Page 117 of Gilded in Blood

I do the same and the hallway instantly fills with the metallic clicks of rifles being raised.

I’m one second away from pulling the trigger when a voice cuts through the tension.

“What the hell is going on here?”

Every head turns. Ivan strides down the hallway, parting the armed men as he makes his way toward us. His expression is one of irritation.

Maxim doesn’t lower his weapon. “What the fuck is this?”

“You promised they’d be safe,” I growl. “So why are your men pointing guns at us?”

Ivan stops a few feet away. For a moment he says nothing.

Then his shoulders sag, and the warmth immediately disappears from his face. “I’m afraid,” he says with a weary sigh, “the two of you will have to forgive me.”

My stomach drops. The bastard.

“I had no choice.”

“No choice?” Maxim snaps.

Ivan rubs a hand over his face. “Michael forced my hand. He has information about the Pantheon.” His eyes harden. “Information he never should’ve had.”

He shakes his head in disgust. “His father was a fool. Adrian should never have allowed Michael anywhere near the Society’s affairs.” Ivan exhales. “And now that he's dead, Michael inherited enough information to destroy everything.”

He looks each of us in the eye. “He has been blackmailing. So, when I saw the opportunity to protect my interest, I took it.”

“So you sold us out,” Maxim says coldly.

Ivan doesn’t deny it, he gestures helplessly. “Yes, or else everything I’ve spent decades building would burn.”

His gaze settles on Maxim. “I’m sorry, Maxim. I truly am, but I have to protect myself.”

Rage explodes inside me. “You fucking coward.” I fire, and the shot echoes through the hallway, hitting Scarred Face in the head.

Chaos erupts. Maxim moves at the same time, returning fire while shielding Calina as best he can.

Bullets slam into the walls. The hallway erupts into shouting. There are too many of them. Someone crashes into me from the side, I throw him off and swing.

Another comes from behind. I barely have time to turn. Something heavy slams into the back of my skull and white-hot pain explodes through my head.

My knees buckle, no… somewhere nearby, I hear my name. “Kirill!”

Milana. I need to get her out of here. I try to get back up, but my vision blurs. Another blow lands on my head, and everything tilts.

I hear Maxim roaring, Milana screaming again. I claw at the floor, trying to force my body to obey. Get up. Get to her. Protect her.

Darkness creeps into the edges of my vision.

No… please… Milana…

The last thing I hear before everything disappears is her terrified scream.

Consciousness returns slowly.

A dull ache throbs at the back of my head, each pulse sending fresh pain through my skull. I groan and instinctively try to lift a hand to the injury, only for rough rope to bite into my wrists.

I frown and pull harder. My arms are bound tightly behind the chair I’m sitting on, my ankles lashed to its legs. The ropes barely give no matter how much I strain against them.