Is this destiny?

"Wh-what is this?", Sarah stuttered as she stared at the body that was in the room.

Vasily was lying on the bed, with the upper half of his head wrapped in bandages that were stained with blood, but she could definitely recognize that jaw and lips. Vasily's scarred torso was exposed, showing a tattoo of a swan on his right shoulder.

The steady sound of a heart monitor gave Sarah hope that Vasily was alive, but somehow she feared that this is a sick joke, and she didn't dare to believe it.

Maksim enjoyed the confusion on Sarah's face.

"Explain!", Aiden demanded from Maksim.

Maksim lifted his hands defensively. "After the explosion, the street was in chaos and my men came to get me, as I was next to Vasily's body. I told them to check him because that is the protocol we usually use, in order to avoid bagging someone who is alive. I didn't want him to be clubbed together with other no-names who were lying on the street, and we detected a pulse. In that mess and with surveillance down, no one noticed that I brought Vasily here."

"Why did you save his life?", Stella asked Maksim.

"Before shooting his brains out, he told me that he stayed behind on purpose. I saw many people die, but none was willing. I wanted to find out why he would exchange his life for anything else, and I hoped that he will wake up and tell me. But he didn't wake up. My doctor patched him up and gave him a transfusion. He said that there are cases when people lose part of their brain and function normally, but he had no expertise or equipment to assess his condition properly. I was wondering what to do and how long to hold him here when Divna appeared in my living room with a deal for me to deliver Vasily's body."

Sarah turned to Maksim. "You saved him before we made the deal."

Maksim tilted his head. "Don't think of me as a saint. I saved him for my selfish reasons. And if he woke up, it would give me a chance to find out things about the Lebedevs... and you."

Aiden frowned when he heard that Maksim saved Vasily to find out more about Sarah. "You sick bastard!"

Sarah grabbed Aiden's hand. "Don't. Do you know what this means?"

Aiden looked at Sarah's face full of hope and his heart cracked. "Love, he might not wake up."

"I know, but he is not gone either." Sarah cupped Aiden's cheeks in her palms and smiled. "I didn't give up on you, and I will not give up on him."

Aiden had a troubled expression that reflected his conflicting emotions. He was happy that Vasily is alive and there is hope, but at the same time, he didn't want Sarah to go through another heartbreak if he dies. And seeing him bandaged up with a pale complexion, it didn't look promising.

Sarah kissed Aiden on the lips and moved her fingers in the air while turning to look at Vasily.

"Anna, do you see this?", Sarah spoke when she got a message that JoAnna can see on Eve-lens what Sarah sees.

"Oh, my! Is that Vasily?", JoAnna shrieked in Sarah's ear.

"Yeah. What should I do?"

"What is his condition?"

Sarah looked at the heart rate monitor that showed pulse and blood pressure information. "This is how much I can see. I don't know more and I'm afraid to touch him."

"Hmm… Call Imani. She can do basic checks and then we can decide if I should come there or it's safe for you to bring him here. I will prepare a room for Vasily. Oh, my! This is wonderful! And turn this thing off, I want to see through the drone because your head is moving too much it's making me dizzy!"

Sarah stifled a laugh and changed the settings so that JoAnna can see through the camera of a drone that Sarah brought to hover above Vasily.

After telling Imani (and Jamari) to come to their location, Sarah turned to Maksim. "I don't know how to thank you for this. You have no idea how much it means to me that he is alive."

She didn't say that this is her chance to fix things with Vasily, a second chance she didn't deserve, yet she still received it. It is thanks to Maksim, a strange and handsome man who gives her the creeps, yet he did the right thing when it was needed, and she was not sure if she should hug him... but a second later she realized that her hug-impulse changed into an impulse to punch him.

Maksim's lips lifted into a smug smile. "You don't know how to thank me? I can think of a few ways."

"Don't even think about it!", Aiden growled while his arms moved around Sarah protectively.

Sarah closed her eyes and exhaled. She was not in the mood for any macho-showdowns because Vasily was right there, and she was still processing that information.

"Can the two of you stop?", Sarah asked when she opened her eyes. "Maksim, I am married, and I have no intention to fool around with you or anyone else. Can you please stop testing my husband's patience?"

"But he is so easy to tease.", Maksim said mockingly.

"That is because you are using me against him. I hope you will stop because if he does not beat some sense into you, I will. Do you understand?"

Maksim was not willing to give up. "I saved your Uncle's life, and you want to beat me up? I don't think you would, so don't try to use empty threats on me. As for the pretty boy, we are yet to see who is more capable."

Sarah groaned in frustration. "Give me your gun."

Maksim was confused. "What?"

Sarah extended her left hand toward Maksim, palm up. "Your gun. You just declared confidently that I will not hurt you. Did you change your mind already?"

Maksim took his pistol from the holster and put it in Sarah's left hand that was waiting for it.

Sarah slowly wrapped her fingers around the barrel of the gun.

"Maksim, I am not someone you can win over by fighting my husband or scheming against me. Aiden took my first kiss twenty years ago and since then, no one else has a chance…"

Sarah spoke, but Maksim's attention was on her hand that squeezed the pistol because he heard the squeaky sound of the metal bending as the pistol lost its original form.

"…do you understand?"

Sarah's question made Maksim look into her enchanting green eyes.

He had no idea what she said because he spaced out.

"How did you do that?", Maksim asked when Sarah opened her palm and he saw the deformed pistol. She bent it without breaking a sweat and if that was not his personal weapon, he would think it's some toy made out of soft putty.

Sarah placed what used to be Maksim's pistol in his hand and smiled. "Don't test me, Maksim. I am known as someone who is generous toward friends, but I won't forgive people who try to mess with my family. I am grateful to you for saving Vasily and I am willing to compensate you lavishly, however, keep in mind that I am Aiden's bottom line, and he is mine."

Maksim was not sure how to respond to this. Was this supposed to be a threat for him to give up on Sarah? But she just demonstrated something that was close to science fiction and threatened him with those gorgeous green eyes that stirred with madness! How can he give up on such an amazing woman?

"I will let you know when I think of something...", was Maksim's response.

Imani and Jamari entered the room, and Imani busied herself around Vasily with Jamari as her assistant who was passing her things from the medical bag before she even asked for them.

With JoAnna's remote guidance of Imani's skilled hands, they established that Vasily can be transported, and not long after, a helicopter landed silently in front of the building where Vasily was.

"I will see you in two days?", Maksim asked Sarah while Vasily was being carried into the helicopter.

Sarah didn't want to say 'yes' or 'no'. As long as Maksim is not a threat, she does not mind him staying as part of the Voronins, and he might be useful to Hong. "That will depend on your Uncle. Goodbye, Maksim."

She boarded the helicopter with Aiden's help and took a seat next to Kitty. Imani, Jamari, Stella, and Konstantin were onboard as well.

Maksim watched in awe as the helicopter disappeared into the distance. That was another mysterious gadget he never saw before. The more he found out about Sarah, the more interested he was. She is amazing. How can he give up on pursuing such a fantastic woman? 

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