Page 19

When I opened my eyes, Jayden and Matteo were not the only ones I saw, and we were no longer in an empty parking lot. Wherever we were, it was cold and partially dark, with buzzing fluorescent lights on the ceiling, shining over the center of the room, where I sat, loosely tied to a chair. I didn’t even want to know where it was; I just wanted to go home.

Weeks ago, when thoughts of that same word came to mind, I only wished I was close to Jayden and back to our former life. But now, when I wished for home, it meant Timur. I yearned to see him again.

Standing before me was the girl from the night of the escape, Leonara Colombo, Matteo’s sister, and an older man. They all dressed expensive and dangerous, except my brother. The older man and Matteo shared more striking similarities than I’d ever seen between two people, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out what their relationship was.

“You’re finally awake. I was beginning to think we’d given you an overdose.”

It was the girl, Leonara, who spoke up. Looking at her now, with her dark eyes, short hair, and bad girl outfit, I couldn’t believe I’d once been envious of her.

I glared at her. “And that’s supposed to be funny?”

“Do you see anyone laughing here? Well, I don’t.”

“Let me go. I want to go back. I need to leave this place.”

“You can’t,” her brother’s voice echoed. He didn’t even bother giving me a glance; his head was buried in his phone. “You’re here for your own good.”

“He’s right,” the man, who I assumed to be their father, stepped into the light. I didn’t need an introduction; the coldness in Matteo’s eyes, that sharp jawline, and tanned skin had definitely come from somewhere. “Mm-hmm, you’re quite the catch. What do you know? That bastard Timur has good taste. My name is Enzo Colombo, pretty one, and I am the father of Leonara and Matteo.”

I shook my head. “I really don’t care who you are; I need to leave this place and go back to my husband.”

“Husband?” Jay shoved his head into the light, and I had never before seen him that livid. “Have you forgotten everything already? That man is no husband, Serena. He was willing to use me for his evil biddings.”

“And this man is not evil?” I motioned toward the older man, and Enzo scoffed, pushing a hand into the pocket of his pants. “If we’re riding on honesty, then let’s admit that they’re no different, Jay.”

Jayden dropped to his haunches, staring at eye level. “At least none of them threatened you to substitute your life for mine.”

He looked different from the last time I’d really seen him. His face, which was always clean-shaven, was now spotted with stubble. He’d let his hair grow out a little bit longer, and above all that, Jayden might not have dressed as expensive as the Colombo’s in the room, but the look in his eyes was as dark and intimidating as theirs. Whatever they’d done to get into my brother’s head must have worked.

An unbearable pain seared through my chest, and I almost flinched when he curled a finger under my chin. A softness glazed over his steel gaze, and he sighed.

“Serena….”

“I don’t need a threat to do that, Jay. You know this; I would gladly give my life for yours again, under any circumstance, if I have to. There was a debt to be paid; Timur had to do what he did, following his rules of business. If it weren’t for Dad, we wouldn’t have crossed his path in the first place. I’m just saying…there was no malicious reason behind what he did. Besides, he’s never hurt me.”

Jayden backed away as if he’d been stung, rising to his full height, his shadow falling over me when I tilted my head backward to glare at him.

“I don’t know what’s come over you, but you have to snap out of it. Did he bewitch you or something? I’m saying you don’t have to live that life. I’m here, standing right in front of you, Serena. Everything I did was to set you free. We can run away now, leave the country just like we’d planned that night, without the fear of Timur hanging over our heads.

I shook my head. “No.”

“No?”

Ignoring the growing frown on his face, I repeated more sternly, “No, Jay, I don’t want to do this. None of this feels right.”

That was what my mouth said, but my heart was saying another, something I wasn’t quite sure I was ready to admit.

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about them.” I looked over his shoulder at the Colombos. “You might have the purest intentions to rescue me, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned from our experience with Timur, it’s that nothing comes without a price. So, tell me, what’s in this for them? Or are the Italians now Samaritans?”

“Far from it, pretty one.” Enzo came into the light. His jaw was fixed with more impatience as he glowered at me. “You’re right. Nothing comes without a price. Your brother here needed our help to save you, and in return, I get to use you as bait to reel in that son of a bitch and teach him a good lesson for holding my daughter captive. Seeing that you’re in good condition, I’m sure you must be very important to that bastard. He’s taking care of you. That means he’d definitely be on his way to find you.”

“Captive?” I wanted to laugh at his choice of words. Only heavens knew what she’d said to her father to get him all riled up. “She was tied in ropes, the same ropes my brother and I were bound with, and maybe you didn’t notice, but he released her. Just like us, to him, she was nothing special.”

Behind her father, Leonara scoffed, and Enzo narrowed his eyes. “You’re truly na?ve.” Turning around, he beckoned on his children. “Matteo, Leonara, I need you two to visit Jose, Miguel, and Pablo. There are rumors about someone new around the block with a product in high demand. Get everything we need to do. I’ll handle the Russian.”

As soon as the door clicked shut behind them, Jay pounced forward, brows drawn as he glared. “I cannot believe that you are defending that asshole. I know you’re practically a saint, Serena; you have a heart of gold and always see the best in everyone and every fucking—”

“Language, Jay.”

“You see?” I flinched when he pointed an accusatory finger at me. “That right there; I bet you don’t scold your husband when he curses or lashes out at you with foul language. What could you possibly see in a man like him that would make you lose your common sense? What’s it to you if Enzo wants to kill him? He deserves to die.”

“Jayden!” The thought of seeing Timur lay dead before my feet made me want to gag. “He hasn’t hurt you, has he? He’s kept his word so far, hasn’t he? Then what is it with you wishing him death? If our father never owed him, then there’d be no Timur in our lives anyway.”

I never would have met him.

The thought left a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Jayden was getting ready to speak, but I didn’t give him a chance. “You know, after the whole fallout between Mom and Dad, you weren’t exactly the easiest person to raise, Jayden Skye. You say Timur’s a bad man, but you managed to give me hell sometimes. Remember the days when you wouldn’t listen to me, or those times when you’d yell at me for being, in your words, overprotective and overbearing? You knew all I’ve ever wanted was the best for you, and in those days, you’d just treat me like dirt under your shoes. I’ve put up with your whining, complaints, and a list of many other things you did that could have made anyone else quit the job and leave you to fend for yourself, but I didn’t, and it’s because I—”

“You love me.” Huffing, he ran his fingers through his hair. Some of the tension melted off his shoulders, and the look in his eyes was more sober than annoyed. “And I love you, too, sister. I know I’ve not been the easiest one to handle, but I did, and I still appreciate everything you’ve ever done for me. Heck, I wouldn’t even be standing here if it weren’t for your investments in my life. But like it or not, Serena, we’re family, and we’d go to lengths to protect each other. That’s what I’m doing now. Timur’s level of being bad goes beyond the childish tantrums and shit I put you through after Mom and Dad left us, and you know it. That man has blood on his hands and no fucking conscience. You’re not safe with him; none of us are.”

But how was it possible that I didn’t feel safe without him?

A tear slipped from my eye, and Jayden brushed it off my cheek. He didn’t know why I was crying, but I did. I knew it had everything to do with not wanting to be apart from my husband. Jayden was right; Timur was the least definition of a safe place. Nevertheless, that revelation didn’t deter me. Over the few months we’d been together, even if none of us had expressly admitted it, we’d formed a bond, a strong one.

Every morning, I looked forward to waking up by his side, and at night, I wanted to curl into him and fall asleep to the sound of my heart beating against his chest. He’d even begun smiling less robotically and a lot more around me, and though those moments were rare, I treasured each one like a priceless piece of treasure entrusted only in my care. Being with Timur recently felt almost joyful…like I got a special privilege to have something no one else had access to.

I wasn’t ready to let it go just yet.

And….

“I’m pregnant, Jay.”

The silence that fell between my brother and me was deafening. He struggled to digest the news while I cried harder at the thought of having my baby grow up without a father. The last thing I wanted was to subject my child to the same pains and emotional distress Jay and I went through after our father detached from us.

“You’re what?”

“Pregnant,” I repeated with more conviction.

“I can’t believe that—”

“That what?”

“You slept with him, Serena.”

Raising my chin, I glowered at him. “He’s my husband, Jay, and that’s beside the point right now. I have to protect my child. I need to get out of here. You have to stop them from getting to Timur.” Scanning the area to make sure we were really alone, I whispered, “These people—the Italians, you know they hate the Russians. If Enzo finds out I’m carrying Timur’s child, can you guess what would happen? He’d want to cause him as much pain as he felt when he captured Leonara. Jay, I don’t think I’d survive if anything happens to my baby.”

Only then did the gravity of our situation sink into my brother. His eyes widened for a fraction before he cupped my cheeks and stroked reassuringly. “The only way that’ll ever happen is if they go through me first, and I swear on everything we hold dear, I’d die first before I let anything happen to you. I promise, Serena.”

****

The air in the room felt heavier with every passing hour, suffocating in its stillness. On my request, Jay loosened the ropes holding me to the chair and brought in a blanket for me to lie on the cold floor. I pulled my knees to my chest, trying to suppress the growing panic clawing at my throat. My head ached, and my throat was raw from unanswered pleas. The only sound was the occasional scrape of footsteps outside the door.

Then, the door swung open. Enzo marched inside, the heels of his polished leather shoes leaving resounding echoes behind him as the door swung shut. Like before, he carried an aura that made the space seem smaller and more claustrophobic. Behind him, Jay stood silent, his expression tight and unreadable.

I didn’t have a good feeling about this, and my heart sank deeper when Enzo aimed a remote at a small television on the wall that I hadn’t noticed before.

“Time to witness history.” He glanced at Jay, a smirk playing on his lips. “You’ll want to see this: the sight of Timur Yezhov falling apart.”

“No!” I crawled to the edge of the blanket, digging my nails into the fabric. My stomach churned, bile rising at the thought. “No, I don’t want to see this. Please—Jay, do something!”

My voice cracked as tears welled in my eyes, but Enzo ignored me, pressing the power button. The screen flickered to life, static giving way to an ominous live broadcast. A camera panned across a darkened warehouse, showing Timur surrounded by armed men. My breath hitched at the sight of him, blood on his hands and shirt, but his posture was still strong, defiant. His face, set like stone, bore no fear, only resilience.

“You see?” Enzo sneered, pointing to the screen. “Your knight in shining armor is not so invincible now, is he?”

Tears blurred my vision, streaming down my cheeks uncontrollably. “Stop this! Please, don’t do this.” I turned to Jay, desperate, pleading. “Jay, don’t let this happen! You can’t let him do this.”

My brother’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing, his gaze fixed on the screen. I could see turmoil in his eyes, the way his hands trembled at his sides. But he didn’t speak. He didn’t move.

“Don’t waste your breath, darling,” the older man mocked. “It’s already in motion. Nothing you say or do will stop it. Your phone led him right where I wanted him—to his end.”

“What…what do you mean?”

Enzo didn’t hesitate to give me the details, proudly telling me how my brother and his sons had rigged the entire place after they managed to make me conscious and set my phone in the middle of the warehouse, knowing Timur had activated a tracker in my phone. That bomb was going to detonate the moment he returned to his car, and Timur didn’t even know.

My legs would have given out if I wasn’t already on the floor. Unable to bear the pain that mercilessly wrapped through my entire being, I yelled, screamed, and hit the floor, thrashing violently for him to stop.

Timur and his men left the warehouse, and they all approached the vehicles parked outside. They were leaving because he didn’t find me there. His tight jaw and focused gaze meant he was coming for me, just like we all knew he would.

“No!” I screamed again, a vain but desperate attempt to stop them. “Turn around! Don’t come!”

But he got into his car and revved the engine.

And then it happened.

A deafening explosion shattered the air, the blast so powerful it rattled my bones. My ears rang, and my vision swam, but the image of Timur’s car engulfed in flames burned itself into my mind.

“No…no….” I crawled backward, wrapping my stomach with trembling hands, my gaze fixed on the screen.

Timur was gone.

The world started spinning around me. I wanted to scream more, to cry harder, to do anything to make this nightmare end, but all I could do was lie there, staring at the wreckage, as the cold realization settled over me.

Timur was dead, and there was nothing I could do to change it.

****

Enzo was laughing, saying something in Italian to some of his men who had gathered to watch the show. Jay pinned his eyes on me, but I was too angry and heartbroken to look at him.

I pressed my palms against my lap, willing myself to hold it together, but the ache in my heart didn’t subside. It felt raw, exposed, and utterly fragile, like if I let myself cry, I’d never stop.

The light overhead flickered, and I stared blankly at the door, hoping and wishing but knowing deep down that it was a foolish hope. Timur wasn’t coming.

I exhaled sharply, bitter at my own naivety. My fingers fidgeted with the hem of my dress, trying to distract myself, but the hollowness lingered. I closed my eyes momentarily, replaying our last conversation in my head, dissecting every word and glance.

Then, a sharp creak broke the stillness. Enzo stopped talking, and at the same time, my eyes snapped open just as the door swung wide, slamming against the wall with enough force to make me jump.

“Timur?”

There he stood.

And I burst out in tears like a baby.

His grin was wide and dangerous, nothing at all like the sweet ones he gave me in the morning or pressed against my cheeks at night. His presence filled the room like it always did—bold, confident, entirely him—and the grin on his face made the hairs rise on the back of my neck.

My heart stuttered in my chest, caught between disbelief and relief. For a second, I couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, as his gaze locked onto mine with a wicked glint.

“Already mourning me, Pchelka ? Yellow’s not the best color for that.”

He was talking to me, teasing, and while this was most certainly the wrong place and time for his weird PDA, I felt my heart flutter in the midst of the chaos—because the man standing by that door, that mysteriously rose from the dead, was going to reign chaos.

In that minute, nothing mattered more than him, knowing I could hold him again, kiss him again, even hear his grumpy remarks again.

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but the heaviness in my chest lifted just enough for me to breathe again. He stopped just short of me, leaning down so we were eye to eye. Then he brushed the tears from my eyes and sucked them off his thumb. “Don’t look so heartbroken, Serena. I’m here now.”

And in that moment, I didn’t care about the why or the how.

He was here, and that was enough.