38

CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT
GABRIELLE
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It turned out to be Devin instead of Lucian. Anya's eyes were focused on me as she spoke over the phone.
She was saying that if Lucian wants his precious little wife back, he should be ready to meet at the airport with Derek or she was going to kill me.
A small part of me didn't believe that this was really happening to me.
How did everything change so suddenly? I was so crushed and I hadn't even seen the storm coming.
Everything I believed in turned out to be a lie and the biggest betrayal. Derek had never given me any cause to think he was anything but a kind and loving boyfriend. All I wanted right now was to wallow in my misery but this wasn't the right time nor situation for it.
I was currently tied up with a gun aimed at my head.
The call came to an end. Whatever had been Devin's response seemed to have made Anya satisfied.
She turned her full attention on me, wearing a smirk.
"I knew it would be very easy to convince him as long as I have you with me." She looked almost proud of me in a kind of way that sickened me.
Another call came again, and this time Anya spoke in a foreign language, I understood Russian, I had taken several language classes at my father's insistence. It seemed the person on the other side of the line was her boss, and he sounded very upset.
Was it Vladimir?
"How dare you go against my orders, Konstantine foolishly got caught, how could you implicate yourself and the boss" The man yelled.
The boss? This meant that the man she was speaking to wasn't Vladimir.
"We can't just let him die like that! We are already heading towards the airport with the bait, you have to help me. " Anya responded.
"You can't let him die, but I can! The boss won't like this" The man roared. They continued their argument in Russian. Whoever she was talking to seemed to be a pilot who was working for Vladimir. She wanted him to help fly Derek and her out of the country once Lucian brings him in exchange for me.

They seemed to reach an agreement, her lips were pressed in a thin line. She seemed to be very upset and I think it was directed at me.
"In the end, you seem to be the only person who cares about saving Derek, it makes me wonder how he earned this full devotion of yours?"
A gasp escaped my mouth when she suddenly gripped my chin, she appeared to become more agitated by my silence.
Why didn't I realize this psychotic side of her? I've known her for several weeks, but I've never seen her looking this crazed.

"I wonder if you ever slept with him."
"Let go! " I hissed at the pain, my head was still throbbing from the hit she had given me not too long ago.

"I'm asking if you fucked him whore!" She spat.
"You are crazy! You need help!" I clenched through the pain, she merely smiled but it didn't reach her eyes.

Thinking of those close moments that I spent with Derek made my stomach recoil, I was extremely grateful that we hadn't fully gone ahead with it. There had been so many times we could have done it, but it had always been me who grew scared for fear that anyone of father or mother would find out about it.
Lucian had raped me so cruelly, but it sat better with me that it wasn't Derek to who I had given my virginity.

"We've arrived." The driver spoke in Russian and Anya released her grip on me almost immediately.
A few seconds later, the van drove to a stop.
I looked through the window to realize that the sun was just starting to rise.

The door was pushed open, where she practically pushed me into the beefy arms of the driver, who led us towards a small plane whose engine was already running.
It wasn't up to about five minutes later when a black sedan pulled into the airport and started to head in our direction.
I could sense the sudden tension from the two people behind me. Hell, I was nervous myself, if Lucian was here...
All thoughts pushed away from my mind when the door of the car opened.
My heart gave a rough skip when he stepped out of the car.
The moment those piercing orbs found mine, I totally forgot how to breathe.
"I never would have thought you would show up yourself, turns out you've got a heart somewhere in there after all. A little bad that it isn't reciprocated." Anya remarked, Lucian's cold expression which was pinned on me never wavered.
There were movements behind him. Fred and Devin carrying a staggering figure.
It only took one look to realize who it was.
Derek!
He looked barely conscious, I couldn't tear my eyes away as I wondered how much of him I really knew.
"He's here. Now, release her!" He spoke in an icy tone that was quite familiar to me.
"Let him go first!" She yelled.

And suddenly, Derek was tossed towards us, Anya held the gun tighter to me and signaled to the driver to help carry Derek into the plane whose engine was still running.
Derek's eyes fluttered open at that moment, it held shock when it found mine, the shock was quickly gone and replaced by an emotion that I couldn't read.
So many questions were running through my mind, I wanted to confront him about everything myself, but In the end, I could only watch silently as he was taken into the plane.
"It's your turn," Lucian spoke.

Anya slowly pulled me backward towards the plane, her arm around my neck was too tense, same was her fist which was tightened around the gun, it was as though she was expecting something to go wrong.
"I said to fucking let her go! " Lucian clenched, taking a threatening step forward towards us.
When we were within meters from the plane, she leaned to whisper loudly in my ears.
"You worked hard. I think you deserve some reward, You wanted to leave him, I can help you with that, it will be more exciting to make him watch, isn't it?"
Her fingers tightened on the trigger and I immediately knew her intentions.

"I'm going to kill you!" Her voice echoed my thoughts.
My hands which were tied behind my back didn't leave much room for movement. I also didn't know if I should fight or not. The outcome would be the same. It was either she killed me or Lucian would. Maybe her method would be much quicker and less painful.
I saw her fingers move, everything happened in a blur. I shut my eyes closed, waiting for the bullet to explode into my flesh.
BANG!
A sharp scream of pain filled the air. It took me half a second to realize that I didn't feel any pain.
"Dammit!"
Anya cursed, her gun was knocked over to the ground and she staggered backward, her face was contorted tightly in pain. I could see a red stain that quickly spread over her shoulders.
She'd been shot?
A hand suddenly yanked my shoulders and I was faced with Lucian's murderous glare.
"Get inside the car now!" His lips barely moved as I was suddenly shoved behind him.
Anya was staggering into the plane while clutching her wounded shoulders when Lucian took another aim.
The bullet hit her knees and this time, she hit the floor.
I didn't realize that it was me sobbing until I felt a touch on my shoulders, it was Devin guiding me towards where the car waited. My legs felt like molten plastic, I didn't know how I managed to complete the short distance without collapsing. The door snapped shut immediately after I was inside.

I watched from the window as Anya scrambled to enter the plane.
It was too late for her!
She didn't make it in time when the plane started to move.
"Nooo! " she screamed when the plane started to zoom upwards.
My ears couldn't catch the command that Lucian gave to the men before he started to approach where I was.
His intense stare made me tremble where I sat.
"Take us home!" He barked at the driver before pulling open the car door and joining me in the back seat.

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I very much apologize for the late update. Please 🙏 don't hate me!