Page 117 of Dangerous Promises

"I told you we'd all fall, princess. It's up to you."

"What if I can't get out?"

"Then hide. Stay up here until it's all over."

The door breaking gets so loud that we both remember we don't have time to waste. Alexei's eyebrow crinkles as he looks towards the incoming intrusion and then back to me, indecision warring at his features.

He closes his eyes for a moment, but when he opens them they are raw and wanting. The storms in them like lightning as he grips the back of my neck, pulling me aggressively towards him and smashing his lips against mine.

It is a beautiful, desperate, kiss. So full of passion that in it I find a confession. One that feels more real than anything we've said to each other with words. One that makes me want to confess, too. To tell him I feel the same. That I lo-

He rips away from me just as quickly as he came. "Go!"

He urges me and before I can take stock of what's happening, he lifts me into the vent. The cover is replaced behind me, leaving only the slight light slipping through the grate to help me make my way.

I hear it as the door is finally broken down completely, and Alexei fights valiantly. But in the end he is right. They all fall.

Chapter

Forty-Nine

Sage

The noises of fighting die down once Alexei is taken. The silence that follows is far more terrifying. It means it's over. Or, worse, that it's only just beginning.

I crawl through the vent, reminding myself that I wanted this. Drawing Chet out was my idea. Acting as bait… all my idea. I'm not scared of what happens now. It's what awaits on the other side that scares me. I have to push forward regardless. So I take a deep breath and keep going, just the way that Alexei told me.

"That…was unpleasant."

I freeze at the sound of Chet's voice. Like a little girl transported back to a time that no longer exists, my memories paralyze me. Old trauma from childhood wounds clashes with the new ones I created for myself.

"There was no need for any of that, was there? And now look we've all ended up in the same position, anyway."

My heart skips a beat at the venom in his voice. It was always harsh like that. Like the very words in his mouth were carefully planted and filled with poison.

The tunnel ahead of me is clear and I know I should be moving forward towards Angie's office like Alexei has told me. But I can't just leave, so instead of doing what I was told and going right, I go left.

I go towards the bright light where the ceiling fell out and where I'm sure I'll be able to see what's happening. I crawl toward the opening, stopping where I can just peek down and make out their faces through the remaining grate.

It's a grim sight. On one side of the room Dad, Anton and Freddie are on their knees with their hands behind their backs. Isla is in a similar position on the opposite side. Between everyone is two chairs facing each other. As I rightly guess, Alexei gets pushed down into one of them with his hands tied behind his back. I suppose the other was meant for me.

It seems nobody is coming out of this unscathed because Angie appears now, too. Held captive by more of Chet's men who march her out of the back rooms bound and gagged.

"She's not back there," one man announces.

Chet runs his tongue over his lip with a slight smirk as he sighs.

"Well," he says, his tone sharp and annoyed. "You have managed to conceal the single thing I came for."

Chet shakes his head as he paces around. Even with the men we did take out, we're still outnumbered. By a lot. I hide in the ceiling like a coward, but I wonder what else I could possibly do. I suspect the answer is nothing.

"As for you, nephew," Chet says, bending down until he is at Alexei's eye level. "I had high hopes for you and you betray me not once, but twice." Chet spins, pointing around the bar. "What was all this? Another trap for me?"

Alexei's jaw goes hard and I can see that he wants to fight against the restraints, but for whatever reason he keeps his famous temper in check.

Several more of Chet's men file in, standing at attention to report back to their leader. "The doors are still all barred. Nobody seen outside."

My view is clear enough that I see Chet's eyes narrow as he looks around at the wreckage left behind in the fighting. He smiles wide to himself. "She's still here. She's just hiding," he says.