Is this destiny?

Sarah, Aiden, and Igor moved further away from the camp until they found a clearing big enough for the helicopter to land.

While waiting for Aaron to arrive, Sarah answered some of Igor's questions. Igor understood that his next destination is outside of the Voronin family's influence and that it will take some time for him to gain their trust.

"If you are not from the Voronin family, why are you competing here?", Igor asked Sarah. In the next moment, he understood that he asked something he shouldn't have. "I'm sorry for being nosy."

"Don't worry about it.", Sarah patted his shoulder. "The Voronins opened their doors with this competition. Do you think that we are the only organization that is trying to get in?"

"I don't think you are, but is it possible that Voronins are not aware of that? Even if they don't know who you are, they are bound to suspect that something is not right with your identities. And not just yours. Everyone will be under strict surveillance, just how you will be watching me until I prove myself. Coming here tonight is a big risk. How do you know that no one followed us?"

"That is a good analysis.", Aiden praised Igor. "Play your cards well, and you might become one of our strategists or lieutenants. We always need skilled people who can use their heads."

Igor's eyes lit up. In Iskra's base, everyone saw him as a stupid pile of muscles. And Aiden praised him for his analysis and said that he can use his head.

Aaron arrived with a medic and one of his lieutenants. Ade and Hande were present as well.

The medic started inspecting Igor's wound right away. The bullet went through completely so after cleaning it up, the medic began stitching the wound.

Aaron and the lieutenant got busy checking Igor if he has any tracking devices on him and they helped Igor change into clothes they brought. The clothes he was wearing will be dumped because they don't want to risk him being tracked unknowingly.

"How are you guys doing?", Sarah asked Ade and Hande.

"We are all fine, don't worry about us. But we are missing you.", Hande responded to Sarah.

"The competition should be done in a few days and then we will see what to do next." Sarah wanted to promise that they will see each other soon, but she does not want to lie. At this point, she does not know. "Aiden is doing great. No one underestimates him and he earned himself a nickname 'pretty boy'."

Aiden rolled his eyes at this last part.

"Don't forget… when you form a team, we are your first members.", Ade reminded Aiden.

Aiden laughed. "Even if I want to forget, you will not let me."

"You are kids.", Igor grumbled. The medic was stitching his wound, but the anesthetic works wonders, so Igor was able to pay attention to the conversation.

Ade made a face at Igor. "Kids, we are kids… but we can whoop your ass."

"Ade, language.", Aiden warned Ade.

"He insulted me in front of my girlfriend.", Ade defended himself.

Igor snorted. "What crazy times we live in. Kids are dating."

Both Ade and Hande glared at Igor, and Sarah laughed.

"I see you will get along with these two well.", Aiden told Igor while gesturing to Ade and Hande.

"Do you guys need anything?", Aaron asked Sarah and Aiden with concern obvious in his voice. Based on his eyes which were darting toward Sarah's stomach, he was worried about her pregnancy.

"We are fine. Thanks.", Aiden responded. "We need to go back before someone notices we are missing…"

"What if someone already noticed?", Aaron asked. He wanted to tell Sarah and Aiden to use this chance and go back, but he knew that they would refuse, so he decided to stay quiet.

"This is a calculated risk we decided to take.", Sarah responded. "Igor was attacked by his team members and leaving him there was a death sentence."

At these words, Igor lowered his head guiltily. He didn't mean to get shot, alright? But he could see that they are genuinely concerned about each other and that reinforced his resolve to join them. Sarah and Aiden didn't have any ties with Igor, yet they saved his life and gave him a way out. Whatever is waiting for him, at the end of this ride, Igor will take it because in these few days Sarah and Aiden showed more care for him than what Iskra did over the years. He knew that Iskra treats her subordinates as disposable tokens, and he told himself that everyone is like that... but Sarah and Aiden proved otherwise.

Oblivious to Igor's thoughts, Sarah, Aiden, and Aaron were immersed in their talk.

"Our gadgets confirm that there is no one nearby, and we were not followed.", Aiden assured Aaron. "While at it… can you check if this one has a tracking device?" Aiden handed his ID card to Aaron.

Aaron performed several scans on both Aiden's and Sarah's cards, and they came out clean. "If these are used for tracking, they are offline now. And it does not seem that they have tracking capabilities."

That news made Sarah and Aiden sigh in relief.

They said their goodbyes and parted ways.

"Why do you think no one followed us?", Sarah asked Aiden while they walked back to their room. "I thought the cards are trackers."

Aiden shrugged indicating that he is not sure. "If the cards are trackers, they saw us go to the lake and get cozy… and then we went for a walk. That should not be unusual for a couple."

"You don't think that the cards can be used to track us."

Aiden confirmed. "Not everyone has Felix who makes gadgets from every piece of metal there is. I believe that these cards are just IDs with a chip that stores our point balance and nothing more."

Sarah thought that Voronins are irresponsible. "Can they really be so lax with letting strangers into their nest?"

"Voronins don't care from where we come, as long as we are willing to do their bidding. I'm sure that you noticed: our movements are not restricted, as long as we don't try to get closer to the core of this base. They don't care if we kill each other or if we leave because we didn't see anything of importance. The incident with Igor and those two from his base proves that theory."

Sarah agreed with this theory. With forty fighters, more than a hundred people got in. It's easier to protect the base from unauthorized entry, than to keep an eye on a hundred different targets who are moving in the obscure zone.

"If we get closer, things will change."

Aiden agreed. "I suspect that finalists will see things that regulars can't. From that moment, we will be monitored."

Sarah sighed. "I wish to go home."

Aiden looked at her with an exaggerated expression. "What did you to do my wife who is always eager for an adventure?"

"Silly…", Sarah said softly and put his hand over her belly. "This is an adventure. The two of us and a baby. I want to go home, feel safe, and focus on us as a family. I want my big problem to be what color we will pick for the nursery walls and to bicker about too many toys in the playroom. I want to watch our big kids train in the morning, and in the evening to hear how their internships went. I want to get upset because you are feeding the dogs under the table and to have as my biggest afternoon dilemma who between Kitty, Atlas, and Vega will get head scratches first…"

Aiden's heart cracked. He knows that Sarah wants a simple life... without Lebedevs and without Voronins, she wants just the two of them and their kids (fur-babies included), surrounded by friends and family.

"Soon, my love. I will do my best and finish this quickly. We will be home by the time school resumes, in time for our wedding that will happen before your stomach starts showing, and we will prepare the nursery for the baby together..."

Sarah knows that Aiden can't predict the future, but then�� he always fulfills his promises, and she knows that her future is in his hands. If anyone can shape it to his will, that would be Aiden.

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