"Fifteen more minutes until we're home," Vasili says.
But as the words leave his mouth, our car is hit from behind, and my hand flies out to hold Roxanne.
"Fuck! Damien, we have two cars behind us."
My blood freezes in my veins because I'm not alone in this car. She's here. My mind projects all the scenarios where she'll be hurt, and I freeze. My body becomes rigid, paralyzed by a wave of pure terror. My brain, like a horror film, projects images of her covered in blood, and I feel panic suffocating me, squeezing my throat. I can't break out of this nightmare, can't stop my mind from seeing the darkest possible scenarios.
"Damien, baby, look at me," she tries to tell me, but right then that car pushes us again and a sound of surprise escapes her.
I look at her because I know in my bones they're going to take her.
"I'm here, I'm fine," she whispers. "Stefan, do you have another weapon on you?"
My soldier pulls out a smaller pistol from his ankle and tosses it to her, but I still can't get out of this panic attack.
Roxanne catches the pistol from Stefan, and she climbs into my lap again, but this time her eyes are locked on the car behind us.
"Vasili, they don't have US license plates," she says, and the next moment my hands grip her body close to mine because we're hit again, and I can feel the tires smoking.
"Twelve more minutes until we're home. I've already sent an alert message to all the soldiers."
But we won't make it in time, my mind tells me.
"DAMIEN, I need you to snap out of this, baby. Please," she murmurs softly and kisses my cheek.
I try to shake off this state, to send some commands to my muscles, and as if through fog, I manage to nod slightly. I sendRoman a message telling him to use the GPS technology in Roxanne's ring because we'll definitely be taken, but that doesn't mean I plan to let anything happen to her. I see a car overtaking us, and without wasting time, I push Roxanne off me and buckle her seat belt at the last moment, before the car on our side knocks us off the road.
Vasili spits out a curse, Stefan braces his hands on the console, but my eyes are on the woman next to me, who just keeps her eyes closed.
My body is thrown upward when Vasili loses control, and I feel every muscle absorbing the impact.
When we stop, my mind catalogs every place that hurts, and I know it's bad, especially when I look down and see a piece of metal lodged in my leg.
"Roxanne, talk to me," I say, my voice strained because even breathing seems difficult.
The seat belt kept her in place, but during the rollover, her forehead made contact with the window, and I already see a streak of blood running down her temple, and my blood starts to boil.
"I'm okay," she whispers with her eyes still closed.
In the next second, I hear footsteps, and her door is opened. I try to somehow get up, but before I can, someone pulls me out of the car too.
I don't see Vasili or Stefan, and the little bit of energy I have left, I use to keep my eyes on her.
Again you couldn't keep her safe. Again you'll have to witness Marzena destroy someone important in your life.
Before my own consciousness betrays me and my vision falls into darkness, I see her silhouette. Always dressed in a black skirt to the knee, always in a white shirt and black boots.
The last thing I hear is her voice as she steps behind Roxanne.
"I can't wait for us to make up for all the lost time, son."
Chapter 49
Roxy
My head throbs from slamming into the window, but I force myself to stay calm.
Giving in to this desperation won't help anyone, and when I look at the man in front of me, at every scratch and bruise covering his body, I steel my face into a mask of indifference.
