Page 54 of Unforgiving Saint (Starukhin Bratva)

I hurry through the penthouse and notice there are fewer guards. Pavel and the rest must have gone with Nikolai. A recruit who looks younger than me checks the locks at every entry pointas a staff member follows behind. My gaze meets Dominika’s for a second, and she gives me a subtle nod. Her expression is reserved, as usual, but there is a tightness around her mouth. We both think alike now, and I can’t shake the feeling that something terrible is about to happen.

I run up the spiral staircase to find Mercy, and she’s not in her room. She’s been given privileges since our meeting with Uncle Vito and is allowed access to certain rooms. I hurry back down the stairs and practically run toward the natatorium on the lower level.

I reach the door to the pool as a muffled crash echoes through the penthouse.

24

EDEN

My heart plummetsand my knees tremble—I don’t like that sound.

“Mercy!” I burst into the natatorium, finding her floating in the pool. She has on my yellow two-piece, and a speaker blasts Taylor Swift. I shut the music off, and she glances toward me.

“Edie?” Mercy’s face clouds with confusion. “What’s going on? You look pale.”

At that moment, there’s another loud crash on the floor above us. Something, or somebody, has hit the floor hard enough to shake it. Wide-eyed, Mercy stares at me for answers. “Edie, what the fuck is going on?”

“Something is wrong!” I hiss. “We need to get out of here!”

Mercy swims to the pool’s edge and leaps out of the water, grabbing her beach towel. I take her hand and pull her toward the door. We still have time before whoever is upstairs decides to search the lower floors.

But footsteps pound the landing above us, and there is no time.

I grab Mercy, pulling her along the gray hallways that transform into a treacherous labyrinth.

“We’ll take the emergency stairs in the back,” I whisper. “But we need to move fast.”

I lead the way, ignoring the sounds of gunshots and screams. Nikolai said he would protect me and the baby, and I snapped at him.I see all this and wonder if my dad told my mother the same thing.

Footsteps quickly approach from behind us, but they’re too soft and careful to be an intruder. I look behind us as Dominika turns the corner, holding a cleaver from the kitchen. I stop long enough to sigh with relief.

Sternly, Dominika presses a finger to her lips, ordering me to be quiet and keep going. Our feet slap on the tiled floors, but I can hear heavier footsteps down the hallway. Panic threatens to trip me up, but I push it away as angry shouts come closer.

I glance over my shoulder, and Dominika has stopped running. Her gaze turns wild as she holds her body still. She wavers on her feet as if she’s battling her will.

“Go!” she whispers loudly. “I’ll buy you some time!”

“Dominika, no!” I whisper. “It’s too dangerous.”

“Don’t argue with me,koshka!Get out of here while you still can,” she says. “For the baby.”

Mercy grabs my arm and yanks me along. I have to run, or I’ll stumble and fall to the floor. We continue running, but just as we round a far corner, we hear a gunshot behind us and then a scream. It’s Dominika’s. My heart plummets as my feet stop.I pull against Mercy’s tight hold, but she grabs me with both hands, forcing me not to run back.

“Edie, we have to keep going,” she says. “We can’t do anything for her.”

“I can’t leave her there!” My mind races as I try to think of something, anything, I can do. “Mercy, go ahead and find the emergency exit. I’ll catch up. I have to help her.”

“Like hell you—” she protests, but I cut her off.

“Go! I won’t be long,” I insist, turning back toward the sound of Dominika’s cries.

“No!” Mercy’s grip tightens on my arm, turning it white. “If she’s dying, she’s dying for you! Don’t make her efforts be in vain! Now come on!”

Mercy yanks me hard, and my feet start running again. But we’ve lost our lead, and whoever is behind us is closer now. We don’t have time to make it to the exit door, but we can still hide.

“Stay close,” I whisper, grabbing her hand and heading toward the studio door.

My fingers fumble with the key in the lock. I feel taunted, knowing safety is on the other side of that door. My fingers are shaking, and I fumble the key again.

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