Bloodbound Hearts

Chapter 29: Shadows Closing In

The safe room was quiet, almost too quiet. Kacey pressed her back against the cold wall, her pulse thudding in her ears. The security system had locked her in, but even though she was technically safe, the weight of what lay beyond the walls pressed heavily on her chest.

The phone in her hand buzzed. Ivan.

"Are you in the safe room?" he asked, his voice a mix of tension and urgency.

"Yes," Kacey whispered, her voice barely above a breath. "But I don't know how long it'll hold."

"It'll hold long enough," Ivan reassured her, though even he sounded uncertain. "I'm on my way. Just stay put."

But something about those words made her feel like sitting and waiting wasn't the right choice. Dimitri's men wouldn't stop. The traps might delay them, but they wouldn't turn back. She knew Dimitri—his obsession had crossed every boundary, and he wouldn't leave this house without her.

Her thoughts drifted back to the moment she'd locked eyes with him through the surveillance feed. Even from a distance, his presence had been suffocating, like a shadow growing ever closer, waiting to engulf her.

Her phone buzzed again. This time, it wasn't Ivan.

The number was unknown, but she had a chilling feeling it was someone she knew all too well. She hesitated, her thumb hovering over the screen, before swiping to answer.

"Kacey," Dimitri's voice came through, low and smooth, like silk over steel. "I know you're listening. I know you can hear me."

Kacey's stomach twisted in knots, but she said nothing. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

"Always so stubborn," Dimitri continued, his voice soft but carrying the weight of a lifetime of manipulation. "But you've always known it would come to this. You can run, you can hide, but you can't escape me. Not now, not ever."

Kacey's grip on the phone tightened, her knuckles turning white. A part of her wanted to scream, to tell him he was wrong, that she was no longer the scared girl he had controlled all those years ago. But another part of her, the part still tangled in the web of her forgotten past, feared he was right.

"I've come to take back what's mine," Dimitri said, his voice chillingly calm. "You belong with me, Kacey. You always have."

Her heart pounded in her chest as she clutched the phone. This was the Dimitri she had feared all along—the one who had woven his lies so tightly into her life that she had once believed them.

She wasn't that girl anymore. She couldn't be.

Before she could say anything, a loud bang echoed from upstairs, reverberating through the walls. The trap system must have triggered again, but Kacey knew it wouldn't hold them off forever.

Dimitri's voice dropped to a near whisper. "Ivan can't protect you. He doesn't understand you like I do. But you know that, don't you?"

Kacey felt a surge of anger at his words. Ivan had done more to protect her in the last few months than Dimitri had ever done. Dimitri's so-called understanding of her was nothing more than a twisted obsession, a desire to possess her rather than love her.

She finally spoke, her voice strong despite the fear clawing at her insides. "I'm not yours, Dimitri. I never was."

There was silence on the other end of the line, and for a moment, Kacey wondered if she had struck a nerve.

Then, Dimitri chuckled, the sound low and dark. "We'll see about that."

The call cut off, and Kacey threw the phone onto the desk, frustration burning in her chest. She couldn't just wait here while Dimitri and his men tore the house apart. Ivan was on his way, but what if he didn't make it in time?

She looked around the small safe room, her eyes settling on the array of weapons Ivan had stored here. Her gaze lingered on a sleek black knife, its blade gleaming in the dim light. She wasn't a fighter, but she wasn't defenseless either. Not anymore.

She picked up the knife, the weight of it surprisingly reassuring in her hand. Taking a deep breath, Kacey moved to the small desk where the monitors were still displaying the feeds from the estate's cameras. She could see Dimitri's men, still trying to break through the smoke-filled hallways and security barriers. They were relentless.

Her eyes scanned the screens, looking for any sign of Dimitri himself. And then, she spotted him. He was standing just outside the front entrance, his hands clasped behind his back, watching as his men tried and failed to break through Ivan's defenses.

He looked calm. Too calm.

Kacey's pulse quickened. She could feel the pull of their shared history, the way Dimitri had once been a constant presence in her life—someone she had trusted. But now, all she saw was a man who had lost his humanity, replaced by obsession.

She couldn't stay hidden forever. Sooner or later, Dimitri would find a way in. And when he did, she would be ready.

Outside, Dimitri paced near the entrance, his patience wearing thin. His men were taking too long. The house had been rigged with more defenses than he'd anticipated, but that didn't matter. Kacey was inside, and soon enough, she would be his again.

He had spent too many years planning for this moment, watching her from the shadows, waiting for the perfect time to strike. Ivan thought he could protect her, but Dimitri knew better. He knew Kacey in a way Ivan never could.

She belonged to him.

His phone buzzed, and he glanced at the message on the screen. His men had finally breached the second layer of defenses. It was only a matter of time now.

Smiling to himself, Dimitri slid the phone back into his pocket and made his way toward the front door. The thrill of anticipation surged through him. Soon, Kacey would be back where she belonged—by his side.

In the safe room, Kacey's heart raced as she watched Dimitri on the screen. He was moving closer to the house, and her time was running out. She couldn't hide any longer.

Gripping the knife tightly in her hand, she made a decision. She wasn't going to wait for Ivan. She wasn't going to let Dimitri take control of her life again.

With one last glance at the monitors, Kacey steeled herself and unlocked the door to the safe room. She had survived this long, and she wasn't about to give up now.

As she stepped into the hallway, the weight of the knife in her hand gave her a sense of power she hadn't felt before. For the first time in a long time, she felt in control.

And she was ready to face whatever came next.