Freedom

KAIA

Tears blurred my vision, making Aleksandr’s figure hazy in front of me. My heart felt like it had been shattered into a million pieces, especially since he wasn’t denying his actions. I had known he was using me, but I hadn’t realized he’d been ~lying~ to me about everything.

“Kotik,” Aleksandr’s voice held a warning tone. His eyes darkened, and he raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. “~Sweetheart.~”

I pressed the gun harder against his chin, knowing it would leave a mark, but the jerk didn’t even flinch. “~Don’t.~” My voice was raspy. “Don’t call me that.”

Annoyance flashed across his face before he quickly masked it. “Do you think if you shoot me, my men will let you leave?” he asked, his tone mocking.

His mocking tone irked me. I grabbed his arm and pushed him toward the front door. “Tell them to let me through,” I demanded, pressing the gun into his back.

Aleksandr stopped at the door. “Let’s talk about this, Kaia,” he tried to reason, looking over his shoulder.

But I was done listening to him. I needed to get to Irina. “There’s nothing left for us to talk about,” I replied icily.

I reached for the door, but he slapped his hand on the wood, keeping it shut. “You signed a contract. You’re bound by the terms—”

“~I don’t care~!” I screamed, cutting him off. “I don’t care anymore, Aleksandr. Tell your men to let me through.”

I could see the tension in his shoulders. He was probably trying to figure out how to disarm me. He probably thought I wouldn’t use the gun. That I’d just forgive him and fall into his arms. Fuck that.

“Give me your word you’ll let me go,” I demanded. “If you don’t, then I’d rather die than stay here with you.”

There was a palpable tension in the air at my words. But his voice was eerily calm when he responded, and I knew he understood I was serious. “Fine. Stay close to me.”

That was the only warning I got before he opened the door and stepped out.

Men shouted, and guns were raised. “Put your fucking weapons down. ~Now~!” Aleksandr commanded. “If anyone hurts her, then I’ll deal with them personally.”

The sound of safeties being clicked back into place filled the air, all except for one. “Niko!” Aleksandr warned, his gaze fixed on his second in command. “Lower your fucking weapon.”

“She has a fucking gun to your back,” Niko retorted. His eyes were on me, and I knew he wouldn’t hesitate to kill me if I made the wrong move, regardless of his pakhan’s orders.

“I meant what I said, Nikolai. Kaia is not to be harmed.” Aleksandr turned his head toward me and nodded at the idling SUV. “Take it and leave.”

My heart pounded in my chest. “Don’t follow me, Aleksandr.”

He shook his head. “That I can’t promise you,” he replied. “But I’ll give you a five-minute head start. That’s all you’ll get.”

He turned to face me, his eyes locking onto mine. “And when I catch you, kotik, I’m chaining you to my bed,” he whispered. “Now ~run.~”

I sprinted to the car, slamming the door shut and flooring the gas pedal. Shouts and the sound of car doors slamming echoed behind me as I sped away.

I flew past the open gates and the stunned men…and then I was ~free~. My tires skidded on the gravel roads as I descended the cliff where Aleksandr’s house was located. I wasn’t used to driving, and I kept glancing over my shoulder, relieved that Aleksandr hadn’t caught up to me yet.

I knew he would follow. Aleksandr loved the chase. When I finally reached the bottom of the hill, I veered off the main road and parked near a bustling twenty-four-hour diner.

I got out of the car and was about to close the door when a hand clamped over my mouth. “Hello again, Kaia.”

ALEKSANDR

As soon as Kaia was out of sight, I reached out and snagged Niko by his shirt. “What the hell is your problem?” I snapped at him.

Niko didn’t flinch, just met my anger with a steady gaze. “She had a gun—”

I gave him a rough shake. “Yes, she was scared and pissed off. But she wouldn’t have shot me,” I asserted, even though I was only half convinced of that myself. But he didn’t need to know that.

I was taken aback when she snatched the gun from me. And even more so when she shoved it in my face. Sometimes I underestimated just how fierce my kotik could be when she was pushed.

“Let’s roll!” Niko signaled one of my guys who was behind the wheel of another black SUV.

“I’m going solo,” I informed him as my guy stepped out and I slid into the driver’s seat.

“No way in hell,” Niko grumbled, circling the SUV, but I’d already locked the doors and was peeling out of the gate, leaving Niko’s protests in my dust.

If there was one thing I lived for, it was the thrill of the chase. But a few minutes in, I had a sinking feeling.

It seemed unlikely that Kaia could have lost me. Navigating these cliffs was no easy feat. That was part of the reason I’d chosen this location. But there were no headlights in sight. Unless she was clever enough to drive without them.

I glanced out the window at the raging sea below. The thought of Kaia’s car plunging off the cliff twisted my stomach into knots, and I had to push it aside.

I just needed to find her and clear everything up. I should have been upfront with her from the start, but I didn’t know her real agenda. Now I did. It was all about Irina. It had always been about Irina and uncovering what happened to Lipeshin.

If I was being honest with myself, I’d admit that I kept Kaia in the dark because of my own doubts and how Viktor manipulated my empathy.

I had just made it down the hill when headlights flared behind me, nearly blinding me when I checked the rearview mirror. I hit the brakes when I spotted another car parked in the road, blocking my way.

From the driver’s seat, I watched as the car door swung open and a curvy silhouette emerged, her dark hair whipping around her in the wind. My heart dropped, and my mouth fell open in surprise.

“~Nadya~?”