Chapter 43
Alex
My heart pumps wildly as we reach the door to the elevator that leads to Leon’s brother’s apartment. Staying at home wasn’t an option. If there’s the slightest chance that Sophie will be here, then I need to be here too.
I let out a tiny gasp when the elevator opens straight into the apartment.
Two dogs rush toward us, barking their hearts out.
I recognize one as Sophie’s dog Alan, while the other looks like a bigger, but clumsier version of Persephone.
Their feet scrape the granite floors of the modern, open-space apartment.
My gaze travels up, noticing a bigger, and more dangerous version of Leon.
The man is only an inch taller than his brother, but his shoulders are almost as wide as Dominik’s.
His biceps are covered in ink and fully on display in a tight black t-shirt.
His dark eyes, identical to Leon’s, widen as he notices us, the muscle on his jaw doing a visible tick.
“Leon…” the man says, but Leon is already on his way to approach him. He unbuttons his suit only to punch Luka square in the face. The barking grows louder.
Luka’s head draws back with the force, a loud hiss escaping him. He covers his nose with his hand, letting out a loud sigh. Leon shakes his hand off a few times before wrapping his arms tightly around Luka, in an awkward, manly hug. He slaps his back, and my heart makes a little leap in my chest.
It’s obvious how much Leon loves his brother. It’s obvious how worried he was about him and how much he missed him.
“Never do this shit again,” Leon grits out through his teeth.
Finally, Luka’s arms wrap around Leon, too. “I couldn’t… I had to keep her safe.”
Moisture wells in the corners of my eyes, witnessing the beautiful moment. I choke out a stifled breath when a familiar person appears from the hallway.
“Luka…” It’s Sophie. I recognize her facial features and her voice. But she’s wearing skimpy shorts and a tank top; her skin is fully tanned, and there’s a glow to her I never saw before. Suddenly, her brows lower, noticing the black eye forming on Luka’s face. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” he responds, stepping between her and Leon. “I know you’re mad, but it’s me you’re mad at. This had nothing to do with her,” he tells Leon, protecting my cousin.
“I know,” Leon says, just as Sophie lets out a loud gasp.
“Alex?!” She stares at me like she isn’t sure if I’m real.
Luka’s head snaps toward me. “Wait. Alex? Your Alex?”
“Actually…” Leon clears his throat, approaching me. He wraps an arm around my shoulders. “My Alex.”
My insides turn to goo at his words, and Sophie lets out a squeal. She runs toward me, and I escape Leon’s hold to meet her halfway. We embrace, and the tears I’ve tried to suppress start streaming down my face. I inhale her scent, just to be sure she’s really here.
“You smell like coconuts,” I practically wail, making Sophie chuckle.
“You’re here,” she responds.
“You’re here. And you’re safe.” A sob exits my mouth. “I tried to find you, Soph. I really did.” Grabbing both of her shoulders, I pull her away to look into her eyes.
“I’m fine, Alex. Better than fine.” She shoots a shy glance toward Luka.
“I was worried sick, you know. I thought something bad happened to you. It kind of did. But… you know. You still should have let me know.”
“I know. I’m sorry. We didn’t want to risk anything.”
I think of the countless nights I cried myself to sleep but swallow it down, thankful she is here. “What happened? They kidnapped you? You fell in love?”
She chuckles again, her own eyes full of tears. “Yeah, that’s the short story.”
A throat clears next to us. “Alex, I’ve heard a lot about you.” Still confused, it takes me a second to realize he put his hand out for me to shake. “I’m Luka, Sophie’s fiancé.”
“Fiancé?” Leon and I blurt out at the same time.
Sophie steps to Luka’s side, rewarding him with a gorgeous, warm smile. “Yeah, fiancé. But how about you two?”
I glance at Leon, and my chest flutters. “It’s a long story.”
“How about you tell her all about it while Luka and I have a little chat?” Leon suggests, placing a kiss on my hair.
“Fine, but you can’t hit him again,” Sophie scolds.
“Don’t worry. I was allowed only one punch.” He smirks at me, and I bite my lower lip to keep from smiling.
The two of them leave through the long hallway to the left of the kitchen.
“Want some tea?” Sophie asks, making her way through the fancy kitchen. I guess Luka is as rich as his brother.
“Sure, thank you.” I sit at the kitchen island, placing my hands on top of the quartz countertops.
“I’d offer something stronger, but we just got here.”
“It’s fine.” Tea is just what I need after a couple of cocktails on poker night.
Sophie fills the kettle with water and sets it to boil. The soft hum starts as I watch her prepare two mugs and search the cupboard for the tea. “I only have mint,” she says, finding a container with tea bags.
“Mint’s perfect. But could we please get to the important part?”
She smiles, dropping the tea bags into the mugs before leaning her elbows on the island.
She shares the story of everything that happened.
Her being kidnapped and held in a dungeon of a sex club, which makes me wince.
She shares the way she and Luka slowly grew closer and decided they had no other choice but to run away.
“If we stayed, their family business would be in shambles and I would be in danger,” she tells me, pouring the boiling water into our mugs.
I have a feeling she skipped quite a few parts of the story, but I guess it’s enough for one night.
“I’m happy, Alex. Really happy.” She finishes the story.
The thought of her being kidnapped made a weight sit in my stomach, yet seeing her like this, full of life and happy, eases most of it.
“What about you? How did you and Leon get together?” she asks, blowing gently on the scorching tea.
“I was looking for you…”
“Oh, Alex.”
I swallow around the lump in my throat. “You left me a note on a Petrovi? Casino flyer, so that’s where I started.”
“Fuck, I’m an idiot. I should have been more careful.” Regret drips from her gaze. “But we were in a rush to leave and I just didn’t want you to think I was dead.”
Her words make me chuckle. “Well, that note was somewhat reassuring. It also gave me a purpose. A place to look for you.” I take a sip of tea. “So I started going to Petrovi? Casino.”
I tell her how Leon and I met, how we started sort of seeing each other. Then I share how he thought me and her were guilty of the fact that Luka was missing.
“He did not!” Sophie gasps, her mouth dropping.
“Don’t worry. I made him grovel for it.” I wink at her, but it doesn’t feel fake.
The memory of him chasing me out of his apartment still hurts, but it doesn’t debilitate me, wrapping a tight fist around my heart.
No, it’s something I’m aware happened, but something I know will never happen again.
It hurt me so much because of my past trauma, but he had his own trauma, too.
He lost his father, and he thought he was losing his brother.
“Good. You’re together now?”
“Sort of. I don’t know. He kind of told me he loved me just before we came here.”
She squeals with delight, her hands hugging the warm mug. “And you?”
“I haven’t said it back. Not yet.”
“But you do, don’t you? You love him?”
I shrug, but my lips tell on me, pulling themselves upward. Sophie squeals again, and it hits me how much she has changed since being with Luka.
The truth is, I think I already loved Leon before, when our relationship consisted of poker and sex. It’s why it hurt so much when he sent me away. Now, after seeing how thoughtful, how caring he actually is, I think I love him even more. But I still want him to wait a little longer to hear it.
We drink the rest of our tea, as she fills me in on where they were after they ran away. Eventually, the guys return, their game faces fully in place. I hug Sophie goodbye, the last pieces of the knot in my stomach unraveling.