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I wrap my arms around her and pull her against me, my eager fingers combing through her hair as I kiss her breathless. We’re both shaking. This embrace feels infinitely better than all the ones before it. Is this a dream? Is Dani really here, or have they finally managed to break my brain? I say her name over and over again, just as she says mine like a prayer.
“You’re really…” My throat closes. “They told me you were dead. I thought I lost you.”
“I’m here,” she promises. “I’m here, Luka.”
“But how?”
“Your brothers are here.”
“What?”
“No time to explain. We have to go.”
I nod. “Right. Lead the way.”
Dani takes my hand, threading her fingers between mine as we make a run for it. It’s chaos. Out of the corner of my eye, I see someone quickly approaching, their guns raised in our direction.
“You there!” he shouts. “Stop or I’ll—”
I shoot him. The bullet pierces through his shoulder, narrowly missing the padding of his Kevlar vest. Tough luck, but I’m not in the mental headspace to feel bad about it. I could see from my window, and the surrounding forests are thick, but nothing can truly prepare me when it comes to actually navigating it. The adrenaline coursing through my veins already has me turned about. Pile on the fact that every stretch of tree looks the exact same as the last, and I’m hopelessly lost.
Thankfully, Dani has her head on straight.
Eventually, we stop running. The ear shattering noise from the compound is nothing more than a distant rumble. I see no signs we’re being followed. Could it really be over? Am I finally free?
My suspicions are confirmed when Dani all but tackles me to the ground, feverishly kissing my cheeks, my lips, my forehead. She holds me tight, tighter. My heart almost breaks when I feel her tears soaking into my skin, her little sobs quiet and breathless.
“I love you,” she says hastily, rushing over her words. “Before, when you said—I didn’t get a chance to—”
“I know, baby. I know.”
“I love you, Luka. I love you, I love you.”
I cup her face, drinking in every single detail I can get my eyes on. Her button nose, her little beauty mark, the dip of her cupid’s bow. I admire the sharpness of her cheek bones, the point of her chin, and the dark richness of her hair. This woman… She’s it for me. So, when I kiss her, I kiss her like it’s the last time. I linger and tease and savor, because if our time apart has taught me anything, it’s that I should never take anything for granted where Dani is concerned.
The snap of a branch underfoot alerts me we’re no longer alone. I’m quick to raise my gun, pointing out into the darkness. Nobody’s going to take Dani away from me this time. Nobody.
A man steps out, clearing his throat. “Do I get a big hug and kiss, too?”
I lower my gun as Dimitri laughs. “You dick. I could have shot you.”
Now that my eyes have adjusted to the evening darkness, I finally notice the man Dimitri has in his clutches. Levitsky. My brother has the man’s hands bound, snatched up at the scruff like a mangy dog.
Dani looks around. “Where are the others?”
“We’re here,” Pyotr says, stepping forward. He’s got someone with him, thrown over his shoulder like nothing more than a sack of flour. Violetta Salkov. Her wrists and ankles are bound, a gag stuffed into her mouth to stifle her screaming.
That’s two of the three down.
When Mikhail arrives with Konstantin in tow, I let out a sigh of relief. Our uncle looks worse for the wear, sporting a black eye and a broken nose. He’s in no condition to run away. In that moment, my brothers and I all exchange a look, a silent conversation passing between us.
We have The Trinity in our grasp.
It’s time we end this.
Chapter 37
Dani
