Beneath Her Bastard Boss

Chapter 167 The men returned sooner than Keira expected. The door swung open with a metallic groan as three men entered. Two armed guards positioned themselves near the entrance while a third walked over to them, newspaper and phone in hand. Fucking cowards.

"Tfor your close-up," the third dickhead said, all still had their faces covered, good thing right? "Your families need to see you're still breathing." Keira sat up straighter and more alert. She'd been watching over Alexei for the last hour, and he had seemed fine. So maybe he didn't have a brain bleed.

Her mind raced. They needed these photos, which meant her sister and Roman had asked for proof of life. That was good. It meant they were working on something. If anyone could save them it was her family.

Alexei stirred beside her on the cot, clearly disoriented from sleep and his concussion. She squeezed his arm in warning, silently urging him to get his bearings quickly.

"Don't make any sudden moves," the man said as he stepped closer. "Both of you." Keira helped Alexei to his feet, her hand steadying him as he swayed slightly. The short rest had done him sgood, but the head injury still affected his balance. The pain killers would have started to take effect at least.

Keira positioned herself so that Alexei could lean subtly against her for support.

The man thrust the newspaper toward them. "Hold this. Make sure the date shows." Keira took it, noting today's date prominently displayed on the front page. A headline about market fluctuations stared back at her, surreally mundane compared to their situation.

Then he put the newspaper in front of Alexei.

The photographer adjusted his phone, aiming it at Alexei. “Hold still, Your Highness." The flash went off, momentarily blinding them. Keira blinked rapidly, trying to clear her vision as the man moved to photograph her next.

She quickly scanned the room behind the photographer, desperate for any information she could communicate through the image. The window-which she had made sure was in the last photo - might show telltale signs of their location. If she could position herself to get it in the frame...

But the photographer was too fast, stepping closer and adjusting his angle to focus tightly on her face and the newspaper. "Don't try anything clever," he warned as if reading her thoughts. "Just look pathetic." The flash went off again before she could reposition herself.

Damn it, she thought. A missed opportunity. She had no idea if Sutton had been able to get anything useful from the previous photo, but this one would offer nothing new.

"One more," the man said, stepping back to capture them both together.

This time, Keira subtly angled herself to try getting more of the boxes and the room in the background, but the photographer noticed immediately.

"Don't move," he barked, gesturing with his gun for her to move back.

She complied, frustration building in her chest as another chance slipped away.

1/4 Chapter 167 After the photos were taken, the men backed toward the door, their weapons never wavering.

"Your families are being cooperative," the masked man said. "For now. Let's hope they stay that way, if everything goes to plan, you shouta, be htomorrow." The door clanged shut behind them, the lock engaging with a heavy click.

"What were you doing?" Alexei asked once they were alone, his voice low.

to "I tried to get something in the shot give our location away," Keira said, frustration evident in her tone. "But they were watching too closely." "It's okay," he reassured her, though his expression remained grim. "The fact that they're taking photos is good. It means negotiations are happening." Keira nodded, helping him back to the cot. "You should use the bathroom while you're up. I'll stand guard." "Such privacy," he said with a weak attempt at humor.

"Don't worry, Your Highness. I promise peek at the royal jewels." That earned her a small smile. "You've already seen them in the tabloids, if I recall." "Those were very blurry, thankfully," she retorted, relieved to see a flash of his usual self despite their circumstances.

While Alexei used the bathroom, Keira paced the room, her mind working overtime. The photos were a connection to the outside world, to her sisters, to possible help. She needed to believe they were figuring something out. Blair and Sutton wouldn't rest until they found her, and with Roman and Luca's resources, they had a fighting chance.

When Alexei returned, she took her turn in the bathroom, grimacing at her reflection in a small, cracked mirror above the sink. Her once- elegant updo had collapsed, blonde strands falling haphazardly around her face. Her blue eyes were tired. The designer dress was torn and filthy. She looked exactly like what she was... a kidnap victim.

She splashed water on her face, wetting spaper towels to clean herself as best she could. The cool water against her skin was refreshing, momentarily clearing her head.

When she returned to the main room, she found Alexei sitting on the edge of the cot, his head in his hands. "You should lie back down," she said, approaching him with concern.

He looked up at her, his face pale. “I've rested enough. We need to formulate a plan.” "Plan? Alexei, we've searched every inch of this place. There's no way out unless someone opens that door." "Then we make them open it,” he said.

"And how exactly do we do that?" "By giving them a reason to." He gestured for her to sit beside him.

Keira understood immediately. "What, like start a fire or something?" "We take advantage of their concern, or at least their concern about losing a valuable hostage and their payday." "It's risky," she said, but considering the his idea. "If they decide we're not worth the trouble..." 2/4 18 19 Thứ 14 Ang Chapter 167 "It's risky to do nothing, too," he countered. "Every hour we spend here is another hour something could go wrong with the negotiato She couldn't argue with that logic. "Can we give it a little more time? Give our families the chance first? I don't feel like dying today b bonfire. Let's get a little rest and then we'll see." "Why wait?" he asked.

"I know you want to get out of here and I do as well: But you're also less able to fight if it comes to that,” she pointed out.

"I can fight," he insisted, though the way he winced as he shifted position undermined his confidence.

could backfire killing them both.

"Let's Keira sighed, torn between the desperate need to act and the very real possibility that their plan wait," she said finally. "Give your head a few more hours to recover. If we haven't heard anything by then... we'll try it. Alexei looked like he wanted to argue, but nodded instead. "A few more hours." They settled back onto the cot, sitting side by side against the wall, conserving energy and warmth as the warehouse grew cooler with evening's approach.

After a while, Keira realized Alexei had fallen asleep again, his head drooping slowly toward her shoulder. She didn't move away, rest against En her. His breath was warm against her neck, his body a solid presence beside her in this cold, frightening place. She thought about their argument at the gala, about the almost-moment before the kidnapping. It seemed both insignificant and monumentally important now. Life had a way of clarifying priorities when survival wasn't guaranteed.

If they made it out of here... when they made it out... what then? The questions swirled in her mind as she watched the sky through the high window. Freedom.

letting him But first, she wanted to clean him up. She gently extricated herself from beside him, careful not to wake him as she laid him down on the cot She went to the bathroom again, wetting more paper towels, and returned to his side.

With gentle movements, she cleaned the dried blood from his temple and face, her touch careful around the wound. Even unconscious, his features were striking, with his strong jaw, the dark lashes against his pale skin.

"We're getting out of here,” she whispered, more to herself than to him. “Both of us."

As she worked, her mind drifted to her sisters. Were they looking at these swarehouses right now? Were they close? She had to believe they were. Blair and Sutton would move heaven and earth to find her. And with Roman and Luca's resources, plus whatever Alexei's father was doing... someone had to be getting close. She just hoped they'd find them before she and Alexei had to risk everything on their desperate plan.

When she finished cleaning his face, Alexei stirred, his eyes fluttering open to meet hers. For a moment, they simply looked at each other.

"Thank you," he murmured, reaching for her hand.

She let him take it, his fingers intertwining with hers. “We're going to get through this,” she said firmly.

"Together," he agreed, his voice stronger than before.

Outside their prison, as daylight faded, unknown to them, the gears of their rescue were already turning, closing in on their location with every passing moment.

7818 [nu, 14 Aug Chapter 168 Chapter 168