AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The fight inside me had died years ago, as had the ability to trust anyone. I had trusted. I had fought. Neither had done me any good. So now I trusted myself, and that meant killing parts of who I was.
It meant protecting me.
Burying me.
“Babe?”
I snapped my eyes to his. For a second, I thought his eyes softened, but it was more wishful thinking on my part. He was probably thinking he’d just made the stupidest mistake of his life by coming back here. Escaping my husband’s compound twice had a high probability of failure.
His fingers curled around my fragile hand, squeezed, then tugged me forward. “Let’s get the fuck out of this shithole.”
We ran down the sterile hallways, hesitating at intersecting corridors so he could watch the security cameras up in the corners until they rotated in the opposite direction.
I had no idea how he expected to get out of here without being caught. Taking the elevator was out of the question as it was a deathtrap on cables, and the south stairs led into the main living quarters.
But he’d done his homework because breaking into the sub-basement was no easy task, and I was still uncertain how he got past the code boxes on the doors.
He stopped and I collided with his hard, broad back. He let go of my hand and turned, his knife held toward me.
My eyes went from him to the knife then back again. “Ah, yeah?”
He grabbed my wrist and slapped the hilt into my palm, curling my fingers around it. “Use it. And don’t fuckin’ hesitate. Go for the jugular.” He pointed to the faint scar across his throat.
My eyes flickered to the thin, raised line. I couldn’t imagine anyone getting close enough to this guy to be able to cut his throat. And whoever had, I imagined was no longer alive.
“I, ah…” God, the thought of cutting someone made my stomach lurch. Could I end a life? I’d done it once before and swore never to do it again, but it also hadn’t been with a knife. I glanced down at the blade stained with blood.
But if it meant escape? Freedom from my sick husband? Could I do it? I dragged my eyes back to his and nodded.
“Hey.” He cupped my chin, his chest inches from mine. “Don’t think about it. It’s you or them.”
I nodded, taking a deep breath. “Okay.” I could do this. I had to.
“This isn’t going to be pretty.”
“I know.” And I did. Nothing was pretty about this place.
He gave an abrupt nod then pulled a gun from the back of his jeans. He opened the door to the stairwell and waited a few seconds, head tilted, listening.
He nodded to the camera up in the corner, which slowly turned in our direction. “Hits us in five seconds. No way to avoid it. When it does, all hell is going to break loose. We haul ass. Don’t stop no matter what you hear or see. When we get outside, run like hell to the north wall—on the far right of the gate—someone will be there to help you.”
Climbing over the stone wall surrounding this place was impossible. I knew from experience. Even with a rope to haul me up the twelve feet, it would take too long, considering Anton’s special guards would be hunting us like dogs.
He glanced up at the camera again before shoving me ahead of him. “Go!”
I ran as fast as I could up the stairs. My legs shook, knees wobbled, and my lungs cried for more oxygen as the panic ate it up.
I tripped on a stair and began to fall forward when his hand grabbed my elbow. His momentum kept us going as he half-dragged me up the stairs.
One flight.
Two flights.
Ground floor.
A piercing alarm sounded.
We stopped at the locked door leading into the hallway, which led outside. There was running and shouts below us in the stairwell. I knew the protocol; the place would go into lockdown and we’d never escape.
