Semua Bab Craving Him, My Step-Brother : Bab 131 - Bab 140

Reader’s POVWith each passing minute, Atina’s nerves were fraying as she paced about like someone was going to walk through the door the next minute and fire a bullet right into her head. The cabin walls felt like they were closing in and each creak of the floorboards she made by stepping on it with fright, sounded louder. “Dammit! What am I going to do now?" She muttered, hands folded together and her eyes darting to the door every few seconds. The moment she began to hear the sound of approaching footsteps in the hallway, she rushed towards the window but instead of Ruslan walking through the door to put an end to her life, Slade did. Taking a deep breath, she made her way back into the middle of the room while Slade strolled in like a man returning from a quiet evening stroll. He was wiping his hands with a cloth stained from whatever or whoever he had just handled. Biting her lower lips, Atina kept staring and the moment he threw the rag on the table, she flinched and as if

Ruslan’s POVThe room was quiet, but my mind wasn’t. It was spiralling with thoughts, loud enough that if I had company, he would hear every single bit of it. I was sitting in the far corner of my office, one hand resting on the glass of untouched whiskey in front of me and the other tapping a slow rhythm against the armrest. The ticking clock on the wall grated against my nerves, matching the pulse in my temple that had been throbbing since dawn.I wasn’t waiting for answers anymore, I was hunting for them.Just then, the door creaked open, low and slow. Nico stepped inside, his expression unreadable but his eyes told me everything I needed to know.“We found them,” he said.I didn’t even ask who as I knew it was Atina and Slade.“Where?” I asked, standing.“Abandoned textile factory in Krasnogorsk, the surveillance confirms it. Slade’s holed up with a few men, Atina was trying to leave, her bags are packed, passport ready, and flight in two hours.”Of course she was going to run o

Ruslan’s POVThe building that held Slade and Atina was nothing but twisted metal and smoke now. Standing several meters away from the building, I pushed my hands into my pockets, the wind tugging at the edges of my collar as flames licked the sky. The warehouse glowed like the mouth of hell, orange and angry. Behind me, Nico and the rest of my men stood still, waiting for orders but there was none left to give."Let it all go down," I said and so it did. The homeward ride was silent but I wasn’t ready to return to the clan just yet. My thoughts had been spiraling again. Ivana and the children have to be my priority now, Benny has to wait until I fix all this. From the walkie talkie, Nico asked, “Heading somewhere boss?"“Yeah." I gave a one worded response, turning the wheel as I headed North.It had been months since I visited the villa, my father’s self imposed exile. It was a private sanctuary carved into the hillside, where the echoes of his past couldn’t touch him or so he

Ivana’s POVMy hands were shaking.The gun felt heavier now than it had seconds ago, like it knew what was about to happen and was trying to resist me.I couldn’t do it, I couldn’t pull the trigger. My fingers fumbled around the grip, slick with sweat and my breathing short and jagged.Fabrizio stood in front of me, unwavering as if it wasn’t going to hurt him."Do it now, Ivana," he said. "You’re running out of time.""I can’t," I whispered. "I can’t do this to you."Behind me, Benny was pacing like a caged animal. His face was pale and his eyes were wild."We don’t have time for this!" he snapped. "If she doesn’t shoot, we will lose the window.""The underground passage," Fabrizio suddenly said, turning to Benny. "Remember? Back when we were kids, when curfew was on and grandfather locked the gates?"Benny blinked then something clicked in his expression, "That tunnel, is it still open?"Fabrizio nodded, "You will go through the wine cellar. It still leads to the main square and fro

Ivana’s POVThe hum of the plane engine was steady, soft and almost calming and for the first time in what felt like ages, I had Kiera and Kian tucked into my arms, safe and warm.They clung to me like they were afraid I would disappear again. That was exactly how I felt too so I tightened my grip around them, nuzzling against their soft skin. "Where were you?" Kiera asked, her tiny voice muffled against my shoulder."Why didn’t you come get us sooner?" Kian added, his eyes wide and sad.I swallowed the lump in my throat, flashing them the warmest smile I could, I said, "There were things I had to do first. But I never stopped thinking about you, not for one second."They nodded, but I could tell they were still confused and hurt but they were trying not to show it."The woman who took care of you," I brushed a strand of hair from Kiera’s face, "she was your caretaker. She helped me because I had so many things to do. Important and dangerous things that I had to finish before I could