AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I ripped his sheet free from the king-size bed, and threw it over the windowsill, using it to protect myself while climbing through. My foot pushed off the top of the nightstand and I flung myself over the window, falling onto my ass on the other side.
The heat of the afternoon sun touched my cheeks and warmed my cold bare feet as I pulled myself up by the bricks on the exterior wall. I didn't waste time looking back, throwing myself forward in the hopes that each pump of my legs would carry me away before Yuri or anyone else in the family realized I was gone. The green grass was soft under my toes. But once I bounded down the hill, the terrain changed. The crunch of straw and grit of rocks were hard on the soles of my feet. I pushed on, feeling splinters crack the skin.
A male shout filled the air and my blood ran cold. One and then another until their boots followed me across the packed ground. I’d completely forgotten about the guards.
I dared a glance back to see a dozen men following me, each with their guns trained in my direction. A shot rang and I jumped when the ground burst into dust only feet from where I stood.
They were going to kill me. They were trying to shoot me.
I kept running even as I gasped for air, choking on my terror as another shot rippled through the air. This one whizzed by me and a scream tore from my throat.
“Bájenlas, no la disparen,” I recognized his voice immediately. He shouted so loud I swore the ground shook. “¡Retírense!”
I pushed forward, unsure of what he was saying. Had he told them to keep shooting? Had he told them to stand down? The only thing that made sense was putting one foot in front of the other, sprinting on sore feet down the hill until I was far enough away from the danger behind me to suck in a breath.
“Darya,” he called, but I didn’t stop. “Don’t make me chase you.”
The threat had my knees turning to jelly. The edge to his voice was unmistakable.
“Stop,” he yelled. I shrugged him off and kept pushing forward, my feet beginning to throb beneath me. The thorns and dried sticks ripped into my flesh with every step and sweat beaded across my forehead. It wasn't until I heard his footsteps gaining on me that I flashed back to the parking lot once again. It was the same scene. I had been here before.
“Darya!” He yelled again. I didn't stop until I heard another gunshot echoing through the air. I jolted and suddenly my feet were rooted beneath me. I turned as he skidded to a stop only feet from me, the barrel of the gun smoking in his hand. My legs trembled.
I squeezed my eyes shut when I realized…I had failed.
He reached out and gripped the back of my neck, pulling me toward him until there was nowhere else for me to go. “What were you thinking?” He growled, panting as I was. “Where were you going to go?”
I bawled my hands into fists at my sides and screamed back at him. “I didn't care. I just wanted to be away from you and your fucked up family.”
I saw the muscle underneath his eye twitch before he dropped the gun. His other hand snaked around my waist. “What am I going to have to do to show you there’s no escaping me?”
His grip tightened and his hips pushed forward into mine.
“I should punish you for this. Make you regret even thinking about running.”
“So punish me!” I fired back. Fear coursed through my veins even as I taunted him. I was terrified of his threats, terrified of the hard length that pressed against me when he bent so close I could feel his breath on my lips.
He was all I could see and suddenly the sun dimmed to reflect the darkness in his eye. He sucked in a long breath before bowing and throwing me over his shoulder. I squealed as my stomach slammed against his hard muscles but he just turned back toward the house.
“Put me down,” I begged, slamming my fist into his back. When he didn't stop I kicked furiously, trying to get away from him. “Fuck you!” I screamed into his ear, every emotion bubbling over until I couldn’t hold it back.
He stopped and I screamed as my body flew forward, a loud thud sounding as I hit the hard ground. He bent down and got straight into my face. “Do you understand how much danger you're putting yourself in?”
I shook my head. “It's all the same, isn't it? I'm in danger if I'm in your house. I'm in danger out here.” A hot tear fell down my cheek and I smacked the ground in front of me. “You're the one who's dangerous!”
He gripped my chin, lifting my head until his eyes were intense on mine. “What if it wasn't me who was running after you? What if I hadn’t caught you?”
I shook my head.
“My men would have gunned you down. Put bullet holes through this pretty little body,” his fingers ran down my neck and against the curve of my cleavage. “And what if my brother had chased you? Or Denis?”
I let the thought sink in. Both Denis and Matteo would have delighted in hunting me down and murdering me. But I hadn’t missed Denis’ wandering eyes or the sickly way he took pleasure in my torment.
Yuri was dangerous, but Denis was sinister.
And he was right. If it had been anyone else, I’d already be dead.
He wrapped his arm around my lower back and lifted me up off the ground. Our chests pressed together, the hard ridges of his muscles rubbing against my breasts. I blew out a breath, averting my gaze. Embarrassment flooded through me, both from my failed escape and the way my nipples hardened against him.
