Page 152 of Bound By Revenge

Inside, the place is somehow even bigger than it looked from the outside. It’s damp and freezing, the cold air clinging to my skin. Every step we take echoes eerily, amplifying the dread curling in my stomach.

Almost no sunlight makes it through the crumbling structure, but it’s just bright enough to see the way ahead.

Unable to contain myself any longer, I ask, “What are we doing here?”

I fully expect Dmitri to ignore me, but to my surprise, he answers. “I need to grab something with more of a kick than my pistol before we meet my father. This is one of thebratva’s armories. We won’t be long.”

Still gripping my arm, he strides forward like he’s been here a hundred times. We stop in front of a pair of double doors that look as beaten down as the rest of this place. A thick metal chain is wrapped tightly around the handles, secured with a padlock that’s almost comically oversized.

Keeping one hand firmly on me, he digs around in his pockets, probably looking for the key.

But before he finds it, the sharp sound of the front doors screeching open echoes through the massive space, followed by a heavy slam.

I don’t even get a chance to react before Dmitri’s hand clamps over my mouth. My heart pounds as panic sets in, my breaths shallow against his palm.

Quietly, he shifts, pressing his back against the armory doors and pulling me against him.

A human shield. Fantastic.

A heartbeat later, I seehim.

He’s more breathtaking than ever—even more than I remember.

I thought I’d never see him again, but he’s here. He’s so handsome it almost physically hurts me. Just looking at him makes me want to weep.

He came for me.

After everything, he still came for me.

Dmitri’s hands dig into me painfully, but I barely register the discomfort. All I can see is Nik—his tall frame, those broadshoulders wrapped in his jet-black jacket, and that dark, glossy hair perfectly framing his devastatingly handsome face.

I want to run into his arms, wrap myself around him, and never let go.

Dmitri’s grip suddenly tightens, jolting me back to reality. It’s only then I realize I’ve been struggling against him without even noticing. I fight harder, twisting and pulling, but it’s pointless. Dmitri towers over me by nearly a foot and easily outweighs me by at least a hundred pounds—I don’t stand a chance.

Nik’s eyes lock onto us.

“Kat…” His voice is hoarse, thick with emotion. “You’re alive.”

Dmitri’s palm presses firmly over my mouth, silencing me, but I nod frantically, desperate to convey everything I feel—all the words I never had the chance to say.

Nik’s gaze sweeps over me, scanning every inch with sharp precision. “Did he hurt you?”

I shake my head quickly, and Nik exhales, his shoulders dropping in relief. But his focus shifts in an instant, sharp and unwavering, to Dmitri.

“Dmitri…” Nik says, calm and measured, his tone almost soothing.

“Nik—” Dmitri gasps, his voice trembling. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. You have to believe me.”

“I do,” Nik says evenly, his hand stretching out in a gesture of peace. “Let Kat go, and we’ll talk. We’ll figure this out. Everything will be okay.”

Dmitri shakes his head violently, his grip tightening even further. “No. I’m sorry. I can’t do that. I need her. I’m sorry, but I need her.”

Nik’s voice doesn’t waver, remaining steady and firm. “You know I can’t let you take her.”

Dmitri lets out a bitter, humorless laugh. “And I don’t see how you’re going to stop me. I have the girl and the gun.”

Nik’s gaze drops to the pistol in Dmitri’s hand, his expression unreadable. “She has nothing to do with this, Dmitri. This is between you and me. Let her go.”

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