Page 120 of Gilded in Blood

Michael ignores us. He walks over to Calina, who is only just beginning to stir. He crouches beside her and lightly pats her cheek. “Wakey, wakey.”

She groans weakly, her head lifting only slightly before dropping again. Michael laughs. “What a shame.”

He glances over his shoulder at us. “You know what’s interesting?” His smile grows wider. “The hardest part isn’t hurting someone. It’s making the people who love them watch.”

My entire body strains against the ropes. “If you touch them,” I snarl, “I’ll kill you.”

“Don’t lay your filthy hands on them,” Maxim roars.

Michael throws his head back and laughs. “You two really think you’re in a position to threaten me?”

He turns to his men. “Which of you would like to go first with the women? Let’s take a vote.”

His amusement only fuels my anger. Every instinct screams at me to break free and tear him apart.

But anger won’t get us out of here. I force myself to breathe and think. I glance sideways and my eyes meet Maxim’s.

“Ropes,” I mutter, and understanding fills Maxim's eyes as they drop to the rope binding my hands.

Carefully, I shift my weight, and the chair scrapes against the concrete floor, moving an inch.

Michael turns. I immediately stop moving. He watches us for a second before dismissing us with a smirk and returning his attention to his men.

The moment his back is turned again, I move another inch closer to Maxim. Across from me, Maxim does the same. The distance between our chairs slowly closes, and finally, our chairs are close enough.

Without looking directly at him, I twist my wrists as far as they’ll go behind my back.

My fingertips brush his rope, and I begin working to untie it. The knot is tight. I dig my fingernails into it anyway.

Across the room, Michael continues talking, laughing with his men as they cast a vote on who's getting Calina and Milana first.

It takes three tries before I finally feel the knot give beneath my fingers. Maxim’s wrists come free, and he starts working on my ropes.

When my ropes come free, I catch Maxim’s eye. His eyes flick to the guard nearest him, mine move to the one standing closest to me. Three more by the door. One beside Ivan.

Michael still has his back to us, laughing as his men argue among themselves.

“…I saw her first.”

“I’ll take the unconscious one.”

Laughter fills the basement. I clench my jaw. Focus. Maxim gives the slightest nod, we explode into motion.

I slam my chair backward into the guard behind me, and he stumbles. Before he can react, I drive my elbow into his throat, and he chokes. I rip the pistol from his holster.

Beside me, Maxim has already tackled his own guard, wrenching the rifle from his hands.

Gunfire erupts. The first bullet leaves my weapon before anyone understands what’s happening.

A guard drops. Another spins around just as Maxim shoots him through the shoulder.

“Kill them!” Michael roars.

The basement erupts into chaos. Bullets tear through the room.

A guard rushes me with a knife. I sidestep him and smash the butt of my pistol into his jaw. He crumples.

Something burns across my left side, I stagger and realize a bullet grazed my ribs.