Page 77 of Sworn to My Heart
Frustration mounts as I glance up and see a small window high up, barred and out of reach. Should I shout?
I try to ignore the smell of mold again, which is now giving me a sharp headache mixed with the dizziness from running this far. The smell is so strong it could choke me. I cough hard, and then logic hits me, and I want to slap myself for not thinking of this sooner.
Where there’s mold, there’s water. Even the tiniest droplets could help. Closing my eyes, I concentrate on sensing any water source nearby. There’s water here, I’m certain of it. Ignoring the overpowering smell, I focus deeply, channeling every ounce of my concentration into finding that vital liquid.
When I open my eyes again, I see a large sphere of liquid forming in front of me, and pride fills me.
I transform this sphere into a long water snake, threading it out through the bars and lifting it as high as possible, making it impossible to miss. Luca or one of his men has to see it,I hope.
I hold the water in the air for a long time, feeling my strength draining. I don’t know how much longer I can keep the liquid suspended in the air, and I hope Luca has already spotted it.
I’m getting weaker, the mold around me, the strong smell, and the lack of oxygen slowly sap the remaining energy from my body.
My legs begin to tremble, I fall to my knees, but I don’t let go. I can’t give up.
Suddenly, a sharp pain pierces my shoulder accompanied by the sound of gunfire, and I collapse to the ground.
The water slips from my grasp, and before I can react, Stas is limping toward me with a loaded gun aimed at my chest. I struggle to raise my hand to defend myself, but he fires again, this time hitting my other shoulder. Pain and exhaustion haze my senses. Stas approaches with the collar, and I try to protest weakly, regretting not ensuring his demise earlier.
Before I can make a sound, a loud explosion sounds behind me, and my eyes start to close.
Am I dying?I hear a familiar voice in the background, shouting my name. Luca? I must be imagining it, for sure.
It’s too good to be true. He can’t have such great timing every single time, right?
I have no water left to tend to my wounds, no strength left to keep going.
I’m so tired, maybe I’ll close my eyes just for a moment. Just for one moment... Luca will come soon.
Everything will be alright, won’t it?
Luca
“Are you sure she’s here? This is all the way across the compound from where our informants placed Igor. We can’t waste time,” Abert says, standing outside the door of the abandoned building with five more men, ready to blow it up at any moment.
“Are you doubting my intel? Open that door now!” I shout.
We’ve made enough noise for Alin to know we’re here, and she knew to signal her location to me right away. Her abilities are really useful. I can’t underestimate her survival skills again. I smirk to myself as Abert attaches explosives to the sensor of the locked steel door.I’ve finally found her.
“All set, I hope she’s really he...” Abert begins to update, and we both stop as a loud gunshot echoes from inside the building.
“Blow that door open now!” I command with fire in my eyes, hoping for these bastards’ sake it’s not related to Alin.
We all step back, and another gunshot echoes in the background, intensifying the tension in my body. I snatch the remote control for the explosives from Abert and press it without hesitation.
The explosion rocks us to the ground, the steel door blowing inward and leaving a gaping hole in the concrete wall filled with swirling smoke. Visibility is poor as I rush inside, gun drawn,with Abert and our man right on my heels.
Through the haze, I shout Alin’s name. On the floor, Russian men lie unconscious. Pride fills me momentarily until I see the sight I dreaded.
Alin’s bleeding body sprawls on the ground, unconscious.
She’s not dead. She’s not dead. My legs tremble as I approach her, everything around me a blur.
“Stas is getting away,” Abert shouts behind me, but I can’t focus on anything besides Alin right now. My legs give out next to her body, and I lift her into my arms.
“You’ll be okay, we’re going home. Don’t you dare leave me,” I plead, tears threatening to spill from my eyes, and my heart pounding hard, burning in my chest.
Abert’s hand touches my back. “Our men are after him, I called the family doctor,” he informs me, and I’m glad he’s handling everything so well because, for the first time in my life, I can’t breathe during an operation.
