Page 79 of Queen’s Gambit

“What is this for?”

“I have a friend who works here. Knock at that door. His name is Allen. He will give you a key to use the service elevator so you won’t be seen on camera. I promised him payment.”

“Frida, I don’t know how to thank you.”

“You’ve always been my friend first, Yuli. Now go, don’t waste another second.”

Her eyes filled with tears when I kissed her cheek.

“Thank you. I love you, my friend.”

I walked down the alley toward the back door of the hotel Zolotoy Chastokol.

A man about my age opened the door when I knocked. He put a finger to his lips, signaling for quiet. I pulled the money from my pocket and handed it over. Nodding, he took the cash and let me inside. We walked over to the elevator, and he swiped the card before handing it to me. I tucked it into my pocket as we waited.

“My shift is over at five. You must meet me here no later than ten minutes before that, or my boss will be suspicious that I’m still here,” he said, and I nodded.

The door opened, and I stepped inside.

“Thank you,” I whispered, then hit the button for the penthouse.

With each floor, my nervousness grew until I was a jittery mess. Reaching the top, I took a deep breath to try and calm my pounding heart. There were only two suites up here, and I quickly made my way to the left. Hand shaking, I rapped on the door. Each second of waiting for Eddie was agony.

What if he left?

What if he was taken by my father’s men?

I could’ve just walked in using the card he gave me, but the fear that he might not be in there was crippling. Instead, I knocked again.

What was I doing? After everything we had been through, I was brave enough to open a door. I reached into my cloak to grab the key when I heard the lock turn.

Looking up, I pushed the hood off my head. Eddie’s eyes instantly shifted from cautious to filled with love.

“Thank God you made it,” he said, pulling me close, and I held on tight.

No matter what happened from this moment on, my heart would always belong to Eddie.

Edmundo

The door closed, and I couldn’t restrain myself any longer. I kissed Ana hard and pushed her up against the wall. She melted into me as I snaked my arms under her cloak. Our lips moved together like we hadn’t spent a single moment apart. I’d been pacing the suite since I left the party, envisioning at least fifty different ways I could kill Vadin. He’d lied, schemed, and stabbed me in the back while he ripped my heart out. That wouldn’t go unpunished.

“It feels like it’s been forever,” I said against her lips. “Every phone call and text message as agonizing as they were sweet.”

My heart hurt knowing that this might be our only night together.

“Hear me out. I can get us out of the country right now. We can go anywhere in the world. Bermuda, maybe, or Hawaii? We can even go to Canada.”

“Eddie, I would in a heartbeat, but I know my father. Even if we manage to stay under his radar, he’ll never be satisfied until he finds another way to hurt us. He’ll attack your father’s companies. He’ll ruin your name and everything you’ve worked so hard for. He’ll cut off all business ties and have your family watched. No one will be safe. Not us, not your parents, our friends, no one. He is vile and vindictive, and I’ve had a front-row seat to watching men with far more power be stripped of everything.”

I hated that she was right about any of that. Vadin had a reputation, one that scared most. He didn’t scare me, but my parents hadn’t signed up for the war I would start if I ran with Ana. As much as it pained me, I couldn’t do that.

“I would never forgive myself if he did that to your family. If I could run now, I would, but we can’t. We need a better plan. I hate my father so much right now.”

The frustration in Ana’s voice mirrored what was in my soul. I’d been so focused and so sure that I would win this game of chicken with her father that I didn’t think about what might happen if neither of us moved and we collided.

I shook my head.

“My father isn’t much better at the moment.”