AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My mind doesn’t dwell on the bizarreness of the situation because my stomach takes the reins of my body, contracting in a familiar, but hated way.
The girl rubs my back as I follow her order and let it all out.
Chapter 29
I’m staring at the phone like it’s my lifeline. Itismy lifeline. In my peripheral vision, to my right, Tanya runs toward the car. In the other direction, Jenya disappears, replaced by a swarm of men in black gear.
If I don’t look at them, they’re not real, right?
Come on, Ivo, just fucking answer.
A drop of sweat rolls down my forehead. The setting sun is still hot, and it’s not helping.
The call connects and I press the phone to my ear.
“Where are you? What happened?” Ivo’s voice is frantic.
“No time to explain. I need backup. I’m in a field of some sort, between twenty and forty minutes out of town.” I say all this pretty much as one sentence, and finally brave a look to my left, discovering a couple of men already too close for comfort.
I break into a run without a direction, away from them all.
“Share your location,” Ivo says into the phone. “Open Maps and start sharing. We’ll be with you as fast as we can. We’ve looking for you.”
“Okay. Okay. Fine.” I gasp as I move my legs. I’ve not run like this for ages. My lungs burn.
Ending the call, I try to keep the phone screen steady as I move. It’s fucking difficult.
Something hits me in the shoulder, knocking the phone out of my hands. Shit. I scramble to get it, scraping my palms on the sharp gravel.
“Drop it,” someone says behind me. I refuse to look at them, flicking through the apps to find Maps.
I see shoes on my left at the same time little stones fly my way, a car stopping dangerously close to me.
“Get in,” Tanya shouts.
Like a trained puppy, I shoot up and dash to the passenger door. The man next to me swings and misses as I jump sideways, evading his blow.
Tanya came back for me.
I get in, hitting the man again with the door and then giving him a good kick to make sure he stays down. His friends are closing in, careful not to get too close to the car. They have bats and knives, and among them, there are a few guns. But no one is shooting at us.
“They won’t risk killing me,” Tanya says as if she read my mind. “Koschei wants me and I’m not going to him.”
She puts her foot on the gas and the car lunges forward, scattering the crowd of men in black.
“Let’s grab Jenya and run. I’m sharing our location with my gang, so even if we get followed, we won’t get caught out.” My words are full of false conviction. I’m used to the adrenaline of a well-calculated risk. Getting kidnapped and attempting a daring escape are both very novel experiences, filling my academically inclined heart with dread.
“No. Jenya made her choice.” Tanya’s voice is as cold as ice.
“She’s probably as scared as you. Think about it, if you’re terrified of Koschei and how he can affect your life, how does it feel for her, when she’s already been caught?” I’m trying to reason with her while she’s high on adrenaline. Does adrenaline make you more compassionate? Doubt it.
“She and I are not the same,” she hisses. The car accelerates, mirroring her agitation.
“You’re more similar than you think!” I’m talking out of my ass. I should be the last person to assess people’s similarity because people are complicated and I love straightforward things. The only infuriating, complicated, mysterious thing I love is Tanya. Not that I’m going to admit it.
She glares at me. “Then Jenya will save herself. We’re a family of survivors.”
A family. Did they bond so quickly? She rushes to her aid in the mall, but not here. I don’t get it.
