Page 9 of Grayson's Angel

Loud footsteps echoed on the other side of the door. Not waiting to see who was coming, Kara gripped her bustle with one hand and the scissors in the other and took off as fast as her short legs would go. She made it to the first turn, and though Rovshan and his men were coming after her, his footsteps were still a few feet behind her.

The church’s front doors were in sight, or she could go left and look for her father, though she had a feeling he was already gone. But there wasn’t time to get her dad at the moment. Regardless of whether he’d gotten her into this situation, Kara would find a way to save him. At least, hopefully, she could save him.

Kara looked over her shoulder to see if they were getting close. Rovshan was only a few steps behind her. Her heart was pounding with fear of what he might do if he caught her. She pumped her arms, trying to run as fast as she could, but a hand wrapped around her hair, jerked her head back, and caused her to stumble back into Rovshan’s arms.

She kicked her leg back, hoping to connect with his groin. When she missed, he tightened his grip around her waist. He was holding her so tight that she couldn’t get a breath. Not wasting any more time, Kara swung her arm downward, praying the scissors would impact the man somewhere. She heard him grunt in pain, and he loosened his hold.

Kara used that opportunity to get loose. She didn’t wait to see how badly he was hurt. The shouts of Rovshan’s men were getting louder. Kara yanked the only weapon she had out of Rovshan’s leg. The heavy footsteps of the guards were getting closer. The doors to the outside world were less than ten feet away. Using as much energy as she had, she forced herself to keep running at full speed. When she made it to the front door, she threw it open with all her weight.

There was no time to ponder her next move. She was covered in blood from stabbing Rovshan in the leg, and it had soaked into her dress. She knew that the moment he found her, he would kill her. There was no going back from stabbing the leader of the Nikitovich family.

Kara dashed down the stairs then took a left and ran down the street. The pavement tore her bare feet with each step. When the first shot sounded behind her, she ran in a zigzag motion. She spotted a Ford F150 parked at the red light. The stranger’s truck had to be better than anything behind her. She needed a ride to the police station, and then everything would be okay.

The next shot missed her by a sliver. She could feel the air swoosh next to her head. The windows to the truck were down. She didn’t have time to ask for a ride. Reaching through the window, she pulled the lever to the door and hoisted her fifteen-pound dress into the truck.

The bustle of the dress was so large that it was a challenge to close the door. Kara didn’t have time to look at the driver. She turned in the seat to see if Rovshan’s thugs were still chasing her. The moment she turned around, one of the thugs raised his gun. She could see his finger squeezing the trigger of the 9mm.

“Go!” she screamed.

Another shot rang through the air, breaking the back window.

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