Page 74 of Romi

Breathing deeply and panting hard, I eventually calmed down and wiped the knife clean again using Ivor’s jeans.

My hands shook, and my legs quaked as I stood again and backed up a few steps. Looking at the point of the blade gave me an idea. I quickly scrambled over to where my chain was hooked up to the wall. I held my breath and prayed it would work as I used the tip of the blade to attempt to open the padlock. I poked at it and jiggled the blade in the lock, but nothing happened. I tried again and again, but the damn thing just wouldn’t open.

Defeated, I finally returned to the couch and sat down heavily. Desolation threatened to overwhelm me, but I refused to let it. I might still be chained to a wall with only a knife against an enemy with a gun, but at least I’d killed one of the bastards who’d kidnapped me. I might not get out of this situation alive, but I wasn’t going to give up. I hadn’t gone through all I had to seduce Romi for this to be the end of our story.

Pushing my chin up in defiance, I stared at the door and waited, taking long, slow breaths to calm my racing heart. I needed to keep my wits about me and take whatever opportunity that presented itself to get out of here and back to him or die trying.

CHAPTER 37

ROMI

SATURDAY AGAIN - TO THE RESCUE!

Marko came to collect me the following afternoon.

Resigned to my fate, I didn’t put up a fight as we climbed into an SUV with the two men who had been guarding me and headed to the airport and our private jet, which would take me to Russia and far away from the love of my life. I had wanted to talk to Sonia before I left but wasn’t allowed and my anger bubbled under the surface at us being refused even that small comfort.

Seeing my obvious upset, Marko promised to let me contact her once I’d arrived in St. Petersburg. While that was not ideal, the thought of getting to speak with her and reassure her again that I would come for her appeased me somewhat, though I had to bite down hard on my tongue not to say anything that would inflame the situation further. Marko had agreed to help us, and I needed to do as he said for now. I didn’t want him to change his mind, and frankly, if Marko had an idea, then it was likely a good one. I just had to remain patient and have faith in him.

Marko didn’t say anything as the pilot readied for take-off, but at least he seemed more sympathetic to our cause now. He wasn’t giving off angry vibes anymore even though I could still sense a degree of annoyance with me. I suppressed a sigh as I buckled up for the flight.

To pass the time and take my mind off Sonia I asked Marko to update me on Siri.

“Fucking bastard tried to get to the cash he’d hidden away under his alternative identities, but I re-routed it, and so he has had to come out of the woodwork to attempt to recoup some of his loss through his businesses. He must be livid. He was seen in Glasgow a few days ago, but there have been no sightings of him since. Our sources confirmed that Ivor was with him. Juana has her ear to the ground, and we have our folks monitoring all his businesses, so hopefully, he will surface soon. And then we’ll get him,” he says, grinning.

I nodded and grinned back, but I couldn’t help the pang of annoyance that I wouldn’t be around to see that.

We continued our conversation until we reached the airport where our jet was, and as we conversed easily again, it hit me that I was going to miss this if he didn’t sort things out for Sonia and me, and we really did have to run.

Although I would gladly give up everything up to be with Sonia, I clung even more desperately to the hope that it would still work out for us without us both having to lose everything and everyone we held dear. After all, that was the only reason I was getting on the plane today without her.

We got to the aircraft and climbed onboard. Marko opened his laptop as the pilot did his last-minute preparation for take-off. Although I had healed well over the last few days, my broken finger still throbbed, and my ribs ached each time I moved too much. So, I closed my eyes with a view to napping for most of the journey. I decided that would be better than letting my mind linger on the fact that each second that past the distance between Sonia and I grew.

We were just leaving the hanger and taxiing towards the runway when Marko’s mobile buzzed.

It was Miki. I heard him clearly as he was practically screaming down the phone.

“Siri just called. He has Sonia,” he said, and my whole world came tumbling down.

“What?!” I cried.

Marko put us on loudspeaker.

“How the fuck did he get her?” I shouted, unable to believe she’d been taken while I wasn’t there to protect her.

“It looks as if she’d been running away. Her bag was found at the exit to our underground tunnel, just a short while before Siri called. Rolan had been going to see her in her room, but she wasn’t there. He had looked for her and, on a hunch, was checking the underground tunnel when he found her bag on the ground. Her phone was found in her room, so I don’t know how we are going to track her,” he said, the crack in his voice betraying how anxious he was.

Shit, my heart sped up with worry. I should have known Sonia wouldn’t take me being sent away without protest. I’d told her I would come for her, but I should have realised she would be too impatient to wait and would end up getting herself in trouble. I didn’t call her Little Miss Trouble for nothing after all.

Marko was already typing away furiously on his keyboard.

“I know where she is,” he said, and relief poured through me.

“I’ll send you the information. She is about five miles southwest of the Estate and about two miles directly west from us here,” he told Miki.

“How do you know?” Miki asked the question that was on my own lips.

“I put a smaller tracker that I have been piloting in her necklace—the one Mum and Dad gave her for her birthday—the one she always wears. Unless they have taken it off her, she should be exactly where the little dot is telling me,” he turned his laptop to show me.

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