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I don’t know how long we stand there like that. Eventually, my breathing slows. My tears begin to fade.

“I’m sorry,” he says quietly. “I should have gotten to you sooner.”

I shake my head immediately. “You did,” I whisper. “You came.”

His gaze darkens as it locks onto my face.

His hand tightens on my chin, turning my head slightly. I know he’s looking at the swelling bruise forming along my cheek where the man struck me.

“Those bastards did that to you?”

I nod. A string of harsh Russian curses leaves his mouth. Then he switches back to English, his voice cold as ice.

“They should be grateful they’re already dead. Otherwise, I would have made their deaths so slow and painful.”

The raw violence in his tone should scare me. Instead, it makes me feel protected. I throw my arms around him again, clinging to him tightly.

“Please take me home.” I just want this night to be over.

Without hesitation, he bends and lifts me by my knees. I wrap my legs around his waist automatically, my arms locking around his neck as he holds me close to his chest.

As he carries me away from the alley, I glance over his shoulder at the lifeless bodies of the men who tried to take me. I feel no guilt. No pity. They got exactly what they deserved.

All through the ride, I remain curled on Andrei’s lap while one of his men drives us back to the mansion. My body still trembles, and the shock refuses to fade away. Andrei wraps his coat tightly around my shoulders and gently strokes my back.

Most of the drive, he’s on the phone, barking orders in rapid Russian. I don’t understand the words, but I understand someone is going to pay for what happened tonight.

I press my face into his chest, grounding myself in the steady rhythm of his heartbeat and his spicy scent.

The moment the car pulls into the driveway, I slip off his lap and hurry inside, and rush straight to Anya’s room.

I gently push open the door and see Anya sleeping peacefully in bed, her small chest rising and falling softly. I walk to her bedside, kneel down, and brush away the soft hair from her face. I lean closer to her and kiss her cheek through tear-streaked eyes. Her scent slowly eases the tension in my body.

Thank God, she is safe, and we have made it home safely.

After a while, Andrei’s voice breaks the silence behind me.

“You need to get some rest, plamya.”

I turn to see him standing by the door, his broad frame filling the space, eyes still dark with anger and worry. I quickly wipe at the tears on my cheeks.

He walks toward me without another word and scoops me gently off the floor. I instinctively curl into him, wrapping my arms around his neck.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, my voice shaky. “It’s just… a lot. I thought—”

He cuts me off softly. “You shouldn’t be sorry. You were almost abducted, your reaction is valid.”

He carries me out of Anya’s room and down the hallway to our bedroom, but he doesn’t put me down. Instead, he keeps walking straight into the bathroom.

Only then does he set me carefully on my feet. His thumb comes up to brush away the last of my tears.

“I promise you, I will find who’s behind this… and they will pay.”

I swallow, searching his face. “It’s the man you’re at war with?”

His expression darkens immediately. He nods once. Silence stretches between us for a second.

Then his hands move to the zipper at the back of my dress, his touch gentle. “You should take a shower, the water will help calm you.”