Chapter 52 Nikolai
I could only watch as Alexei pulled the trigger.
I waited for my death, but nothing came.
What came instead, was a complete darkness, swallowing everything.
The lights went out.
Someone must have turned off the power.
No. No, no, no.
My chest tightened immediately. The familiar panic rose like a tidal wave.
I could not breathe.
I was back in the cellar as a twelve year old, locked away.
"No," I gasped. My voice was weak. "Not now. Please not now."
But the panic did not care. It never did.
My heart raced. My lungs felt like they were filled with cement. The walls were closing in even though I could not see them.
I heard voices. Distant and muffled. Like I was underwater.
"Nikolai!" That was Anya's voice.
I wanted to answer. But I could not form words.
My body was shutting down. The darkness was consuming me.
I felt hands shaking me. "Nikolai! Stay with me!"
But I was already gone.
"Father, please!" My twelve-year-old voice echoed in my head. "Let me out! I am sorry! I will do better! Please!"
But Father never came. Mother never saved me. I was alone.
"Nikolai!" Anya's hands were on my face now. "Look at me! Focus on my voice!"
But I could not see her. I could only see the walls of the cellar.
My body convulsed. I was gasping for air that would not come. Drowning in the dark.
"Someone get a light!" A young man screamed.
"The power is out," Alexei said. He sounded... amused? "Backup generator should kick in any second now."
But seconds felt like hours.
I was dying. I could feel it. The darkness was killing me.
Then, suddenly, light came, harsh and bright.
But now, it was the most beautiful thing.
I gasped. Air filled my lungs immediately. My vision cleared.
Anya was kneeling beside me. Tears streamed down her face. Her hands were still on my face.
"Nikolai," she sobbed. "You are okay. You are okay. The lights are back. Look at me. You are safe."
I stared at her. At her beautiful, terrified face.
"Anya," I croaked. My throat was raw.
"I am here. I am here."
I tried to sit up but my body protested badly. Every muscle ached. Every bone felt broken.
Alexei had beaten me badly. I remembered that much.
"Well," Alexei's voice cut through. "That was interesting. I have heard about your fear of the dark, Nikolai. But seeing it in person? Quite the show."
I turned my head and looked at him. He was standing a few feet away, still holding a gun.
"You tricked us," I said. My voice was getting stronger. "The girl in the bed. That was not Anya."
"Clever man." Alexei smiled. "Yes. I put a mask on one of my servants making her look like Anya from a distance. I knew you would come for her eventually. So I set a trap."
"You knew we would find the hidden wing." I whispered.
"Of course. I let you find it. I made sure my former architect talked to Mikhail. Made sure everything was perfectly in place." Alexei's smile widened. "You walked right into it."
Rage burned in my chest. "You bastard."
"Maybe. But I am a clever bastard." Alexei gestured to the room. "Your men are locked up, unconscious. You are beaten and broken. And Anya? Well, she just promised to be mine completely. To save your pathetic life."
"No." I looked at Anya. "You did not. Tell me you did not."
Her eyes were filled with fresh tears. "I had to. He was going to kill you."
"You should have let him!"
"I could not!" She grabbed my shirt. "I could not watch you die!"
"Then you do not understand." I touched her face. "I would rather die than have you trapped here. With him. Because of me."
"How touching," Alexei said. "True love. Beautiful, but pointless."
He raised his gun again and pointed it at my head.
"A deal is a deal, Anya. You are mine now. And he? He still dies."
"No!" Anya threw herself in front of me. "You promised! I gave you what you wanted! You said you would not kill him!"
"I lied." Alexei's finger moved to the trigger.
Then the lights went out again.
Plunging us into a complete darkness. Again.
My panic surged immediately. Worse than the last one.
But before I could completely lose myself, I heard Anya's voice right in my ear.
"Hold my hand, Nikolai. Focus on me."
Her hand found mine in the darkness, squeezing it tight.
And somehow, that helped. The panic was still there. But it was bearable.
I squeezed back. Held on like she was my lifeline.
Because she was.
Gunshots rang out from somewhere.
"What is happening?" Alexei asked angrily. "Who cut the power?!"
More gunshots came closer now.
"Mikhail," I whispered to Anya. "He must have escaped and cut the power to give us a chance."
"Can you move?" She whispered.
"I can try."
She helped me stand. My legs were shaking. But I stayed upright.
"Follow my voice," she whispered. "Stay close."
We moved through the darkness, slowly.
Behind us, I could hear Alexei shouting orders. Guards were scrambling.
"This way," Anya pulled me to the left. "There is a door. I remember seeing it."
We hit a wall, felt along it and found the door handle.
It was locked.
"Damn it," I cursed.
"Let me." Anya said. I don't know what she was doing, but I heard the sound of lock picking.
Thankfully, Alexei couldn't hear us in the chaos.
It clicked open.
"Where did you learn that?" I asked.
"Your estate. I used to sneak into places I was not supposed to be."
We stumbled through the door. Into a hallway. It was still dark. But I could hear voices ahead.
"Pakhan!" That was Viktor. "Where are you?"
"Here!" I called back. "We are here!"
Flashlights appeared.
Viktor and three other guards ran toward us. "We have to go. Now. Alexei has reinforcements coming."
"What about Dmitri?" Anya asked suddenly. "My brother. We cannot leave him."
"No time," Viktor said. "We have to go or we all die."
"I am not leaving without him!" Anya pulled away from me. "I chose him once. I am not abandoning him now!"
"Anya, please," I grabbed her hand. "We will come back for him. I promise. But right now, we need to leave."
"No! You do not understand! Alexei will kill him! He will punish him for my escape!"
"Then I will burn this place to the ground and get him back!" I pulled her close. "But I cannot lose you again. Please. Trust me."
She looked at me. Tears streamed down her face. Torn between her brother and me.
"I promise," I said again. "I will get him back. Even if it costs me everything."
Finally, she nodded. "Okay. But if anything happens to him..."
"It will not. I swear."
We ran through the darkness. Following Viktor's flashlight. Behind us, I could hear Alexei's men pursuing.
Gunfire erupted. Bullets whizzed past our heads.
"Keep running!" Viktor shouted.
We burst through a door into the night air.
Cars were waiting. We dove into one. Tires screeched as we took off.
I held Anya close. Both of us breathing hard.
"We made it," she whispered. "We actually made it."
"Yes." I kissed her forehead. "We made it."
But as we drove away, I looked back at Alexei's estate.
Anya's brother was still there. The reason she had left me in the first place.
And I had promised to get him back.
Viktor's phone rang. He answered.
Then, his face went pale.
"What?" I asked. "What is it?"
He handed me the phone.
Alexei's voice came through. Cold and calm.
"You took something of mine, Nikolai. So I am keeping something of yours."
"If you hurt Dmitri..."
"Oh, I am not going to hurt him. I am going to keep him. As insurance. You let Anya go. And the boy lives." Alexei paused. "But if you come back? If you try to take him? I will kill him. And I will make sure Anya knows it was your fault."
The line went dead.
I looked at Anya. She was staring at me with wide, terrified eyes.
"He has Dmitri," I said quietly. "And he is not letting him go."