Page 71 of Sergei
They had her.
Something inside me snapped. It was fast and sharp, and I felt it to my core. It wasn’t fear. It was something older. Something familiar, cold and dark. It was that feeling I got right before I placed a blade at a man’s throat and dragged it across his flesh. It never really left me. It was always there, simmering below the surface, and at that moment, it was itching to take these two assholes out.
As much as I wanted to rip his fucking throat out, I had to keep my need for blood in check. I had no choice. They had Lina, which complicated things. But it wouldn’t stop me.
I would end them.
I would end them all, but first, I had to find a way to get her back.
For now, I had no choice but to say, “Fine. I’ll do it.”
22
ALINA
I’d spent years teaching myself not to want things. Not love. Not safety or a sense of security. Not a future worth living. I stopped imagining what happiness might feel like. There was no point in it. Fairy tales were for girls who were born into a world of hope and dreams, not darkness and greed like mine. Our world was not about roses and rainbows. It was about survival and obedience.
So, I stopped fighting the tide and accepted the fact that love wasn’t for people like me. Then, Sergei touched me, and it felt like a promise whispered in the night. I started to hope, to dream, and actually consider a future.
A real future.
A future with him.
It was too soon. I knew that, but there was no denying it. I had fallen for him, and I’d fallen hard. While I was concerned about why he’d left so suddenly, I was still practically beaming as I cleaned the kitchen. He’d made quite a mess when making us pancakes, but I didn’t care. The simple fact that he’d tried made my heart full.
I was putting the last of the dishes in the dishwasher when the front door opened. I thought it was just Bog coming in, so I said, “Oh, you really didn’t have to…”
My words trailed off the second I saw that it wasn’t Bog coming through the door. Instead, it was two men dressed in all black. They moved without noise or the slightest hesitation. There was no doubt that they were here for a reason, and I had a feeling that I was that reason.
When they spotted me, the taller of the two smiled like I was already in his hands. “There she is.”
His Russian accent was thick enough to cut with a blade. Deep, old, and guttural. I should have run. I should have screamed. But I didn’t move. I just stood there and stared at him, like a part of me was expecting their arrival.
I inhaled a deep breath, and the hem of Sergei’s shirt brushed my thighs. I almost laughed. I’d gotten a chill while cleaning and slipped on a pair of leggings. At least I wasn’t half-naked when they came for me. It was one piece of luck I could hold onto.
“Get shoes,” the second one ordered without looking at me.
He was busy checking the room, making note of exits, cameras, and windows. I didn’t know who sent them, but it was clear they were professionals. I didn’t bother resisting. I knew there would be no getting away from them, so I went to the door to fetch my boots.
My hands barely shook as I slipped them on. No socks. No coat. They didn’t care. One of them took hold of my arm and tugged me out into the hall. They didn’t bother dragging me or binding my hands. One walked ahead and one behind, like they already knew I wouldn’t run.
We entered the elevator, and just as it was about to close, I noticed something over in the corner behind the artificial tree. I tilted my head, trying to get a better look, and that’s when I realized it was a body. And not just any body. It was Bog.
Strong, invincible Bog was crumpled on the ground in a pool of blood.
My heart sank.
He was killed because of me, and I couldn’t help but wonder who else would face a similar fate. I lowered my head, trying with all my might not to lose it, and when my chin brushed the collar of Sergei’s shirt collar, I caught a slight hint of his cologne.
It gave me a bit of solace to know that I might’ve been headed to my end, but at least I had a piece of him to take with me. In a blink, we were downstairs, and they were leading me toward a black SUV. One of them opened the back door and jerked his chin, silently ordering me to get in.
I climbed inside without a word.
The door slammed shut, sealing me in. Seconds later, they were both inside, and the engine rumbled to life. I kept my eyes trained ahead and tried to ignore my shaking hands. I knew it was bad. If they wanted me dead, they could’ve just killed me in the apartment.
It would be quick and clean, but they didn’t do that.
That meant they had a plan, and that plan involved me breathing. Torture came to mind first, and then they went downhill from there. I thought about Sergei and Viktor. Tabitha and Fury. I couldn’t help but wonder if they would come for them like they’d come for me.
