Page 86 of Sweet Obsession

While returning back from the warehouse, I glanced up at Misha, the lines of his jaw set hard, his eyes scanning the horizon.

And then, we saw them.

At the far end of the road, where the streetlights flickered weakly in the dusk, three figures stood silhouetted against the fading light. I stiffened immediately, the hairs on the back of my neck rising as the unmistakable figure of Chernov stepped forward.

His black coat billowed slightly in the wind, and his smile, a shark’s grin, was wide, predatory. Behind him, Lev and Alexei flanked him, their expressions unreadable but dangerous.

Misha stopped in his tracks, his grip on my hand tightening as he turned his gaze toward the trio. His posture was tense, muscles coiled like a spring ready to snap.

Chernov’s voice cut through the quiet, smooth and mocking. “I could have killed you both a dozen times by now, Misha,” he drawled, his eyes gleaming with twisted amusement. “If I’d sent more men, if I’d been interested in the kill... But no. That wasn’t the point. This was just to scare you.”

Misha’s eyes narrowed, the threat in Chernov’s words hanging in the air like a storm waiting to break. I felt the weight of the moment settle heavily on my chest, my heart pounding.

“Leave my house, Chernov,” Misha said, his voice low, dangerous. The warning was clear, the threat simmering beneath the surface. “I’m not playing your games.”

Chernov’s laugh was dark, humorless. “You’re a fool, Misha. The moment you decided to drag her into your mess, you lost any chance of peace. She’s mine. You know that. I can take her whenever I want.” He paused, his gaze flicking to me. “And I’ll enjoy it.”

The anger in Misha’s eyes was palpable, like a living thing. He stepped forward, his jaw clenched tight, his gaze never leaving Chernov. “You try, and you’ll die before you lay a hand on her,” Misha growled.

Lev and Alexei stepped forward in unison, their faces cruelly amused. “Chernov doesn’t want just anyone, Misha,” Lev sneered, his voice thick with mockery. “He wants her.”

Alexei’s voice was sharp, his gaze hungry. “You’d better divorce her, Misha, or we’ll take her ourselves. You know we can. You know it’s not a threat, it’s a promise.”

The words were poison, dripping with malice. I felt a chill settle deep in my bones, the gravity of what they were saying sinking in. I was no longer just a prize in Misha’s world; I was a target, one they were willing to fight for, at any cost.

Misha’s hand tightened around mine, his body rigid with fury, but his eyes remained calculating, cold. “You’re crossing a line you can’t come back from,” he said, his voice barely a whisper, but the venom in it was unmistakable. “I’ve warned you before, Chernov. If you want a war, you’ll get one. But it will be the last thing you ever start.”

At that, Chernov’s eyes gleamed with dark delight, his smile widening as he leaned in closer. “We’ll see, won’t we?” he murmured. His hand gestured behind him, and before we could react, his men moved in.

Misha’s guards, Nikolai and Vitor, appeared from the shadows, their guns drawn, but the chaos had already begun.

In the split second it took for me to blink, Chernov lunged, grabbing me by the arm, yanking me toward him with brutalforce. My breath caught in my throat as his fingers dug into my skin. I tried to fight back, kicking and struggling, but his grip was unyielding.

Misha roared, “Luna!” His voice broke through the chaos like a blade, but it was too late. Chernov was already pulling me back toward the trees, his brothers flanking him, and Nikolai and Vitor were too far away to stop them in time.

Misha’s fury exploded. He charged toward us, but a gunshot rang out, the bullet grazing his side. He staggered, but didn’t stop. Nikolai and Vitor were already firing, creating a wall of gunfire between us, but Chernov was quick, he ducked, dragging me behind a thick tree for cover.

I gasped for air, panic crawling through my chest, but Chernov’s grip didn’t loosen. His lips were at my ear, his breath hot and foul. “I warned you, Misha. She’s mine now.”

And with that, he began to pull me away, his men closing in behind us.

About fifteen minutes later,

My heart pounded so loud it almost drowned out the sound of my own breath.

My wrists were bound tight, the ropes digging into my skin. The blindfold covering my eyes only added to the disorienting, suffocating sense of helplessness, but it wasn’t the cloth that made my pulse race, it was the feeling of everything shifting around me. The air felt thick.

Chernov’s grip on my arm was unyielding, his body too close, and his voice slithered into my ear like a venomous snake. “This will be the last time you resist me, Luna. I’ll give you everything, everything Misha couldn’t. You just need to give in. I’ll make you mine.”

A sickening wave of disgust washed over me at the sound of his voice. The words... they were poison, but I wouldn’t let them sink in. I couldn’t. I wasn’t going to let him win.

I had to get out. I had to.

We were driving now, the sound of the tires on the gravel beneath us dragging time forward, bringing me closer to whatever fate Chernov had in mind for me.

I knew how dangerous he was, how far he would go to get what he wanted. But he didn’t know me. He didn’t know the fight I had inside.

The car slowed, pulling off the road, the tires crunching in a way that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.