Page 47 of Dark Obsession

The others are scattered throughout the place, on phone calls with family, telling them to stay in safe houses and out of the city for now.

We’re officially in the middle of a war zone.

Elena’s in the den, sitting on the couch with her legs tucked under her, staring at the TV. The hospital attack is all over the news, with footage from helicopters showing the blown-out front of the building.

I step behind the couch, watching the screen over her shoulder. I can feel the tension radiating off her, but she stays quiet, processing.

The reporter drones on about the details of the explosion, a somber expression on her face.

“Luckily, no civilians were killed in the attack. Several injuries were reported, but all of the deaths seem to be linked to the gangresponsible for the assault.”

I watch as Elena lets out a breath she’d been holding.

“This is only the beginning,” I say quietly. She nods once, not looking away from the screen, her fingers gripping the blanket draped over her lap.

"Yeah," she replies softly. "But we made it through today. And that’s something."

I step over to the fireplace and get a blaze going, the crackle of the flames filling the room with warmth. Outside, the rain picks up, drumming softly against the windows.

I glance at Elena, and with a dry smile, I say, “Feels like it’s been raining for weeks. Almost forgot what the sun looks like.”

She smiles, but her eyes are tired. “Yeah, before we know it, it’ll be the holiday season. Then we can enjoy a brutal Chicago winter.”

I chuckle. “Right. If we make it through this damn war first.”

Her smile falters, and I instantly regret saying it.

"Shit. Sorry," I mutter, shaking my head. “We’ll get through it. We always do.”

She nods, but I can tell she’s not entirely convinced. I can’t blame her for that. There's a lot of unknowns hanging over us right now.

She shifts on the couch, looking up at me. “Take me to bed?” she asks, her voice soft and exhausted. "I'm wiped out from everything."

I turn off the TV, leaving the glow of the fire in the room. “Sure.”

Before she gets up, she glances at the fire, a faint smile on her lips. “Actually, the fire’s nice. Maybe I’ll sleep down here.”

“Up to you,” I say. She pulls the blanket tighter around her, then looks up at me again.

“Sit with me?” she asks, her voice small.

I sit beside her, and she rests her head on my leg. “There,” she whispers, her breath softening. “You make a good pillow.”

I stay still, watching her eyes flutter shut, the firelight flickering across her face. As she drifts off to sleep, I swear to myself I’ll never let anything happen to her.

It’s been days since the hospital attack, and everyone's on high alert. Total lockdown. No one gets in or out without eyes on them. So when the doorbell rings, I check the security feed first. It's Detective Barnes. It’s about time.

I make my way to the front with Alexei by my side. We asked to meet with him, to hopefully get some answers.

When we open the door, Barnes is standing there, looking like a man with too many problems on his plate. I let him through, and we give him the once-over, patting him down for weapons. He grumbles, shooting me an annoyed look.

“Not a good look for me, strolling into the Ivanov mansion like I’m here for tea and cookies,” Barnes mutters as he steps inside.

“Better than you being dead in a gutter,” Alexei shoots back with a smirk.

Barnes snorts, clearly not in the mood for jokes. "I prefer my tea without the looming threat of war, thanks."

Alexei and I walk him farther into the mansion. I can tell Barnes has something big for us. We just need to make sure it’s the kind of intel that’ll tip the scales in our favor.

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