BEAUTY IN THE BEAST

The Last Bridge To Cross

Ch 137: The last bridge to cross

Ace

The past week had been a waking nightmare. Katherine had disappeared without a trace, and with each passing day, the hope of finding her alive grew dimmer. Every lead I chased down ended in frustration; every piece of information turned out to be a dead end. I was going mad, slowly and painfully. My chest felt like it was being crushed from the inside, the pressure unbearable, but there was no release. I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep-every second was consumed by thoughts of her, by the fear of what might be happening to her while I was helplessly fumbling in the dark.

When my phone buzzed late that night, I didn't expect it to bring anything other than more disappointment. But when I saw the unknown number, a chill ran down my spine. I answered it, and my world froze the moment I heard the voice on the other end.

"I have your wife."

My blood turned to ice. The voice was low, cold, and dripping with satisfaction.

I could hear the sick pleasure in every word, as if the bastard was relishing the fear and despair, he knew he was causing.

For a heartbeat, I couldn't speak. I couldn't think. My entire body tensed as though I was bracing for a blow. The voice continued, and this time, I recognized it-Andrei. That snake.

"I'll send you the location," he said, his tone infuriatingly calm. "Come alone. If I see anyone else, she dies."

The line went dead before I could even respond. I stood there, the phone clutched in my hand, every muscle in my body taut with fury and fear.

Katherine. My Katherine was alive-but in the hands of a monster. "Don't do it, Ace." Viktor's voice broke through the haze of rage clouding my mind. He was there, standing with the others, all of them looking at me with the same mix of concern and dread.

"It's a trap. You know it is. If you go alone, you're walking right into your own grave."

He wasn't wrong. But it didn't matter. I could see the worry in their eyes, feel the weight of their concern, but none of it mattered. Katherine was all that mattered. She was out there, somewhere, in pain, terrified-and I was the only one who could save her. I would go to the ends of the earth for her, and if it cost me my life, so be it.

I didn't give them time to argue further.

I grabbed my keys and left. The drive to the warehouse felt like an eternity, though I must have been speeding like a madman. My thoughts were a chaotic mess, torn between the horror of what was happening to her and the desperate need to reach her, to hold her, to make sure she was safe. My hands gripped the steering wheel so hard it was a miracle it didn't snap under the pressure.

When I finally reached the warehouse, my heart was hammering in my chest, each beat a painful reminder of the stakes. The place was as desolate as I'd expected-a dark, forgotten structure in the middle of nowhere, the kind of place where no one would hear you scream.

I stepped inside, the darkness swallowing me whole, but I didn't hesitate. My eyes adjusted to the dim light, and that's when I saw her.

Katherine.

She was tied to a chair, her body limp, as if she had no strength left to fight.

Her clothes were intact, but she looked so fragile, so small. The sight of her stole the breath from my lungs. Her lips were bloodied, swollen, cracked-she'd been hurt, tortured, and the realization that I wasn't there to protect her, that I hadn't been able to save her from this, ripped me apart. My legs felt weak, but I forced myself forward, every step heavy with the weight of my guilt, my fear, my love.

"Katherine..." Her name fell from my lips in a broken whisper, as though saying it could somehow undo the horror of what I was seeing.

I wanted to rush to her, to untie her, to pull her into my arms and never let go.

But as I took a step forward, the sound of a gunshot ripped through the silence.

Pain exploded in my shoulder, and I stumbled back, a gasp of shock and agony escaping me. I clutched my shoulder, feeling the warm, sticky blood seep through my fingers, but I didn't care about the pain. All I could see was Katherine, slumped in that chair, now unconscious, as if the shot had drained the last bit of life from her.

Laughter echoed through the warehouse, sharp and grating, slicing through the haze of pain. I turned to see Andrei stepping out of the shadows, his gun still smoking, his eyes glinting with that same sick pleasure.

"How poetic," he sneered, taking slow, deliberate steps toward me. "The bullet grazed her shoulder before it found you. I couldn't have planned it better myself."

Rage surged through me, blinding, all-consuming. I barely registered the pain in my shoulder.

All I could think about was Katherine...my Katherine, lying there so still, so motionless. The sight of her like that, the thought of what Andrei had done to her, what he was planning to do, ignited something primal in me.

Andrei kept talking, taunting me with threats, promising that this was the end, that he would kill her, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. His words blurred together, drowned out by the roaring in my ears.

I couldn't let him hurt her again. I couldn't lose her.

With a snarl of pure fury, I lunged at him. I didn't care about the gun, the danger, the pain. I didn't care about anything except ending him. For Katherine. For us.

I am crying... the story is about to end and I feel hollow idk why!!! Hope you enjoy the chapter.

-love rky xoxo.