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It takes a few more minutes of heavy breathing, but I eventually get my heart rate under control. I look around the room again, searching for a way out. I’ll have to get creative. There are guards just outside my door, and even more patrolling the estate grounds. My best shot is to leave under the cover of night, but first things first: getting free of the chain.
I close my eyes and try to think. What would Pyotr do if he were in my shoes? Probably brute force his way out of them. I’m nowhere near as strong, but it looks like one of the links in the chain is starting to pry open. It’s only a couple of centimeters, but it might just be enough.
Moving quickly, I take my flat bed sheet and carefully slip it between the cuff and my skin. I manage to create a barrier—as thin as it may be—to protect my raw ankle. Taking a deep breath I walk away from the bed until the chain is taut, the cuff biting painfully.
I lean as far as possible, pushing against the floor with the balls of my feet. The bed is thankfully heavy enough to anchor me. I start bouncing my weight, hoping the movement will eventually weaken the link. A thrill shoots through me when I look back and see it’s starting to give. I just need to give it a few more hefty tugs and—
The chain breaks.
I fall to the floor with an unceremoniousthud, landing awkwardly on my face. I don’t even care how badly my nose stings becauseholy shit I did it!Unfortunately, there isn’t any time to celebrate. I need to get the hell out of here. The only question ishow? It’s not like I can just waltz straight out the front door. I need to be smart about this.
I stare down at the chain. An idea pops into my head.
Quickly, I gather the length of metal and set it on my lap as I take a seat on the edge of the bed. As long as I cover the broken link with my hands and forearms, itlooksas though I’m still restrained. Perfect. The only advantage I have right now is surprise. I’ve got one shot at this. Failure just isn’t an option.
“Guards!” I scream at the top of my lungs, sounding as frantic as possible. “Guards, please, come quick!”
Right on cue, the guard posted just outside of my door barges in. I may be Mother’s prisoner, but I’m still technically a Salkov princess. He can’t afford to let anything happen to me. It also looks like he’s totally alone. Excellent.
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
“My stomach…” I wheeze, clenching my middle. “Please, it hurts so much—”
The guard approaches. “Let me see.”
I groan loudly, folding over as I let out an anguished scream. “What’s happening?”
“Let me see,” he says, quickly trying to move my hands out of the way.
That’s when I strike.
Chain in hand, I jump up from the edge of the bed and swing behind him, wrapping the metal around his throat. I squeeze my eyes shut, doing my best to not freak out. I don’t want to hurt him, but I have no choice. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and right now, I’m as desperate as can be. Using all my weight, I hang from the chain to apply even more pressure against his neck. The guard gasps and wheezes, arms flailing about as he struggles to free himself.
“Just close your eyes,” I pray aloud. “Go to sleep. Just go to sleep…”
I thank the Heavens when he finally stops moving, slumping to the floor like a ragdoll. He’s out cold. I hurry to the open door and throw a cautious glance out and strain to listen. It doesn’t sound like anyone’s coming, but I’ve been keeping careful watch of how the guards rotate. Someone will be along shortly to switch places with him, so I need to move quickly.
I waste no time and immediately get to work searching his pockets. I find a carabiner with several keys dangling from it strapped to his belt loop. It takes me a couple of tries, but I finally find the key that undoes the cuff around my ankle. When the metal finally comes loose, I breathe a sigh of relief. Damn. Now that I can feel the blood rushing back to my toes, I finally realize how tight it was.
I’m not in the clear yet, though. I keep searching his pockets and locate his wallet, his phone, a pair of car keys…
And a gun.
I gulp. I don’t want to hurt anybody, but I will if I have to. Whatever Mother’s planning, I have no doubt violence will occur—if it hasn’t already. Who knows what havoc she’s managed to wreak in the three weeks I’ve been locked up in here?
I have to be at the top of my game. Escaping Mother means leaving the Salkovs behind, but it doesn’t mean the Antonovs will welcome me with open arms. Betraying one family for the other… It’s bound to spell disaster. It can’t hurt to have a little firepower on my side.
Before I leave, I drag the guard to my bathroom and lock him inside.
I poke my head out into the hallway. The coast is clear. For how long, it’s too hard to tell.
As quiet as a mouse, I make my way through the estate, making sure to move slowly so the creaky floorboards don’t give me away. I just need to make it to the garage. There I can find a car and get the hell out of here. I’m not entirely sure how to find the Antonovs, but that’s a problem for Future Me to deal with. Right now, survival is my only objective.
I manage to make my way down the winding steps in the east wing. When I get to the ground floor, I hear a gaggle of voices. One of the most recognizable is my mother’s.
“We strike at midnight,” she says firmly. “Understood?”
“Yes, ma’am,” a booming chorus of men answer.
