Page 187 of Gilded Cage (Kovalyov Bratva 1)

“Esme.”

I stop. I stare at my hand, suspended in mid-air, the blade of my knife dripping with blood that looks too red and thick to be real.

“It’s okay now,” he says gently. His hand reaches for mine.

He plucks the blade from my clenched fingers and throws it to the side. His hands come around my shoulders and he pivots me around to face him.

He looks so unbelievable calm that for a moment I wonder if I’ve dreamed the entire nightmarish fight.

But then my eyes zero in on the blood dripping from his face and clothes. I look down at my own hands that is splattered with the same ruby red.

It doesn’t feel real. None of it.

“Come on, Esme,” Artem says softly, as he pulls me through the destroyed living room. “It’s time to go.”

He pulls me to my feet and loops an arm around my waist to keep me up. I feel nauseous again, but I hold it down as we make our way over the dead bodies of the soldiers and out of the apartment.

We get to the corner of the hallway and turn towards the elevator lobby.

And then we both freeze in our tracks.

A fifth Bratva soldier stands in front of the elevator doors. This one is dressed like all the others, but he has removed his face mask to reveal heavy-set features, dark, bushy hair, and unsettlingly light eyes.

And he’s got a gun held against Tamara’s head.

52

Esme

My cousin’s face is screwed up in terror, her eyes wide, panicked, and brimming with tears. She’s mumbling under her breath, begging for her life, her eyes darting between Artem and me.

The soldier keeps her body in front of his. His arm is clenched around her neck, while his sweaty hands grip and regrip the gun pressed to her temple.

“Leonid,” Artem says, making sure to position himself right in front of me. “I’m not surprised.”

The man’s face contorts into an ugly sneer. “Take one more step and I’ll blow her fucking brains out.”

“No!” I cry at the same time that Tamara lets out an anguished shriek, more tears flying down her cheeks.

“Shut the fuck up,” Leonid huffs, tightening his grip on Tamara’s forearm.

She trembles, crying unintelligibly, her face paler and more desperate than I’ve ever seen it.

I still can’t quite wrap my head around the fact that she sold me out. But even that doesn’t make me enjoy the sight of her like this.

“I mean it,” Leonid says. “I will kill this bitch if you try anything.”

Artem is quiet for a second. Then he shrugs. “Kill her.”

Tamara whimpers at his words. I reach for Artem’s arm in horror, but he pushes me back roughly.

“Let us walk out of here,” Artem counters, “and I’ll let you live.”

“You’re in no position to bargain,” Leonid snarls.

“Oh, I’m not bargaining,” Artem replies. “I’m walking out of this building either way. You on the other hand have two options. Resist and die or move aside and live.”

“Cocky bas—”

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