AllFreeNovel
Share Us
So, I do.
A few minutes later, I land lightly in a turned flowerbed, with just a few small bruises on my shins. I’m grateful for the sneakers I’d put on with my jeans when I headed out to find Kirill earlier.
The moonless night works in my favor as I dart through the eerily silent garden, slithering beneath thick shrubs. And miraculously, I do it. I reach the treeline and sprint through the trees like the devil is on my tail. I get to the outer wall barely fifteen minutes after I left Roxie’s room.
I can do this!
Freedom is so close now I can almost taste it. Breathless, sweating, I keep waiting to be blinded by searchlights… but I’m not. Nobody came after me yet, which is nothing short of a miracle. But I know Kirill is going to be hot on my tail as soon as he discovers that I’m missing.
Just a few more minutes and you’ll be free, Tee.
My first moment of disappointment is when I reach the outer wall. It must be eight feet tall, and I can see steel spikes along the top of it.
Shit!
I knew this was going too easily. But it’s too late to turn back now. Taking in a steadying breath, I move along the wall, praying for a miracle.
And luck is on my side tonight.
My miracle comes in the form of a small gate that joins a path leading to a garden shed. I’m guessing it’s some sort of service entrance. And today, of all days, it’s unlocked.
Yes!
I send a thousand silent thank-yous to all the gods I can think of as the handle turns smoothly in my hand and the gate swings open silently.
I’m out!
I emerge so abruptly into the street beyond that I’m unsettled for a second. I was so focused on escape that I never even thought about getting this far.
“Shit,” I mutter under my breath, wrapping my arms around myself as I look both ways up and down the road. It’s silent at this time of the night. The wide avenue is lit with tall streetlights, but many are obscured by towering oaks, and much of the road is in shadow. That should be a good thing, but suddenly it doesn’t feel that way.
Move, stupid!
Picking a direction at random, I turn left onto the sidewalk and start walking briskly. I can hear an occasional car in the distance, but here, there’s nothing.
That should be a relief, but it’s not over yet. I’m out here in the dark. Alone. But if I can make it to the local bus station, I can get on the first bus and be out of town by dawn.
You can do this, girl.
I pick up my pace, trying not to speed to a run in case I draw attention to myself. Not that there’s anyone to see me out here, but the night feels like it’s filled with eyes. I keep my breath steady as I walk, forcing myself not to dive for cover when an engine draws near. A dark car glides past, and I literally stop breathing. It keeps going until its taillights disappear into the night.
Walk.
Just keep walking.
Once I get off this block, I can turn down another road and hopefully lose anyone who might be looking for me.
And who exactly might be looking for me?
My blood goes cold as it occurs to me that I may have resented the team of guards who were assigned to me. Their job was to protect me. I don’t want to imagine what they’ll get from Kirill when he finds out that I’m gone. Not to mention that I’m out here all alone. Exposed. Vulnerable. And Kirill has enough enemies to have him living in a fortress.
Enemies who might also be looking for me.
What if they’re lying in wait out here, and I walk right into them? I think about the man Kirill killed and remember the terrible things he’d been screaming.
“Pull it together, girl,” I say under my breath.
I can’t turn back now, but what if the danger out here is worse than the one I just left behind? At least Kirill seemed to care about me. Somehow.
