Page 27 of Sworn to My Heart
“Why do you have to make things difficult? You’re safer in my bed.” I lie. What a stupid excuse.
“And I’ll be perfectly safe in the guest room too,” she insists, her tone firm.
We lock eyes, the tension thick between us. I know she’s stubborn, but so am I.
“Fine,” I snap, releasing her and standing up. “Have it your way for now, but don’t think for a second this is over.”
She gives me a small, victorious glance. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
I storm out, unsatisfied and pissed off. She won this round, but this game between us is far from finished.
I leave the apartment and head down to the parking garage. Mariano updated me that he’s ready with Pedro and a few other men in the cars. It’s time to get that son of a bitch.
I open the car door, slide into the driver’s seat and take out my guns and vest from a secure, hidden compartment next to my seat. I was too reckless this morning going out without my weapon; that won’t happen again.
I secure the strap tightly and just as I’m about to start the car, I see Mariano running toward me with his tablet in hand. I roll down the window quickly, knowing this isn’t a good sign.
“Brother, we lost eyes on Vladimir. The informants said he suddenly collapsed, probably injured earlier today, and they took him to a safe house to recover. They lost him before my guy could figure out what happened.”
“Son of a bitch,” I slam my fist on the steering wheel and curse.
“But that’s not all,”Marianoadds in a cautious tone,“there’s something you need to see, and I don’t think you’re going to like it at all.”
“Speak!” I snap impatiently. How did we miss that bastard? He was already on our radar.
Mariano gets in the seat next to me, looking more cautious than usual, and I don’t like this feeling. He’s about to tell me something really bad.
He hands me the tablet.“This is the security footage from the aquarium, from the spot where Alin claimed they tried to rape her,” Mariano updates me, looking at me with concern.
“Claimed they tried to rape her?” I repeat, questioning the information he just gave me.
“Are you implying she lied?” I immediately understand where my brother is trying to steer this conversation, and I hit play on the video without waiting for an answer.
The footage shows Alin running quickly into the maintenance room. Then I see Cora and me running down the hallway past the door, looking for her. Right after us, those two bastards, Vladimir and his brainless right-hand man Slava, trail behind. From their expressions and the conversation they seem to be having outside the door, it looks like they lost Alin and followed her into the hallway. They don’t know she’s inside that room.
What is Alin doing, why is she still in there? Why did Mariano imply she lied? My heart starts pounding harder with every second I wait to see what happens in the video.
I impatiently press the fast-forward button and switch back to normal speed as soon as I see the door crack open slightly. I immediately recognize Alin’s face. She looks prepared for whatever is waiting for her outside.
The camera is too far away for me to clearly see what they’re talking about, but it looks like she’s smiling at them beforestepping back into the maintenance room with the two Russians following her. What the hell is going on? Does Alin know them?
My hands shake with anger, and I shoot a questioning look at Mariano, who’s already figured out that we might have let a traitor into our lives. It doesn’t make sense.
None of us—Graham, Mariano, Cora, or I—thought for a second there was a connection.
I keep watching, gripping the tablet so tightly in rage that it feels like it’s seconds away from snapping like a cracker between my fingers. A few minutes later, the door opens again, and Alin runs out, presumably looking for Cora and me.
Icontinue staring at the screen, curses spilling from my mouth. Minutes pass, and the Russians still haven’t left the room.
“Where are the Russians?” Idemandfrom Mariano. He better have an explanation for this.
“That’s what I could’t figure out,” he replies quickly.“Fast-forward and you’ll see. They came out an hour and a half later, looking disoriented.”
“Do you think Alin is betraying us with the Russians?” I voice the thoughts that I hadn’t even allowed into my worst nightmares.
“We can’t know what happened there, but one thing is certain. She lied about what happened or at least didn’t tell the whole truth,” he confirms my suspicions.
“I need answers now. If she’s a traitor, there’s only one way to handle her,” I tell Mariano the obvious, though I don’t want to believe it.
