“Nu davay!” I bang on the door.
If I don’t get to her in time…
Fingers dig into my temple.
I won’t just kill whoever touched her. I’ll make sure there’s nothing left.
The elevator doors slide open, and I’m already moving before they’ve finished. Every muscle in my body coils as I sprint toward the exit, phone clutched in my hand, eyes glued to the glowing dot on the screen.
Her signal flickers, steady but moving. I’m outside in seconds, the streets empty. I sprint toward the end of the pier, where she’s supposed to be.
At first, I can’t see her at all.
Then I do. And a violent crack shoots through me.
My legs move on autopilot, running faster than I’ve ever moved in my life, my gun pointing toward the two men in masks that she struggles against.
But I’m too far to make the shot. The wood of the pier groans beneath my boots as I barrel down the dock, the world narrowing until all that exists is her.
She fights like hell, and even from this distance, I can hear her muffled screams. Then her head turns.
“Aleksei!” Her hand reaches for me, fighting against them.
That one look, wild and desperate and full of fear, slices me open. She screams my name over and over, and I fire. One of the bastards drops, his body collapsing to the planks before rolling into the water with a hollow splash.
But three more appear, jumping from a boat. They plan to take her, but I will not let that happen.
The bastards shout to each other in Russian, gazes full of panic as I run closer.
“Davay. Bros yeyo.”Come on. Throw her in.
I run faster, my lungs tearing with every breath, my finger tight on the trigger as I fire again. One bullet catches a shoulder; another hits the wood near their feet.
The engine of the speedboat roars to life as they shove her into it. Her hands scrape against the railing, hair flying in the wind.
“Fiona!”
She reaches for me across the dark stretch of water, her green eyes wide and pleading. “Aleksei! Please!”
Her fingers extend toward me—trembling, shaking, begging—and I know I’m not going to make it in time. As the boat jerks forward, one of the men grabs her, dragging her back by the hair.
I’ve already imagined all the ways I’ll kill him. All of them.
“No!” I take another shot as the boat speeds away, dropping one of them at the bow.
But the others are already ducking for cover, shouting for the driver to go faster. The motor surges, the vessel cutting through the black water, throwing mist into the air as it pulls away.
The gun hits the ground as I sprint to the edge and dive. The ice-cold water is brutal, but I fight it, pushing upward until I break the surface, gasping, eyes glued on the retreating light of the boat. But I keep going, unable to give up and let her go.
“Fiona!” I shout, but the wind swallows her name.
Then I see her again at the edge, struggling free, arm reaching out toward me, mouth moving around my name.
“Aleksei!” Her voice hits me harder than the water ever could.
“I’ll come for you!” I force strength into my lungs. “Hold on! Do you hear me? I will find you! I swear!”
I keep swimming, cutting through the waves until my arms ache, until my vision blurs with salt and rage.
