Cara's POV
Luca.
He was here.
He had come for me.
The urge to kick my feet in the air died a quick death when I realized what that truly meant.
Luca would not stop until I was released and if Alexei refused to give me up, both sides would battle it out to the death.
"Get my father and Katya to the safe room now!" Alexei growled at the nearest soldier, his hand gripping my arm to pull me toward the door.
"No!" I yanked my arm free, stumbling back. "I'm not going anywhere."
Alexei turned to me, his face hard with fury. "Do not argue with me right now."
But I wasn't going to back down. Not now. Not when lives were at stake.
"Listen to me!" I shouted over the noise, grabbing his arm and forcing him to face me fully. "This war? It's happening because of me. Luca is here for me, Alexei. He's not going to stop until he has me back. You know that!"
His jaw clenched, his eyes flashing with a mixture of anger and desperation. "You don't understand. If you go out there, you will only get yourself killed."
I shook my head fiercely. "No, I won't. Luca would never hurt me. But he will kill everyone here if you don't let me talk to him!"
Alexei cursed under his breath, running a hand through his hair as he paced a few steps away. The gunfire outside intensified, the sound of battle closing in.
"I can stop this," I insisted, my voice steady despite the panic bubbling beneath the surface. "Let me talk to him, Alexei. If you don't, we're all going to die here. This won't end until one side is completely destroyed, and you know it."
He stopped pacing, his back to me, shoulders rigid. I could see the conflict in his posture, the turmoil in his eyes as he considered my words.
"You don't understand what you're asking," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "We just found you. Losing you ruined our family. I'm not going to lose you again. Father will not survive if anything happens to you."
I stepped closer, placing a hand on his arm. "If you keep me here, you'll lose me anyway," I said softly. "Luca won't stop, Alexei. You know that as well as I do. But if you let me go, I can end this. I can stop the bloodshed on both sides."
For a moment, I thought he might refuse, but then he let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders sagging in defeat.
"Fine," he said grudgingly. "But if anything happens to you out there..."
"It won't," I promised, though I wasn't entirely sure I believed it myself. I knew Luca would never hurt me but I couldn't assure him of anything else besides that.
Without another word, Alexei grabbed my arm and led me out of the house, his grip firm but not rough.
The air was thick with smoke and tension, the shouts of soldiers echoing off the walls as we approached the front of the property.
When we reached the gates-or what was left of them, I froze.
The entrance was a scene of utter destruction, the gates blasted apart, leaving behind remnants that barely stood upright. Beyond the wreckage stood Luca, flanked by his men, his expression a mask of fury.
But the moment his eyes landed on me, the rage disappeared, replaced by something raw and vulnerable. Relief.
"Cara," he yelled and started running forward towards us.
Alexei's grip tightened on my arm, and instinctively, I stepped in front of him.
"Stop!" I shouted, my voice cutting through the noise. "Please tell them to stop!"
Luca raised a hand, signaling his men to cease fire. The sudden silence was deafening, but both sides were as alert as ever, their guns still up and in position.
"Cara," Luca said again, his voice lower now, but no less intense. "Come here."
I hesitated, torn between the two men who now stood at the center of my chaotic life.
When Luca's gaze shifted to Alexei, the fury returned, sharp and unyielding. He raised his gun, aiming it directly at my brother.
"Move away from him," he ordered, his tone deadly. I heard the silent words he hadn't spoken; so I can kill him.
"No," I said firmly, stepping fully in front of Alexei.
Luca's eyes widened, a flash of hurt crossing his face. "Cara, why are you protecting him?"
"Because this needs to stop!" I pleaded, my voice trembling but strong. "Luca, please. Just listen to me."
"He's the enemy, Cara," Luca growled, his gun still trained on Alexei. "Or have you forgotten that?"
"I've not," I said quietly, my heart breaking at the anguish in his eyes. "But this isn't the way. Killing each other won't fix anything. It'll only make it worse."
Luca took a step closer, his gaze locked on mine. "Cara, get out of the way. Now."
"No," I said, standing my ground. "You came here for me, didn't you? Well, you have me. I'm here. But I need you to trust me on this. Please, Luca."
His jaw clenched, the tension in his body radiating off him in waves. "Do you know why they started this war?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous.
I glanced back at Alexei, who remained silent, his expression unreadable.
"I do," I said, turning back to Luca. "And I know it doesn't excuse what's happened. But maybe if you understand why, we can find a way to end this."
Luca's eyes softened slightly, the anger giving way to something deeper, something that mirrored the desperation I felt in my own chest.
"You want me to listen?" he said, his voice tight. "Fine. But if this is some kind of trick. If he's got something on you and is forcing you to do this…"
"It's not," I assured him, surprised that I wasn't already a hysteric mess from the way my body was wound tight with tension. "Just… trust me."
For a long moment, Luca said nothing, his gaze shifting between me and Alexei.
Then, slowly, he gestured for his men to lower their guns, though his posture remained tense and ready for a fight.
Alexei's eyes widened in surprise, his expression one of reluctant realization. I fought the urge to smirk and tell him I'd told him so. Instead, I gave him a sharp nod, silently urging him to signal his men.
To my relief, he hesitated only briefly before gesturing for his soldiers to lower their weapons. The tension in the air eased ever so slightly, though the atmosphere was still thick with unease.
We were nowhere close to achieving a truce but at least this was a start.