Fifty-Three.

I observe a faint shadow cast over me as I hide my head with my hands and crush my shaking body against the tree.

A growl that I am all too familiar with fills my ears and my heart sinks.

[How the fuck did this bastard find us?]

"Come cazzo ci ha trovato questo bastardo?" Trent grounds out through gritted teeth as he yanks me to my feet.

I scream when my back collides with the tree trunk. He holds a knife to my throat, and his bruised face is only a whisper from mine.

"Today we will both die, Mila. Your precious Ace is dead, you will be next and Aydem will be assassinated by the Bratva. They have been informed that the Turkish fuckers slit their princesses throat while she slept." He says grimly.

Trent twists his neck to the side, looking into the distance of where he believes the bullets are soaring from.

I close my eyes, wishing I were somewhere else except here. With him and with the knife's blade pressing firmly against my skin.

The prospect of being encircled by Aydem's arms instils a sense of security and I immediately think of the future we could have had together.

The spraying bullets cease, clarifying that Aydem has sent Neriman to rescue us.

I can not think of another reason why the bullets will stop when Trent is holding me against my will out in the open.

Fear nibbles at the walls of my heart, devouring my most valued organ. Whether I walk out of this war alive or dead today at least I know he cared enough to send his beloved cousin to retrieve us.

His legacy and the woman who has managed to turn his life upside down within a matter of weeks.

Where ever Neriman is. I need her to know that I am okay and she needs to find Sandro and get him out of this place like yesterday.

I swallow, inhaling deeply as I twist my torso to one side, propelling my arm into the air and bringing it down violently, hammering the ball of my elbow on Trent's left inner joint of his forearm.

He howls out in pain, releasing me as he curses in his mother tongue that would have his nonna turning in her grave with great dismay.

I had witnessed him cradling his left arm earlier when he walked into the room before he took the Russian princess's life.

I turn around in an attempt to run.

I should have known better than to think that I could hurt Trent and there won't be any consequences.

Trent swings his hand in the air as he takes two steps forward and the blade slices through my top, and my hip.

"SHIIIT...!!!" I cry out in pain, placing my hands over the fresh gash on my hip as I continue to run away from him.

I run across the hot sand that burns the soles of my feet, blood trickles down my hip, coating my hands with the brilliant colour of scarlet red.

"Oh, no you don't," Trent growls as he ankle taps me and I fall flat on my face.

He roughly turns me over, my back burns and he towers over me in his crouching stance. My legs are being yanked apart by him.

I meet his eyes, and my throat tightens as I realise what he is about to attempt.

I struggle beneath him, "Get off me!" I cry out in terror, agony and the horrid feeling of fear starts to consume me whole.

"You should have been mine." He hisses, using the tip of his knife to pop the buttons on my blouse off. "We could have ruled the empire together." He grunts.

I continue to struggle under him, but it is no use. He is at least 30 kilos heavier than me in muscle and the more I struggle the more I feel myself sinking beneath the black sand.

"If I can't have you, no one can. I will carve your heart out and present it to your beloved Aydem." He says bitterly, tearing my blouse wide open.

"Please, stop." I find myself pleading. "Don't do this. I'll do whatever you want me to do, just don't let my son grow up without a mother." Tears brim my eyes as my lips quiver.

Impatience is my sole companion as I look into the eyes of the man I loathe with all my might. Time slows down when he presses the tip of the knife into my chest and I let out a scream that can possibly wake the dead.

Excruciating pain sears into my flesh as Trent glides the knife from the top of my breast and across my chest.

Droplets of water that is consumed by pain, heartache and hatred spill from my tear ducts. Smearing my emotional distress across my face.

As he guides the blade to where my pounding heart rests, he raises the knife above his head, clutching it with both hands. "Guardami profondamente negli occhi e dimmi che mi odi." He mutters with pain crossing through his eyes.

[Look deeply into my eyes and tell me you hate me.]

I pull in a short breath, my body slowly imploding from the anguish and dread of death, and his face is presumably the last face I will see before I leave this heinous planet.

I don't want to die

Not like this.

Not with him.

"No," I breathe out, squeezing my eyes shut as I try to picture a world with Aydem and Sandro.

I will not allow him to have the pleasure of witnessing me take my last breath as I glare at him with eyes full of remorse for not taking his life when I had the chance to weeks ago.

"Faresti meglio a credere che morirai per mano di un vero Peker." I whimper. "Se dovessero fallire, Un'altra famiglia del mondo sotterraneo oscuro verrà per te." I chuckle, slowly opening my eyes. "Spazzeranno via tutta la tua linea di sangue. Lentamente."

[You best believe that you will die by the hands of a true Peker. If they fail, Another family of the dark underworld will come for you. They will wipe out your entire bloodline. Slowly.]

His eyes grow wide with shock and his top lip curls upward as he lets out an angry snarl. "How long have you been able to speak and understand the language?" His voice is full of animosity.

"Long enough to document all your secrets and plans that you openly discussed in front of me." I sigh with happiness and dignity.

"You sly bitch!" He rumbles as he drives his hand downwards towards my pounding heart.

Once again I squeeze my eyes shut.

He will never see them again; they are hidden behind my eyelids in the darkness. He believes he is winning since he is grinning, but I am the winner because I had the last laugh between us.