Page 127 of Queen’s Gambit

Walking over, he stood directly in front of me. He tried to act intimidating, but all I saw was the same cowardly piece of shit that had gone behind my back and set this ball rolling years ago.

“I don’t really like the way you’re looking at me,” Christov said.

He threw his first punch right at my face. I didn’t flinch and took the blow, the pain only adding to the fury in my chest. I glared at him again, and he hit me three more times, but I still never gave him what he wanted.

He needed my fear, but I would never be scared of him even if he held a gun to my head. Christov was a little boy pretending to be a man. Mentally, he was stuck at Wayward hoping to get one over on me while I’d grown up and accomplished ten times more than he had in the same amount of time. The insecurity was there in his eyes. He had craved his father’s approval and from what I’d been able to learn he’d never gotten it. Explains why he ran like a little bitch to Mr. Mikhailov for help. He made me sick.

Christov hit me in the stomach, and it drove the air from my chest, but I still didn’t cower.

“Fucker,” Christov snarled, pulling his gun.

“Enough,” Vadin bellowed as he strolled over. “We need to return him alive unless you want to start a war. Are you prepared for that?”

Christov swore but put his gun away like a good little puppet. I should’ve known that these two would team up to keep Ana and me separated. Christov straightened his suit and stepped aside, but I continued to stare at him, planning his death.

Vadin walked over and dropped the bag holding our passports and guns on the floor in front of me.

“You can either go home and never come back, or you can stay, and I’ll make sure that you’re locked up in a maximum-security prison and never see the light of day again. I may not be able to kill you, but I can make sure you get lost in the paperwork long enough that you won’t even recognize yourself once you get out. But what you’re not going to do is ever see Yulianna again.”

My chest heaved, but I didn’t react. There had to be another way to get Ana out of the country, but I needed to keep my cool. I was no good to her dead. Vadin grabbed the edge of the tape and ripped it off.

“Which is it going to be?”

Reminding myself that today was just another battle, I sucked in a deep breath. Living to fight another day was necessary because Ana and Lilya needed me to win the war.

“We’ll leave,” I said.

“Good choice.”

Vadin looked at the twenty armed soldiers.

“Wait ten minutes. Then make sure that Mr. Genovese and his men are escorted safely onto their plane and that they leave the country.”

Vadin and Christov left the hangar while I stood there, letting my rage consume me.

This is not over.

Yulianna

Pulling out my phone, I looked at the dark screen. Eddie would’ve messaged or called to warn me, so I knew something was wrong. Right now, I could only pray they hadn’t killed him or put him in prison. I honestly didn’t know what I would do if that was the case.

Christov’s guards weren’t paying attention to me and Lilya in the back of the van, so I quickly opened my phone and sent a text to Vlad.

Y: Are you all okay?

V: We’re fine. Are you?

Y: I don’t know yet. We’re about ten minutes away from the house. We need to move to Plan B. After we talk, this phone will go dark.

V: Understood. Is Christov with you?

Y: No. Do you think you can find out what they did to Eddie and his men?

V: I’ll make a few calls.

Y: Be safe. They know you’re loyal to me.

V: Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Reach out as soon as you can. And remember your cameras.