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Audrey’s eyes widened, a mixture of shock and awe painting her features as she looked upon the lifeless form before us. Diego’s presence was a timely intervention, his words cutting through the chaos as he informed us of the grim truth—we were under attack, the Bianchis closing in with vengeance in their hearts.
I’d already known it was them. There was no one else who could’ve made such a bold move. The question of how said move had been made was a deep mystery to me.
My focus shifted, my priority clear—Audrey’s safety, the safety of the life growing within her. But my plans were upended as another group of figures emerged from the shadows, and with them was a face that twisted my insides with a chilling recognition.
Salvatore Bianchi stood before us, his mocking tone laced with a bitter edge. “So, you’re the head of the Bratva, huh?” His words were a taunt, a reminder of the blood-soaked history that tied our families together. “Ivan, right? Salvatore here, at your service.” He bowed, the bloodlust evident in his glittering eyes.
I offered no reply, instead placing myself between Audrey and the threat that loomed before us. We were outnumbered and outgunned, but my only focus was preserving the love of my life and my child.
Salvatore’s gaze lingered on Audrey, a flicker of familiarity in his eyes that sent a shiver down my spine. His men were about to open fire when he yelled at them, ordering them not to make any move of that manner.
The bloodlust enveloping Salvatore had faded, replaced by a somber air of reason. He was thinking. He was calculating the next move to make. Only a moment ago, it appeared he was going to gun me down and everyone else even remotely acquainted with me, but now his drive took a step back.
Was Audrey’s presence the cause of that? How did he know her? Had they met somewhere before?
My fingers tightened around the gun. The tension in the air was palpable, a battle of wills that could tip the scales of fate.
Salvatore’s eyes flitted around the room until they fell on Diego, who was standing in front of me. Salvatore was still calculating, but for a brief moment, I saw a flash of rage andbloodlust seize hold of him, before reverting back to reason. None of us found it possible to breathe.
The tension was shattered when a single gunshot cut through the moment like a blade. Diego fell, his life extinguished in an instant, and the world seemed to blur around me. With a strength borne of desperation, I pulled Audrey away, my every instinct driving me to shield her from the storm that raged around us. I shot back at Salvatore and his men opened fire in response.
“I thought I told you not to shoot at any of them!” I faintly heard Salvatore yell at his men before loud shots rang through the air and their gunshots were heard no more.
With Audrey’s hand in mine, I led us down to the basement of the mansion and locked the heavy steel door behind us. I heard a bang on the door as Salvatore, now alone, cried, “Ivan! Get back here!”
I held Audrey and took her through a very dark narrow pathway that could only be seen from a specific angle in the large musty basement. I went through first to ensure the other side was secure before Audrey followed. The pathway opened to a huge circular room with numerous open doors that led to darkness. I scanned them until I found the one I was looking for and led Audrey through it.
We fled through the labyrinthine tunnels that connected our compound to the city’s underground network, each step a heartbeat that echoed with urgency. The cold embrace of the earth enveloped us as we navigated the subterranean maze.
Pain radiated through my body, a dull ache that intensified with every movement. The realization struck me—I had been hit by one of Salvatore’s men. The tunnels seemed endless, our breaths coming in ragged gasps as we forged ahead.
The city’s pulse throbbed above us as the tunnel finally terminated before a large steel door akin to the one in mybasement. I swiftly opened it and we entered into the basement of the good doctor.
"Langdon! Langdon!" I yelled and pushed the electric bell on the wall and in a second, the organization's doctor rushed down to the basement.
"Boss?" Dr. Langdon said, "Oh my goodness! Honey, get my tools!" He exclaimed.
Langdon inspected me as he and Audrey got me onto a nearby surgical table. The only way in or out of the basement was through the steel door, which I had locked shut. I was sure Salvatore wasn't going to find us. I groaned on the table, the weight of my injuries a burden that threatened to consume me. Audrey’s concern was a comforting presence, her touch a reminder of the strength that bound us together.
“An attack on the compound should’ve been next to impossible,” I mumbled, the words a bitter lament that tumbled from my lips. The chaos, the death, the shattered illusion of safety—it all seemed to converge in this moment, a reckoning that left me breathless.
The world around me blurred, the pain and exhaustion pulling me under as consciousness slipped through my grasp. With a heavy sigh, I succumbed to the darkness, the last image etched in my mind—Audrey’s face, a beacon of hope amidst the storm.
Chapter 23 - Audrey
The room was dark, with windows covered with heavy curtains. The incandescent light of the scattered guest room cast a soft, eerie glow on the surroundings, revealing the hidden corners and forgotten relics of a place long abandoned.
Ivan’s groans punctuated the silence as he slept, his injuries a stark reminder of the violence that had driven us down here. My gaze lingered on his form, worry etched into every line of his features. He had pushed himself to the limits, and now he rested, his slumber a brief respite from the chaos that had enveloped us.
I strolled out of the room and went to a small living room. The doctor had left earlier, leaving his wife Sarah in charge. They were a simple family with just one child. The doctor was in his fifties, a quiet man of average height with a toned build. Grey hair streaks at the periphery of his head and thinly framed glasses were wedged between his eyes. His wife was shorter than I was, with a plump round figure. I couldn't quite tell her age as her looks seemed to dance between thirties and forties. Their young son, four years of age, was named David. He had a curious spirit and, despite the warnings of his parents, would often hover around the room Ivan was in.
As I sat by on the couch, my mind replayed the harrowing attack on the compound. The image of Salva’s distorted visage haunted me. When he had appeared in Ivan’s mansion, he was so different from the calm and collected man I had come to know at the bookstore. There was a madness in his eyes, a glimpse into the darkness that had consumed him. It was a chilling transformation that left me shaken to my core.
I still couldn’t believe that he was the same nice person I had discussed books with. It had to be someone else. As much as I tried to tell myself that, I knew it wasn’t. I couldn’t deceivemyself. And what a way to learn that your fiancé was the head of the notorious Russian Mafia, the Bratva.
My thoughts went to Diego, the young man who had paid the ultimate price in a world that had thrust him into its merciless grip. His untimely death weighed heavily on my heart. The face of Salvatore as he glared at him and shot him dead replayed itself.
To think that I had believed I’d been attracted to a monster like Salvatore. I shuddered.
