Chapter 17
ALEXEI
The waiting and not knowing what Isabella will decide or when her memory will return is going to be the end of me. I fucking hate it.
It’s been two weeks since I mentioned the marriage to form an alliance, and she hasn’t said anything about it since.
Patience is not a fucking virtue. It’s pure torture.
Walking into the gym, I find Isabella jogging on a treadmill. She’s nearly regained her former muscle and strength. But then again, she’s been working out like a demon.
Climbing on the treadmill next to hers, I set the pace for a slow jog so I can warm up.
“You’re late,” she says, sounding a little breathless.
I was on a call with Carson, who hasn’t been able to find the girls. It’s been a month since Carson and Damien were forced to breach Isabella’s safe house, only to find it empty.
The girls we saved before Isabella got hurt just vanished, and I can only hope Sonia didn’t get to them first.
Also, there’s still no fucking trace of Sonia. She’s too quiet, and I get a feeling she’s planning an attack. Even though she was seen in Ethiopia, there’s been no proof of life, and I think it’s to throw us off her track.
“I had business to take care of,” I reply as I increase my pace.
“Something wrong?” Isabella asks, sparing me a glance.
“Just frustrated,” I mutter, increasing my pace until I’m running. “Sonia’s nowhere to be found, and I don’t like it one bit.”
Isabella slows her treadmill down to a stop, and then it looks like she’s deep in thought.
“You know where she might be hiding?” I’ve asked Isabella before, but all the places she mentioned didn’t help to find Sonia.
“What about St. Monarch’s?” Isabella turns her eyes to mine. “That’s where I’d go.”
A frown forms on my forehead.
Then it fucking hits me like a ten-ton truck. I should’ve thought of St. Monarch’s. That’s where we all go if we need medical care and to lay low.
Fuck!
Madame Keller knows I’ve been looking for Sonia.
Fuck.
Stopping the treadmill, I rush out of the gym and head straight for the security room, where I left my phone. Picking up the device, anger begins to bubble in my chest as I dial the number for St. Monarch’s.
“What’s wrong?” Demitri asks. I hold up a hand to silence him.
“Mr. Koslov, to what do I owe the honor?” Madame Keller answers.
“Is Sonia Terrero there?” I bite the question out.
Madame Keller doesn’t answer immediately before she answers, “You know I can’t tell you if a guest is on the grounds. Especially if they’re paying for the security St. Monarch’s offers.”
Motherfucker.
I end the call before I start a war with Madame Keller, and then I slam a fist on the desk. “Fuck!”
Demitri gets up from the chair. “Want to tell me what’s going on?”
“Sonia’s fucking hiding at St. Monarch's,” I say, my voice deadly from the rage pulsing through my body.
I fucking should’ve checked St. Monarch’s first. I’ve wasted so much time.
“Fuck,” Demitri mutters just as Isabella comes walking into the security room.
She must’ve heard what I just said because she doesn’t hesitate to remind me, “St. Monarch’s is neutral ground. Going after my mother while she’s there will take a hell of a lot of firepower.”
Demitri shakes his head. “Not to mention, a lot of our allies won’t have our back.”
“Carson and Damien will,” I state the obvious. “Also Winter and Lucian.”
“That makes seven of us against a well-trained army,” Isabella says.
Seven?
My eyes snap to hers. “You’re willing to fight with us?”
A frown forms on Isabella’s forehead. “With a little training, I’ll be ready. I’m healed, so I don’t see what the problem is.”
Fuck. Right.
I almost slipped up.
Isabella lifts her chin, and it makes her look powerful as she says, “Besides, it’s only right that I’m at my fiancé's side.”
My heart literally stops for a moment before it starts to speed up. “Is that a yes?”
Isabella shrugs. “Ask me and find out.” Then, turning around, she walks to the door. “The proposal better be romantic.”
Even though I’m still angry from learning where Sonia’s been hiding, a smile spreads over my face.
That’s one win I really needed right now.
Turning to Demitri, ask, “How am I going to make the proposal romantic?”
He gives me an incredulous look. “You’re aware I don’t have a romantic bone in my body? Go ask Ariana.”
“Right.”
I leave the security room to take care of planning the proposal so I can focus solely on Sonia.
One fucking mountain at a time, Alexei.
When I walk into Ariana’s office, she gives me a startled look. “What? Did something happen?”
Grabbing a chair, I sit down, and then I lock eyes with her. “Give me an idea for a romantic proposal.” Ariana blinks at me as if I just spoke a foreign language. “Want me to repeat it in Russian?”
She quickly shakes her head. “Oh no, I just never expected to hear those words from you. I thought you knew everything,” she teases me.
I give her a scowl.
“Don’t give me the look of death. If you want my help, ask me nicely.”
Taking a deep breath, I smile. “Help me plan a romantic proposal, little one.”
Ariana lets out a chuckle. “You don’t know how to ask for something, but that will do.”
Ariana begins to tap her fingers on her desk, and when a solid minute has passed, I say, “Take your time. It’s not like I’m in a rush.”
She shoots me a glare. “I have a million ideas, and I’m trying to figure out which one Isabella will love. So sit quietly and let me think if you want my help.”
Christ, this is going to take all day.
“What about a candle-lit dinner?” I ask.
“Boring,” Ariana mutters.
I try to come up with something else, but I’ve got nothing.
I stare at Ariana until she lets out a huff. “You’re putting a damper on my creativity.” Another torturous moment passes, then she says, “You could take her to a field with pretty flowers. Maybe have lanterns hanging from trees to make it look mystical. You’re going to have to write vows or something to win her over with. Just asking her to marry you isn’t enough.”
“Me writing something? You’re kidding, right?”
Ariana frowns at me. “Figure it out, Alexei. I’m not helping with that. It has to come from the heart.”
I let out a burst of laughter. “It’s cute how you assume I have a heart.”
Ariana leans over to me, patting my chest. “You forget I know you. Don’t try and be all badass with me.” Settling back in her chair, she says, “Just tell Isabella why you want to marry her. Tell her how you feel.”
Damn, have I been so good at the act that even Ariana believes I’m in love with Isabella?
As if Ariana can read my mind, she says, “Only you think it’s an act. I’ve seen how you are with Isabella. You care about her, and maybe you should accept that fact before you ask her to marry you.”
Getting up from the chair, I look down at Ariana. “Caring is not loving, little one.”
I stalk out of her office and find myself heading to one of the empty guest rooms. I shut the door behind me and then go stand in front of the window so I can think.
I’ve been so caught up in everything, I haven’t really considered how I feel.
I remember the hook-up I had with Isabella. Seeing her in action and how she earned my respect. But, having her close to me the past month… yeah, I do care.
I love her bravery, her strength, her intelligence. Most of all, I love how she fought against Sonia to free the slaves. It shows Isabella has heart. When she cares about something, she’s willing to die for it.
Closing my eyes, I bring up the image of Isabella. Her beauty, her sensualness, her scent – I love it all.
I fucking love her?
My eyes snap open, and I frown.
Is this what it’s like?
Taking a deep breath, I bring up the memory of Isabella falling from the helicopter. Her almost dying.
My hands tighten in fists as a shudder ripples through my chest.
Okay. Deep breaths.
You love Isabella.
Christ.
My breathing begins to speed up as I feel panic for the first time in my life.
What if her memory returns and I lose her?
What the fuck will I do then?