Chapter 20

Dorian's POV

I stared uninterestedly at the runway as the plane shuddered to a stop, and the seatbelt sign dings off.

I stood up, unbuckled and lurched forward, only to be stopped by the wall of bodies cramming the aisle and I was almost pushed over.

I scowled deeply when people began yanking their bags from the overhead compartments like it was a race, the same way Americans did. It was everything different from what I thought Germany to be.

Someone’s backpack swung dangerously close to my face and I ducked. I gripped the armrest, exhaling through my nose as I waited for the madness of the economy class to die down.

I glanced at my phone—no signal yet. The flight attendant was smiling that tired, practiced smile, reminding us to be orderly. No one listened. The line inched forward, the guy ahead of me struggling with an overstuffed duffel. I shifted my weight impatiently, my carry-on wedged between my feet. The air was hotter and stuffier, like the plane itself was urging us to leave.

Finally, movement. The door was open now—I could see the jet bridge but it did nothing to assuage me. As I got down, I was met by a man in an impressive suit who helped with my luggage and ushered me to a black Audi.

“Mr Dorian, here please. We have to leave quickly if we don't want to be seen.”

I got in to see two other similarly dressed men in the car. They nodded to me in greeting and we sped off from the airport.

As we went, I could see them stealing glances at me though I couldn't tell what they were thinking. Not like I cared though. My mind was heavy with the thought of other things.

“We have something I believe would cheer you up,” One of the men beside me said, speaking for the first time since our trip. He was bald, had an impressive physique and looked like a gangster despite the suit he had on.

I scoffed at his words.

“I very much doubt that, there is only one thing that could cheer me up and it's out of your power to provide it.”

“Hmm, we would see,” He simply said and reclined further into his seat. I was surprised as to how easily he gave up in our argument but didn't give much thought to it. Perhaps, it was his juvenile attempt at making conversation.

I turned my mind to the scenery surrounding me. Berlin was a very beautiful city and on any other day, I would have been impressed by the cultural landscape and striking contrasts but today was not that day.

All it did was drive home the fact that I was all alone and couldn't share it with Anna. I winced as I thought about her. I still couldn't accept the fact that she was gone. I tried to think of something different to put my mind off her. Unfortunately I got the opposite of what I tried to achieve.

The car wove through the streets of Berlin, past towering buildings and neon-lit signs that blurred together in my unfocused gaze. The men in suits remained quiet, only exchanging a few murmured words between them. I wasn’t in the mood for small talk, so I let the silence stretch.

After what felt like an eternity, the car pulled into an underground garage. One of the men—Bald Guy—stepped out first and opened my door.

“This way.”

I followed, my steps heavy with disinterest. They led me through a dimly lit corridor until we reached a door. One of the men punched in a code, and the lock beeped before clicking open.

The room inside was softly lit, nothing like the sterile, cold places I had imagined they would take me. And then—I stopped breathing.

There, sitting on a couch, her back to me, was Anna.

My heartbeat slammed against my ribs. No, this wasn’t possible. My body refused to move, my breath caught somewhere in my throat. My mind screamed that this was some cruel trick.

As if sensing me, she turned. Her eyes met mine. Wide, disbelieving.

“Dorian?” Her voice was soft, uncertain.

A strangled sound escaped my lips—somewhere between a gasp and a sob.

I took one step forward, then another, until I was close enough to touch her. My hands trembled as I reached out, half expecting her to vanish like a mirage. But she was real—warm, alive.

“I—I thought you were—”

Before I could finish, she was in my arms, her body pressed tightly against mine.

I held her as if letting go would break me all over again.

After a while, I let go and turned to the guys who had brought me here. The bald guy was grinning broadly as though he had bought me a gift and was waiting to hear what I thought about it.

“How?” I started to say but he waved his hand implying that it didn't matter.

“I'm sure she'll brief you on the details later. For now, our priority is keeping you safe and we can't do that if you don't want it. There'll be no running off this time now, eh?”

I was startled at the question which implied that I was a spoiled kid who made lives difficult for his kind. I didn't blame him though as I had pulled the stunt in Paris.

Behind him, his colleagues stared uneasily at each other. They clearly knew about me.

“I'm sure you're not used to people talking to you like this since you're a bigshot and all but I couldn't care less. My orders are to keep you safe and I take my job seriously. I sincerely hope that we won't be having any problems.”

“No, there'll be no problem,” I replied as I felt a tug from Anna. Despite my misgivings, I liked his straightforward approach. Men like this were dependable.

“That's fine, let's go and book a room for you two.”