Page 62 of Twisted Obsession
“Once we are out, torch the place,” Ivan commanded through gritted teeth, his instructions clipped and precise.
“Leave them. Meet me on the roof when it’s done.”
“What’s going on?” I asked, struggling to break free from Ivan’s iron grip on me. His fingers dug into my arms like steel clamps, leaving me feeling trapped and desperate.
“Something I should have done long ago,” Ivan replied venomously, his voice dripping with malice. I was left to wonder what dark intentions lay behind his cryptic words.
Before I could piece together what was happening, the explosive sound of gunfire erupted below us, echoing through the burning building like a violent symphony. Ivan remained oblivious to the chaos, his determination unwavering as he forcefully dragged me through the smoke-filled corridors. My efforts to resist felt futile, as if I were trying to fight against an unstoppable force.
It had to be Dmitri who had made Ivan so tense. Perhaps Angelo. I wasn’t sure who, to be honest. All I wished for was someone to come for me, someone to rescue me from this living nightmare.
“Is that fucking smoke?” Dmitri’s voice resonated through the stairwell, cutting through the gunfire and chaos like a lifeline.
“Dmitri,” I screamed, my voice raw with desperation, echoing from the depths of my throat.
“Lara.” His voice reached me, a beacon of hope amidst the turmoil.
“No,” I gasped, struggling against Ivan’s unyielding hold as an explosion of smoke filled the stairwell, stinging my eyes and lungs.
His brutal grip against my body shattered my cries, a painful reminder of my helplessness against his formidable strength. “You can cry all you want. Nothing is going to save Dmitri now,” he sneered.
At the end of the stairwell, Ivan shoved open the heavy metal door, and a rush of fresh air filled my lungs. We had reached the rooftop of the old building, a desolate place where I understood my fate awaited. There was nowhere left to flee.
In the distance, the rhythmic chopping of helicopter blades sliced through the night air. I glimpsed the faint illumination of blinking lights as they approached the building, a beacon in the darkness.
The crashing of the metal door behind us drew my attention, wrenching my gaze from the sky. Four men emerged, rifles in hand, clad in black combat gear and red balaclava masks. Yet my eyes were drawn beyond them, to the man who followed.
“Dmitri.”
“It’s over, Ivan. Let her go.” Dmitri stood firm, his gun trained on Ivan with unwavering precision.
“Do you honestly think I would let her go?” Ivan roared, yanking me closer, his grip tightening as if to underscore his defiance, his gun pressed to my side.
“I’m not going to let you take the only woman I have ever loved away from me,” Dmitri warned, his voice a low, dangerous growl that carried through the tense air.
Loved. Did Dmitri just say he loved me? The word echoed in my mind, momentarily distracting me from the perilous situation.
“You have never loved anyone in your life. You don’t know how to love,” Ivan retorted, his voice dripping with venom.
“You’re wrong,” Dmitri shot back, his eyes burning with intensity. “I would never harm the people I love. You killed my father, your brother, your own blood. You killed Lidia Zhukov, the woman you claimed to love.” Dmitri moved closer, his steps deliberate and measured, while the four men surrounding us stood their ground. “The word love isn’t even part of your vocabulary.”
“Your father deserved to die,” Ivan snarled, his face twisted with rage. “He killed your mother, my Irina. He took my little Ana from me.”
“You raped her. Just like you raped Lidia,” Dmitri’s voice cracked with raw emotion, each word drenched in palpable pain. “You are nothing but a monster.”
Before I could fully grasp what was unfolding, I felt Ivan’s grip on me slacken, and suddenly, the weight of my body was pulled downward, gravity taking hold.
I rolled off his now limp form to find Ivan’s eyes fixed on me, staring blankly into the void—a bullet hole placed with chilling precision between them.
Tears welled in my eyes as I crawled away from his lifeless body on all fours. Shock, terror, and helplessness surged through me, my body trembling as I rocked back and forth, unable to tear my gaze away from Ivan’s vacant stare.
Warm, strong arms enveloped me, lifting me from the cold, hard rooftop. The familiar scent of Dmitri enveloped my senses, grounding me in the reality of what had just transpired. I wrapped my arms around his neck, clinging to him as though he were my lifeline.
“You’re okay,kukolka. I’ve got you,” he whispered softly, holding me tightly against his solid frame, his voice a soothing balm amidst the chaos.
~***~
We rode back to Dmitri’s mansion in a profound silence, the kind that hung heavy in the air, wrapping around us like an invisible shroud. Words failed me; there was simply no language adequate to convey the tumult of emotions swirling inside. My heart yearned for his embrace, for the solidity of his arms to anchor me in this storm. I had always believed Dmitri to be the monster lurking in the shadows of my life, but now I knew it was Ivan who had stolen everything from me.
