The Underworld Series, page 27
“You guys were right.”
“I’m sorry, can we get that on a recording, princess?” Ivan said, smiling at me.
“Don’t push your luck,” I said, winking at him.
There was a red carpet set up to the side of the entrance of the hotel. I saw it as we drove past; my eyes went wide. Adrik smiled down at me, pulling me closer to him. “We’re skipping that. I don’t do press pictures.”
“This. This is why I love you.”
He chuckled, kissing my cheek. “I’m so glad you’re back. I missed the normal you.”
The SUVs pulled up to the sidewalk, away from the press and the red carpet. Adrik stepped out, extending his hand to me. I slid over to get out, trying not to flash everyone as I stepped out. Andrei, Viktor, and Misha stepped out with us. Ivan and Stephen would park the vehicles and meet us inside.
I looked at the three of them. “You boys clean up well. Eye candy, indeed,” I said smiling at them.
Viktor and Andrei led the way, with Misha behind us. We were far enough away that no one really noticed us walking toward the entrance. Mr. Turner was there at the door. His smile stretched across his face when he saw us approaching. He took his hat off, bowing to me. “Miss Sephie, you look absolutely stunning tonight, young lady.”
I walked to him, reaching up to kiss his cheek. “You’re too kind, Mr. Turner.”
“I only speak the truth, my dear,” he said as he opened the door for us to enter the hotel.
The main floor of the hotel had several ballrooms of varying sizes and grandness for such occasions. We would be going to the largest one as this was one of the biggest events the hotel held each year.
As we entered the ballroom, there were people everywhere. Adrik pulled me a little closer, whispering in my ear, “You stay with me or within sight of one of the guys tonight, okay?” I nodded my head. That would not be a problem. No way was I going to be left on my own with this many people around.
We were met with waiters carrying glasses of champagne. Adrik waved them away each time. His aversion to alcohol was one of the many things I loved about him. There was a live orchestra playing, with a large dance floor in one area. A stage with tables below it in another area. There were other waiters walking around with plates of food, as well as a bar toward the back of the ballroom. It was a sea of tuxedos and gowns.
Almost immediately, people began approaching Adrik. They would speak to him, shake his hand, and inevitably thank him for something he helped them with at some point. Somehow, he managed to remember every person’s name.
I leaned over to Andrei while Adrik was talking to yet another person. “How does he remember everyone’s name? I feel like I would fail that test miserably.”
“Me too,” he grinned at me.
Ivan and Stephen joined us. They stayed close, always within sight, but they tried to give Adrik and I room to mingle. Well, Adrik room to mingle. I didn’t know anybody. After like the 20th person came to speak to him, he walked to me. I felt his arm around my waist. He leaned down to my ear, “I need a break already. May I have this dance?” He stepped back and extended his hand to me. I took his hand, reluctantly.
“You know I don’t know how to dance, right?” I said quietly as I followed him to the dance floor.
He turned to me, holding one hand in his, wrapping his other arm around my waist. “Somehow, I think you’ll be a natural at this.” He pulled me close, so that my body was against his. “All you have to do, my love, is look at me and follow my lead.” He took a few steps, my legs following his motion instinctively. “And I happen to know for a fact, solnishko, that you are excellent at following my lead.”
I felt my cheeks flush as he effortlessly guided us around the floor. It felt like we were floating across the floor. Suddenly, everyone else disappeared and it was only he and I in the room with the music in the background. As the song came to an end, he slowed to a stop. We still hadn’t taken our eyes off each other. We heard clapping, breaking my daze. I looked around to discover we had been the only couple on the dance floor. The orchestra began a new song while people still clapped for us. I felt my cheeks flush. I looked down, not wanting to see everyone looking at me.
He leaned into me, kissing my cheek. “You’re the most gorgeous woman they’ve ever seen.”
I looked at his dark blue eyes, filled with so much love, and couldn’t help but smile at him. His lips to my ear, he quietly said, “Why do I want to rip that dress off you every time you smile at me?”
I coughed, not expecting him to say that. He laughed, pulling me toward the bar. “Let’s get you some water, my love.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Sephie
The first half of the evening turned out to be quite predictable. Several people would come talk to Adrik, thanking him for some various business deal or philanthropy, Adrik getting tired of talking to people and dragging me onto the dance floor, only to have everyone else stop and watch us. Lather, rinse, repeat.
After the first dance, he never let go of me, which meant I also had to talk to people that I didn’t know. I had to turn on all my charm and act the part, even though I think a little piece of me died each time I fake smiled at someone. I caught each of the guys’ line of sight at some point, doing something ridiculous without anyone else seeing us. They all laughed and shook their heads at my silliness. I would make a ridiculous face at one of them, then go back to straight face, completely engrossed in yet another boring life story. It wasn’t much, but it kept me entertained.
Eventually, I needed to visit the little girls’ room. Before someone else could walk up to us, I pulled Adrik as far away from people as I could. I told him what I needed and he was just about to walk with me, when someone caught his arm. He looked to Ivan, who was closest to us, nodding toward me. Ivan was quickly beside me, offering me his arm.
“Princess?” he asked.
I leaned close to him, so I wouldn’t be overheard, “I’ve gotta piss like a fucking racehorse and these people won’t give us two seconds alone.”
He laughed, walking me toward the restrooms. He stood outside the door, looking at his watch. “You have five minutes or I’m coming in after you.”
I rolled my eyes, but then said, “I can make it in three.”
I heard him laughing as I walked into the bathroom. There were two women already in there, talking to each other in the stalls. I tried not to listen, but they were somewhat tipsy and louder than they normally would’ve been. They were talking about Adrik.
“I heard he was gay because he hasn’t been seen in public with a woman in years,” the first one said.
“Well, either she’s a beard for him or he’s clearly not gay. I never believed the gay rumors anyway. One of my friends knows one of his former girlfriends. She said he was always an asshole to her. He would regularly call her the wrong name,” the second one said.
Yep, that’s my Adrik.
I heard them come out of their stalls, the water in the sinks running. The second one adding, “You know, he never even told her his real name. No one knows his real name. It’s like he doesn’t exist.”
The first one said, “Mysterious. And sexy.” I heard her sigh. “I’d even settle for one of his bodyguards. Have you seen the men he has protecting him? I’d love a ride on one of them.”
I was on a tight time schedule here, so I couldn’t wait for them to leave before I came out. I walked to the sinks, looking at both of their shocked faces. As I quickly washed my hands, I looked at both of them. They both looked like the type of woman that Max would regularly go for. The kind that Adrik said he used to date when he was younger. They probably spent hours putting on their makeup each day. I could almost guarantee that none of the guys would find them attractive enough for anything serious. They might sleep with them and then never speak to them again, but I was fairly certain it wouldn’t go beyond that.
As seriously as I could, I said, “I could introduce you, if you like, but I know for a fact they appreciate boldness, so you’ll get farther if you introduce yourself.” I turned and walked out. I opened the door wide enough to let them see Ivan waiting for me just outside, staring at his watch. He smiled at me as he said, “Just under three minutes, princess. Impressive.” He offered his arm to me as I glanced back at the two women in the restroom, winking at them as I slid my arm into his, just before the door closed.
Of course, Ivan noticed. “What was that, princess?”
I giggled. “So those two were talking about you guys. One of them wants to ride one of you. I told them I could introduce them to you, but that you guys appreciated boldness so they should introduce themselves.”
He looked down at me, a devilish grin on his face. “You’re a little evil. You know we can’t talk to anybody while we’re working.”
“I may have known that. That may be why I told them to come talk to you.”
He squeezed my arm in his and patted my hand. “I’m glad you’re back, princess. Life is more fun with you around.”
I rested my head on his shoulder as we walked to find Adrik.
The second half of the evening was the fundraising dinner, so everyone shifted to the tables that had been set up below the stage. I was happy enough to be able to sit down for a bit. Adrik kept me much more active than I was expecting to be in heels. I hadn’t fallen yet, but I think it was more to do with his support on the dance floor than anything.
The guys were standing in the shadows, keeping a close eye on literally everything and everyone. There were several speakers and then Adrik was to get his award. He leaned over to whisper in my ear, “You’ll be alone at the table just for a few minutes. They’ve got eyes on you. If anything happens, they’ll be to you within seconds.” He looked at me, the intensity in his eyes like he was discussing business. “No matter what, you will be fine.” He leaned in to kiss me, surprising me with the passion of the kiss. It felt like he was trying to tell me something with the kiss.
They started to introduce him, so he stood to walk to the side of the stage. He kissed me once more quickly, before standing and disappearing from my sight behind the curtains. He had taken his jacket off and left it on his chair.
There were only a few other people at our table, as most who had been there earlier were now on the stage or waiting to go on the stage. The other people were on the other side of the table, turned away from me to watch the speaker at the microphone. I glanced behind me, spotting Ivan step just far enough out of the shadows that I could see him.
Adrik’s introduction ended and everyone stood to applaud. He walked out to accept his award. He was supposed to say a few words after accepting his award, then he would be back. The applause grew louder. Everyone was on their feet. I glanced over the crowd, proud that all these people loved Adrik so much. Just as I glanced away, there was a commotion on stage. I looked back to the stage as I saw Adrik clutch his chest, falling forward. I glanced behind me to see Ivan and Viktor rush to the stage. I froze for a second. Just as I was about to rush to the stage as well, I felt hands grab me. One arm around my waist, another over my mouth so I couldn’t scream.
I knew immediately this was not one of the guys. I had sparred with all of them. I’d escaped their grips. I knew what their arms around me felt like. This was a stranger. I struggled against their hold on me, bringing my knees up as we approached the back door to the ballroom, hoping to grab the doorframe with my legs. I managed to just catch the doorframe, causing the person holding me to stumble to the side. I stomped on his foot and elbowed him as hard as I could. He bent over, loosening his grip. I was standing on my own, but his arms were still around me, albeit looser. I turned toward him, putting both hands together, I swung my arms toward his face, hitting him with both fists. He fell backward momentarily before shaking his head and grabbing me again. I went limp, causing his grip to loosen again and managed to get a few steps away from him when he grabbed me again. This time he threw me over his shoulder and ran from the ballroom. We ran through a kitchen. I tried to grab anything I could to hit him with, but nothing stopped him. I was pounding my fists into his back as hard as I could as he ran with me.
We made it outside and he was met by another man. The guy that had me said something to the second guy who ran to a waiting vehicle, grabbed a zip tie, and came back to me. Within seconds, he had bound my hands together. They pushed me toward the vehicle and into the backseat. They both jumped in the front seats and the vehicle took off. We were still downtown. They were weaving through the side streets. I sat up, waiting for the next turn. As soon as he slowed to make the turn, I opened the door and jumped out. I rolled down the street, taking longer than I expected to stop. I heard the brakes screech and the vehicle reversed quickly. I got up as quickly as I could and started running. I wasn’t sure where I was. I just knew I needed to get away from them. The vehicle sped up even more, closing the distance to me. I ran as fast as I possibly could, but they eventually caught up to me. The second guy jumped out and grabbed me. He threw me back into the back seat and climbed in beside me. He kept a tight grip on my arms as the vehicle sped off again.
We left downtown and drove away from the city. They pulled up to the small, private airport just outside the city. Shit. They’re never going to find me. As soon as I saw the jet on the runway, I started to panic. I couldn’t let them get me on that plane.
The SUV pulled up beside the plane. Both men jumped out. They tried to pull me out of the backseat, but I kicked one of them in the face. I heard him curse me in Italian, confirming my fears that they were bad news. The other one came to the other side and grabbed me by the shoulders. “Don’t make me hurt you,” he said as he dragged me toward the plane. He picked me up and threw me over his shoulder to walk me up the few stairs to the plane. I grabbed the door frame and tried to get free, but he broke my grip and walked me onto the plane. He threw me into a seat toward the rear of the plane.
“You, stay. Or I shoot you,” he said, pulling a gun from his boot. He slipped my shoes off before leaving me, his anger clearly visible on his face that I had kicked his buddy. Might be the only perk for wearing heels.
I pulled my knees to my chest, burying my head in my arms. All I could think about now was Adrik. I kept replaying everything over and over in my head. I had only glanced away for a second. When I looked back, he was going down, grabbing his chest. I remember seeing Ivan and Viktor running to him. I couldn’t see the other three guys. Then I was grabbed. What the fuck happened? And, more importantly, how was I going to get out of this situation?
There was only one exit from the plane. And it was guarded. Why weren’t we taking off? They were just standing around, like they were waiting for something. I buried my head again, the tears coming full force now. For all I knew, Adrik was dead. How was I supposed to live without him?
I was sobbing now. I couldn’t imagine a life without him. My body started shaking uncontrollably. I didn’t care. I didn’t care about anything. The only thing I could feel was the gaping hole forming in my chest as I replayed the scene of Adrik going down over and over again.
I heard vehicles pull up outside the plane. Voices. Doors being opened and shut on the vehicles and then the underside of the plane. Footsteps coming up to the plane. I didn’t pick my head up. I didn’t care to see who had taken me. Nothing mattered anymore if Adrik wasn’t in my life.
Chapter Thirty
Sephie
I kept my head down, hugging my knees as tightly as I could with my hands bound. I heard another vehicle pull up outside. More voices. More doors opening and closing. More footsteps coming up to the plane.
I heard someone walk toward me and stop in front of me. I just curled into a tighter ball, expecting the worst. I heard the click of a knife blade being extended and flinched. I felt warm hands on mine and then my hands were free.
“Princess. You’re very difficult to kidnap. You look like hell. Boss is going to be pissed.”
I was still so scared that his familiar voice didn’t register. I just kept my head down, my body still shaking, still convinced of my imminent death. I heard him kneel in front of me, his hands on my shoulders. I flinched at his touch, still trying to get away from him. I heard him curse in Russian.
“Sephie.” He shook me gently. “Look at me, Sephie. You’re safe.”
I peeked at him. I recognized him. Ivan. My brain still not registering what was happening. I just buried my head again, rocking back and forth, shaking uncontrollably. I heard loud voices outside this time. One sounded familiar. Rushed footsteps up the steps to the plane toward me. They stopped short of me.
His loud voice, “WHAT THE FUCK! YOU WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO HARM HER!”
The voice that had threatened to shoot me said, “She fought back. Hard. She jumped out of the vehicle. We barely caught her. You guys didn’t tell us she was so fucking fast. Or strong. I think she broke Alfredo’s face. She kicked him in the face when we tried to get her out of the vehicle.”
Footsteps. Hands on me. These hands were different. My body instantly relaxed when I felt these hands. I was still too scared to look, still rocking back and forth.
“Persephone, love. Look at me.”
I hugged my knees closer to me, shutting my eyes tighter. That voice. That was the voice I wanted to hear more than anything in the world. The one voice that I would never hear again. The tears started flowing again. I started rocking back and forth. “No, no, no. It can’t be. It can’t be,” I said quietly to myself.
“Sephie. Look at me, please. Solnishko. It’s me, Adrik.”
“No, I saw him go down on the stage. This is a cruel joke.”
“It was fake. We needed everyone to believe I was killed. I’m very much alive, I assure you. Please look at me.” He turned his head, giving orders in Russian. I heard activity outside the plane, more footsteps boarding the plane. My head was starting to pound. I peeked at him while his head was turned. The lights were so bright, but there was something familiar about his profile. I squinted, trying to adjust to the light. I reached out and touched his face lightly. He didn’t move. He just closed his eyes, leaning into my touch. A single tear fell from his eye.
