I unbuckled my seat belt and grabbed my handle, pushing on the door. It refused to budge. My eyelashes fluttered, my nose wrinkling with annoyance. “Really? You engaged the child locks.”
“We cannot be too careful,malenka.”
I rolled my eyes, annoyed by both the overzealous care and the affectionate term of “little one.” I wasn’t a child anymore, and I didn’t deserve to be treated like one.
The door pulled open away from me, and I hopped out, my jaw set as I wagged a finger in Stefan’s face. “You are overstepping. I do not need to be protected from myself.”
“That remains to be seen.” He reached for me, but I skirted past him, avoiding his grasp.
“You do not need to drag me into my bedroom, I know the way.”
“Remove him from your mind,narushka. There is work to be done here, and we do not need distractions.”
I crossed my arms, my irritation coming to a boiling point. “And I do not need lectures. Do not presume to tell me what to do.”
I glanced at him only to find his features neutral as he flanked me. I wanted to slap that look right off his face. It somehow made him even more smug than if he’d smirked at me.
We threaded through the familiar halls of my home until we reached my doors. I pushed inside of them, whipping around to close the doors behind me and shut Stefan out of my sight.
After engaging the lock, I spun to lean against them, letting out a sigh. With a scrub of my face, I stretched my neck, trying to come to terms with the whirlwind that had been my life over the past few days.
Now, back home, I started to wonder if I’d made up everything about Kyle Carter. Had my knight in shining armor been a mere figment of my imagination? Had I made more of it than it was?
A shuffling noise sounded across the room, and I snapped my eyes open.
My heart skipped a beat as I stared at the bulky form of my brother stalking toward me. The shadows seemed to gather around him as he stepped closer, his smirk a mix of triumph and menace. His polished boots echoed ominously on the marble floor, each step tightening the knot in my stomach. “Welcome home, Natashka. We have so much to discuss.”
My fingers found the door, wondering if I could unlock it in time to get help if I needed it or if I had shut out Stefan only to lose my life to my brother.
He’d already killed our father. Would I be next?
CHAPTER 15
KYLE
Iwrapped my hands around the thick metal bars and rattled them again. My heart thudded hard against my ribs as I glanced up at the ceiling, searching for some escape.
I couldn’t be restrained by these bars right now. I needed to be out there, searching for Nattie.
We had come so close, only to be stopped just shy. And now, we may never be able to find her.
Every second that slipped away worsened the odds. Whatever danger she was in could…
I stopped myself before I finished that statement with a scary reality that I didn’t want to face.
I grabbed the bars again, gritting my teeth as I tried to pull them apart.
“Give it up, Doc,” Ava said as she rested her head against the block wall behind her. “I don’t think they made the bars bendable.”
I slammed my hand against them, my irritation boiling over. “I have to get out of here.”
Alex slid his arms through the bars, leaning against them. “No kidding, bro. Sadly, though, they don’t seem to be interested in hurrying along the process.”
“Maybe we should demand our phone call,” I answered.
“Not sure that’s going to work, Doc,” Ava said. “We have no idea what legal processes are in place in Belvaria. Maybe they don’t give you a phone call.”
My heart skipped a beat. Could that be? What if we were stuck in a foreign prison with no way out?
