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I grab Mia’s face and force her to look at me. “Mia,” I whisper. “I think we can sneak out of here.”
“What? No, Gemma. That’s crazy.”
“No, it’s not. I’m not dying here. Do you want to?”
Tears slip down her cheeks as she shakes her head.
“I know you’re afraid. But I won’t let you get hurt. That’s what a big sister is for.” I guess it’s time for me to be second mom again.
I take note of the Viktor and his men. Viktor is busy with Marco while his other men aren’t even looking in my direction. They have their eyes pinned on the perceived threats, the other men in the room. The door is just a few feet away …
“If we stay on our stomachs and move slowly, we can make it out.”
Mia’s eyes widen. “This is crazy.”
“No. This is me saving you. Now, come on.” I slowly,slowly, start crawling across the floor on my stomach.
“Viktor,” Marco continues. “Just let these people go. It’s me you want to make a deal with. So, let’s make it.”
“I have a better idea. Because the thing is, Marco …” Viktor walks over to a table full of food, grabbing a grape and popping it into his mouth. I freeze, watching him, but he just has eyes for Marco. “If I let these people go, you’ll just try and kill me. There won’t be any deal making. So, I need to force your hand.”
“And how are you going to do that?” Marco sounds wary.
“You’ll just have to see, won’t you?”
I start crawling again, getting closer and closer to the door. When I look back, I see Mia is a few feet behind me, moving too slowly. I motion for her to get closer, but she shakes her head. I sigh, dropping my head to the ground. Ok. I can do this.
I push myself back toward her, which unfortunately, catches the attention of one of Viktor’s men. He looks in my direction, and I go still, grabbing Mia and pulling her closer. He meets my eyes, giving me a dark smile before looking away. I let out a rough breath. That was too close.
I look toward my mom and see her watching Mia and me. Her eyes are bulging, and she’s shaking her head, silently telling me to stay put. She wraps her arms tighter around Cecilia, who’s also crying. Still no sign of Antonio or Francesca. I turn my head toward Viktor and Marco and catch Emilia’s eye.Stay put, she mouths.
Sorry, sis. That’s not gonna happen.
I set my sights back on the door and start crawling again, dragging Mia next to me this time. She whimpers, drawing the attention of the same man who looked at me before. I grip Mia so hard we stop. His eyes narrow, meeting my gaze.
“Hey, boss,” he shouts.
Viktor turns to him. “What is it, Jeremy? Can’t you see I’m in the middle of a conversation right now?” He points at Marco, who has his hands clenched and a glare on his face.
Jeremy nods at me and Mia. “These girls are trying to escape.”
And that’s my cue.
I stand up, pulling Mia up with me, and lunge for the exit. The sound of my mother’s scream fills the air, begging us to stop and begging the men not to shoot. I rip the door open.
“Not so fast,” Viktor says. “Or I’ll have to shoot you right here, and that would seriously ruin my plan.”
Mia stops, which forces me to stop. “Don’t shoot,” Mia cries out, dropping to her knees. “Please. Please.”
I stay standing, facing Viktor down the barrel of his gun. “I’m not dying here.”
Viktor blinks and lowers his weapon. “I don’t want you to. But I need you to stay put a little longer for my plan to work. How does that sound?”
“Sounds like shit.” I grab Mia’s hand and run out the door, not even thinking as I pull Mia behind me. Mia tries to fight me, but I cling tighter. The hallway is deserted. People probably ran outside when they heard the gunshots. The police haven’t shown up yet, but they must not be far behind. “Come on, Mia. We have to run.” I start in the direction of the front doors when Viktor enters the hallway. I stop so suddenly that Mia stumbles.
He cocks an eyebrow at me. “And where do you think you’re going?”
Marco runs out of the room and barrels into Viktor, knocking him back. Shouts come from inside the ballroom, but there are no gunshots. I use that to my advantage and turn the opposite way, running deeper into the hotel. My eyes land on the door to the stairwell, and I burst inside, still holding Mia’s hand.
