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He doesn't glance in my direction or slow his stride. He keeps walking, and suddenly I can't make myself take another step.

The man takes two more steps before realizing I’m no longer following him. Slowly, he turns.

Every instinct I have begins screaming.

“Where's Luka?” I ask, taking a step backward.

The man's expression changes. The urgency disappears, replaced by something cold and sinister.

I know before he moves. Before anyone touches me. I spin toward the lobby and run. I don't make it two steps.

An arm wraps around my waist from behind while another hand slams over my mouth. I scream anyway. The sound comes out muffled and broken.

I fight. God, I fight.

I drive my elbow backward with every ounce of strength I possess. It connects with something hard. A man curses. The grip on my mouth loosens for a fraction of a second.

I bite down hard. The taste of blood floods my tongue.

“Son of a bitch!” he snarls.

I wrench free long enough to scream, “Alexei!”

The shout echoes down the hallway.

Strong hands grab me again.

I kick wildly. My heel connects with a shin.

Someone grunts. Another curse fills the hallway.

“Get her outside,” a voice snaps.

Outside.

Oh God. No. No, no, no.

I claw at anything I can reach. Fabric. Skin. Hair.

I manage another scream. “Alexei!”

A door crashes open, and sunlight floods the hallway. Panic explodes inside me. Waiting beyond the emergency exit sits a dark van.

“No!” I scream, thrashing violently. “No! Let me go!”

One of the men tightens his grip painfully around my waist.

“Move,” he growls.

I fight harder because surrender isn't an option. Ivy needs me. Alexei needs me. The tiny life growing inside me needs me. I will not stop fighting.

They drag me across the pavement anyway. The van doors slide open. I dig my heels into the concrete, but it doesn't matter. Strong hands lift me.

The last thing I hear before they throw me inside is Alexei screaming my name.

18

ALEXEI