Page 71 of Beautiful Enemy

I flush. I’ve always wanted to be like Anya and it seems now I’m becoming more like her. I just didn’t know it would take this situation to bring that part of me out.

“Let’s get you up,” I mumble. “We need to keep moving.”

Dante lets me pull him to his feet. He opens his lips like he wants to say something but then thinks better of it. “Let’s go.”

Now that he’s not dripping blood, it should be harder for Erik to find us. We go deeper into the museum. Where is the exit? Dante is getting weaker and weaker by the moment.

It dawns on me that if he gets too weak, he shouldn’t be able to overpower me. I could still try to make a run for it.

But that would mean leaving Dante to die. That’s something I should want and yet I just can’t seem to want it. I hate how I feel. My life was much more simple before Dante came along and got into my head.

We round another corner and there’s an exit. Only one guard stands by the door.

“Shit,” Dante mutters, pulling me behind him as we get back behind the wall.

“He probably has a gun like the other ones.”

“I can’t fight him off. I’m too weak.”

“Did you not bring your own gun?”

He arches a perfect eyebrow. “You want me to kill an innocent guard?”

“That’s not what I meant,” I say, flushing again. “I just meant you could use the gun to get him out of the way but don’t actually shoot him.”

“I don’t have a gun. There were metal detectors when we came in. I could never get a gun in here. My knife was easier to hide.”

“So, what do we do?” I glance behind me. So far, Erik hasn’t appeared but I don’t think it will take him long. He’s probably already called for backup at every exit. If we’re going to leave, it has to be now.

“You could distract him.”

“Distract him? How?”

“Use your womanly wiles.”

“Me… Dante, I can’t. I’ve never done that before. I don’t know how to flirt.”

“So innocent,” he murmurs. “Well, if you can’t do it, then that’s the end for me. Erik will find me. He’ll save you from me and I’ll be dead. Isn’t that what you want?”

“I don’t want you dead,” I say more passionately than I intend to.

“Why not? I thought you hated me.”

“I just don’t want to see more people die. That’s all.”

He pulls me in close to him. “If I didn’t know any better, Nadia, I would think that you liked me.”

“I…” I can’t lie. Dante gives me a knowing look before letting me go.

“Flirt with the guard. If you don’t want me dead, then you’re going to need to help me. Otherwise, we might as well wait for Erik to show up and kill me and set you free.” He tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear. I can’t help but shiver.

“I’m not going to be good at this.”

“It doesn’t matter. You just need to get him out of the way so I can escape. That’s all.”

“I shouldn’t want you to escape.”

“And yet, you do. So go,” he adds softly.

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