Wish by Scarlett Haven Page A

freaking out
too,” he says. “He handles stress well, but not when it comes to
me. He sent me six bodyguards just because he knew you would be at
school.”
    “ Apparently six wasn’t enough,” I
comment.
    Because, seriously. Here we are, tied up in
some basement.
    At least, I think it’s a basement. There is a
staircase leading up and a small window at the top, letting in a
little light. It’s cold down here, but there is a little space
heater close by, making a loud noise. There is a water heater down
here, and a door that leads to something—maybe a furnace. There are
also hookups for a washer and dryer, but there is nothing plugged
up to them.
    The door at the top of the stairs creeks open,
and a guy that I don’t recognize walks down the stairs. The guy is
young—not too much older than me. He can’t be older than seventeen
or eighteen. He’s got light blond hair and pale skin. His dark eyes
meet mine, and his step falters.
    “ You are
just a kid ,” he says, speaking
Russian.
    “ I’m
sixteen ,” I say. “ How old did you think I was ?”
    “ Sixteen ?” he looks uncomfortable.
“ What about the American
boy ? How old is
he ?”
    “ Sixteen ,” Damon answers for
himself.
    The boy sighs and pulls a knife out of his
back pocket. I stiffen a bit, but try not to let him see my
fear.
    “ I’m
going to untie you, but no funny business ,” he says. “ There are people with
guns at the top of the stairs, and trust me when I say they won’t
hesitate to shoot you. ”
    “ What
about food?” I ask. “ I’m hungry .”
    “ I’ll
bring down food in a little bit ,” the boy
says.
    “ What’s
your name ?” I ask, and I feel the knife
cut at the rope behind me.
    “ Salvador ,” he answers.
“ You’re Mikhail Vasin’s kid,
right ?”
    “ Yes,” I answer, wondering what this
guy is doing, working for the bad guys. He’s too young to be doing
this.
    The rope comes undone, and I considering using
my training. I could fight this guy. But I know he’s telling the
truth about there being guys with guns at the top of the stairs.
They won’t hesitate to shoot me and kill me. And then Damon would
be left alone. I have to stay alive and protect him.
    “ You know
who my dad is as well ,” Damon says.
“ This is not going to end well for
you .”
    “ Shut up,
American ,” Salvador says to Damon, then
walks back up the stairs.
    I pull my arms in front of me and rub my
wrist. My wrists have red marks where I was tied. Damon scoots
around in front of me so I can see him. He looks terrible. His
brown hair is a mess, like he’s been fighting. He has a black eye,
and he looks exhausted.
    “ What happened to your eye?” I
ask, reaching a hand up to touch it.
    He jerks his head back before I reach it.
“Nothing. After they drugged you, I fought back. I wanted to save
you. But I wasn’t strong enough.”
    “ Thank you.”
    “ Why? I obviously couldn’t do it,”
he says.
    “ But you tried,” I say.
    “ I know why you picked Tristan
over me. He can protect you. I can’t.”
    “ Damon…”
    “ Let’s just not talk for a while,”
he says, then lays down on the hard concrete floor, closing his
eyes.
    I hate that he’s mad at me, but I think it has
more to do with him than me. He tried to protect me, and that means
a lot to me. I only wish I had been awake to protect him. All those
months of training and it wasn’t enough.
    I hope Tristan finds us soon.
     
    I have to find
Katerina.
     
    Tristan.
    I am talking with some of the best trained men
in the United States military, trying to come up with a plan to
save Katerina and Damon. The president of the United States is
pacing back and forth nervously, which is something I never thought
I’d see. I’ve never seen him nervous before. Then again, I’ve never
seen his son kidnapped before.
    “ Russia is willing to comply,” one
of the president’s advisors says as he walks back into the
room.
    I sigh in relief.
    If Russia was unwilling to