. She took a deep breath, her voice trembling as she began to explain. “James, when I went to pick up our daughter from the kindergarten… a group of men… they kidnapped her.”

The words hit James like a freight train. His body tensed, and his fists clenched instinctively. “Kidnapped? How? Why? And why didn’t you tell me this earlier?”

“I tried!” Emily cried, tears welling up in her eyes. “I tried to call you, but… but the police wouldn’t help. I called them, but when they heard our daughter’s name, they just… they just cut the line. I didn’t know what to do, James. I was terrified.”

James felt a cold knot of fear tighten in his chest. “Why would the police do that? What’s going on, Emily?”

“That’s when he appeared,” Emily whispered, her voice barely audible. “This man… he said he knew who took our daughter. He told me he could help us… but only if I slept with him.”

James’s eyes darkened with fury, but he held back his anger, forcing himself to listen as she continued.

“I didn’t believe him at first,” Emily said, her voice cracking. “But then he told me who he was… He said he was the son of the AAA family. You know how powerful they are, James. He said that if he couldn’t help, then… then you wouldn’t be able to save her either. That’s why… that’s why I did it.”

The room seemed to close in around James as the realization of what she had done sank in. His anger, confusion, and disbelief swirled together into a storm of emotions. He had been furious before, but this… this was something else entirely. The sheer audacity of this man, using their daughter’s life as leverage to coerce Emily—his wife—into something so vile… James could barely contain the rage that was building inside him.

“Emily… why didn’t you come to me?” James asked, his voice a low, dangerous whisper. “Why didn’t you trust me to handle this?”

“I was scared, James,” Emily sobbed. “I didn’t know what to do. And when he said who he was… I just… I panicked. I didn’t think you could—”

James slammed his fist down on the table, making Emily jump. “I would have done anything, anything to protect our daughter! And you—” He stopped himself, his voice trembling with a mixture of anger and sorrow. “And you let him do this to you? To us?”

Before Emily could respond, the man who had orchestrated this entire nightmare sauntered back into the room. He was tall, smug, and exuded an air of arrogance that made James’s blood boil even more. The man held a phone to his ear, speaking into it with a self-satisfied grin.

“Yeah, they’re here,” the man said, a cruel smile playing on his lips. “Get over here quick. Let’s show them what happens when they mess with our family.”

James’s eyes narrowed. “Who the hell are you calling?” he demanded, stepping toward the man with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

The man chuckled, ending the call and sliding the phone into his pocket. “My brother. He’ll be here soon, and then… well, let’s just say you’re both doomed.”

James felt a surge of rage unlike anything he had ever experienced. This man had taken his daughter, humiliated his wife, and now he was standing here, laughing in his face as if it were all just a game.

“You think you can just take my daughter and get away with it?” James growled, his voice low and deadly. “You think you can humiliate my wife and walk out of here alive?”

The man’s smirk only widened. “Your daughter is just collateral, Donovan. And your wife… well, she made her choice, didn’t she? As for walking out of here alive… you’re in no position to make threats. Not when the Tarlose family is involved.”

James’s heart pounded in his chest as the full weight of the situation pressed down on him. He had been blindsided, caught off guard in the worst possible way. But if this man thought that he was going to back down, he was sorely mistaken.

“You’ve made a grave mistake,” James said, his voice calm but laced with an underlying menace. “You think your family’s power will protect you? You have no idea who you’re dealing with.”

The man’s eyes flickered with uncertainty for a brief moment before he quickly regained his composure. “We’ll see about that,” he sneered. “But don’t worry, James. Once my brother gets here, you won’t have to worry about anything ever again.”

James clenched his fists, every muscle in his body tensed and ready for action. He wasn’t going to let this man—this scum—win. He wasn’t going to let him take his daughter, his wife, and everything he held dear. Not without a fight.

But first, he needed a plan. And he needed it fast.

“Kyle,” James muttered under his breath, reaching for his phone. “I hope you’re ready. Because things are about to get very messy.”

As James dialed the number, he glanced at Emily, who was still trembling with fear and guilt. He couldn’t afford to dwell on what she had done—not now. Not when their daughter’s life was on the line.

“Hold on, sweetheart,” James whispered to himself as the phone rang. “I’m coming for you. And God help anyone who gets in my way.”

As the call connected, James steeled himself for what was to come. The man who stood before him might have been confident, but he had no idea what kind of storm was about to be unleashed.

And James Donovan—God of War—was about to show him exactly what that meant.