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We’re under attack.
A part of me can’t believe it. I mean, I have security for a reason, but still. It’s broad daylight, and we’re a few minutes’ drive from the center of Moscow. One would have to be suicidal to attack the Molotov family so openly.
The driver slams on the brakes so suddenly my head whips forward and the seatbelt cuts into my ribcage, squeezing all the air from my lungs. We screech to a halt. Fuck! We nearly crashed into a van that’s appeared out of nowhere to block the road ahead of us. The driver attempts to reverse, but something rams into us from behind, forcing the car to stop again.
Boxed in.We’re boxed in, I realize as the bodyguards swear again. In addition to the van in the front, there are three SUVs—one on each side of us and one behind us. They’ve forced us off the main road onto this side street, ignoring any and all witnesses. My pulse revs up higher. I can only think of one enemy of ours who would dare be so bold, so brazenly—
And there he is.
The van door facing us slides open, and out comes none other than my former intended, Alexei Leonov himself.
Dressed in all black like the angel of death, he comes toward me with long, furious strides. His expression matches his clothes, his eyes glowing darkly and his jaw tightly clenched.
For a moment, I’m so struck by the sight of him—and by the heat that flashes under my skin—that I can’t move a muscle. Then panic whips through me as five more men jump out of the van after him and eight more emerge from the SUVs on either side of us, armed with semi-automatic rifles.
There’s no way my four bodyguards could fight them and win.
“Holster your guns,” I say shakily, fumbling with my seatbelt as my bodyguards jump out of the car to confront the danger. “It’s okay. I know him.”
And I know he won’t hesitate to kill anyone who stands in his way.
Vankov grits his teeth but does as I ordered. The other guards follow his example.
Meanwhile, Alexei reaches my door and yanks it open. His eyes burn into me. “Get out. Now.”
I open the door on the opposite side and scramble out of the car, my heart pounding wildly. For the first time in weeks, I feel alive. Alive and terrified. I can only begin to guess at what Alexei wants, and none of the guesses are reassuring.
At my small defiance, his eyes narrow and he rounds the car with the same furious strides, reaching me before I can even think about running. Gripping my elbow, he drags me to the van and pushes me into one of the rows of seats in the back, then climbs in and slides the door shut behind us, isolating us from the men outside.
As soon as he lets go of my elbow, I scramble across the seat, as far away from him as I can get in the close confines of the van’s cabin. My breath comes fast and shallow as his eyes lock on me, still narrowed, still furious.
And then, just like that, I’m furious too. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I stop shrinking against the window and jut out my chin, glaring at him. “My brothers—”
“Fuck your brothers.” His jaw works violently as he braces one hand on the seat in front of us, trapping me in place. “I’ve been trying to see you for weeks.”
“So you came with a fucking army to run my car off the road?”
“Would you rather I used said army to storm your residence? That was on the agenda for this Sunday, but luckily, you emerged from your lair before that.”
I suck in a shocked breath. He was going to try to force his way into the penthouse despite all the guards and security measures? “Why?” is all I can find the wherewithal to ask as I stare into his grim face.
His mouth twists. “Why do you think?” Dropping his hand, he takes in a visible breath. Some of the fury leaves his gaze, his tone softening minutely as he says, “I wanted to talk to you, express my condolences for your loss… make sure you’re healing okay.”
My loss. Right. For a second, I’d almost forgotten. I swallow thickly, my anger receding, and his expression softens further.
Leaning forward, he lays his hand on my leg, his touch impacting me even through the thick layer of my coat. “Alinyonok…” His eyes hold mine captive. “I’m sorry about the accident. I really am.”
Accident.Even he doesn’t know. I jerk my leg away, my anger reigniting. “So sorry you were going to force your way into my penthouse? Is that why you ran me off the road with your fucking fleet of cars? To express your condolences?” My voice rises with every word. “Why can’t you just leave me the fuck alone? It’s over. We’re done. Finished. This stupid contract is—”
“In force until I say otherwise,” he says, his expression hardening. Whatever warmth I imagined in his voice is gone, his face set in cruel, harsh lines once more. “I don’t give a fuck what Nikolai says. You were promised to me and—”
“I’m not a fucking object!” I shriek, all my emotions suddenly coming to an explosive boil. I shake from the force of them, my stomach churning violently. I can feel myself unraveling, falling apart strand by strand, piece by bloody piece. Like Mama. Like the bloody piece of meat that was all that remained of her at the end.Like Papa’s guts that spilled out under Nikolai’s ruthless blade. The blade that I can once again see flashing toward my face, cutting a fiery line down my arm…Stop! Stop! Stop!The word blares like an alarm in my ears, and I realize I’m screaming it out loud, my fists hammering against the only available object—Alexei’s chest. Somehow, I’m on him, fighting him, shrieking something incoherent. Distantly, I hear him curse, and then he wraps his arms around me, restraining me. It doesn’t help. His embrace only maddens me. I lose all control, screaming and sobbing and biting like a wild animal until I finally collapse against him, my skull imploding with agonizing pain.
I don’t know if I pass out or if my brain simply shuts down for a while, like a computer needing a reboot, but the next thing I’m aware of is being carried up the stairs and toward my bedroom. Angry male voices surround me, and I dimly recognize that it’s my brothers arguing with Alexei. That’s who’s carrying me, I realize with a vague sense of shock—Alexei. Gently, he deposits me onto my bed, where I curl up into a ball, clutching my head and moaning. It feels like a chainsaw is cutting through my skull, slicing apart my brain.
“Shh, it’s okay. Here.” A female voice now. Lyudmila. She shoves two pills into my hand, and I have just enough strength left to bring them to my mouth and dry-swallow. A glass of water with a straw is placed next to my face, and I suck up a few sips before squeezing my eyes shut against the awful pain.
“You see this?” Nikolai’s voice is hard and biting. It reaches me through the pounding agony in my head. “That’syourdoing. She was already on the mend, getting off the meds, and now this shit again. You need to stay the fuck away from her, you understand?”
