Is this destiny?

Aiden shot his last bullet and he looked at his nearly-perfect score that averages 9.96 out of 10 as the announcer was making it official: Aiden won.

The margin was huge since the second-ranked had an average of 9.2 which is still a very good score considering that they are mercenaries and not Olympians, but Aiden scored wonderfully.

His lips stretched into a devilish smile and he closed his eyes while trying to distinguish Sarah's cheers from others.

Two seconds later, Aiden frowned. Why can't he hear Sarah's usual 'whoo-hoo' cheers? The crowd is loud, but Sarah makes sure she stands out… or his ears are tuned to pick out her voice. Something is off.

Aiden skimmed with his eyes over the audience and something jolted inside him when he realized that he can't see Sarah. She would never leave.

Aiden saw Sarah before he started shooting, and then he focused on the competition, just how Sarah told him to do, and this… where is she?

Aiden went in hurried steps to return the pistol on the table from where he got it, and his next thought was to use Eve-lens to check on Sarah's location, but he was distracted.

"Great job, Alex!", Vanya exclaimed as she lunged herself toward him.

They were one fraction away when Aiden stepped on the side, and Vanya's hug missed him.

She paused and pouted. "I wanted to congratulate you on the first place. Impressive result."

"Thanks. I accept well wishes, but not hugs…", Aiden said absentmindedly while checking the audience on the stands.

Vanya stood by his side, making sure not to get too close and give him a reason to ditch her again. She smirked when she realized where he is looking. "Did you lose your girl?"

She got Aiden's attention.

"Do you know something I don't?"

Vanya arched her eyebrow suggestively. "While you were performing, she went out with Dusan."

Aiden frowned. "Dusan? From Iskra's team?"

Vanya nodded in confirmation, unable to hide her glee. "And they were cozy."

Aiden's frown deepened. "Cozy? What do you mean, cozy? And why are you telling me this?"

Vanya was happy that Aiden is talking to her.

Vanya and Dusan made a deal to separate Alex (aka Aiden) and Olga (aka Sarah) and to seduce them. Dusan is a good looking man, skilled in wooing women, and he showed interest in Sarah. Vanya didn't care if Dusan will manage to get his hands on Sarah or not, because Vanya's goal was to get Aiden for herself. Of course, her boss told her to make a move on Aiden with a goal to get him on their side or to eliminate him, as a bonus, Aiden is good-looking and Vanya didn't object to her mission. If she plays her cards right, she might keep him to herself. Or so she thought.

Unexpectedly, it seems that Dusan was successful and Vanya saw Dusan and Sarah walk out of the main door. 

Vanya's smile widened as she looked at Aiden with sparkles in her eyes. "You got attached to a woman who does not know how to appreciate you. I will not go behind your back."

No matter what drugs or magic Sarah is using with Aiden, his ego will not allow him to stick to Sarah when he sees with his own eyes that she is with another man.

'My plan is perfect…', Vanya thought. 'Alex will push Olga away, and maybe beat up Dusan. In one move, Dusan will be out of the competition, Alex will be single, and I will make sure to comfort Alex well…'

Aiden didn't have time for Vanya's nonsense. But he had a feeling that she is not completely lying. Actually, she does not look like she is lying at all. Vanya might not be right, but she believes the words that left her mouth.

Anxiousness swelled inside Aiden. He knows that Sarah can hold her ground, and she would not leave this venue recklessly, but… she is pregnant, and leaving like that is reckless. If anything happens to Sarah or their baby, there will be a bloodbath and Aiden does not care about any plans. But first, he needs to find Sarah.

Aiden's fingers moved swiftly, and he saw the distance between him and Sarah increasing.

Aiden didn't know if her moving is a good or a bad thing, and he needed to see her. With jammers in place, there is a limit to how far Eve-lens can reach, and Sarah is almost out of range.

Aiden moved toward the exit and he paused when he felt Vanya holding onto him.

"Where are you going?", Vanya asked with a sweet smile, happy that he stopped.

Aiden jerked his hand out of Vanya's hold. "Come with me if you want to know…"

Aiden didn't need to say it twice. That was Vanya's plan from the beginning. She thought that she should follow from the distance and appear after Dusan gets his beating to pour oil on the already tricky situation so that Olga needs to scram, but now she got permission to stick to Aiden. 'Lucky!'

Hong was observing Aiden from the stands and he met with Aiden at the door. One look at Aiden and Hong knew what is on Aiden's mind.

"I went to talk to Zdravko, and when I returned, she was gone. I have no idea where to search for her…", Hong said to Aiden, without waiting for Aiden to ask and without stopping his steps.

In the moment, Hong forgot about the ear stud, and by the time he remembered, Aiden was already walking out. Hong had a feeling that Aiden knows exactly where he is going, even though Aiden didn't say anything.

"Why is she here?", Hong glanced at the Vanya who was half-jogging to keep with Aiden's pace.

"Let her… It's time to clean the trash.", Aiden said with a murderous edge in his voice.

Vanya smiled smugly, assuming that the trash is Sarah. Her eyebrows shoot up in surprise when she saw Aiden dash away. He is fast.

'BANG!'

The door of the storage room almost broke out of hinges when Aiden kicked the door open. If he checked, he would see that it was not locked, but he didn't have time for that.

Aiden's eyes frantically looked around and he used mode with heat-signatures on Eve-lens to identify the source of slight panting noise that was mixed with shuffling.

In a few swift steps, Aiden found himself next to one big box.

He released the breath he was holding when he spotted Sarah and Dusan on the ground. Sarah was above Dusan, beating him up, and panting was Sarah's because Dusan was unconscious.

"Love…", Aiden called softly.

Sarah's fist paused in the air and she looked up.

"I am sick of this… why do people think they can get between us?", Sarah asked furiously, but her fighting spirit was significantly diminished at the sight of Aiden.

Sarah saw Aiden's concerned expression and she realized her mistake. "I am sorry for leaving without telling you. I didn't want to disturb you during the competition, and I thought I will be back before you finish. You must have been worried. He said that if I switch to Iskra's team I will get benefits, him included… and he said that you are trash and…"

Aiden sat on the ground and pulled Sarah to sit in his lap.

"It's OK, love…", Aiden said and nuzzled her neck with his nose. "It's OK."

He was glad that Sarah is unharmed, but that does not mean she is fine. She leaned onto him and he could feel that she is trembling. This whole situation is stressful, and it can't be good for Sarah or the baby.

Sarah melted in Aiden's embrace. His hold on her was solid and his scent enveloped her with a reminder that he is there for her.

Dusan said that he has a good spot for her to try him out and she knew that the spot he was talking about will provide privacy and that she can use it to teach him a lesson and release some steam in the process.

But Dusan is only one out of many. Can she beat up everyone who wants to split them up? Some are purely lecherous, and some want to get their hands on Aiden because of the skills he displayed, either to join them or to eliminate him, but that does not change the fact that everyone is hostile, and Sarah found herself cracking under pressure.

Sarah was confident that she can handle it... that Aiden and she will infiltrate the Voronin family, and deal with them, and it will be straightforward, but now... She was not so sure, and the only thing she wanted was to go home. 

Aiden's proximity was comforting, like a peaceful oasis in the middle of the desert that is constantly ravaged by sandstorms. Sarah's body relaxed and she started sobbing while fisting his shirt.

She needed to let it out and Aiden knew that as he cradled her in his arms, gently rubbing her back while planting light kisses at the top of her head.

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