Bound by lies Trapped by Desire (Elena and Nikolai) novel Chapter 153

Chapter 153

Nikolai’s POV:

My phone, now clutched in my hand, was connected to Benjamin. I had been driving for a long while now as his voice, strained and full of a fear he rarely showed, came through the speaker.

“Sir. I lost contact with all of the team members.”

I didn’t have the time to think about his fear, or even my own. Every second was precious, a ticking clock counting down to an unknown disaster. The world outside my car was a blur of streetlights and passing buildings as I pushed the vehicle to its limits, the speedometer needle climbing higher and higher.

The signal on my phone had cut out the moment I exited Andrey’s compound, a calculated move, I now realized, to isolate me. It had been a part of his plan all along, a deliberate act of sabotage to keep me from interfering. But just as my SUV exited Velhaven city, the signal finally came back to life and the first call I received was from him.

My eyes snapped up to the phone’s screen then, and I saw her name appear. A text message first, then a call right after. My heart, already hammering against my ribs, lurched into a desperate rhythm.

“Hello?” she called out and I instantly opened the location app to see her location, a small, hopeful prayer on my lips. But just like before, the indicator wasn’t showing anything. I was about to question her when she spoke again, “Nikolai?”

“Elena. Are you okay?” My voice was frantic. The steering wheel felt slick under my sweaty grip.

“Uh, yeah. I’m fine. You weren’t checking your texts, so I called.” Her voice seemed awkward, a little confused by my panicked tone. Thank God, it seemed like she wasn’t in any immediate danger.

“Oh. Yeah. I’m… outside right now.” I said, my voice hesitant, almost strained as I tried to regain some semblance of calm. The last thing I wanted to do was frighten her.

“Oh… I see. Um… anyways. I just wanted to ask if you were okay. About… Dmitri.”

She was worried about me? Even with everything she had been through?

“Yeah. I’m okay. I’m fine… umm, Elena? Where are you right now? Be specific.” I couldn’t stop myself. My voice was a little too sharp, a little too demanding, but the words were out before I could think.

She answered instantly, as though sensing the tension in my voice. “Me? I’m heading back home. Just went to the supermarket. Why? Is something wrong?”

That explained the background noise. It was the sound of her driving.

“Alright… good. Get home, Elena. Get home now. Don’t cut the call.” My tone was now pure command.

“Is something wrong, Nikolai? You’re acting really weird.”

I pursed my lips, a thousand different words of warning and fear swirling in my mind. She was driving. I couldn’t have her become agitated and get into an accident. I had to choose my words carefully. “Uh… no. Elena. Just… how far are you from the condo? Be quick.” As long as she entered her Condo, I knew she’d be safe. I had asked Malakai to install a lockdown safety measure for dangerous situations just in case after she moved over here.

“I’m right here. Just two turns more, Nikolai….”

The relief I felt at hearing her sentence was a tidal wave, washing over me in a dizzying rush. Just two turns. She was so close. But that

precious moment of hope was doused with kerosene and set ablaze when the next word out of her mouth was, “Fuck.”

“Elena? What’s wrong?” I heard a loud, violent noise. It was the screech of tires. Almost like the sound of her car reversing at high speed. My heart beat sped up in my chest. She didn’t answer. I called out her name, again and again, the words echoing uselessly in the silent car. The loud noises continued, a cacophony of twisted metal and shattering glass, and my heart felt like it would end up bursting any second. Damn

1. it. Damn it.

“Elena?!” I shouted, my head hitting the back of the headrest with a dull thud. My knuckles were white on the steering wheel, the leather groaning under the pressure. But then I heard nothing from her at least. The chaotic sounds faded, and a voice, a man’s voice, came on the line. A familiar one at that. A cold, venomous chill spread through my body. It was him.

“Oh..how tragic…I hope you said your last good bye to her. Because this will be the last time you guys talked.”

The voice was a low, mocking drawl. “I WILL KILL YOU DMITRI!” I said, my voice so low and guttural it was barely recognizable.

He snorted, a short, sharp laugh that held no humor, only contempt. The call was cut.

Fuck. Fuck. FUCK.

I took the phone and dialed her number again, my hands trembling so violently I could barely hold the device. But this time there was only the automated message, a cold, mechanical voice announcing that the phone had been switched off.

I cursed under my breath, my hands shaking uncontrollably as I gripped the steering wheel. A prayer, a desperate, impossible plea, formed in my mind. Please don’t let this happen. Please. Not her. Anyone but her. If something happened to her then I didn’t know if I’d be able to survive.

I clenched my jaw, the muscle in my cheek twitching with suppressed rage. I took a shaky breath, then with my trembling hands, I dialed the one number I would never, in any normal situation, consider calling.

As soon as the call picked up, there was silence. I clenched the steering wheel, gritting my teeth. “Please tell me your men are nearby her.”

“If they were then I wouldn’t be needing to pick up your call now would I?” he said, his voice equally tense. The words were a sharp stab to my heart..

“You’re in the FUCKING MAFIA! You can’t protect your only daughter?!” I yelled, the anger boiling over.

He didn’t back down. “You’re the richest man in all of Alderidge. A fucking billionaire and you can’t manage to protect your only wife?!” he yelled back.

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify