Page 118 of Sinful Lord

“Do you see who’s shooting at us?” I yell over to Maksim.

“I can’t see shit. You take a look.”

“Fuck,” I grunt.

Taking a deep breath, I jump up over the desk. A bullet immediately tears through the wood just below my shin. It’s a near miss, but one that affords me exactly what I need.

“He’s on your seven!” I shout at Maksim, dipping back behind the desk.

I can hear the Russian fire off a quick round in that direction before I find another angle to look out through.

For a split-second, I catch a glimpse of the familiar figure. He’s on the balcony across from us, gun pointed my way.

Then, he’s running.

… if you can even call it that.

The shadow moves in jerky, unnatural movements as he races away. It’s only when he disappears down some unseen doorway that I snap out of my trance.

“He’s getting away,” I tell Maksim, racing by him as I storm back into the hallway. “I’ll try to cut him off out back. You go to the front. We need to get this fucker.”

“On it.”

Maksim vanishes behind me as I rage back through the club’s twisted labyrinth. It feels like an eternity before I burst outside again.

The cold air hits me like a sledgehammer, but I don’t let it slow me down. Sirens are already starting to wail in the distance. On the other end of the building, I can hear the screams of fleeing civilians.

I ignore it all to scour the alley.

But I don’t find anything.

“Fuck!” I roar, slamming my fist against the club’s back entrance. “Where the hell did you go? Come face me like a fucking man!”

No one answers, and I’m about to accept the failure when a figure comes rushing into the alley from around the corner.

“There you are,” I rumble, lifting my gun.

I’m nearly ready to pull the trigger when Maksim comes into view.

Fuck.

It’s just him.

I lower my gun.

“He wasn’t out front,” Maksim curses, coming to a stop. “Any luck back here?”

“Nothing.”

My lungs burn as I stare off into the darkness. Steam rises from both of our bodies. The sirens get louder.

“We should leave,” Maksim says.

He’s right. But my mind won’t stop racing. We were so close. I almost got a glimpse of that fucking devil.

Why won’t he face me head-on? Clearly, he knows who I am. He must know what I’m after, too. So why—

Suddenly, I have an epiphany.