Page 130 of Fractured Ties

It took her a second and then two. Another shout of him calling her name and asking where she was. Sure, she heard another man’s voice alongside his, but she didn’t care about that one. The only person she cared about was Kolya.

Because fuck, he was there.

He was there.

And they were going to die.

Somehow, Maya managed to get her aching body back to her knees. Carefully balancing on shaky legs, she got up to her feet, too. Her mouth started working before her brain could catch up to speed with the rest of her. Because as much as she wanted to see him, maybe she could save him. If not herself, then at least he would be okay.

“Don’t come in here, Kolya!”

As soon as the words passed her lips, she heard the first kick hit the door. Not that he would have been able to understand anything she said with the gag in her mouth. Every word was muffled and garbled coming out. Fuck. No. He couldn’t come in here—he couldn’t.

“Don’t!”

A sob ripped past Maya’s dry, cracked lips even as the door broke from Kolya’s second kick, and he stormed the room. Substantial in size, shadowed by the dark hallway despite the dim light in the room, and looking straight at her. The gun in his hand was tossed to the side as he came forward.

Maya felt the hot tears slip down her cheeks the second his hands were on her face. His hard gaze drifted over her for a quick second before he pulled that gag out of her mouth and tossed it aside.

“Kolya—”

“Shh.”

That was all he said before his lips were on hers. A harsh kiss that ached and stung at the same time. For a moment, that was all that mattered. His kiss in a room that she wanted to disappear from. His kiss in a world that was soon to end for them.

This took it all away.

His thumbs stroked her cheekbones.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured.

Maya shook her head wildly. “We have to go.”

“We are.” He let out a heavy breath as his hands slid down to feel the zip ties at her wrists, and his gaze found the ones on her ankle. “Let’s get you untied first.”

“But—”

“Maya.”

“The bomb, Kolya!”

At her exclamation, a new voice at the doorway muttered, “Holy shit. It’s counting down.”

Maya followed Kolya’s gaze to find the bomb still waiting in the corner. Only now, there were twenty seconds gone from the timer. And a low beeping had started to echo from the device.

“That’s big enough to flatten this place, yeah,” the man said faintly.

“Get out,” Kolya uttered.

“What?”

Deathly calm, and with a grip on Maya that hurt, Kolya’s words slipped out again with that same coldness. “Get the fuck out. Run.”

“Kolya—”

“Go!”

A cold spike of dread slammed into Maya’s spine. Kolya still hadn’t looked away from that bomb, and she had no idea what was running through his mind. Usually, she could find what she needed to see in his eyes, but even there, he just looked dead.