The private jet touched down on a hidden landing strip in the hills of California. It was late at night, and the air was warm and slled like sea salt. A black SUV was waiting right by the plane. Nathan carried Fiona down the stairs, her head resting on his shoulder. She was still wearing the oversized trench coat and the dark wig was slightly crooked on her head.
They drove through a long, winding road behind tall iron gates. The villa was huge, made of white stone and glass, hidden by thick trees. Security caras blinked red from every corner of the roof, and two guards in black suits nodded as the car passed.
Inside, the house was quiet. Two maids stood in the foyer, bowing their heads. "Welco back, Mr. Keith. Her room is ready," one of them said.
Nathan didn’t stop to talk. He carried her up the grand staircase to a bedroom that had been turned into a mini-hospital. Dr. Aris moved quickly, setting up the monitors and hanging a fresh IV bag. The machines began to beep softly in the quiet room.
Nathan stood by the window, watching the moonlight hit the pool outside. He looked tired, his eyes red from lack of sleep. Dr. Aris finished adjusting the tubes and walked over to him.
"She’s stable, Nathan," Aris said, wiping his hands on a towel.
Nathan looked at the bed. Fiona looked so small under the white silk sheets. "Will she regain all her mory back?" Nathan asked, his voice low and raspy. "I an, all of it? Our wedding, our life... everything before the accident?"
Aris nodded slowly. "Gradually, Mr. Keith. As long as she’s no longer given that dangerous sedative, the chemical wall will keep crumbling. Her brain needs to heal itself. She’ll be fine and improve with ti, but we have to be patient. It might be like putting a puzzle together, one piece at a ti."
Nathan sighed, rubbing his face. "I just want her back. I don’t want her to look at like I’m a monster who kidnapped her."
"She will rember you," Aris promised. "Go get so coffee. I’ll stay here and watch the vitals."
Nathan turned to leave the room, his boots soft on the thick carpet. He just wanted to walk out and clear his head for five minutes. But just as his hand touched the door handle, he heard a small, dry sound from the bed.
"Nathan?"
The voice was tiny, like a whisper from a dream. It was weak and shaky, but it was the most beautiful sound Nathan had heard in three years.
Nathan froze. His heart felt like it stopped beating. He turned around slowly, his breath catching in his throat. Fiona’s eyes were open. They weren’t cloudy or vacant anymore. They were searching the room, landing right on him.
Nathan walked toward the bed, his knees feeling like jelly. He was suddenly terrified. He had spent years planning this, but now that it was happening, he didn’t know what to say. How could he explain the guards, the needle in the bathroom, or why she was ten thousand miles away from the life she knew?
"Fiona..." he breathed. Then he caught himself. He rembered she thought she was soone else. He didn’t want to scare her. "Viktoria, I... I’m so sorry for bringing you here without your permission. I know you’re confused and probably hate right now, but I had to save you from Nikolai. He was—"
"Who’s Viktoria?" she cut him off.
Her voice was stronger now, though she winced as she tried to sit up. She looked at him with a frown, her eyes moving over his face like she was morizing a map.
Nathan stopped talking. He felt the blood drain from his face. Behind him, Dr. Aris stood up so fast his chair scraped loudly against the floor. The two n stared at her, their faces going completely wild with shock.
Fiona reached out a trembling hand and touched Nathan’s sleeve. "Nathan... why are you calling that? And why is my head hurting so much?"
##########
Back in Moscow, the atmosphere at the opera gala had turned from elegant to deadly. Nikolai stood in the middle of the lobby, his face a deep, angry red. People in tuxedos and gowns hurried past him, sensing the danger radiating off the man.
The two guards who had let "Tanya" pass were shaking, their heads bowed. One of them had a split lip where Nikolai had already struck him.
"Вы позволили двум женщинам вынести ее?!" (You let two won carry her out?!) Nikolai hissed, his voice like a snake. "Вы стояли и смотрели, как похищают мою жену, потому что думали, что она пьяная незнакомка?" (You stood there and watched my wife be taken because you thought she was a drunk stranger?)
"Господин, на ней был парик... пальто... она не была похожа на госпожу Волкову," (Sir, she had a wig... the coat... she didn’t look like Mrs. Volkov,) the guard stamred.
"Потому что она была замаскирована, идиоты!" (Because she was disguised, you idiots!) Nikolai roared. The sound echoed off the marble walls, making several guests jump. "Она не выходила через другую дверь. Ее украли прямо у вас под носом!" (She didn’t "go out the other door." She was stolen right under your noses!)
He didn’t wait for their excuses. He pulled out his phone, his fingers stabbing at the screen. He called his estate first. His mother picked up on the second ring.
"Николай? Все в порядке? Ты опаздываешь," (Nikolai? Is everything alright? You’re late,) she said.
"Слушай меня внимательно, мама," (Listen to carefully, Mother,) Nikolai said, his voice tight and urgent. "Виктория исчезла. Кто-то забрал ее с гала-концерта. Я хочу, чтобы ты прямо сейчас отвела Матео. Ничего не пакуй. Отведи его прямо в безопасную комнату в подвале и запри дверь. Не открывай ее никому, кроме меня. Ты понимаешь?" (Viktoria is gone. Soone took her from the gala. I want you to take Mateo right now. Don’t pack anything. Take him straight to the panic room in the basent and lock the door. Do not open it for anyone but . Do you understand?)
"Исчезла? Николай, что ты имеешь в виду—" (Gone? Nikolai, what do you an—)
"Просто сделай это! Сейчас же!" (Just do it! Now!) he scread into the phone.
He hung up and turned to his head of security, a large man nad Boris who had just arrived with a dozen more n.
"Остальные из вас бесполезны!" (The rest of you are useless!) Nikolai pointed at the guards from the gala. "Убирайтесь с моих глаз, пока я не похоронил вас в лесу. Борис, мне нужны все наши люди на улицах. Проверьте аэропорты, вокзалы и каждую частную вертолетную площадку в радиусе пятидесяти миль. Никто не покинет Москву без моего ведома." (Get out of my sight before I have you buried in the woods. Boris, I want every man we have on the streets. Check the airports, the train stations, and every private helipad within fifty miles. Nobody leaves Moscow without knowing.)
"Мы уже проверяем камеры дорожного движения, сэр," (We are already checking the traffic caras, sir,) Boris said.
"Мне не нужны оправдания, я хочу ее вернуть!" (I don’t want excuses, I want her back!) Nikolai grabbed Boris by the collar, pulling him close. "Человек, который ее забрал... Он думает, что может спрятаться в моем городе. Найдите машину, которую они использовали. Если вы не найдете ее к утру, можете не возвращаться на работу." (The man who took her... He thinks he can hide in my city. Find the car they used. If you don’t find her by morning, don’t bother coming back to work.)
Nikolai shoved the man away and stord toward his limousine. He knew in his gut this wasn’t just a random kidnapping. This was Nathan Keith. The man had co into his house, sat at his table, and now he had stolen his prize.
As the car sped away, Nikolai watched the snowy streets of Moscow through the window. "Я найду тебя, Нейтан," (I will find you, Nathan,) he whispered to the empty seat. "И я сделаю так, чтобы ты смотрел, как она снова забывает о твоем существовании." (And I will make sure you watch her forget you ever existed all over again.)
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