Page 110 of Unveiled

Maybe that's the crux of it, isn't it?No one's coming to save me.

I have to save myself. I have to save my family. And I'm not going to betray the Kopolov.

"Three," he says with a wicked grin, cocking his gun.

"Two."

He whistles low under his breath as if he can't wait to pull the trigger and end my brother's life.

"Okay, okay! I'll do what you say. Please, don't hurt him."

His low, dark chuckle fades into the night. And then—he's gone. Vanished. As if he waved a wand and teleported magically.

I'm alone. My brother is slumped against a bench. And I have to get help.

I run to Eli. I want to shake him and hug him, but the first thing I do is check his pulse to make sure he's breathing. My fingers find his wrist, and I hold my breath until the flutter of his heartbeat beneath them makes me cry out.

"Eli! Oh my god, Eli, what happened?"

If my mother could see him now…

"Wake up," I say, shaking him, but he doesn't budge. "Please, Eli. Please—wake up."

Still nothing.

I hold him to my chest, lift my face to the heavens, and scream. "Somebody help me! Help!" I scream at the top of my lungs.

Floodlights blind me, and I blink, turning my head to the side. Voices. Heavy footsteps.

Semyon's men come running to me.

"I found her! Who does she have? What is it?"

"Semyon, call Rafail! Lock the gate!"

My phone buzzes with a text.

Ophelia

If you reveal anything to them, your lover boy is dead—along with your brother.

I realize, with chilling accuracy, that there is no escape.

His guards surround us, weapons raised.

"Who was here?" They surround me in a circle. My heart aches.

“I told Zoya I needed fresh air. I came outside for a bit of a walk to clear my head. Someone screamed my name and scared the hell out of me. Then—” My voice catches. “Eli.”

My brother’s back. He’s back, and he’s alright. I haven’t given myself space to process this yet.

They'll have questions. So do I.

I can still hear his cold, bitter voice.

“Eli's here. I heard someone out here yelling, and I came running. And I saw him. I don't know if he's alive," I lie. I better get good at it. "Please, let's get him inside."

I scan the men and don’t see Semyon. My heart beats faster. Where is he? I want him, his strong, reassuring presence, but at the same time, I fear one look in his eyes and he’ll know what I’m hiding.

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