Chapter 23 Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Irina
My hands trembled as I grabbed a thick robe from the chair. I wrapped it around myself, my heart was pounding so hard I thought everyone in the villa could hear it.
"Follow me," the man said. "Stay close. Do not make a sound."
He moved towards the door and opened it slowly. The hinges did not creak. He must have oiled them. He had planned this night already.
The hallway was dark and empty.
We stepped out together. My bare feet made no sound on the cold floor.
We moved quickly down the hallway, then towards the stairs.
Every shadow looked like a guard.
Every sound made me jump, but we kept going.
We got downstairs and went through the main hall.
I could see the back door ahead. It was close already.
Freedom was so close I could almost taste it.
When the man reached for the door handle, bright lights flooded the hallway. Almost blinding me.
I froze.
"Going somewhere?" Alexei's voice came from behind us.
I turned slowly, fear gripped my throat.
He stood at the top of the stairs, fully dressed and wide awake. On his hand was a gun, lointed directly at the man beside me.
"Pakhan, I can explain…" the man started.
"No need," Alexei said calmly. He walked down the stairs slowly. "I know exactly what you are doing."
"Please, sir, I just…"
Without warning, without hesitation, Alexei pulled the trigger.
The gunshot was deafening.
The man's head snapped back. Blood exploded from the wound, splattering across my face. It was warm and sticky.
His body hit the floor with a heavy thud.
I stood frozen, trembling as blood dripped down my cheek.
I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't scream.
Alexei had just killed a man right in front of me. Again.
And this time his blood was on my face.
"He is not one of my men," Alexei muttered under his breath. He stepped over the body and looked at me. His green eyes were cold.
"Are you hurt?"
I could not answer. My mouth would not work.
"ANSWER ME!" His voice snapped like a whip. "Are you hurt?"
I shook my head immediately.
"Good," he said. Then he turned to the guards who had appeared.
"Search his body. Find out who he is and who sent him."
The guards moved quickly. They went through the dead man's body and found a badge and a radio.
"Sir," one guard said. "He is one of Mikhail Reznikov's men. This badge proves it. He must have sneaked in days ago, probably through the food supply cargo that arrived last week."
Alexei's jaw clenched. "Mikhail." He said the name like a curse. "That means Dimitri knows. They have found us."
"Sir, what should we do?" Another guard asked.
"Call for an immediate meeting," Alexei ordered. "Wake everyone. I want all senior guards in the meeting room in five minutes."
"Yes, sir!" The guards scattered.
Alexei looked at me. "Go back to your room, clean yourself and do not leave until I come for you."
"But…"
"NOW!" He roared.
I ran up the stairs, back to the bedroom. My legs barely held me.
I went to the bathroom and stared at my reflection in the mirror.
Blood covered half my face and was dripping down my neck. It had stained my robe.
The man who tried to save me was dead.
Because of me.
Because I wanted to escape.
I turned on the water and scrubbed my face until my skin was raw and red. But I could still feel the blood. I could still see it when I closed my eyes.
Suddenly, I heard voices downstairs.
Something was happening.
I crept to the door and pressed my ear against it.
Guards were running past.
"Move faster!" Someone shouted. "We need to be ready in two hours!"
"What about the vehicles?"
"Already being loaded. Hurry!"
What was happening? Where were they going?
I heard footsteps approaching my door. Heavy and fast.
I backed away from the door.
It burst open. Alexei stood there with his face hard.
"Get dressed," he ordered. "Warm clothes. We are leaving."
"Leaving?" I asked. "Where are we going?"
"Away from here," he said. "This location is compromised. If that guard found us, then Dimitri is not far behind. We are leaving tonight."
"But…"
"No arguments!" He grabbed my arm, pulled me to the wardrobe and sarted throwing clothes at me. "Get dressed. You have five minutes."
He left and slammed the door.
I stood there holding the clothes. My mind raced.
Dimitri was close. He had found me. He was coming.
But Alexei was escaping, taking me somewhere else. Somewhere Dimitri might never find.
I had to do something. I had to find a way to stall or leave a clue.
Something.
But what?
I got dressed quickly. Black pants, a thick sweater and boots.
When I was ready, Alexei returned.
"Come," he said.
He did not grab me this time, he just walked out and expected me to follow.
I did. What choice did I have?
Outside, the villa was chaos. Guards were running everywhere, vehicles were being loaded, boxes and supplies were being carried out.
They were evacuating. Completely.
"Where are we going?" I asked again.
"Somewhere safe," Alexei said.
"Why are you doing this?" I asked.
"Why do you not just let me go? You do not even love me. You said so yourself. So why?"
He stopped walking, then turned to look at me.
"Because you are mine," he said simply. "The baby is mine. And what is mine stays mine. That is how this works."
"I am not a thing to be owned," I said.
"In this world, everyone is owned by someone," he replied. "Better to be owned by me than by my brother. At least I will not pretend to love you while resenting you for the rest of your life."
He walked away and I followed.
We reached a convoy of vehicles. Three black SUVs with armed guards everywhere.
"Put her in the middle vehicle," Alexei ordered. "We aren't stopping until we reach the safe house."
"Yes, sir."
A guard opened the door and I climbed in. The interior was dark and kuxurious.
Alexei climbed in beside me, the door closed.
The engine started. The convoy began to move.
I looked back at the villa. The white building on the cliff. The place where I had been trapped for weeks.
Dimitri had almost found me.
Tears filled my eyes. I had been so close to freedom.
Now I was being taken somewhere else.
The vehicles drove for hoursthrough the night. We didn't stop, we didn't take a break.
I must have dozed off at some point because when I woke, the sun was rising.
We were in the mountains now.
Another hour passed. Then the convoy slowed.
"Why are we stopping?" I asked.
Alexei did not answer. He just looked out the window. He seemed to be thinking of something.
His phone buzzed. It was a message. He checked it and slid it back into his pocket.
He opened the door and stepped out.
I followed, guards surrounded the vehicles. They all look tense and alert.
"What should we do, boss." One of the guards asked. He had a scar on his face.
"We need to me sure he doesn't come for us anymore." Another guard said.
Alexei gazed at me, his green eyes cold and menacing.
He was quiet for a long moment. I could see him thinking and planning.
Then he spoke. His voice was cold, and terrifyingly calm.
"Fake her death."
My blood turned to ice.
"What?" I whispered.