Dinastiya Tested // 3rd Book of the Takaryev Trilogy

Chapter 17

Hilarion heard his phone beep. Tentatively, he opened it and saw he had a text message from Paramon. 

Investigators heading for the bunker. Prepare Artem. 

Hilarion walked back down the bunker hallway and re-entered Artem's cell. He unchained his son, tying his hands behind his back, and pushed him out into the hallway. He ordered Artem to stand against the wall, then gave a thumbs up to one of the security cameras. 

"What the hell...?" Artem murmured.

"Shh," Hilarion hissed. "Wouldn't want the investigators to hear, would we?"

Artem blinked. Investigators...? 

There was a flash of metal as Hilarion put a knife to Artem's throat, not quite slicing the skin. Artem flinched, but kept silent. 

. . .

Ravil was still keeping a keen eye on the Lubyanka security footage. 

Until he saw Artem. 

He watched in enraged mortification as a man led Artem out into a hallway and gave a thumbs up before promptly pressing a knife to Artem's throat with careful precision. 

He watched as Leopold stormed the hallway with a swarm of investigators. 

"Drop the knife!" Leopold ordered immediately. 

The man turned. "Do you think I'm afraid of you, old man?" 

Leopold froze. 

"Tell Ravil that he can forget ever seeing his husband again," the man said with a smirk.

Ravil leapt out of his seat, staring at the computer screen with terror fogging his viridian gaze. 

Leopold revealed a gun. "Presidential orders! Drop the knife, now!"

"Tell me, Alexandrov." The man continued, seemingly unfazed by the threat attached to the gun that Leopold now held. "Is Ravil watching this?" 

Leopold said nothing, only cocked the gun. The other man shrugged and looked directly into the security camera. 

"Ravil, this is your husband," the man said. "And unless you call off your pet adviser here, I will kill both of them." 

Ravil quickly took the opportunity, hacking into the bunker's sound system. Then he spoke. "Privyet." 

Artem's eyes flew wide. "Ravil?" 

The man glanced over at Artem with a threat embedded in his cold blue gaze. Artem went silent. 

"This is President Takaryev. Tëma, I love you. Don't forget it. Leopold, take your investigators and back off. Come back to the Kremlin," Ravil said, wincing as he saw tears welling up in Artem's sapphire eyes. 

"You're just going to leave me behind like this?" Artem shouted.

"I'm sorry," Ravil apologized. "I love you." 

Ravil severed the link to the sound system, leaving Artem alone and defenseless. He let his head sink into his hands. 

"Izvinite menya," Ravil murmured.