Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Six
The door had barely settled behind her when Asli finally let her breath come back to her.
Not because of fear. It had never been that.
Because for the first time in a long while, aside Ahmet, someone had met her head-on and forced her to fight instead of finish. Markus hadn't been reckless. He hadn't been sloppy. He had been strong. Stronger than she thought. Stronger than he made her believe he was.
Asli also pondered Cole's restraint, his hands wrapped around Markus's, ensuring the gun remained pointed away from both of them. It was almost as if he'd been conditioned to avoid violence, a thought that had crossed her mind when he was taken. But his words, laced with concern for her father's reaction, reassured her. At least he wasn't brainwashed by them when they kidnapped him. She needed to let go of the thought that Cole would one day betray her.
