Chapter 35
Nadya
VERA PRESSED HERSELFagainst the wall, and I joined her.Our weapons were pathetic.It’d be a minor miracle if we didn’t get killed today.
No.Fuck that.We weren’t going down that easy.I had promised Nick I’d go see his parents and be there for him.I wouldn’t go back on that.
A tiny sound escaped me at the thought of Nick.He had quickly become one of the most important people in my life.And now I might never see him again.
Oh, damn.I had to admit to myself that I’d started falling for him sometime between elbowing him in the eye and cuddling up to him.Or maybe I fell for him when he took down one of the worst monsters from my past.
The two voices reached us, and that was definitely not Sean or Glen.They were whispering, but it still carried.I heard the word “kitchen,” then “upstairs,” then a laugh.
Vera looked at me.Her face was blank, but her eyes spoke of her terror.
The footsteps got closer.One of the men said, “Check that bedroom.”
A few seconds later, a thud shook the bathroom door, followed by the snap of wood around the lock.Another thud.Then another and the flimsy wood split.
The door swung inward and bounced off the counter .I didn’t wait to see what would happen.As soon as his face appeared, I sprayed the cleaner into his eyes.As he screamed, his hands flying to his face, Vera jabbed the mop handle into his stomach.
His knees buckled and he grabbed on to the doorframe to stay upright.Of, fuck, he needed to go down.Like, really go down.Vera jabbed again, this time catching him in the throat.He staggered back, coughing, before he smashed into the wall.
The second man rushed into the bedroom.He was taller, with a shaved head and a cheap black suit, and he hesitated for just a half second, then swore and started hauling his buddy out.We weren’t dumb enough to go after them.Hopefully, it wasn’t a mistake.
Or maybe it was.There was no way they’d just leave, and we left our phones downstairs, so it’s not like we could call for help.They could call for reinforcements, though.
But going after them might be just as dangerous if they had guns.
A door slammed shut, then a scraping sound followed, all while the dickhead screamed.I didn’t usually enjoy other people’s suffering, but this time, it was music to my ears.
We both sank to the floor, backs to the tub, panting.
“That was good,” Vera gasped, sweat running down her jaw.“That was too good.So good it’s probably isn’t over.”
I tried to laugh, but my throat wouldn’t work.Yeah, we were still stuck here and I didn’t see those two leaving us alone.
“First Ljuba, then the asshole who broke into my apartment, and now this,” I summed up.“Maybe we should take Nick up on the whole protective custody thing.”
Assuming we survived today.
“If we survive this,” Vera answered, echoing my thoughts.
We’d better survive it.I had so much I wanted to say to Nick.
“Have I told you I’m an alcoholic?”I asked Vera because that was better than freaking out, and my big sister deserved a chance to say she told me so.“You were right.I have to quit self-destructing."
Vera let out a slow, calming breath, making me wonder how badly she wanted to yell at me for being stupid enough to start drinking in the first place.
“How long since the last time you had a drink?”she asked instead.
“Not since last night.”
She nodded slowly.“We don’t have alcohol here because Sean used to struggle with that, too, so if your withdrawal symptoms get really bad before we get out of here, you’ll be screwed.”
