Chapter 8
1194 Words
I sat in the hatch for a while, staring at the phone. When I finally checked the time, it was midnight.
Dimitri, where are you?
I clicked on his name and sent a text, keeping quiet like he told me.
“Dimitri, where are you? It’s almost midnight.”
I waited, watching the screen. A moment later, his name flashed.
“I’m almost there. Can you hear anything?”
I pressed my ear against the hatch. A low, animalistic growl rumbled through the walls — close.
“I hear something growling.”
Another minute passed before he replied.
“Carefully, on the wall next to you, there should be a button. Press it. A small screen will pop up. It’s connected to the safe room cameras. It’ll show you if he’s in there.”
I ran my hand along the wall until a brick slid back, revealing a tiny screen. When it lit up, my stomach dropped.
A massive man stood in the safe room, staring directly at the cameras.
I grabbed the phone again.
“He’s in the safe room and staring at the screens. Dimitri, how are you going to get me out without getting hurt?”
I didn’t blink, didn’t look away from the screen. His reply came fast.
“Vic, slide down so you’re flat on the ground. Feel around for another button. It’ll open a hole in the floor. You’ll drop down — don’t panic. Once you’re in the next space, look right. There’s a tunnel big enough to crawl through. Crawl all the way until you hit a wall. Slide your hand straight up — there’s another button. Press it. I’ll be waiting with the car. Go. Now.”
My heart hammered, but I did exactly what he said. I lay flat, found the button, and pressed it. The floor opened beneath me, and I dropped — landing on a padded mat.
I looked to the right. A dark tunnel waited.
I crawled inside. I was halfway through when a loud slam echoed behind me. I whipped around — nothing. But I crawled faster anyway, adrenaline pushing me forward.
My hands smacked into a wall. I reached up, found the button, and pressed it. The panel slid open.
Dimitri was there.
“Hurry, Vic. He broke through both latches. He’s coming.”
He grabbed my hand and pulled me out, dragging me to the car. He shoved me into the passenger seat and jumped in, flooring it before the door even shut.
He was driving so fast the world outside blurred.
“Dimitri, slow down. You’re scaring me.”
He didn’t take his eyes off the road. “Vic, I can’t. He’s right behind us. We have to cross into my territory before you’re safe. Just hold on.”
I stared out the window, but everything was a smear of darkness and headlights. Eventually, he screeched into a private airport. He slammed the brakes and signaled for the gate to close.
He ran to my side, yanked the door open, grabbed my hand, and pulled me toward a plane already running with its door open.
We sprinted up the stairs. Dimitri hit the button to close the door.
“GO NOW!”
The pilot immediately accelerated down the runway. When I looked out the window, the masked man was chasing the plane.
My blood ran cold.
“Dimitri—he’s right there. Tell him to go faster!”
The plane lifted just in time. The masked man kept running until we were too high for him to reach.
I turned to Dimitri, shaking. “Who the hell was that? What is going on?”
He met my eyes. “Vic, I don’t know. Not yet. Go take a shower. There’s one on the plane. It’ll be a while before we reach my home.”
I rolled my eyes and stormed off. A shower on a plane? Ridiculous. But I needed to wash the mud off.
I stepped inside and turned on the water. Why is someone trying to kill me? I’ve never done anything to anyone. I scrubbed the mud off, trying to clear my mind.
Then the pain hit again — sharp, brutal, tearing through my stomach.
I screamed.
Dimitri burst in. “Vic! Are you okay?”
I tried to speak, but another wave hit me. I looked at him, pleading.
He ran out and came back with another shot — the same thing he’d given me before. He shut off the shower, wrapped me in a towel, and carried me out to the cabin. He grabbed clothes from the overhead compartment and handed them to me.
I managed to get my bra and underwear on before exhaustion washed over me again. Dimitri helped me with the rest — pants, t‑shirt — then sat beside me.
“Vic… I know you have questions. But I can’t answer them. You have to remember on your own. Only then can I explain.”
I stared at him, confused and frustrated. “When are we landing?”
He stood, spoke to the pilot, then returned. “About thirty minutes.”
“Where are we going?”
“We’re going to Alaska. To my home.”
I looked down. “Dimitri… why are you helping me so much? You’ve been helping me even though you’ve been gone for years.”
His expression softened. “Vic, I never wanted to leave. But I had no choice. When my mother got sick, I had to return home and take over the family business.”
We talked quietly until the pilot’s voice came over the speaker.
“We are making our descent. Please take your seats and buckle up.”
We did. Moments later, we landed.
Dimitri opened the door and picked me up — I was still too tired to walk — carrying me down the stairs to a waiting limo.
“Welcome home, Pride Alpha,” the driver said.
I blinked, confused, looking at Dimitri. He shot the man a deadly glare.
Before I could ask anything, he slid me into the limo.
“Dimitri… how long until we reach your property?”
He glanced at the driver, who nodded. “About ten minutes. This is the landing zone on my land.”
His land?
How rich is he?
Ten minutes later, we pulled up to a massive house — more like a castle.
“Welcome home, Vic,” he said softly. “I’ll take you to your room. Rest. We’ll talk in the morning.”
I nodded, too exhausted to argue. He carried me upstairs and laid me on the bed. He tried to cover me, but I shook my head — I was burning up.
“Dimitri… do you know why I keep getting these stomach pains? And what’s in those shots you keep giving me?”
He sat on the edge of the bed. “They’re meds I take when my stomach hurts. I hoped they’d help you the same way.”
He was lying. I could tell. But I was too tired to fight.
I rolled over, sank into the soft pillow, and drifted off.
- Writer
