Page 23 of Forcibly Sold to the Bratva
What happens next is so fast that I can barely follow it. Ilariy jumps and kicks down one of the men before elbowing the one holding me in the gut. The man staggers back and releases me. The third comes toward us, but Ilariy grabs me and moves sideways, kicking the attacker out from under his shins.
Ilariy grips my elbow, and together, we make a run for it before my attackers can find their footing again.
Chapter 7 - Ilariy
Arina and I run through the narrow streets of Cancun. I guide her with a hand to the small of her back and choose to run behind her, looking over my shoulder constantly to make sure we aren’t being followed. I notice the three men appear just as we round a corner.
“Quick,” I tell Arina, “that's right.” I swerve her into a dark, adjoining alley, running further into it until we exit onto a high street filled with boutique stores.
“Where are they?” she asks fearfully, trying to look behind our backs. I take her hand, and we break into a sprint as we run across streets. I turn my head back and see the three men with their backs to us, looking around for us, and before I let them risk seeing us, I push open the first store I see and pull Irina into it.
More than two dozen heads turn to look at us.
“Are you here for the class?” a pleasant-looking store assistant asks us with a smile.
“Oh, uh.” I look around and notice a dozen couples, all of whom face her. We can’t risk going out. Whatever class this is, we’re going to fucking take it.
“Yes,” says Arina beside me, as though she can read my mind.
“Come, come.” The store assistant motions us into the crowd. “Please. You’re late, but you’ll catch up.”
Arina and I share nervous looks. We have no idea what’s going on, what we’re even doing here, but we let another assistant guide us to stand behind a table filled with numerous small bottles. I pick some up while Arina leans forward.
“I think it’s one of those experiential things,” she whispers, her eyes nervously darting out of the window. I follow her gaze, and the street outside looks clear. For now, we’re safe here.
We turn our focus back to the instructor and pray we go undetected.
Arina looks through a pamphlet and hands it to me. I read about the class, Aromatherapy for couples.
Right. Just a few minutes ago, the woman by my side tried to run from me. I feel that same petrified energy rumble through me that I felt when I discovered Arina was missing. She has no idea what trouble she could have gotten into.
“I got a call,” I whisper to her, and her eyes meet mine. “From my men at the hotel. The hotel has been compromised.”
“Compromised?” Her eyes go wide, and a few people shush us from ahead. She lowers her voice. “What do you mean, compromised?”
“It means it’s not safe to go back to the villa. Tonight, we’ll have to stay somewhere else. Our men will grab our things and shift us to a new one. I’m awaiting details.”
“Okay…” she says, in a way that sounds like a question.
“You shouldn’t have run from me,” I hiss. “Do you know how dangerous it can be out here?”
“Why?” she asks, more urgently now.
I don’t answer. I look out of the window behind her, and she watches me. “Are they following us?”
“They’re not out there. But it doesn’t mean they aren’t around,” I say, and turn my focus back to the class.
“Who are they?” she asks.
“People who don’t like me,” I answer.
“They were…looking for you?” she asks, her voice quivering.
“They were looking to get to me, Arina. Next time, don’t leave my side.”
“But—” she tries asking, before the instructor levels a glare in our direction. We both immediately shut up. We can’t go out there, can’t risk being kicked out, so we remain silent and listen, act like a couple.
The woman in front speaks softly and asks us all to sink into the cushions. Arina whirls behind her to look, and the tension in the air grows heavy. The entire situation has suddenly become even more intimate.
