Page 62 of Chained Fate
Instead, my men and I were waiting.
I hug Alina tighter, her tears soaking into my shirt above my bulletproof vest while I battle a peculiar mixture of relief, rage, bitter disappointment, and joy.She tried to leave me again, as deep down I knew she would.Tried and failed.I still have her, and now the truth is out in the open, so why am I so reluctant to accept it, the knowledge that despite everything, she still wants to run from me?
Why am I still having doubts, only now in the opposite direction?
Why am I hoping that these tears mean she regrets what she has done?That the way she struggled against Konstantin’s hold and ran to me were signs she was actually glad to see me alive?
I wait until she calms a bit before gesturing to my guards to take her brothers away.Which is when I notice the tiny smirk on Valery’s face and see the red dots all over my men’s chests.
Fuck.
I look up.
Hovering silently over us, some ten meters above, are drones.The kind of drones I’ve never seen before, made entirely of a reflective silvery material that would make them all but impossible to spot from a distance.
Stealth drones.Military grade.Likely remote-piloted with AI assistance, given the precision of those laser dots.
A red dot dances over my arm.
Adrenaline fires through me, clearing my mind like nothing else can.Swiftly, I separate from Alina and back up several steps.
I can’t risk the drone misfiring and hitting her instead of me.
Valery’s smirk stretches into a cold, hard smile.“You got it.Now tell your men to back away from us… if they want to live, that is.”
Alina looks confused at first, but then she must see the red dot on me.A gasp escapes her lips, and she whirls around to face her brothers—and then she looks up, likely having seen more red dots on my men.
“Valery?”Her voice quavers.“What the fuck is this?”
Interesting.Is she not in on this part of the plan?
Maybe not.Her youngest brother is known for his convoluted, impenetrable plans that are often only revealed as such at the end.Though Konstantin clearly knew about the drones because he calmly adjusts his glasses, not the least bit surprised by what’s happening.
“Tell your people to back the fuck up and drop their weapons,” Valery repeats, his tone hardening further, and I grit my teeth but do as he says.
I don’t want bloodshed.Not in front of Alina.Not when she’s been doing so much better mentally and emotionally.
Even as rage burns in my veins, I tell myself that this is just a temporary setback.There’s a plan D.No matter where they take her, no matter how well they try to hide her, I will get her back.
I’ll uproot the whole fucking world to retrieve her if I have to.
At my command, my guards leave their visible weapons on the ground and step away, clearing the path between Alina and her brothers.I expect her to bolt toward them, but she doesn’t.
As Konstantin starts toward her with long strides, she throws herself at me.
Reflexively, I catch her, my heart thudding as she wraps her arms around my waist, clinging to me with a death grip.Remembering the drone overhead, I try to separate her from me, but she doesn’t let go.
“Alina.”Konstantin stops a few feet away.His voice is tense.“We need to go.Now.”
“No!”Still clinging to me, she turns her face toward her brothers.Her eyes are narrowed and her teeth bared, a tigress in battle mode.There’s no hesitation in her voice, nothing but furious conviction as she hisses, “Take your fucking drones and your bombs, and leave!This is my home, my husband, my people”—she flings her hand out toward my guards—“and you are fucking trespassing.”
Konstantin glances at Valery, clearly uncertain as to how to proceed.
Alina’s youngest brother steps forward, his tone turning soothing.Like he’s cajoling a small, unreasonable child.“Alina… I know this is scary, but he can’t hurt you anymore.We’ll ensure he doesn’t come after you.You’re going to be safe and?—”
“I don’t want to be safe!”She’s all but vibrating with fury at my side.“I wanthim.I’ve told you that, over and over again, but you don’t fucking listen!He is my husband, the man I love, the man I’m meant to be with, and you two need to accept that, once and for all!”
My heart pounds madly, each word detonating in my brain with the force of a nuclear warhead.This is it.This is her chance to leave me—for good as far as she knows—and she’s not taking it.
