Page 101 of Twisted Fate
We make it halfway down the second hall before we’re seen. The men spring into action as we start to clear the hall, quick rattles of gunfire taking down guards as we go. Two of my men are hit—neither of them in a place to wound, their tactical gear taking the brunt of the bullet. Still, the danger feels more real here, more pressing.
We need to get to her, and fast.
Finally, we reach the east wing. Through a wall of windows, I can see the glass room jutting out over the cliff’s edge, a strange architectural cube that would make me laugh if not for the situation we’re in. Inside, I can see two figures: Kane, standing with his back to us, and Valentina, on the ground in front of him.
Rage burns through me like a cold fire, and I gesture to my men. "There," I growl, pointing. "Three of you circle around, come at it from the other corridor. Alexei, with me. We’re going in directly." My blood is pounding in my ears. I need to get to her,now. The sight of her on the ground, broken in front of that man… I’ve never felt the need to kill so viscerally. To see someone bleed out in front of me.
The men start to move, and a voice rings out from behind me.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Mr. Abramov."
I turn slowly, weapon raised, to see a man facing me, aiming a gun directly at my head. Two dozen other men flank him, weapons raised as well, ready to shoot. The man has the bearing of a leader—I suspect he’s someone important to Kane. I could take him down before he could shoot me, probably, but we can’t outshoot all of these men. We’d all die, too.
And Valentina will die shortly after. I feel sure of that, that Kane will have no more use for her, once I’m dead.
"Drop your weapons," the man continues in a short, authoritative tone, "or we start shooting. And while you might get a few of us, you won't get all of us. And you definitely won't reach her in time."
He's right, and we both know it. Even if I'm willing to die here—and I am—I can't guarantee I'll reach Valentina before a stray bullet does. I won’t get her free before these men cut me down, and I’d be abandoning my own men to death, too. They all knew the cost—but I need to be smart about this.
Or maybe this was always a suicide mission, and I’ve been fooling myself. Maybe we were all dead from the moment we stepped onto that helicopter.
I lower my weapon slowly, signaling Alexei to do the same, trying to think of what to do next. The man leading Kane’s team smiles, satisfied. "Kane wants to see you. He's been expecting you."
Of course he has. This was a trap from the beginning. I knew that coming in.
I just didn't care. I thought I could beat him at his own game.
I was fucking wrong.
My jaw works as the men surge forward, disarming us and marching us toward the glass room. My men are split away from me, and Alexei looks toward me, his expression furious. It’s clear he’s still ready to fight, but I give a quick shake of my head. We need to wait for the right moment. We’re outnumbered right now, but we’re not dead yet. If we’re careful, another opportunity might present itself.
The door to the glass cube slides open with a soft hydraulic hiss. Inside, the space is even more impressive than it appeared from a distance—three walls of perfectly clear glass providing a panoramic view of the ocean far below. The floor is glass too, creating the unsettling illusion of standing on air. The jagged rocks below are even more unsettling.
Kane turns as we enter, a cold smile spreading across his face. In front of him, I see Valentina push herself up—and her bruised face goes pale as she sees me, the bruises a stark green and purple against her skin as her eyes go wide.
“Konstantin,” she breathes, and I can’t tell if she’s pleased to see me or not. I can see that she’s terrified for me—for us both, probably. My heart twists in my chest. I’ve never seen her afraid, and it makes me want to cut Kane apart piece by piece, to find out how long he can live without parts of himself before he finally dies.
"Konstantin Abramov," Kane echoes, as if greeting an expected guest at a dinner party. "How kind of you to join us."
I don’t look at him. I can’t take my eyes off of Valentina, crouched on the glass floor. Her face is a map of bruises. Blood crusts at the corner of her mouth and in her tangled hair. Her hands are bound behind her back, her posture one of barely contained fury rather than defeat.
"I told you he'd come," Kane says to her, almost gently. "Love makes men into fools."
“Let her go,” I growl, my voice low and dangerous. “You wanted me dead. Here I am. Your quarrel is with me.”
Kane laughs, the sound genuinely amused. "My quarrel, as you put it, is with anyone who interferes with my business. She—" he gestures to Valentina, "—betrayed me after years of loyalty. And you—" his gaze returns to me, harder now, "—you turned her against me. Stole my most valuable asset."
"She's not an asset," I growl. "She's a person. One you've manipulated and abused since she was a child."
Something dangerous flashes in Kane's eyes. "I gave her purpose. I gave her a future. I made her who she is." He moves closer to Valentina, resting his good hand on her head in a grotesque parody of affection. "And now I'll unmake her, while you watch."
I lunge forward, blind with rage, only to be restrained by four guards, two on each side as they grab me. Another man grabs the back of my neck, all five of them forcing me down to my knees as I struggle, a foot away from Valentina. She looks at me, agony in her eyes—not for herself, but for me.
It’s in that moment that I know. She feels the same way I do. And if I can get us the fuck out of here, we’ll finally get a chance to say it.
"Are you okay?" I whisper to her, ignoring Kane altogether.
She gives me a small, fierce smile despite her split lip. "I've had worse."
