The soft light from the lamp in my room casts a warm glow around us. “I’ll call you,” Luka said, his voice rough but his eyes soft.
I pull him back, my heart screaming that it’s too risky; he could get killed. I couldn’t bear that pain. The pain of losing a loved one.
Not again.
“I’ll be okay,krasotka,” he says, as if reading my mind. He kisses me, and I can feel the urgency and the passion. “I’ll bring Nilo and Wren back. Safe. Trust me.”
I cling to him, tears threatening to spill. “Promise me, Luka. Promise me you’ll come back.”
He smiles that bad boy smile I love so much and whispers in my ear, “I promise,krasotka.”
I don’t want to let go. I can’t. But I do, and he leaves. The door closes behind him, and I’m left alone, his promise echoing in my head.
Sleep is impossible. I pace around my room, restless, anxious. I check on Yulia. She’s asleep, peaceful, unaware of the danger. Max wags his tail, happy to see me.
“Everything will be okay, Max,” I say, but I’m not sure I believe it.
Heading back to my room, I check my phone. Nothing from Luka. No messages, no calls.
It’s only twenty minutes. But it feels like forever since he walked out.
I kneel down, hands clasped.
“God, I don’t know if you’re listening, but please hear me now,” I choke out. “Keep Luka safe, the father of my unborn child. Protect Nilo, my brother, and Wren, my best friend. I don’t know how to live without them. Please, bring them home to me, safe and sound. I trust you, but I’m so scared. Amen.”
Sinking onto the floor, I rest my head on my arms.
Suddenly, a loud sound, like a gunshot, rings out. Screams follow. My heart leaps into my throat. Panic sets in. I rush to the door and yank it open. The world outside my room has turned into a nightmare.
The entire floor is on fire. Flames are everywhere. A man’s scream reaches my ears, filled with pain. He’s walking toward me, on fire. It’s Luka. My world stops.
“Luka!” I scream, unable to believe what I’m seeing. “No, no, NO!” I want to run to him, to save him, but my legs refuse to move.
“Ms. Williams!” I hear a voice calling my name, and my eyes peel open to see a face looming close. I almost punch the person in front of me. “Svet…Svetlana?” I stammer, disoriented and confused.
A dream! Thank God it was a dream!
That nightmare’s got my heart racing like crazy. Dammit.
“Shhh,” Svetlana whispers, her voice as stern as I remember. “You need to get to the safehouse. Immediately.”
“Safe-Safehouse?” I echo, confusion evident in my voice. “What’s happening?”
“You need to leave. Now,” she urges. “Go with Grisha.”
Oh God, please, please. Tell me Luka is okay.
The night is a blur. I find myself ushered into a car. The clock on the dashboard reads two a.m. Damn! Five hours have passed.
Grisha, in his usual silent manner, navigates through the city. He takes turn after turn, and with each one, the roads become less familiar, more discreet. Eventually, we pull up to a nondescript building, looking as ordinary as any dry cleaning and laundry service.
Grisha steps out and assists me, guiding me toward what seems like an electrical box on the wall. But when he opens it, it’s a keypad. After punching in a code, a hidden door to the side creaks open. My pulse quickens.
I freeze at the door.
No, I can’t go with him.
My legs won’t move. Please, God…
