"Shut up!" Marcus slapped me hard. "In this world, everyone does business! Who do you think you are? Some righteous crusader? You're just a damn reporter! If not for you, Volkov never would have noticed me!"
He smiled coldly. "But now I've got you. That Volkov who protects you like his own eyes—now he's going to pay the price. I'll show him what happens when you cross me."
He took my phone from the bald man. "Now we're calling your dear husband. Let him know that crossing me to protect you has consequences."
He leaned down to whisper in my ear, voice ice-cold. "You ruined my life. Now I'll make you watch the man you love die for you. Volkovwill come to save you, then I'll kill him in front of you. That's how this ends for both of you."
The phone rang twice before being answered.
"Mr. Volkov, it's finally time for us to meet."
Hearing his threats against Sofia broke me.
Even knowing I'd get hit, I had to let Alexander know I was alive, that he needed to protect our daughter.
"Alexander!" I screamed with everything I had. "Don't... don't agree to anything! Protect Sofia!"
The moment I finished speaking, the bald man punched me in the face. Blinding pain snapped my head to the side, blood trickling from my mouth, vision blurring.
Marcus glared at me viciously. "Stupid bitch!" Then into the phone: "You hear that, Volkov? Two hours."
He hung up and threw the phone aside.
"Watch her," Marcus told the bald man. "That maniac Volkov will definitely come. When he does—"
He made a throat-slitting gesture. Everyone laughed darkly.
I was left alone while the kidnappers moved to another area to check weapons, discussing how to deal with Alexander's men.
I continued working on the rope around my wrists. My fingers were raw and bleeding, but I ignored the pain. Bit by bit, I could feel the knots loosening.
Time crawled by. I didn't know if it was ten minutes or half an hour.
Just when I was about to give up, I felt the knots give way significantly!
A muffled explosion echoed from outside, followed by blaring alarms!
"What the hell?" Marcus jumped up.
"Boss! Someone's broken in!" a panicked subordinate ran in. "It's Volkov's men! They're—"
Before he could finish, rapid gunfire erupted outside.
Alexander was here!
Just like he'd promised, he'd come to save me!
Chapter Thirty-Two
Alexander
The black convoy tore through the night, engines roaring as they shattered the suburban silence. I sat in the passenger seat, eyes locked on my phone screen—the red dot marking the abandoned slaughterhouse, marking where Anna was being held.
The distance was closing, but every second felt like an eternity. My fingers drummed against the armrest, a nervous habit. Images of what Anna might be enduring flashed through my mind, each one tearing at my heart.
"Five minutes out," Ivan's voice crackled through my earpiece.
"All teams in position." My voice was ice-cold and steady, but my grip on the gun was so tight my knuckles had turned white. "Remember, I want Marcus Warren alive. Everyone else—handle as you see fit."
