جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 50

LAURA’S POV Alexei’s grip on my arm was bruising, his fingers digging in so hard I knew there’d be marks later. If there was a later. “Move,” he snarled, hauling me through a corridor I didn’t recognize from the tour he’d given me yesterday. I wanted to ask where the hell we were going and demand that he let me go, but I knew better than that. With the way he was raging, I as well have been launched to the other side of the room if I uttered a single word. He continued pulling me along like a rag doll and I stumbled, my bare feet barely keeping up with his brutal pace as he dragged me away from the chaos erupting downstairs. I could hear it—the gunfire, the shouting, the sound of Xavier’s men tearing through Alexei’s fortress outside. Xavier had come for me. He’d actually come. Just like I thought he would. The thought filled me with an equal measure of hope and terror. Alexei barked orders in Russian to the guards following us, his voice loud and commanding despite the o

XAVIER’S POVWe were half a mile from Alexei’s estate when Marcus’s phone lit up with an urgent call.“Talk to me,” he answered, putting it on speaker.The voice that came through belonged to Lucas, and he sounded nothing short of breathless. “We’ve got movement. Surveillance picked up unusual activity from a secluded area toward the north borders.”My hands tightened on the steering wheel.“What kind of movement, Lucas?” I cut in before Marcus could respond.“Looks like a pursuit. Two vehicles, high speed. We can’t get a clear visual yet but the heat signatures match Alexei’s SUVs.” Lucas reported, his voice tight. “And Xavier—one of them is moving erratically. Like someone who doesn’t know how to drive that kind of vehicle.”My heart stopped.Laura.“How far?” I demanded.“Twenty minutes if you take the highway..but Xavier,” Lucas paused, as though choosing his next words wisely. “This could be another trap. Alexei could be using this to draw us away while he has Laura hidden somewh

LAURA My eyes shot open and I jerked upright, panic flooding through my system.Where was I? Had Alexei caught me? Was I back in that warehouse?My hands flew up to my mouth, my breathing coming in short, desperate gasps as I looked around wildly but soon, relief washed over me in tides.I recognized Marcus’ silhouette as he sat in the front passenger seat, his phone pressed to his ear as he spoke something in low tones.And right there next to him, in the passenger seat was—Xavier.I was safe.My breathing finally started to slow as reality settled over me like a heavy blanket. I’d passed out—probably from exhaustion and shock and the sheer insanity of what I’d just done. But Xavier had caught me. Just before Alexie’s men could get their crummy hands on me, he’d gotten me into his SUV and now he was taking me somewhere to get my far away from Alexei and Jennifer and this crazy nightmare.I was safe. I was finally, finally safe.My eyes drifted up to find Xavier’s gaze in the rearv

LAURA “It wasn’t your fault, Juniper…” I muttered against her hair, pressing a hand to her back as she shook slightly. “I know you were only worried about Xavier. None of what happened is your fault at all. The one to blame here is that maniac, Alexei.”“But you got so hurt because I wasn’t able to protect you,” she sniffed, and I held her closer, a small smile tugging at the corners of my lips.For some reason, I felt strangely happy.At the beginning, never in a million years would I have thought that Juniper and I would get along—let alone that she would be crying because I got hurt.It was sweet and overwhelming all at once.“I’ll be just fine once the paramedics take a look at me. Honestly, some rest and food will do me a lot of good.”“Oh, yes.” Juniper pulled back, wiping at her tear-stained cheeks. “They should be here right about now, shouldn’t they?”With Juniper’s help, I managed to eat over the next ten minutes, and that was about when Xavier returned with the paramedics.

LAURAI knew very well that everything I was saying was fueled by pure adrenaline.Before Xavier left my room, I remembered waking up briefly and seeing him still there, keeping watch over me—his fingers still entwined with mine.Waking up to that kind of warmth was something I hadn’t realized could affect me so deeply. But when he left, everything suddenly felt too cold, too empty, and I realized with growing clarity that—I didn’t want that.All my life had been cold, and I’d been alone. I had never felt genuine love or care from anyone, and maybe that was why I gave so much of mine away.So being on the receiving end of it was something I had never fathomed.And yet… it was real.Xavier was the first to protect me.The first to keep me safe.He rescued me when I was in trouble.For once… someone actually cared. Someone gave a damn about me and put me before themselves.And I didn’t want to lose that.I knew what I’d said about wanting to keep things professional—that getting close