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“Get your bot ready,” I tell Luka with a smile. “We’re shifting to phase two.”
Chapter 40
Aurora
It’s a waiting game. We can’t make a move until someone clicks on the link to unleash my virus. Until then, all I can do is pray and hopesomeoneis stupid enough to be tricked.
Honestly, it seems really likely it will work, too. Luka, being the brilliant genius he is, has made the emails look as convincing as possible. We’re not brazen enough to send the link alone. If we did, it’d probably wind up in their spam folders. Luka’s gone the extra mile of generating email templates so the messages look like potential clients reaching out for a quote, or someone claiming to have worked with them in the past hoping to have them look into a new investment venture. I’ve done my part, so now everything’s in Luka’s hands.
But that doesn’t stop me from being nervous as hell.
It’s already been three hours. Still nothing.
Anxiety has gripped me by the throat while my heart pounds so hard I can feel my pulse in myeyes. I’m normally not pessimistic, but I can’t stop thinking about what might happen if Luka and I fail. If we don’t manage to cut Konstantin off, he’ll have all the funds he needs to amass an army against us. There will be nothing to stop him from hiring hundreds, maybe even thousands, of willing mercenaries to hunt us down.
We won’t stand a chance.
That’s why thishasto work.
A day goes by. Then another. By the end of the week, I’m a nervous mess, constantly looking over my shoulder for some unseen threat. Konstantin could be lurking anywhere, could attack at any time.
“Have a seat, Aurora,” Mikhail says, peeking over the edge of his phone. He’s been in talks with Nicolai all day. “You’re stressing me out.”
“I can’t help it. How are you so calm?”
He puts his phone away and extends his hand toward me, beckoning me to come to him. I start toward him with a heavy exhale, slipping my palm into his. Mikhail gives my fingers a light squeeze.
“My poorkisa. Why are you shaking?”
“Because I’m restless. Aren’t you?”
“Of course I am.”
“I feel like I’m going crazy. Like waiting for a bomb to drop.”
Mikhail kisses my knuckles. “You know what you need? Some stress relief.”
The smokiness of his tone makes me grin, an almost automatic reflex at this point. “Oh?” I say. “What did you have in mind?”
He leans forward like he’s going to kiss me—then stands up to grab his coat. “Come on.”
I blink at him, confused. “Oh, I thought… Never mind. Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise,” he replies with a cheeky wink. “Don’t you trust me?”
I chew on the inside of my cheek. “Of course I trust you.”
“Make sure to bundle up. It might get a little chilly.”
* * *
We drive for too long, going just to the edge of the city limits. Thick evergreens surround us, big open fields stretching as far as the eye can see. It’s a secluded place, plenty of privacy. The sunlight is pale and the air is cool, but it’s fresh and crisp in my lungs. I already feel much better. Maybe all I needed was a change in scenery.
I have to admit it feels weird being out in the open like this. Konstantin has me living in fear. Every day, I wake up nauseated, always worried and fretting about what terrible surprises the day might hold. But as long as Mikhail is here, I think I’ll be fine. I know without a shadow of a doubt he’ll never let anything happen to us. If he thinks it’s safe to be out here, then safe we shall be.
“Stand here a moment,” he says before walking on.
I remain on the soft patch of grass, taking in our surroundings. I’m not yet accustomed to the picturesque Russian countryside, but it’s definitely growing on me. I much prefer it out here than the unfeeling, unforgiving concrete jungle of New York. In the oddest sense, it’s a small blessing being out here and one with nature.
