The line goes dead.
27
ALINA
The SUV tears through the dark streets, and I grip the door handle so tightly my knuckles turn white. Dimitri drives with controlled aggression, weaving through traffic like we're being chased by demons. Maybe we are. The demons of my father's making, the ones that took my sister.
I glance at Dimitri's profile, illuminated by the dashboard lights and passing streetlamps. His jaw is set, his green eyes focused on the road with laser intensity. The dragon tattoo is visible at the open collar of his tactical vest, a reminder of the power he wields. Power he's using to save my sister.
For me.
I stare out the window at the city lights blurring past. Somewhere out there, my mother is probably sleeping peacefully. Does she even know her youngest daughter is missing? Does she care?
The bitterness that floods through me is almost welcome. It's better than the fear. This is my fault. If I hadn't defied my father,if I hadn't married Dimitri, if I'd just been the obedient daughter Viktor wanted, Katya would be safe at home right now.
The airfield comes into view, a sprawl of hangars and runway surrounded by chain-link fence. Security lights create pools of illumination, but there are shadows between them. Dark spaces where anything could be hiding.
Dimitri kills the headlights and pulls off the main road, the convoy following in tight formation. We park behind an abandoned warehouse about two hundred yards from the airfield entrance. The moment the engine cuts off, the silence feels oppressive.
Dimitri turns to me, his green eyes intense in the darkness. "You stay in the vehicle. No arguments."
I open my mouth to argue, but he leans in and kisses me. It's not the desperate, claiming kiss from before. This is softer, almost tender. A promise and a plea all at once.
When he pulls back, his forehead rests against mine.
"Okay," I whisper. "I'll stay."
Relief flashes across his face, quickly masked by the cold expression of the Pakhan. He checks his weapon one final time, then opens his door. His men move like shadows, dispersing into the night with practiced efficiency. I watch Dimitri's broad shoulders disappear into the darkness.
He's going to get her back. He has to.
I sit in the SUV, my heart pounding so hard I can feel it in my throat. Dimitri disappears into the darkness, and suddenly, I'm alone with nothing but my fear and the distant hum of jet engines.
Minutes crawl by like hours. I strain my ears for any sound, any indication of what's happening, but there's nothing. Just the whisper of wind through the fence and the steady thrum of the plane preparing for departure.
Katya is in there. Terrified. Alone. Probably thinking no one is coming for her.
My hand moves to the door handle before I can stop myself. Dimitri told me to stay. Ordered me to stay. But Katya doesn't know Dimitri. She's never met him, never seen him, that I know of. If armed men storm wherever she's being held, she'll be terrified. She won't know they're there to rescue her.
She needs to see a familiar face. My face.
I glance around the parking area. Dimitri and his men are gone, swallowed by the shadows. No one is watching the vehicles. No one will see me slip out.
My fingers close around the handle, and I take a deep breath. Dimitri is going to be furious. But I can't sit here doing nothing while my sister is in danger.
I ease the door open, wincing at the soft click. The night air is cool against my skin as I slide out, keeping low. I leave the door slightly ajar so it won't make noise when I close it, then move toward the fence line, using the darkness for cover.
My heart hammers against my ribs with each step. I'm not trained for this, don't know what I'm doing. But I keep moving, following the path I saw Dimitri's men take.
The fence looms ahead, and I find the section they cut through. The chain-link has been peeled back, creating an opening justlarge enough to slip through. I duck through it, the metal scraping against my jacket.
Now I'm on the airfield proper, exposed and vulnerable. I stay low, moving from shadow to shadow, my eyes scanning for threats. The main hangar is lit up like a beacon, and I can see figures moving inside. Kozlov soldiers, armed and alert.
And there, on the tarmac beyond the hangar, the small jet sits with its engines running. Stairs are deployed, the cabin door open. They're preparing to leave. To take Katya somewhere I might never find her.
I move closer, my breath coming in short gasps. Where is Dimitri? Where are his men? I should see some sign of them, some indication that the assault is about to begin.
Then I hear it. A sharp whistle, barely audible over the jet engines. A signal.
