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But I’m afraid it’s too late.
I am in love,I reply to the voice in my head.
Suddenly, gunshots ring out. Valeri is on his feet with his gun drawn, running toward the hallway door. Talia also leaps up, but instead of following Valeri, she claps her hands with joy as if she’s won a prize.
“He’s here!” she exclaims. “Your husband is here to rescue you.”
I get up, prepared to run, but Talia grabs my arm in her vise-like grip. I struggle to yank free, but I’m weak from my confinement, and madness gives her strength. I’m afraid to fall and won’t risk hurting my baby.
“Iknewyou were lying,” she hisses viciously in my face. “Any sane woman would want Andrei. You’re weak, but you’re not crazy.”
“The crazy ones must want him too,” I snap.
Talia glares at me and then shoves me to the floor. “Do you know what he’s done for you? He just violated a sacred rule of the East Coast Bratvas. The Poconos is neutral territory, where weapons are forbidden.”
A repeat of gunfire interrupts her, and Talia stares at the door leading out. She can’t decide if to go and look or keep an eye on me. I hold my breath, hoping she’ll run out into the hallway, but she focuses on me again.
“Andrei is ripping the reputation of the Barinov Bratva to pieces, all for you—a weak, soft-hearted nobody—to get his stolen money back.”
The words slam into me and I pant heavily, unable to get up and run from her if I could. Satisfied that she’s secured doubt in my heart, Talia slips away. I wait for her to return and then realize she isn’t. Instead of running toward the gunfire, I run onto the balcony. The Rovers are visible in the driveway, and I can see a few of Andrei’s men. Hurriedly, I lower myself off the balcony; it’s only a few feet above the ground, and I tumble to the grass.
Involuntarily, I let out a shout as I roll down an incline and quickly look up to see if anyone has spotted me. I look straight at Andrei above me on the balcony. Skillfully, he leaps over the railing and runs down the short incline toward me. I grab his hand, and he pulls me into his arms.
Cradling me, Andrei rushes toward the Rovers as his men cover our escape.
Inside the SUV, I cling to him like a weak, soft-hearted fool who doesn’t have the strength to leave him. And finally, I feel safe enough to cry.
***
In seconds, we’re in the first Rover and driving toward home.
His finger strokes my cheek, and I move away from his touch, reaching up to wipe away the tears.
“I looked for you everywhere,” he whispers. “If Talia hurt you, I will tear her to pieces.”
“She didn’t hurt me,” I replied stiffly. “You saw where we were. She didn’t hurt me.”
“But if she did …”
“Stop,” I hiss. “I’ve had enough death already.”
Andrei furrows his brow as he looks at me. He’s probably wondering what he said wrong. Any other woman would be in his arms, thanking him and telling him never to let her go. Isn’t that what I wanted the whole time Talia had me? Didn’t I also want to be in his arms? I did until she told me about the money.
Am I just a part of his plan and nothing else? I place my hand on my stomach and move it away when he looks to see what I’m doing.
“It was too easy.” His voice reaches forward as he talks to Dmitri. “We shot two men. But they were bad shots. The rooms weren’t even locked.”
“It’s neutral territory, Andrei Vasilyevich.” Dmitri’s words hang in the quiet as we enter Highway 84 toward home. “It’s not supposed to be guarded.”
I wipe my tears away. Two men died, and for a moment, I wonder if one of them was Valeri. I shouldn’t care. I should be glad he’s dead. Talia is not only Andrei’s enemy; she’s also mine. But I do care. I care that someone lost a life because of me. I gasp and try harder to hold back fresh tears but can’t. Misery and guilt overwhelm me, making it hard to breathe.
“Paige, you’re safe.” Andrei slips his hand into mine. “You’re with me, and I will protect you.”
I pull my hand out of his grip.
His eyes narrow on me as if I had hit him. “What’s wrong?” he asks.
“I can’t believe you have the nerve to ask that.” My response sounds ungrateful, and I’m ashamed to appear bratty toward a man that saved my life.
