Page 39 of Rusty's Command

Sienna gasped.

“Oh fuck!” Rusty said.

The woman’s unexpected move sent a shockwave through the room. Pandemonium erupted as the other women’s shrieks echoed off the walls.

“Get her!” Wang’s enraged bellow cut through the noise.

Four armed men materialized from the shadows. Their swift, predatory movements left no doubt of their intentions.

Sienna’s stomach twisted into a knot of ice, her heart slamming against her ribs. The woman had risked her life to save Pickle. That selfless courage made Sienna’s throat tight with equal parts gratitude and terror.

Rusty gripped her hand and yanked her back from the railing. “Let’s go,” he whispered, his eyes locked on hers. “This is the distraction we needed.”

Soda stood by his side, her ears perked up and alert as if excited to get into some action.

“Keep your head down.” Rusty pulled Sienna along the railing.

Soda moved in tandem with them, her eyes alternating between Rusty’s face and the balcony ahead.

Down below, the women scattered in all directions, and their screams echoed off the wooden stage and marble walls around them. The cacophony was deafening—panicked cries mixed with shouted commands as people fled. Through it all, Pickle’s desperate barks echoed from somewhere, each one more distant than the last like the woman was running down a hallway with him.

As Rusty pulled her down the stairs, Sienna gripped the railing, determined to stay on her feet. Soda padded silently beside them, her tail held low as if sensing the danger. Through the chaos, she caught glimpses of the stage where two men leveled their weapons at four women. The women huddledtogether, arms crossed over exposed skin, eyes darting wildly like trapped animals searching for escape.

Sienna’s heart hammered against her ribs as they reached the bottom. One woman’s gaze swept past her, but her face remained blank as if looking through empty space. Her vague reaction sent chills down Sienna’s spine.

As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Rusty yanked Sienna sideways behind a massive copper pot that held a giant palm tree. The pot’s shiny surface and the palm’s sprawling fronds provided a good hiding spot, and Soda squeezed in beside them, her eyes fixed on the hallway.

Across the hall, a matching copper vase, shoulder-high and gleaming in the dim light, reflected the distorted images of two men approaching with their rifles clutched tightly to their chests.

Rusty’s hand clamped around Sienna’s wrist, his silent grip urging her to stay put.

Her heart skidded to a halt as fear surged through her veins. The gunmen were moving quickly, their faces hard with purpose. If she or Rusty were spotted, if there was even the faintest scuffle, it would all be over. A noisy fight would draw everyone in the building straight to them. They’d never make it to the server room, and Pickle, and the brave woman who had risked everything to help them would die.

Sienna’s chest tightened, panic threatening to paralyze her. She couldn’t let that happen. Shewouldn’t. Time was running out and doing nothing wasn’t an option.

Her gaze darted to Rusty, then back to the men. They were too close. A distraction.

I need to create a distraction!

The thought crystallized in an instant. Her pulse hammered as she slipped free of Rusty’s grip. He shot her a sharp look, but there was no time to explain.

She leaned close to his ear and whispered, “I have a plan,” and before he could stop her, she stepped out from behind the vase with her heart pounding so hard she felt it in her throat. Her hips swayed in what she hoped was a casual stride, and she forced a bright, carefree smile onto her face.

“Hey, guys,” she said with a light and bubbly voice as she approached the two men. Every nerve screamed at her to run, but she pushed forward, clinging to the role she was creating. “Can you help me?”

The men froze, their grips tightening on their weapons. Their narrowed eyes swept over her and suspicion etched into every line of their faces.

“Who are you?” one of them growled, his tone sharp and laced with distrust.

Sienna giggled, flicking a dismissive hand as if the rifles aimed at her chest were an afterthought. “Oh, come on! Put those silly things away,” she said, tilting her head with a playful smile. Her voice was light and airy—everything she wasn’t feeling. Beneath the charade, her stomach churned, and her knees threatened to buckle, but she kept moving forward, every step a test of will.

“I’m Viktor’s niece, Stella. Nice to meet you guys. But my silly dog, Rex, ran away from me.” Her voice pitched high, trembling on the edge of panic as she fought to control it. “I think he ran through here. Have you seen him?”

She closed the distance between them, gesturing with her hands, forcing a carefree energy into her movements.

The men exchanged glances, and their expressions shifted between suspicion and confusion.

“Rex is so naughty.” She rolled her eyes with exaggerated exasperation. Her voice dipped into a breathy, almost flirtatious whisper. “He’s aboutthishigh.” She held her hands a foot apart,then with a delicate flutter of her fingers, pointed past them. “I think he went that way.”

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