Page 108 of Dance with Death

Red from her forehead all the way to her bare feet.

Her arms slowly fall to her sides and her fingertips slip from their grip over Kostya’s. Her sapphire eyes blink, a blue light shining out from the crimson coating that frames them.

Fuck.

She just killed Vigo.

“Anya!” Nikolai snaps, but she just stares. “We have to go.Now.”

I take her by the hand and drag her away.

Together, we run.

I grip her elbow as we reach the staircase, worried she might fall in her tortured state. But her adrenaline must be furious inside her because she keeps the pace with ease. The party is still going on downstairs, but people are moving. We’re not the only ones on the staircase and there’s talk of a gunshot.

They’d heard, but Nikolai’s status ensures we aren’t questioned by the passing guests who don’t serve on the board. He moves in front of Anya as Kostya and I flank her sides. She’s the bloodiest of all of us, and only wearing a man’s dress shirt, so we all silently agree she needs to be hidden. We slow our pace to descend the steps but people are looking, taking notice.

I focus my rampant burst of energy on protecting Anya, following Nikolai, and getting the fuck out of here. Somehow, we make it to the front door and because we’re with Nikolai, the guards let us pass. But as we pick up our pace again outside, we hear the chaos erupt inside.

“Which car?” I ask Nikolai quickly.

We rush along the row of parked black SUVs that all look the same to me. He points at a vehicle, only two car-lengths away now, as we pass the fountain in the center of the paved square.

Kostya jogs ahead, the SUV flashes its lights as he unlocks it with the key fob in his hand. I catch Anya by the elbow as she stumbles with our fast pace, weak and weary. I stop and bend with her as she doubles over, my arm across her back. She cringes and makes a face as she presses her hand to her belly.

“Are you okay?”

“Just a stomach pain, I’m fine,” she rushes her words.

The moment before we straighten together, just before we rise to our heights, a gunshot rings out, a bullet whizzing by and striking the car in front of us. I wrap both arms around Anya, pulling her in front of me to cover her from the gunfire as it rings out again and again.

Nikolai turns back, coming after us. He grabs Anya’s arm and pulls but I don’t want to let go of her. Still, I won’t let my pride get in the way of her safety, so I relinquish my hold and I push my hand against the small of her back, shoving her forward as Nikolai pulls.

As we run away, Kostya turns and runs back toward the house, pointing Vigo’s gun at the person firing at us. It’s one of the guards we passed at the front door—he must have been alerted about the discovery of Vigo’s body upstairs.

“Go!” Kostya yells, tossing the car keys in our general direction as he shoots.

“Get the keys!” Nikolai demands.

I let go of Anya and turn back, taking two quick steps and bend to pick them up from where they landed on the ground. As I rise, Kostya falls, his shoulder jerking back, nearly spinning him all the way around before he lands.

He screams out his agony on a single syllable, “Go!”

“Shit!” I chase after Anya, positioning myself behind her to protect her as multiple guns crackle the air with violence.

We have to leave Kostya—he’s too far from us now to help him and he’s not the one we need for survival. I shove down the twinge of guilt that arises, knowing that he tried to help us. I’ll let it grip me later when we’re not in immediate danger.

We make it to the car and just as I reach for the handle, Nikolai and Anya go down—he falls and she’s dragged down on top of him. Blood sprays and Anya screams. My pulse pounds, my ears ring, there’s a terrified moment where I just stand and look in horror, not sure who’s been hit or where.

Then Anya stands, unharmed.

She only fell because Nikolai dragged her down with his grip.

Nikolai gasps, blood spilling from somewhere in his midsection. The part of me that’s wanted him dead for so long cheers, but then fear grips me. If he dies, there is no escaping the Vittoris. He’s the only person who can get us off these grounds and Ihaveto take Anya away from here. If we don’t escape now, we’ll both die here.

“Get in the car,” I tell her as I pull open the back door and grab Nikolai beneath his arms.

I use the strength that only adrenaline could grant me to hoist him from the ground. Anya runs around the car, climbing into the back seat and reaches across. My beautiful, exhausted, malnourished blue-eyed girl finds some strength left to help me do what needs to be done. Our eyes catch for a single moment as I shove and she pulls. We feed each other in our gaze—fortify our collaboration, solidify our connected determination to survive this.

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