Chapter Twenty

A 2013 red Chevy Equinox was really the most fitting style of car Asia Alvarsson could have chosen for herself. It was reliable and spacious, two things which had made it rather easy to move all the furniture from her dorm room to the apartment when the time came for her to start her career. It was also another one of the arguments her father used against her with unyielding reverence.

When she started the engine and began to pull out of the parking garage, a figure jumped up from her backseat and Asia screamed shrilly, complete terror rushing through her. Just as she had grabbed the pen in the dashboard console and started to slash at the figure wildly, they caught her arm and pulled the hood from down over their head.

When she registered the familiar form of her brother's face and the mess of blonde waves, she sucked in several gulps of air to calm herself and then began swatting wildly at his head, slapping him this way and that until the anger dissipated in her.

"Damn you, Adriel! Why can't you just approach me normally?"

The man held his hands up in surrender and grinned playfully at her despite himself, climbing awkwardly from the backseat into the shotgun next to her. She groaned as his thick shoulders bumped into her and his ass region got dangerously close to touching her.

"Aughh, watch it!"

"Sorry, sorry."

The tone of his voice was hardly apologetic as he settled himself in the seat and looked at her. Asia turned to the man to find him staring blankly at her. Not a normal sort of blankness either, a blankness that she had never seen in him before. At first she said nothing but the longer he stared, the more stoic and serious his face got, until she was too unnerved to stand the silence any longer.

"What?"

Being that her tone was already irritated and defensive, Adriel wasn't sure how well any of this could go. Still, it was either now or never. His blue eyes bored into hers and he spoke his next words very slowly and deliberately.

"Asia, I know."

She furrowed her brows, trying to figure what he possibly meant by the strange and cryptic statement. Lately a lot of their conversations had been that way and for a moment a sob stuck thickly in her throat. She had never wanted to become alienated from him this way- it had just all gotten so strange so quickly. Her manicured fingers tapped on the wheel nervously.

"Know what?"

Adriel's gaze didn't leave her face for even a moment and she couldn't be sure he was blinking either.

"Everything."

Her shoulders tensed and her eyes started to get wet on reflex as she stared at him. What did he mean he knows everything? Her heart started to slam and she averted her eyes from him. Inwardly, she knew exactly what he meant.

"I know about Ivanna. I know about what dad did."

The tears slipped without her permission and a sharp pain shook her. She found that she could not look at him and settled her eyes roughly on the brand symbol on her steering wheel. Never in her life had she felt so very naked.

"Asia, I can help her. I can help you both."

She heard the words he said and knew them to be true. Adriel wasn't stupid, nor weak. If he put his resources to it, he could successfully rescue Ivanna and resolve all of Asia's worries. In a way, she had known that for weeks already. She and Ivanna had gone back and forth on the matter ever since Melkior first had her taken. For the first week, Ivanna refused to speak to her for all her rage.

"All you have to do is tell me where he's keeping her."

Inside of her head, a war was waging. A war weighing all of the options presented to her. The jig was up, if she didn't tell him where Ivanna was, he was going to find a way to rescue her anyways for Asia's sake. Still, her worries shook through her like a tidal wave and her hands started to tremble as she gripped the wheel for stability.

What if they couldn't get to Ivanna before Melkior had her killed?

Thump.

What if Adriel was hurt in the process and she lost him?

Thump. Thump.

What if she didn't tell him and Melkior killed Ivanna anyways?

Thump.

What if Melkior retaliated and harmed Adriel's lover instead?

Thump. Thump.

What if Adriel killed their father for what he'd done?

Her heart and head were going dizzy all at once. The waves were swallowing her and she felt as though she could hardly breathe. She desperately wanted for the world to go still again and eventually she felt Adriel's arms go around her shoulders.

"It's alright. Deep breaths."

His touch had shook her from the daze of fear and she nodded, hugging him more tightly to her. The centre console was awkward and made their hug just as awkward but neither of them minded too much.

Adriel couldn't figure what she was so afraid of, but then, the training of their youth had very different. Melkior had him put through soldier's routines, battle strategy lessons, the bunch. A situation such as this was a mindless chore to him, something of simplicity and practically.

When he sensed she had stopped panicking, he pulled away and looked at her face again. His own nerves were growing. He needed her to tell him- everything hung and depended on it.

"He bought out the coffee shop downtown. Lily Anne's. They're keeping her in the basement."

Adriel let out a deep breath of relief and nodded before planting a quick kiss on his sister's cheek and hurrying away from her. When the car door shut behind him, Asia realised she felt a complete weight off of her shoulders.

Ivanna was going to be rescued.

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