Page 116 of Gilded in Blood

There’s only one way to find out. I fill my lungs and scream. “Help!”

My voice echoes through the hallway. “Kirill!” I scream again, louder this time. “Maxim! Help!”

I keep shouting, praying one of them hears me before it’s too late.

Maxim and I are outside going over the final security arrangements with four of Maxim's men that we're be leaving behind to stay with Milana and Calina.

Even with Ivan’s men surrounding the estate, neither of us is comfortable relying solely on them.

“Two men outside the ladies’ room,” I say. “Another two at the end of the hallway.”

“No one goes in or out without one of you knowing,” Maxim adds, and the men nod.

We’re still going over the finer details when a scream tears through the estate. “HELP!”

My blood turns to ice. That's Milana's voice. Before anyone can react, I’m already running back inside. I burst through the front doors, Maxim right behind me.

We sprint through the foyer and up the grand staircase, taking the steps two at a time. Ivan is nowhere in sight, and neither are the men that had been in the living room a minute ago. What's going on?

Another scream echoes through the mansion. “Kirill!”

“Milana!”

I round the corner at full speed. My heart nearly stops when I find Milana in the hallway, dragging Calina across the floor by her arms. What the hell is going on?

She’s crying. The moment she sees me, she lets go of Calina.

“Kirill!”

I reach her in seconds, grabbing her shoulders. “What happened? Are you hurt?”

She throws herself into my arms. “We need to leave this place. They’re going to hurt us!” Her whole body is shaking. “They drugged Calina's coffee.”

My stomach drops. I knew bringing them here was a bad idea. I should have listened to my gut.

Maxim is already on his knees beside his wife. “Calina.” He carefully lifts her into his arms. “Baby, wake up.”

His jaw clenches. “We need to get her to a hospital.” He already has Calina securely in his arms.

We turn toward the staircase, only to stop short as armed men pour into the hallway, cutting off our escape. At least a dozen of them spread out in front of us, rifles raised, leaving no path forward.

These aren’t the welcoming guards who greeted us earlier. Their faces are hard, expressionless.

One of them, a bulky, bald man with a scar running down the side of his face, steps forward. He raises his rifle another inch, his expression unreadable.

“I’m afraid…” He lifts his rifle another inch. “…none of you are going anywhere.”

The hallway falls deathly silent.

I step in front of Milana. “Move.” None of the men budge.

“I said move.”

The guard with a scar doesn’t so much as blink. “I’m afraid we can’t do that.”

A cold feeling settles in my gut. My eyes sweep the hallway. Where are our men? I exchange a look with Maxim.

I feel Milana’s grip on the back of my shirt tighten. Maxim carefully shifts Calina’s weight in one arm and draws his pistol with the other.