He tears his gaze away from me, searching through the smoky room for some way out. But I can hear my men barking orders to each other, moving through this place as though it’s water, and he must be aware that whatever control he thought he had, it’s being stripped from him with no room for recourse.
“She’s… She’s not here...”
I slam him into the wall, smacking his head against the cold concrete behind.
“Try again, Vinski,” I snarl at him. The fire suddenly flares upwards behind us, and the flames dance on his face, picking out the hollow of his eyes and the fear in his expression. He looks behind me, clearly trying to parse how much of a chance he stands of getting out of this, but I keep my grip on him. He’s not going anywhere, not without telling me where she is.
“In the back room,” he snaps back, looking up at me once more, as he gestures along the corridor. “The one with the deadbolt on the door. If you just?—”
But I have no interest in hearing him out. Now that I’ve what I need, I silently raise the gun to his head and press it against his temple. Terror flashes in his eyes, but he’s not even got time to open his mouth before I pull the trigger.
The sound rings in my ears, louder than even the fire roaring behind us. Blood sprays across the concrete, and he slumps back against the wall, his face devoid of humanity and soul. Whatever part of Vinski might have been left in there is gone, crushed out of him once and for all with no chance of coming back.
And even now, as I look at his face, I can see the shock written in every inch of it. He really thought that he was going to be able to pull something like this off, huh? Really thought he was going to be able to take a stand against me and make it out in one piece. I’m glad to have been able to disabuse him of that notion, and hopefully his charred, burned body will be enough to put off anyone who dares try something like this again.
I pull up the scarf once more and stuff my gun into the holster at my hip, moving quickly through the corridor until I spot the deadbolt he was talking about. It’s on some old, dilapidated door, and it takes a few shoves to pull it loose. When I throw thedoor open, there she is, sitting right before me, the woman and the mother of my child I came to save.
“Alexei!” Cara gasps, as she springs to her feet, closing the distance between us. I glance around the room, and spot Nina behind her, seemingly unharmed, thank God. I don’t know what the hell they have done to her, but as long as she is alive, I’ll take it.
I pull her into my arms, pressing my face into her neck and closing my eyes for a moment as I remind myself that she is really, truly here. I don’t know what I expected, but the shock of seeing her alive and able to come to me like this is ricochets through every inch of my body. I breathe in the scent of her mingled with smoke, and she pulls back, an urgent expression on her face.
“Is that smoke? What’s going on?”
“Come on,” I tell her, jerking my head towards the door. “Take Nina. We need to get out of here, there is an entrance out the back that takes us to my car.”
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure,” I reply, and she reaches down to pick up Nina, lifting the girl into her arms like she is a toddler again/ Nina wraps her arms around her tight, clearly not wanting to be apart from her mother for an instant. I can see how drawn she looks, dark circles under her eyes, her little body tense. But she’s alive, and that’s all that I can think of that matters right now. I lead them towards the door, and out into the early morning sunshine beyond.
I can still here chaos inside the building, but I pay no attention to it. My men will put down every single person they come across, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s only what they fucking deserve.
I keep my eyes glued to the car, willing her forward so she’s not exposed to the hell that is taking place just behind her. As far as she is concerned, she’s safe, and that’s the only thing she needs to worry about. I don’t even want to think how terrified she must have been when he stole her away like that. I would do anything to ease the weight of it that must be pressing down on her shoulders, but I get the feeling that it might be too late for that.
“It’s okay, sweetheart,” she murmurs to Nina, as we finally reach the car and I pull open the door. I just want this to be over already, for them to be home and safe. I want to see the look on Max’s face when he realizes that he will get to see his new best friend again, and I want to talk to Cara about everything that happened, so I can figure out the possibility of something like this going down again.
Because, if there is one thing I’ll not stand for, it’s someone else taking this nightmare as proof that my family is vulnerable. I’ll make short work of anyone who tries to pull something like that on me ever again.
Taking the wheel, I look into the rearview mirror, to see Nina resting her head against Cara’s chest for a moment, clearly glad to have finally made it out in one piece.
And I swear to myself that this is the last time either of them will have to face something like this. No matter what I’ve to do to protect them, they will stay safe. And I’ll do everything in my power to ensure it.
20
CARA
I stand therefor a moment in the doorway to her bedroom, watching as her small chest rises and falls beneath the covers. It’s clear Nina’s exhausted and glad to be back in equal measure. Honestly, I just want nothing more than for her to sleep until the memories of all of this drift from her mind.
Though I know damn well that’s not how something like this works, not by a long shot. No, try as I might to believe that there is a way through this, I’m sure that the marks left on her psyche by what she endured are going to be there for a long time.
Is there some kind of therapy you can get for kids who go through traumatic situations like that?I’ve never had to think about it before, but I guess there must be.
At least she is safe. That’s got to count for something, doesn’t it? I still don’t know exactly what happened at the place that man was holding me. I smelled smoke and I heard gunfire, but all I could think about was escaping, didn’t exactly have time to stand around and take it all in. But now she’s out, I have to contend with what comes next, and I’ve no idea what kind of shape that is going to take given everything the two of us have been through.
I need a drink. A strong one, preferably.
Alex retreated to his quarters to clean up, but he assured me that there was nothing at all for me to worry about and that he had dealt with the man who had taken us. But there had been an edge to his tone, as though there was something just beneath the surface that he was trying to hold in. I’m not sure I want to discover what lays on the other side of that, what might sneak its way through if he sees me again.
But just as I turn the corner to the kitchen, I jump as I find him standing there.
