Page 111 of For a Price

His corner of the theater room has remained relatively unscathed. He watches the battle as if watching any other show performed in the theater.

Waiting to see who comes out on top.

I ignore the weight of his stare.

I’ve put Katerina behind me, backing away while I shoot at the advancing security.

“Get down!” I bark from over my shoulder. I kneel behind a table, muscling it onto its side to use as a shield for us.

Bullets splinter the wood. A few lodge in the thick material.

It won’t be long before the table’s useless and riddled with holes.

I grit my teeth and back away some more, popping out from behind my makeshift shield to blast a couple more rounds.

“Roman,” Katerina murmurs from behind my back. “There’s a door right there!”

Thankful for my second set of eyes, I veer off to the right, sensing she’s matching my movements.

“Open it!” I yell at her. I’ve leaned slightly out from the table shield to land another shot at one of the guards.

Katerina does as she’s told, scurrying to open the door for us to rush through.

“THIS WAY!” I roar to my men, who have gradually been gravitating in my direction in between a heavy exchange of bullets.

Once we reach the door, I drop the shield and take off running. Only occasionally do I glance back to fire more rounds.

I’ve locked onto Katerina’s arm with my free hand so that I can drag her along every step of the way.

We race behind what’s backstage and then shove open the door marked emergency exit. We spill onto the side alley outside the theater. Recognizing where we are at once, I make a left toward the end of the alleyway.

We come out onto the street where two of our Hummers are parked.

“POYDEM?*!” I shout over the chaos.

My men who have survived the shootout rush to join us inside the Hummers. We speed off from the scene with adrenaline still coursing in our veins.

It’s only after for several blocks that it wears off and my senses return to normal.

Heaving a deep breath into my lungs, I holster my weapon and wipe a hand over my sweaty face.

Katerina’s in a state of shock. She’s tucked into a far corner of the back seat, staring at me like we’re strangers. One of her skyhigh heels is missing and both straps of her bra hang low on her upper arms.

Without her vibrant purple hair she looks so different. So easily blendable with crowds.

Likely what the traffickers at the Midnight Society wanted. For her to stand out less. For her to be easier to make disappear.

I reach for her, and she flinches as if out of an involuntary tick. Her skin is cold, covered in gooseflesh, and just by looking into her dark eyes I can tell the past few days have been hell for her.

“Kat…” her name leaves my lips as more of a ragged breath.

I reach for her a second time and pull her toward me, my wide palms framing her face to study her closely.

Something has changed. Even in the last seventy-two hours she’s been gone.

“Are you alright, kitty cat?” I ask.

She blinks, then lowers her gaze to my arm. “You’re bleeding, Roman.”

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