Thank you for all the kind words. I know it's only one chapter but it's 1900 words. So, for some authors two chapters. Next week will get better.
Roman and Luca arrived at Metropolitan General just as the ambulances pulled into the emergency bay. Roman could already see Blair's car speeding toward them."She's driving like a maniac," Luca observed, following Roman's gaze."Can you blame her?" It worried the shit out of him, and he would be reminding her that she was pregnant later. Right now, her first concern was her sister. Which he understood. If this had been his sister, he knew he would have done the same.They watched as the paramedics wheeled both gurneys through the automatic doors. Keira was sitting up on hers, arguing with the EMT about something, while Alexei lay flat, eyes closed but clearly conscious.Blair's car screeched into a parking spot, and she was out almost straight away. Sutton emerged more carefully from the passenger side, one hand protectively over her small bump. He was glad they were together."Where are they?" Blair demanded, rushing up to Roman."Just went inside. We saw you taking first place for
Roman stared at the warehouse through the early morning light, they were waiting for Agent Rogers to get the thermal imaging readout. Three hours of surveillance had confirmed this was it. Luca's drones had identified movement around the warehouse, and the positioning matched everything they'd deduced from Sutton's photo analysis.Four armed men had been patrolling. There was a window in the right location that they were sure had to hold Keira and Prince Alexei. But they had moved inside about thirty minutes ago which worried Roman. What was happening?"This has to be it," Mitchell said quietly, lowering his binoculars. "Has to be."Roman's jaw clenched. Every muscle in his body screamed to storm the building, to tear apart anyone who'd dared touch Keira. She may be prickly, but he loved her like family. He had to force himself to wait, to think tactically. Blair was counting on him to bring her sister home alive. It would kill her to lose her sister. Life wouldn't be that cruel to th
She turned toward him, her hands working at his belt. "Your turn."But he caught her hands again, his expression suddenly serious. "Keira, we need to talk about protection."Reality crashed back in. They were in a warehouse, held captive, with no access to contraception. The responsible thing would be to stop, to wait until they were safe and could take proper precautions.But looking into his eyes, feeling the connection between them that had nothing to do with physical attraction and everything to do with something deeper, she found she didn't care about being responsible. They may never get another chance at this. If things went badly she wanted to experience this. Forget doing the right thing."Are you on the pill?" he asked, his voice strained with the effort of stopping when they were both so far gone."No," she admitted. "But it wouldn't matter. I couldn't get to it anyway."His jaw tightened. "If we do this, you could get pregnant."The words made her freeze, thinking of her c
"We should stop," she said, but her tone wasn't convincing even to her own ears."Please don't," Alexei murmured against her lips, his hand cupping the back of her neck as he pulled back slightly. "I don't want to stop.""Alexei," she breathed.She didn't pull away again. She didn't ask if this was a good idea or a mistake. He kissed her and she didn't hesitate in kissing him back. Instead something inside her melted, like it finally clicked in place.She groaned when he was the one to break their kiss.Alexei lifted his hand, tracing the line of her jaw, the pads of his fingers along her jawline his touch warm against her skin. Keira met his gaze.He was a man of contradictions, one who provoked and frustrated her, but also one who had stood between her and danger. If they ever got out of here, did she dare tell him he had stolen a piece of her heart? Was she ready for that? For him? This is all they might have.Alexei's thumb traced her bottom lip with tenderness. "I need you to be
Nightfall brought a chill that seeped through the warehouse walls. Alexei's eyes had closed again, his body's desperate attempt to heal itself stealing his consciousness in waves. Hours passed with nothing but silence beyond their prison.Keira wrapped her arms around herself, shivering slightly as she watched the square of night sky through the high window. The room had darkened to the point where Alexei's face was just a pale oval in the gloom. She had turned out the light which hadn't been great in this room and turned on the bathroom light. Giving them just enough light to get to the bathroom to use the toilet if needed.Her stomach growled, reminding her that the meager dinner they'd been provided hadn't been nearly enough. They now had more water at least.A metallic clank outside their door made her jump. She held her breath, listening as footsteps approached, then receded again. The kidnappers were still there, patrolling perhaps, but not interested in checking on their captiv
The men returned sooner than Keira expected. The door swung open with a metallic groan as three men entered. Two armed guards positioned themselves near the entrance while a third walked over to them, newspaper and phone in hand. Fucking cowards."Time for your close-up," the third dickhead said, all still had their faces covered, good thing right? "Your families need to see you're still breathing."Keira sat up straighter and more alert. She'd been watching over Alexei for the last hour, and he had seemed fine. So maybe he didn't have a brain bleed.Her mind raced. They needed these photos, which meant her sister and Roman had asked for proof of life. That was good. It meant they were working on something. If anyone could save them it was her family.Alexei stirred beside her on the cot, clearly disoriented from sleep and his concussion. She squeezed his arm in warning, silently urging him to get his bearings quickly."Don't make any sudden moves," the man said as he stepped closer.