Page 117 of Sinful Scars

“Yeah… But then I heard Igor leave, and I ran around to the front of the house. I had never seen him look so angry before, and that’s when he told me he was going to burn the entire place down.”

Elle winces, but I don’t stop.

“Dozens of his men had been waiting nearby with cans of gasoline and within seconds, the house went up in flames.”

“Oh god.” Elle’s hand flew to her mouth.

“I know, I’m so sorry. I begged Igor to get you all out, that whatever had happened, you and your family didn’t deserve to die. But he wouldn’t listen. He told me to get in the car, but then I thought of you up in your bedroom, and I just… I couldn’t leave you.”

I shake my head. “He ran after me, yelling that if I didn’t come with him, he would kill me, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t just leave you up there. So, I ran around to the back of the house and climbed the rain gutter.”

Elle’s cheeks are soaked with tears, and I bend down to kiss as many of them away as I can. She shivers at my touch, her hands clinging to my arms as I continue to talk.

“You were unconscious when I found you, wrapped up underneath your blanket. The flames were already starting to creep into your room, but there was no way I would have been able to carry you down the rain gutter. If I slipped, we both would have fallen to our deaths. So, my only option was to run through the flames.”

“Lev.” Elle’s voice cracks as she reaches up to trace the scars along the side of my neck.

“By the time I got you out, Igor and his men had gone.”

“What? He justleftyou?”

“I guess he figured I had signed my own death sentence by going into that house and saved him the job of killing me himself.”

“That’s barbaric.”

“That’s Igor.”

We’re both quiet for a moment, our steady breathing theonly sound, until I eventually muster up the courage to tell her the rest of the story.

“I want you to know that I tried to go back for your family. But the fire was too strong. The top floor had almost completely collapsed, and the smoke… I really wanted to get them out, Elle.”

Her face crumples as she’s overcome with grief.

I know there’s nothing I can say that can make her feel better at this moment, but I hate seeing her like this. I wish I could have done more for her family, forher.

“Eventually, I heard sirens heading toward the house. You were still unconscious, so I stayed with you until I saw the fire engines heading down the drive, and then I left. I couldn’t risk them asking me any questions. But I hid in the bushes and watched to make sure you were taken care of.”

“Did he punish you?” Elle’s voice is barely above a whisper.

“Yes, but it was worth it?—”

Gunshots sound overhead, and Elle lets out a cry of terror as all hell seems to break loose above us.

The room shakes as heavy footsteps pound against the floor, followed by indiscernible shouting in Russian.

What the fuck is going on?

“Shit.” I scramble off the bed in search of my clothes.

My hands shake as I pull them on, the sounds of the gunshots ringing in my ears.

This is it.

“Stay here.”

“Lev—”

“It’s going to be all right. Do you trust me?”

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