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Chapter 28
Mouse. Eli. Mouse. Eli.It’s the only mantra I have left worth clinging to.Mouse. Eli…
Faint thuds jar me from my reverie and I stiffen, lurching into a crouch.
“What’s that?” Beside me, Briar scrambles to her feet. “Something’s happening,” she whispers, dragging me upright as well. “Did you hear that? I think the guard is leaving! I don’t know what’s going on.”
But I do.Distant shouts allude to only one kind of danger.
Sergei.
Damn.I start searching the room, cursing myself for not having done so sooner. How could I be so damn pathetic? No matter, the time for self-pity is over. There’s a window in the corner of the room. I scramble toward it and attempt to open it.
“It’s locked,” Briar whispers, creeping to my side. “There’re guards nearby too—”
I turn away from her and stop at a sideboard table. There’s nothing on it but a lace doily and a vase—a metal statue. I grab it, pushing any doubting thoughts back. Then I turn to the window and slam it against the glass with all my might.
Glass rains down with an alarming crack as it gives way. Heedless of the pain, I knock away any loose shards, creating an opening barely large enough to slip through. Warm liquid drips between my fingers, but I ignore it.
“Come,” I croak to Briar. God, speaking even that little hurts. Despite everything, a vain voice inside me wonders if the damage is permanent.
How ironic: I find my voice, only to die silenced.
“What now?” Briar asks, eyeing the makeshift opening.
I grit my teeth, grounding myself to the present. Now? If we’re lucky, the guards aren’t already on their way.
We’re on a lower level, I realize with a sense of relief that nearly barrels me over. A carefully manicured terrain stretches out: flower beds, and paddocks, and enclosed paths. Even in the dark, I recognize it: the west gardens. Meaning we must be imprisoned at, of all places, the guesthouse.
Of Winthorp Manor.
“What now?” Briar asks again.
“Climb,” I croak, shoving her forward.
“Ow!” She whines, struggling to maneuver her limbs through the opening. Finally, she disappears and her soft groan alludes to the fact that she made it safely below.
I scramble after her, feet first. Glass bites deep, and more alarmingly, hot liquid coats my limbs. When I let go of the sill, I grunt, landing hard on an earthen surface. Bolting upright, I grab Briar’s hand and run, heading toward the back of the property.
But we’re already too late.
Briar screams as a smattering of gunshots pierce the air dangerously close. Once again, Sergei lied to me; he won’t even give Robert the chance to enjoy our little reunion.
He’ll kill us all first.
“What’s going on?” Briar squeals.
It’s a good question. From this part of the estate, the only way forward cuts through the expansive gardens between the guesthouse and main manor. The whole damn manor could be on fire for all we know.
Heading there at all would be foolish.
But it’s the only way out. From the garage, I could steal a car or a van and find my way back to Sergei’s manor. I could find Mouse and Eli on my own.
Deep down, I know it’s a stupid, foolish plan.
But I spent sixteen years living my life in the safest way I knew.
“We need to hide!” Briar rasps. “This way—”
