Page 51 of Killer Love

My knee touches something firm on the floor. The edge digs into my skin through my skirt. My senses twitch with possible salvation.

I let my arms fall and I reach down to grip the blade in my shaking fingers.

“You will submit to me, Sofia,” he growls, letting go of me with one hand to reach for his zipper.

I fill my lungs with whatever air I can gasp and curl my hand around the knife’s handle.

“Fuck you…” I say, my throat burning.

I stab upward, aiming for any piece of skin I can reach.

The blade pierces his upper thigh. Gio shrieks in pain. He stumbles backward, releasing his hold on me. I give him a hard shove, sending him tripping over Rosalie’s legs all the way down to the floor.

“Sofia!”

I ignore his shrilling voice.

I throw the door open and the wood clashes against the wall behind me.

I bolt out into the hallway, blinded by a sticky blanket of blood and tears covering my eyelids.

My heart aches, my body bleeds, and my soul screams, but I keep running.

Run, Sofia.

Just run.

Chapter 17

Luka

I park the car a kilometer away from the Zappia estate.

Yuri refuses to budge from the backseat, but I don’t expect him to either. He’s made his choice and there’s not enough time to try and change his mind. It’s honestly safer for him to stay here and out of sight. At least he’s not actively trying to stop me.

Fox and I move through the woods, stepping softly on leaves and twigs until the front gate comes into view beneath the late evening sunset.

“There’s a wall,” I say. “It surrounds the entire estate on all sides.”

“How tall?”

“Too tall.”

“Then, I guess we’re going through the gate.”

I nod. “There’s usually a half-dozen of them on the front lawn.”

Fox blinks. “Just the lawn?”

I pause. “Is this a problem?”

He shakes his head and keeps moving.

We stop once we can go no further without being spotted.

Fox bends down to his knees with his rifle case. “How good is your hand to hand?” he asks me.

“Better than most. How good is your shot?”

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