Page 79 of Stolen Seconds

“Nicolai,” I said sharply, hoping I could wake him. He’d been hit in the head, and I knew him being unconscious wouldn’t be of use to either of us.

After a few minutes of calling his name, he finally stirred, his brown eyes unfocused before they set on me. It only took one glance in my direction before he leaped forward, as if he could somehow reach me despite being restrained.

It was then that I noticed the chairs we were held in were cemented onto the floor.Shit.

“Are you hurt?” my brother asked, looking over me with his brows furrowed.

I shook my head. “Your head. . . we need to get you help.”

For the next minute, I watched as he exerted energy into trying to break free, but with a frustrated grunt, he looked up at the ceiling.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’m going to get us out of here.”

“How?”

“Trust me.”

I scoffed, anger surfacing within me. “I did once and look where it got me.”

He caught my gaze from across the room, his hair disheveled across his worried forehead. “I didn’t know. . . ”

“Didn’t know that Roman would hold a gun to my head?” I asked, venom laced in my tone. “Me either.”

Silence fell upon us, and it would’ve been calming if it hadn’t been for the eeriness of our situation.

“What would you have wanted me to do, Irina?” I could hear the bite in his words. “You think I don’twantto know my own sister? I know what it’s like to be without a family, but I couldn’t get up and leave Roman. Not when he’s been the only family I’ve known since I was twelve.”

My throat tightened from all the emotions pulsing along my body, and I hated it.

I hated it because I knew I couldn’t fault him for telling Roman. It hurt that he couldn’t give me the same courtesy of trusting me, but Nicolai was young and tortured. We might share the same biological father but weboth knew Roman would always be held to that status for him.

The click of a door cracked in the air, pulling our attention to the corner of the room.

The same man who brought us here walked inside, his identity still hidden by the black mask.

My throat became dry when I saw the flash of a knife in his hand. He ran his lean fingers across the sharp blade almost affectionately.

“Touch her and it’ll be the last fucking thing you do.”

My head snapped toward Nicolai at his rage. I’d never heard him sound so lethal.

I watched as the man continued caressing the weapon, ignoring him as if he hadn’t spoken at all.

My blood pumped wildly in my veins, my ears ringing from the anticipation of the unknown.

With a hard swallow, I steadied my breathing. “Who are you?”

The man ignored me too, walking further into the dull room.

“What do you want?”

He sighed deeply, as if annoyed by my questioning, but I didn’t care. If he wanted to hurt us, he would do it anyway.

Cold sweat ran down my spine as he approached me until he held the knife to my throat.

Nicolai’s protests could be heard faintly as my senses dulled down to the end of the knife piercing my skin, but I stared at the man motionless, refusing to cower before him.

Whoever he was, whatever his motives were, he’d regret it as soon as I was free.

---