Page 59 of Savage Reign

“I’m so sorry,” Liza gasps. “We should’ve protected you better. We should’ve… It doesn’t matter now. The only thing that matters is getting you out of there. I need to get Roman. Please, don’t go anywhere.”

I press my back against the glass shower stall, gripping the phone tightly. Chaos erupts on the other end of the line. It sounds a lot like Roman shouting orders.

A second later, his husky voice comes through the phone. “Fuck, Sofiya. How are you holding up?”

He sounds as broken as my sister, and I hate that.

“I’m… I’m okay. I’m not locked up or anything. He doesn’t bother me as long as I stay within the property limits.”

“I’m going to get you out of there. My team is tracking your location through the signal from this call. Give it a few minutes, and we’ll have your exact position.”

“How are you calling us?” Liza asks, her voice tight with worry. “Is this safe?”

“I think so.” I hope so.

“Don’t worry. By tonight, I can have a team on-site to get you out of there.”

Alarm races through me. “No, that’s not a good idea! His estate is heavily guarded. It would be a suicide mission even to try.”

“And Sofiya could get hurt,” Liza insists. “We can’t take that chance.”

Roman releases a deep sigh. “We have to try something. Sofiya, have you been able to explore? Is there anywhere on the property that isn’t well monitored? Somewhere out of sight of the cameras and guards. I know it seems like a big deal, but we’ll extract you quickly and get the fuck out of there.”

“I—I don’t know. Maybe. I’d have to look around more to figure that out for sure.” I shake my head even though he can’t see me. “Also, I have an ankle monitor. If I step off the property, he’ll know immediately.”

Roman’s low curse is barely audible, but I can feel his frustration radiating through the line.

“It’s not just me,” I add quickly. “He’s watching my friends, Alex and Daria. If I try anything, he’ll go after them.”

I feel terrible that this phone call alone could be putting my friends at risk if Nikolai discovers what I’ve done, but it’s too late to dwell on that now.

“Don’t stress about that. I’ll keep your friends safe.”

His assurance does little to ease the knot in my stomach. I'm willing to take risks with my life, but Alex and Daria don’t deserve to be caught in the crossfire.

“Give me a minute,” Roman says. I can't make out what’s being said, but it sounds like there’s some sort of argument. It takes a little while, but Roman finally comes back on the line. “We can’t triangulate your location. He must have some kind of signal jammer.”

My heart should sink, but instead, I feel an odd sense of relief.

“We need more time to figure this out. Can you call us back?”

“I’m not sure, but I’ll try. Don’t call or text this number.” Liza doesn’t need to know I stole this phone or how risky it was. She has enough to worry about.

Roman cuts in. “Have you learned anything that might help us figure out where you are?”

I hesitate, but then share what I learned today. “Nikolai’s estate is about half an hour from Koporye Fortress. I don’t know in which direction. It used to belong to Catherine the Great’s niece. The whole property is surrounded by woods, and I haven’t seen any obvious landmarks.”

“That’s good. Leave it with us—we’ll dig into it. In the meantime, look for a spot without cameras or heavy guard activity.”

“Only if it’s safe,” Liza cuts in. “Don’t put yourself in danger by sneaking around, Sofiya. Swear you won’t.”

It’s a promise I can’t keep, but I try to sound convincing to put Liza’s mind at ease. “I won’t, I swear.” I swallow past a lump in my throat. “If I hadn’t ditched Samuil to go to that club, things might have ended differently.”

“You were trying to live a normal life. No one can hold that against you,” Liza says gently.

I clutch the phone tighter. “Promise me you’ll focus on your health and getting pregnant. Don’t let this destroy your dreams. I want a baby for you and Roman.”

Her tone carries a note of weariness. “I can’t focus on anything else until you’re safe and back with us.”

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