AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You’re the furthest thing from fragile, but youareprecious to me. I won’t have you out there getting caught in the crossfire.”
She furrows her brows. “But I want to help. You don’t understand, Dimitri. Edvard nearly destroyed my life. I want to make him pay. This thing between he and I is personal.”
“I know, angel. And I promise you will get your chance to confront him, but until we either find him or lure him out, I’d feel more comfortable if you helped me and the Antonovs behind the scenes.” I gesture to the accumulation of all her hard work. “You’ve clearly got a knack for it. The way I see it, it’s the lesser of two evils.” I take her hands and kiss the backs of her fingers. “These are the hands of a healer, Nat. From here on out, let me take care of the dirty work.”
The edges of her eyes brim with tears, but she smiles through it and nods. “Okay,” she whispers.
I chuckle softly. “Besides, I doubt you’ll be able to tranq the entirety of Edvard’s army.”
She shrugs. “You’d be surprised what I’m capable of when I put my mind to it.”
A quick glance at the bedside alarm clock tells me it’s 5:30 a.m. If I don’t get back soon, Boris or Dahlia will sound the alarm, and I’d really rather not deal with Mikhail ripping Moscow out by the roots in order to search for me.
“We should go,” I tell her. “I’ll order us some breakfast while you pack what you need. Then we’ll head home together.”
“Together,” she echoes with a grin. “I like the sound of that.”
We move quickly, getting dressed in the dim morning light. My call to the front desk is quick. Apparently, their breakfast menu is severely limited, though plenty of options seemed to open when I casually mentioned I was willing to pay almost double. While I confirm our order of salmon eggs benedict and buttered sourdough toast, I watch as Natalya moves about the space, gathering whatever she can and shoving it in a worn-out old duffle bag.
It almost feels surreal, getting to see her like this. While I miss her pretty blonde locks, I have to admit that her darker, shorter hair gives her a sexier edge.
My eyes happen to wander over to a loose schematic she forgot to pack in her haste. I bend down and pick it up, studying it curiously. I know a little bit about mechanics, but my knowledge is by no means extensive. From what I can gather, it’s the blueprints for some type of bomb. And then it hits me.
It’sthebomb.
The one that set off a chain of events and made our worlds collide. It’s strange to look at it now; I’m oddly transfixed by the level of detail. Natalya must have followed the instructions to the letter.
“Oh,” she murmurs when she spots me with it. “That’s…”
“I know,” I say gently. “I’m not mad anymore, Nat. Though, why do you still have it?”
“Honestly? I’m not sure. I think a part of me was hoping some clue would present itself. Everything leads back to Edvard; I just don’t know how to connect the dots.”
My eyes roam over the parchment, focusing on a strange outline near the bottom. “What’s this supposed to be?” I ask, squinting as though it might help reveal its mysteries to me. “It looks kind of like a transmitter.”
“How do you know?”
“My youngest brother, Luka. He used to mess around with electronics all the time. I recognize this part. It’s supposed to receive external signals.”
Natalya frowns. “Really? I had no idea. I was so focused on following the instructions, I don’t think I questioned it. I guess it doesn’t matter now.”
“No,” I mutter. “Maybe not.”
A strange, cold feeling settles deep within my guts, telling me I’m missing something vital. The more I try to dwell on the issue, the more my head hurts. Why would a car bomb need a timeranda transmitter? Perhaps it’s a design flaw. Just an oversight.
So why can’t I shake this feeling?
We finish our meals and then Natalya and I head down to check out of the room. My car is waiting not a block away. We move quickly. I don’t think we’re being watched, but I’d rather not walk about freely. There’s no telling how wide Levitksy’s network reaches. He could have eyes and ears everywhere. The safest place for us right now is home.
Turns out, safety is an illusion.
When we finally arrive, all I can do is stare in horror as my house is engulfed in flames.
Chapter 35
Dimitri
Smoke burns the insides of my nostrils, the heat so intense I can feel the hair on my arms being singed even at this distance. My first and only thought is—
