Page 53 of The Arrangement

Charlie shakes his head slightly, confusion and pain mingling in his expression. "Don't know. Aleksey sent him... to replace Ivan. Needed Ivan elsewhere."

The pieces aren't fitting together right. Aleksey, Nick, a sudden attack—it smells of betrayal.

I bark at Charlie to head straight to the safe room, to make sure Adelina and Irina are untouched by this chaos. Despite his injury, he nods, a pained expression on his face as he apologizes, clearly distressed by his failure to protect the house. His worry for what might come next is evident, but my focus is razor-sharp on the unfolding crisis.

Left alone, I whip out my phone, punching in Tory's number with a sense of urgency bordering on desperation. The familiar ringtone echoes through the house, a beacon guiding me to her phone abandoned on the kitchen counter, plugged into the charger, innocently blinking up at me.

The stark confirmation hits me like a punch to the gut—Tory's not here. The strange car I saw making its escape was carrying her away from me.

Rage floods my veins, a scorching torrent that demands satisfaction. They've dared to intrude into my life, to snatch away the woman I’ve come to love.

The knowledge that Tory was in the car, likely scared and alone, ignites a fury within me that's unmatched. Revenge isn't just a fleeting thought; it's a concrete plan. They will regret this day, regret ever thinking they could take something from me and not face retribution.

Chapter 28

Tory

Sitting at Maksim's kitchen counter, I'm hit by a beam of sunlight. It's kind of cinematic. Everything's bright, warm, and peaceful. I glance down, and whoa, my belly's massive.

Adelina's buzzing around, her energy like a little sunbeam of its own. She suddenly stops and looks up at me with those big, curious eyes. "Can you feel the baby kick?" she asks, her voice brimming with excitement only kids can muster.

I can't help but laugh, nodding. "Yeah, want to feel?"

Her face lights up, and she nods eagerly, inching closer. As she places her small hand on my belly, waiting, I love how these moments slow everything down. And sure enough, our little kicker decides to say hello, right on cue. Adelina's eyes go wide as saucers.

"Wow!" she gasps, and we share a look of both wonder and laughter.

Maksim saunters in, somehow looking like a million bucks in gray slacks and a shirt with the sleeves rolled up just so. He heads straight for the coffee, then turns to us with that smile.

"Ready for our day out, my two favorite girls?" he asks, all casual like we've been planning this for ages.

I'm sitting there, blinking at him because I don’t remember any plans. Since when were we going anywhere? I've got this weird fog in my brain, making it hard to keep up. Meanwhile, Adelina's practically vibrating with excitement, bombarding Maksim with questions about what we're going to do.

Irina walks in, tossing a playful jab Maksim's way about forgetting his third favorite girl. We all laugh, but mid-giggle, a wave of dizziness hits me and I have to grab onto the counter. My head's spinning, and suddenly, the room feels way too warm.

As Maksim, Irina, and Adelina dive into their conversation, I'm feeling more off by the second. I make a move to stand, but my legs aren't having it. They're like jelly. I clutch the counter harder to keep myself from hitting the floor.

"Hey," I try, aiming for their attention, but my voice seems to vanish before it reaches them. They're wrapped up in their chat while I struggle to stay vertical.

Feeling a notch away from terrible, I raise my voice, "Guys!" Nothing. It's like I'm not even there. Panic starts to nibble at my edges because this isn't just feeling sick; this is wrong on a whole new level.

I'm yelling now, over and over, but it's like I'm invisible, mute. They're standing so close, but it's as if I'm far away. Something's really, really wrong.

Down I go, right to my knees, the kitchen swirling around me like a carousel gone wild. Maksim, Irina, and Adelina are still in their own world, their voices now twisting into sounds that don't make any sense to me, as if they've flipped to a language I've never heard.

I'm trying, really trying, to push myself up, to get their attention, to make them see me down here, but my body's just not cooperating. It's like my muscles have checked out, leaving me stranded on this spinning kitchen floor.

Then it’s over, and I’m waking up to the lovely ambiance of a car trunk. I look around, getting my bearings, realizing I must’ve passed out.

Talk about a rough wake-up call. Every inch of me hurts, and I immediately go into mom mode, hands on my belly, freaking out over the little one in there.

Here in the dark, it's just me and my racing thoughts—and, of course, the baby. I’m trying to come up with some kind of plan, but honestly, it's like trying to nail jelly to the wall. I've got to believe Maksim's on the case, that his protective mode is going into overdrive. But as this car hums along, taking me who knows where, I'm left hanging with nothing but my worries, and this little life inside me, both of us heading into the unknown.

The car slows to a stop and my heart rate ticks up a notch. As the engine goes silent and footsteps signal someone's approach, my body kicks into a fight-or-flight mode that's all about fight right now.

As soon as the trunk cracks open, I'm a missile, launching myself at Nicky with all the grace of a stumbling toddler. We hit the ground in a tangle of limbs, my attempt at a heroic punch turning into a clumsy swipe.

"Really, Tory?" Nicky grunts, dodging my hand with a twist of his head, my palm barely grazing his cheek instead of smashing his nose.

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