Page 106 of Twisted Proposal

I had already watched the footage several times, and it didn't matter. Every single time I saw it, my heart froze. For only a beat, then it ached, and I had to suppress the urge to rub at my chest. If she had been caught by one of them, there was no telling what would have happened.

Solovyov had a reputation, and he ensured that the men he hired rose to that reputation, reinforced it, even. If they had caught her, they wouldn't have killed her.

She didn't understand that, and she needed to.

So I played the video that showed Gregor's men striking back.

Earlier, Gregor and I were having a tense meeting when we were notified that some of Solovyov's men stepped onto Gregor's property.

We had a plan in place in seconds.

We would lure them away from the compound. Pavel and Damien were off to create a distraction to draw them away. Once they were far enough from the property, there would be no chance of the violence getting anywhere close to the families, or of Solovyov tracking their cell phones to that part of the massive forest. Then they would be dealt with swiftly.

The pieces would be sent back to Solovyov along with a little treat.

Some type of explosive, probably. It wouldn't have killed Solovyov, but it would have struck fear into the hearts of his men. It would have also sent a message to the world. A nice little postscript to the piles of burning corpses we left on the docks.

P.S. You come after us, we will retaliate in blood and fire.

The plan was set and then it all went to shit when another camera alarm went off, and Gregor pulled up the feed of Viktoria attempting another break for it.

Seconds later, I got a message from the housekeeper Mikhail swore would keep Viktoria in line.

Ms. Gorsky: The young lady is rude, and does not follow directions. She insists on going through the desk in the west wing. I tried to make her leave, and she dismissed me. She is a very rude child.

Artem: Your services are no longer required. I'm sure Gregor has another job for you.

Jesus fuck, this girl was going to kill me.

Gregor had already told his men to form a party to go get the girl and bring her back. She was running through the tunnels. Following her from the house into the tunnels wasn't an option. They wouldn't have been able to get to her fast enough. They needed to grab her before Solovyov's men did.

Viktoria gasped as she watched two of Gregor's men ambush one of Solovyov's men, stabbing him in the throat before he could make a noise.

Her hands clasped over her mouth as I turned off the video. I leaned forward on the desk, resting my weight on my elbows and leveling my gaze at her.

Viktoria's eyes were still wide as they stared at the screen.

"Do you believe me now?"

She said nothing, unblinking eyes not wavering from the black screen.

"Those men were not mine. They were not Gregor's, they were the enemy. Had they had captured you, I can tell you exactly what would have happened. If they knew who you were, if they knew how much I—" I caught myself just in time before I said the word love. "Cared for you. They would have tortured you and used you to get to me."

Still, she said nothing, remaining riveted to that screen.

"If they assumed you were a maid or some distant cousin or something staying in the compound, then they would have tortured you to find the entrance to that tunnel. They would have raped you and left you for dead in the forest."

Those possibilities occurred to me the second I saw she had nearly been spotted by them. Still, my stomach twisted in a way that I didn't know was possible just from saying it out loud.

This woman had me feeling things I never felt before.

I was genuinely terrified for her life.

Was this what love was?

When we spent time together, even when we were fighting, it brought a measure of peace to me that was unfamiliar. Something felt settled, because she was there. She was in front of me and I could see her and touch her. Even if she was fighting me, she was alive, and she was breathing, and she was safe.

Seeing her so vulnerable triggered me into wanting to burn the entire world to the ground.