Chapter 71

Aurora POV

I never imagined I’d be this scared to see a man who isn’t quite a stranger but isn’t exactly an acquaintance either.

When Gianna and I see Alek standing feet from us, leaning casually against the sleek black car behind him, a thread of fear tightens my chest. He watches us like some kind of predator who’s already spotted his next meal, planning on how best to kill us once he’s captured us.

Alek’s smile doesn’t reach his eyes. Gianna sucks in a sharp breath next to me, her hand tightening on mine.

“Ladies,” he greets, his accent thick and velvet-smooth, just like it had been the first time we met him. “You’ve caused quite the chase.”

We don’t have time to react.

Two of his men appear behind us, one of them already with a hand subtly resting on the gun holstered at his hip. It’s not a threat, not outright, but the message is still clear: get in the car or things will get ugly.

I look at Gianna and I see my own terror reflected in her eyes. I want to run but there’s nowhere left for us to go. What choice do we have here?

None, a voice whispers in my head.

Swallowing, I grab her hand and walk slowly over to the car. Her hand shakes in mine as we climb into the back seat that Alek holds open for us. The doors shut with a solid, ominous click, and when Gianna immediately tugs on the handle, she frowns.

“It’s locked.”

Alek doesn’t even glance back at us after climbing into the front seat behind the wheel. “For your safety. This part of town can be quite dangerous. I would hate to have either of you pulled out of the car by strangers looking for a pretty girl to spend the night with.”

Bullshit.

But at this point, there’s nothing else we can really do.

We’re both unarmed and in a city we don’t know in a country we aren’t from. Grabbing us off the street like this is the perfect move for someone like Alek. To the point that it has me wondering how long he’s been following us… waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

A chill races down my spine.

As the car pulls away, I sit frozen next to Gianna, our backs pressed stiffly against the sea. The world outside becomes a blur quickly, every second feeling like a countdown ticking toward something I can’t stop.

I don’t know where we’re going and I sure as hell don’t know what’s going to happen when we get there. All I know is that the only man who might’ve been able to help us is the one man I did all this to escape from in the first place.

Have I doomed Gianna and I? And if so—what kind of fate have I doomed us to?

Alek is quiet for most of the ride which makes it worse. Every time his cold eyes flick up in the rearview mirror to look at us, mostly at Gianna, I feel a chill roll down my spine again. Gianna doesn’t say a word either, she just clutches my hand so tight my knuckles ache, but I don’t dare pull away.

After what feels like forever, we pull into the driveway of an extravagant house. A rental, probably, but opulent as hell. Trees line the private road leading up to the property with and the iron gate at the front of it that closes once we’re past the threshold.

Upon parking, Alek gets out of the car and opens the door for us. Two of his guards are already coming down the front steps towards us, both of them in dark suits and even darker sunglasses fitting over their eyes.

The moment we’re ushered inside, I know we’re not just guests like Alek probably would’ve liked to suggest if either of us dared to ask: we’re prisoners.

The men that are posted are dressed in the same dark suits as the ones who brought us inside with the unmistakable outlines of weapons under their jackets. I count at least six of them just from the foyer.

Even if we wanted to run, we’re completely outnumbered. We wouldn’t be getting farther than the parking spot Alek left his car at.

“This is where you will stay until we leave for Moscow,” Alek says casually, shrugging out of his jacket to pass off to one of his subordinates. “Your belongings will be delivered soon. My men are retrieving them from your hotel room as we speak.”

My stomach drops.

“You’re taking us to Russia?” I ask, the question out of my mouth before I can stop it.

Alek tilts his head slightly, a ghost of a smirk on his face. “Yes. Things will be much safer for the both of you now that you are under my care and even more so when you are in my territory. While you are here, try to enjoy the accommodations. We will be leaving soon.”

Alek leads us through a few of the other rooms—living space, dining area, a library with books I doubt anyone’s ever touched—before stopping outside two adjoining bedrooms.

“You’ll sleep here. Gianna, this one is yours.” Gianna flinches when he gently takes her hand and presses a kiss to her knuckles. “You will be happy in Russia. I can’t wait to spoil you.”

She yanks her hand back as soon as he lets go, her smile tight and forced.

He chuckles and turns to me. “And you, Aurora… don’t worry. We’ll find something to do with you.”

It’s the way he says it, like a joke while his eyes gleam with something cruel, that makes bile rise in my throat. What does he mean? That I’m disposable? A loose end?

Fitting, I suppose. Considering I’m not the one he wants. What good would it do to keep me around if he gets nothing out of it? With Gianna, he gets a wife and most likely the Carusos bending to his will if he were to threaten Gianna’s life.

Me? Well, my family couldn’t care less what happens to me. Actually, they’ll probably be relieved I’m someone else’s problem.

I force a neutral expression. “Thank you.”

“I have a meeting to attend. Settle in.” He says, already walking off.

Then he’s gone, leaving us both standing in the hallway. At the foot of it stands two of his men who linger with their backs turn toward us. Not exactly watching us but definitely will know if we try to escape. I have no doubt this place is bugged out the ass with cameras and listening devices.

Gianna and I stand frozen for a second before rushing into one of the bedrooms and locking the door.

She paces immediately, muttering curses her breath. “We’re so fucked.”

I nod slowly, trying not to let my panic show. “If he manages to take us out of the country, then we’ll never be able to leave it. I doubt anyone at the borders will let us out considering he’ll probably take our passports from us.”

Gianna drops onto the edge of the bed, her hands shaking as she presses them together in her lap. “I’m more worried about what he’s going to do to you when we get there. You heard him, it sounds like he has no real plans for you.”

That hits me harder than it should. It’s exactly what I’ve been thinking but hearing it out loud means I’m not just blowing things out of proportion. Alek’s words are exactly as I interpreted them: thinly veiled threats.

“I don’t think he’ll hurt me. Clearly he wants me to be his bride for whatever reason…” Her voice is quieter now. “But I don’t know what that means for you.”

“I think it means we better figure a way out of this. If not, I’m probably going to end up with cinderblocks tied to my feet and thrown in some river.”

“Don’t say that,” she says fiercely, grabbing my hands. “I’m not going to let that happen. We’ll both jump off the roof to our deaths before we let some man separate us like that.”

My throat tightens. As noble of a statement that is, and touching, imagining Gianna sacrificing herself like that and not being able to live the life she’s always been meant to forms a pit in my stomach.

Even considering that as an option pains me. I understand why she’s gone to that extreme in her head but it’s not something I ever want to consider, least of all before we’ve tried anything else.

If it comes down to it, I’ll jump with her but not until we’re completely out of options.

“Maybe we can strike a bargain with him. A trade of some sort. We’ve both a part of the Caruso syndicate. That has to have some value.”

“Maybe. It’s worth a shot.”

I feel like I’m in someone else’s nightmare.

We sit there in silence for a long while, neither of us knowing what else to say. The sun begins to set outside, casting dark shadows over us as we rest against each other. Eventually, one of the guards comes to give us a meal before shooing me off to the other room, separating us.

Neither of us fight it. How can we when we have nothing compared to the guns strapped to their hips?

Later, when I lie on the bed in the other room too afraid to sleep and too exhausted to cry, I stare up at the ceiling and try to imagine what life in Russia would even look like.

For the first time in a long time, I realize I might not survive this.