Page 104 of Dark Truths

So I don't catch sight of Sergei until it’s too late. He slams into me and pain explodes from where he buries his knife in my side. The bastard must have found it when he fell.

I shove him back and watch him trip over a piece of my broken chair. He stumbles and loses his balance, falling on his back. It’s not the best idea to pull a knife free, but I’m desperate.

Intense pain surges through me when I pull the knife out and darkness threatens my sight. Sergei coughs hard, struggling tocatch his breath. So this time, he doesn’t see me coming. I have the knife buried in his chest before he even realizes it. Blood flows from his mouth and he chokes on it. His hands rise to the hole in his chest, desperate to grab for the knife, but I keep my hold on it.

“Go to hell, you motherfucking bastard,” I hiss at him through my teeth, my face inches from his.

His mouth opens and closes several times, like he’s trying to say something, but nothing comes out. His hands grow weak and fall away, and then his eyes flutter shut.

I stand and it’s like all at once reality comes crashing down around me, like everything’s been muffled and narrowed down to my sole purpose of killing Sergei. The fire surrounds me, filling the air with an intense scorching heat and the sound of crackling and popping as it destroys my cabin.

“Jacob!” I shout over the flames, but the heat surges down my throat and into my lungs sending me into a coughing fit.

We need to get out of here. It won't take long for this cabin to go up in flames.

Jacob is barely conscious when I find him. I quickly undo his ropes and help him stand. My side screams in protest and I feel the sad excuse of stitches in my arm tear open from the effort. Great.

“Come on, buddy.” I grunt as we slowly make our way to the front door.

Once outside and clear of danger, Jacob collapses to the ground in a fit of coughing. “What-what happen-happened?”

“Tell you later,” I answer, my attention turning back to my burning home. My hand drifts up to touch my necklace. The jewelry has become like a safety blanket of sorts, a way to ease my anxiety and stress. But my neck is bare.

“Fuck.” I left my new phone and necklace in my office. It’s on the other side of the house, far from the flames…for now.Butit's far enough. “Stay here,” I order Jacob, as if he’s going to go somewhere, and dash back into the fire, ignoring Jacob’s shout of protest.

It’s like entering a furnace that immediately chokes me. I can’t see shit. The smoke is so heavy, it’s like a dark fog. I lift my shirt to protect my nose and mouth from the smoke, but it leaves my eyes victim to the scorching heat. By blind touch and memory, I make it to my office and slam the door shut to give me some reprieve from the fire.

When I reach for the necklace, I see it’s lit up.

Gabriella.

She’s been trying to reach me and now I can answer. So what if there’s a fire literally outside of this room? She needs to know I’m alive.

I press my thumb to the center of the pendant, relief flooding me when the message goes through. Tucking the phone in my pocket, I place the necklace around my neck and head for the office door.But the knob is hot to the touch and burns my hand when I twist it open. It's like I’ve grabbed the handle of a pan baking in the oven. The door swings open and a wall of fire and smoke waits on the other side.

“Shit.”

Smoke fills my lungs and send me into another uncontrollable fit of coughing. I look around, desperate for a way out.

The window in the hall. If I can get to the window, I can…I can break it…

Black creeps into my vision from the sides.

…break it and…

The air is thick with smoke and heat, making every breath hurt.Everything hurts.

Gabriella.

40

Gabriella

“Can you drive any faster?”

Michael snaps his head in my direction with a look of disbelief on his face. “Do you want to die before getting to the cabin?”

I huff out a big breath and shove myself back into my seat, but the mix of anxiety and adrenaline quickly pulls me forward again. My leg shakes uncontrollably while I stare out the window and watch the scenery fly by.

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