Natalia’s POV

I stepped out of the building, a smile on my lips and a folder in my hand. There was a slight breeze which moved quickly in-between the tall buildings around me, my hair whipping around my face.  

My phone rang, and I hardly heard it over the loud sounds of the cars and people that I was currently in the midst of.

‘Hello?’ I smiled into the phone as I walked.

‘Natalia!’ Dominika’s voice came from the phone and I wondered what she was doing calling me when she was on her ‘date’ with Erik.

‘What’s up? Is your date over, it’s ok Papa said-’ At that point I was interrupted by my friend.

‘No, Nat- listen to me!’ she said and I could hear the fear and worry in her tone.

‘What’s wrong?’ I asked her, I stopped waking at her tone. The man behind me connected with my shoulder when I stopped, pain spreading into my neck. I heard a muffled sorry as he walked by.

I stepped closer to the building I was next to, hoping to avoid the many people.

‘Erik…….call…….hit…….’ I could hardly hear her over the noise surrounding me.

‘Dominika! I can’t hear you!’ I pressed my free hand over my other ear to see if that would help, ‘what did you say?’

‘I said that,’ her voice was clearer now, ‘Erik just got a phone call and I think he said it was from ‘papa’ when he picked it up. He just ran out of here, saying something about a new hit.’

 ‘A new hit? 

‘Yeah, I thought that it was nothing, but he was making a call when he left and I heard him say your name.’

‘Did he say who the hit was on? Did he say where he was going?’ I panicked, why would he be talking about me and a new hit?

‘He asked me where San Lorenzo Ave was? Does that help?’

‘Oh God.’

Dexter.

My father had lied, he was going to get Erik to go after Dexter now, when he knew that I wouldn’t be able to get in the way. The feeling on betrayal from my own family seemed to close around my throat like a strong hand, causing me to gasp for air. My hand hovered over my heart as I tried to comprehend what my own father had done.

My father had lost his own wife, he had loved her with everything he had and then lost her. Of all people, I had assumed that he would value love and loyalty, but I was proven wrong by this. My own brother was going to kill the man I loved, my own father was willing to sacrifice my happiness to promote his own best interests. Who were these people?

‘Are you still there?’ Dominika asked, but I closed the phone, shoving it in my pocket.

I grabbed the file from under my arm and ripped the seal, only to pull out three blank sheets of paper.

A wave of anxiety and dread washed over me and I had to focus just to keep my balance. Throwing the pointless files onto the sidewalk I ran out into the street and got into the closest cab.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_

I sat in the back of the cab, my heart thumping in my chest and my foot nervously tapping against the floor.

‘Hi, You’ve reached Detective Wyatt, please leave your name and number and I’ll be sure to call you back.’

The beep sounded and I spoke quietly into the phone so that the cab driver wouldn’t hear anything I didn’t want him to.

‘Dex, It’s Nat, please leave the restaurant right now and go to my place, ok? Call me as soon as you hear this. Please.’

This was the fifth message I had left, and still no answer. I looked at where we were and I was relieved to notice that it was only a few minutes from the restaurant.

My options at this point were quite limited. I had half a mind to race back upstairs the second I was off the phone to Dominika and demand that my father cancel the hit, but that would just put me in a situation to be trapped. He could trick me again, this time, leaving me with no way to do anything. Erik was a lost cause, our father’s words were law to him and it was pointless to reason with him over the phone.

I just had to get there, I had to get Dexter and run.

I sighed slightly as I remembered that the backup plan was in place. I had hoped that I wouldn’t have to use it, but it seems that I might have too.

My phone buzzed in my hand and I pressed it to my ear, hoping that it was Dexter.

‘DEX?’

‘No, it’s me, Leo,’ my brother’s voice disappointed me.

‘I don’t have time to talk Leo.’

‘I know, Erik’s on his way to kill Dexter.’

‘Are you going to help me or try to talk me out of saving him?’ I asked.

‘Dominika just called me with everything just after I got off the phone with Erik. I am driving right now to the restaurant, Erik thinks I am his back-up but I’m going to try to help Dexter escape without Erik seeing.’

I breathed a sigh of relief, ‘Thank-you Leo.’

My brother’s assistance was the only thing giving me any hope at that moment. Even if I could find Dexter, I was no match for my brother. I had no gun, not that I would be willing to shoot my own brother anyway, but I knew that Leo could at least distract Erik enough to get Dexter out of here. 

Why was Leo helping me, he was loyal to my father, but had suddenly switched teams?

‘Why are you helping me Leo?’ I asked him.

‘Your my baby sister, I don’t want to see you hurt. Plus if I didn’t help you, I think Dominika was going to cut off my balls.’

That brought a small smile to my lips, ‘That does sound like her.’

‘Erik will be almost there by now, and I am a minute away, don’t come here, ok?’

‘Too late,’ I said as the cab stopped a just before the front of the restaurant.

‘What do you mean too late? If you are there please just leave, I can handle this, I don’t want you getting hurt.’

‘I have no choice Leo,’ I told him before hanging up.

I paid the cab driver and stepped out of the car. This street was filled to the brim with people, families and couples talking and hurrying around me.

I had to find Dexter in this mess of people.

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I walked into the establishment, passing many people as I did, scanning each of their faces trying to find my brother. I thank-fully didn’t see him. I couldn’t see Dexter either, and I was unsure of what he was wearing, maybe his uniform or maybe something else, so I just looked out for his hair, and face in the busy crowd.

I was greeted by a waitress with a menu in her hand as I entered, and I sent her a bright smile.

‘Hi, I have a reservation under ‘Dexter Wyatt’, do you know if he is here yet?’

The girl smiled, putting the menu down, ‘Let me check.’

After a few moments she looked up at me, ‘Yes, he has arrived.’

The girl led me through the restaurant and as we walked past the busy tables I couldn’t help but sigh in relief, Dexter was safe, I had gotten to him before Erik.

We came to a stop at an empty table and the girl turned to me, ‘This is your table.’

I looked at the table, where two place settings were on the table, one glass filled with water, while the other was empty.

‘Thank-you,’ I said and the waitress walked away.

Dexter wasn’t at the table, but he had been here before. Panic rose up in my chest as an uneasy feeling settled once again in my gut.

Looking around me, I couldn’t see him anywhere.

My phone buzzed and I reached into my pocked, feeling for the familiar silver object. Pressing answer, I pressed the phone to my ear hastily, ‘Dexter?’

‘Hey Nat, what was with the message? You cant make lunch?’

‘Where are you?’ I could tell some of my Russian accent was making its way into my voice, but I didn’t try too hard to keep it out, I just needed to focus on Dexter.

‘Outside the restaurant, I just got your message.’

‘Stay there, I’m coming.’

‘Aren’t you at your apartment?’ He asked, confusion leaking into his voice.

‘Where exactly are you?’ I asked as I hurried out of the restaurant, making my way onto the busy footpath..

‘Oh, I see you, what are you-’

I hung up, flinging my head around to see Dexter standing at the corner of where the footpath met an adjacent road, which lead down between the two buildings.

I pushed through the crowd and within moments I had flung myself at him, my arms finding purchase around his waist as I tucked my head under his chin. Dexter was still and stiff in my arms, confusion radiating off of him.

‘What’s wrong?’ he asked, but I didn’t respond, grabbing his hand roughly and pulling him in-between the two buildings, where it would be harder for Erik to see us.

‘What are you doing?’

‘You need to listen to me ok, we are in danger,’ I told him, my grip tight on his arm, ‘People want to hurt you, we need to leave.’

‘Natalie, what are you saying?’

‘We need to get out of here, I will explain it all when we are far away from this place, ok?’

Dexter didn’t answer, just took a step back from me, confusion and what seemed like distrust radiating off of him. He didn’t make it more than a step, my arm was tight on his arm and I stepped forward, hoping that he would just trust me and believe that we had to leave.

‘Dex, come on, please just trust me, we have to go,’ I begged and he hesitantly nodded.

‘Nat!’ Dexter suddenly warned, his eyes widening as he looked behind me.

I let go of Dexter’s arm and turned on my heels, only to come face to face with the barrel of a gun.