I remain seated in the back row while clenching my knees tightly. Cold sweat slides down my neck and ruins the itchy wig cap. My vision begins to blur as the deafening screams blend together into one massive roar. They are passionately demanding the death of the man I sleep beside every single night.
The cruel threat about orphaned children echoes in my ears. I vividly remember Alexei resting his warm hand on my stomach and whispering about having beautiful babies together. My mouth goes dry in panic. Sweat soaks the underarms of myoversized suit. The binder crushes my chest so severely that I struggle to draw a single full breath. The terrifying noise and aggressive heat surround me completely. Yet, the dangerous men celebrating around me remain clueless.
Not a single thug in this warehouse realizes the truth. They do not know that the stubborn woman they just insulted is sitting directly in their back row. I am quietly listening to every dangerous plan and memorizing the faces of the men planning to destroy my family.
The violent celebration continues for several long minutes. The men excitedly slap each other on the back while Dato grins wickedly from the stage. Levan stands proudly above the chaos with a deeply satisfied smile on his face.
A fresh wave of nervous sweat runs heavily down my spine. Finally, the meeting officially ends. The men begin chatting casually as they walk toward the main doors. I force myself to stand up and follow the crowd out, my shaking legs barely supporting my weight.
I keep my head tucked low while matching the walking pace of the taller men beside me. We finally step through the exit and out into the freezing night air. The younger thug from earlier suddenly slaps my shoulder as he walks past.
"I will see you on the battlefield," he says with a grin. "Try to stay alive out there."
I offer him a quick nod because my frozen throat refuses to form words. I immediately start walking away from the dark warehouse. I create distance from the parked cars and the thirty dangerous enemies plotting to murder my husband.
I march several blocks down the street before safely waving down a passing taxi. The long ride ends at the hidden delivery gate behind our mansion. I sneak quietly through the service doors and rush up the back staircase. I finally collapse onto the cold bathroom floor before my exhausted legs completely failme. My teeth chatter loudly in the silent room as panic takes over my body.
The metal tracking bracelet on my wrist glints under the bright bathroom lights. Alexei forced me to wear the security device earlier this morning. Before I made my escape in the bathroom, I had already started tinkering with it and found a way to disable it for a little bit, making it wonky. He definitely knows I secretly left to wander the city. However, he has absolutely no idea about the terrifying meeting I just witnessed.
I rip the ugly toupee off my head and peel the fake hair from my cheeks. I tear open the heavy suit jacket to desperately claw at the tight chest binder. The awful fabric finally rips open to let me draw a massive breath of fresh air. My racing mind can only focus on one terrifying fact.
The enemies are launching their deadly attack in exactly one week. They are coming to kill us all.
Chapter 42
Alexei
Ican’t stop pacing the heavy rug, my steps falling in a frantic, unyielding rhythm—twelve to the window, twelve back to the fireplace, again and again—while desperation claws tighter in my chest with every lap. The guards stand like statues against the walls, none of them foolish enough to speak a word in this suffocating silence.
"Where is she?" I demand.
Viktor stands near the doorway, phone pressed tightly to his ear, desperately trying to reach her for three agonizing hours—yet every single call has gone straight to voicemail. I call his name and he slowly lowers the device. “Pull up the tracking from her bracelet,” I tell him, my voice edged with panic. His fingers move across the screen, then he suddenly hesitates, his expression dropping.
“The signal died the moment she walked into the university bathroom,” he says, voice thick with frustration. “The tracker had her location locked perfectly right up until our men arrived… but she was already gone. Completely gone.”
My boots freeze on the carpet. She must have tinkered with the bracelet and left a fake location behind so she could slip away while we weren’t looking.
Viktor speaks up, his voice careful. “We checked every security camera in the surrounding blocks. The signal was clean right up until she walked into that university bathroom. After that it just… died. Our men got there as fast as they could, but she was already gone.”
I grab the heavy crystal decanter from the side table and hurl it straight at the wall. Whiskey and shattered glass sprayacross the expensive wallpaper. Not one guard flinches—they’ve all seen me do far worse.
“Find her,” I order. “Right now, get every man we have.”
Viktor hesitates. “They’re trying, but—”
I turn on him. “Then look harder. I don’t care what it takes. Tear apart every street, every camera feed, every contact we have in this city. She does not get to disappear on me. Bring her back.”
My pacing starts all over again. My hands refuse to stay still as I run them through my hair and rub my exhausted face. My mind is spinning with terrible scenarios about rival men throwing her into a dark van and locking her away, fuck what if she chipped a nail, or worse what if they hurt the baby.
My phone sits on the table. I already dialed her number twice and got nothing. I won’t call again. One more ring to that voicemail and I’ll put my fist straight through the wall, and I need my hands in one piece for what’s coming next.
The heavy front door suddenly swings open, the familiar squeak of the hinge cutting through the silence, followed by hesitant footsteps in the hallway—and I’m already sprinting toward the sound before I’ve even thought about it.
Zoya steps around the corner and I crash into her, arms locking around her waist. I lift her off the floor and crush her to my chest, the momentum sending us stumbling backward. I plant my boot to keep us upright. She gasps against my shoulder but I’m too relieved to care.
I bury my face deep into her neck to breathe in her familiar scent. My hands shake uncontrollably against her spine.
"Alexei?" she asks softly, her voice muffled by my shirt. "Are you alright? Are you actually crying?"