That’s when the hyperventilating starts. I shut my eyes, focusing on calming down my breathing, but I can’t. He’s going to shoot all of us, killing me, Nikolai, and our baby. One minute alive, the next, dead.
Fear roots me to the chair. Even if the zip ties were cut, I still don’t think I’d be able to move. One twitch, one small motion—it could be the end of everything.
“Niko,” I say his name through gritted teeth.
He looks at me and tenses when he realizes that Aslanov is no longer standing where he was before. Slowly, he turns around, his eyes glassy with terror and rage when he sees him holding his gun to my temple.
Then, his eyes flicker to me, filling with even more pain.
“Don’t worry, Niko,” says Aslanov, the gun pressing harder into my skull. My heart skips a beat. He’s an inch away from pulling the trigger. One inch away from ending my life and my child’s. “It’s you I want. Your woman is only collateral.” I can’t see his face but I sense him smiling. He must enjoy seeing Nikolai deprived of all his power.
I shut my eyes, consumed by regret. This is my fault. Niko warned me several times to stop digging for answers about Mom’s death. It would appear that I left a trail, one Aslanov and his men must have been following. While I was digging into the trenches of my father’s archives, Aslanov was digging into me. The pieces are only starting to come together now, but it’s already too late. It would seem that Ronan Aslanov and my father have been working together for some time.
I still don’t entirely understand the nature of this sick alliance they have. All I know is that at some point, my fatherapproached Aslanov for involvement in his organization so that he could get more money in the bank. Only so much can be made legally at the end of the day. Their alliance is one of power. They’re both just as hungry for control as the other.
I sink in my seat, suddenly feeling the weight of the world take over me. To these people, all I am is a device. A tool to be used against Nikolai so that he can be taken down.
I release a shaky sigh, the weight of my regret building up inside of me so much that I feel sick to my stomach. It’s thanks to my own stubbornness that we’re here today, Nikolai seconds away from losing everything he’s built.
Dammit, Lauren!
Look at what you’ve done!
You should’ve just dropped it!
You should’ve listened to Nikolai and gotten over yourself!
So many ‘should haves’. In life, there are only two things you can never get back. One is time, the other is a hand once it has been played.
I flick my eyes back up to Nikolai, forcing my body to keep still. Something twitches in his jaw. There’s only a thread of self-restraint left, and he’s holding onto it with all of his strength. I can tell that he wants to flip this shipping container upside down and end this, but as long as Aslanov has his gun to my head, the power remains out of reach.
The tense silence is broken as two more men appear, dragging a third behind them. They walk straight past Nikolai, entering the shipping container. All that’s left of the sunset is a dark purple cloud. Visibility is limited, but I can just about make out Timur’s features behind the two men. His arms have been tied behind his back, and as he steps closer, I notice something shiny on his forehead that I mistake for sweat.
It’s actually blood.
I watch Nikolai curl his hands into fists, his fingers so flexed that I hear one or two of them crack. Keeping his head still, he shifts his eyes toward Timur’s direction, catching his attention like he’s instructing him to remain still.
The two men move closer to me, tugging Timur behind them like they’re walking a dog. One of the thugs produces a chair from the corner and sets it next to where I’m sitting.
“Sit,” orders the man.
Timur looks up from his forehead with a pissed-off expression before he is forced into the chair. He lands with a crash beside me.
We exchange a tense look.
Suddenly, I realize what’s going on here. Me. Timur. He’s going to give Nikolai some sort of sick ultimatum.
My heart beats rapidly in my throat. It’s a shame teleportation doesn’t exist in this world. I could make use of some futuristic tech right now. I don’t think that would change our circumstances, though. Aslanov would continue tracking us forever, never giving up until he got what he wanted. We could escape today but it wouldn’t change anything in the long run. All it would do is delay the inevitable.
I catch Timur looking up at Nikolai from the chair, mouthing, “I’m sorry, boss.”
He gives a subtle shake of his head. “It’s okay.”
A clap jolts me, increasing my pulse even more. The cold muzzle of the weapon has been dropped from my temple, so I allow a sigh of relief to exit my mouth.
It doesn’t make me feel any more relaxed, though.
“Now, then.” Aslanov strides center stage. “Let’s give a warm welcome to Nikolai’s two most precious friends.” I follow his gaze and see that he’s addressing the half a dozen men standing outside of the shipping container, guns at the ready.He’s theatrical. This is a performance for him. Something for the rest of his men to be entertained by. “Hold on a minute.” He brings a finger to his cracked lips. “I suppose I got that wrong. You don’t exactly impregnate your friends.”Ronan turns to me, my breath hitching. “I think it’s clear that you and Nikolai are a little more than just friends. Tell me, Miss Watson.” He inches closer. “What exactly are you to him?”
