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And then our luck runs out. Heavy footfalls warn me a moment before the door bursts open, bouncing off the two dead guards and back at the newly arrived Russian Bratva member whose eyes widen at the sight of me.
His hand drops to his waistband, withdrawing a gun, and Bianka gasps as she freezes beside me. Ellie cringes, her bonds tightening as she tries to make herself as small a target as possible.
In one smooth move, I grab and raise my own gun, cocking it at the same time. The shot blasts through the room, entering the man’s head right between the eyes and blowing brain matter across the door behind him. In the enclosed area, without earplugs, it makes my ears throb painfully, and I shake my head to dispel the disorienting ring.
Someone’s sure to come running after that. Redoubling my efforts, I snatch up the blade and saw forcefully at Ellie’s bonds, accidentally nicking her wrist in my urgency. The last chord snaps free, and I pull Ellie to her feet.
“Run!” I bark, hauling both stunned girls toward the hallway.
I take the lead, disposing of my initial stealth in exchange for much-needed speed. Bianka’s right behind me, moving quickly in bare feet, and Ellie does her best to keep up in the heels she’s still wearing from the dance. Neither is going to be very useful in the snow, but escape is all that matters right now.
Shouts follow us through the kitchen and out the side door I entered through. Bianka gasps at the sight of the two dead Russians on the ground, but she keeps on running, her delicate hand in mine as I haul her and Ellie toward the trees.
To my utter astonishment, we make it safely into the surrounding woods without being stopped by gunfire, though I can hear the kidnappers gathering a force behind us. Their shouts grow more distinct as they chase us into the trees.
Fortunately for us, the canopy above us leaves less snow at our feet, so our footprints grow less distinct the further we make it into the wooded expanse. Still, I refuse to give up our demanding pace.
We run for as long as I can keep the girls on their feet, and they push themselves hard despite the number of times they stumble from the rough terrain and exposed soles of their feet. Finally, as the woods grow quiet around us, we stop to catch our breath.
I rest a hand on the bark of a massive pine tree as Bianka grips a stitch in her side, and Ellie bends over to brace against her knees.
“Are we clear?” Bianka asks, looking back the way we came.
Light’s just barely starting to color the sky above, telling me we’ve officially made it until morning. Lucca and Ilya must be here by now.
“I don’t know. I think we’re far enough ahead that they’ve lost sight of us, but we should keep walking. Can you girls manage?” I ask, my eyes dropping to their feet.
Bianka’s soles are bleeding, leaving small red dots on the patches of snow. I’m surprised Ellie hasn’t broken an ankle–even if her heels are smaller than the ones Bianka had been wearing.
“We can make it,” Ellie agrees with conviction, her eyes meeting Bianka’s steadily.
Bianka smiles and nods in agreement. “But where are we going?”
“That’s a great question. Lucca and your brother should be here by now. Let me see.” Digging into my pocket, I pull out my phone and call my brother.
“Well?” he demands, his voice strained.
“I got them both out safe. Where are you guys?”
A whoosh of escaping air crackles across the line as Lucca sighs in relief. “We’re about half a mile east of the pin you dropped at the end of a dirt road. Looks like the estate has an eight-foot stone wall surrounding the property. I’ll send you the location right now.”
“Is that Ilya?” Bianka asks beside me. “Can I speak to him?”
She holds out her hand, and I pass the phone to her instinctually.
Then a shouted command in Russian makes me freeze.
“Fuck, they’re here,” I growl. “Go. Run!” I point in a generally eastern direction.
The girls jump into action, racing across the ground with renewed speed. Terror fuels them across the ground, and within another ten minutes, we reach the high stone wall Lucca had warned me about.
Creeping vines climb up the rugged surface, offering a way to grip the wall more securely. We all start to climb, scaling the surface as quickly as our limbs can. Bianka’s almost monkey-like in her dexterity, throwing modesty out the window as she holds my phone between her teeth and uses her hands and bare feet to reach the top in a matter of minutes.
I’m not too far behind, able to pull myself up better with just the strength from my arms, though my dress shoes hinder me. I reach the top as Bianka drops to the ground, but Ellie seems to be struggling.
Her intact dress seems to be snagging on the vines, and her shoes are doing nothing to aid her climb. I hesitate, ready to pull her up as soon as she’s within reach. Ellie’s fingers find the top of the wall, and she gives a forceful heave. Reaching for her, I barely manage to touch her elbow before the wall crumbles beneath her grip, the rock she was anchored on breaking free.
Ellie cries out as she falls backward onto the ground. She hits hard, the wind bursting from her as she lands flat on her back.
