Page 115 of Velvet Chains
Got to get to my phone. It’s in the bedroom. If I can just call Victor…
“Okay,” I say, my voice trembling. “Okay, I’ll come with you. Just… just don’t hurt me, please.”
Dimitry’s shoulders sag with relief, but the scarred man narrows his eyes, suspicious. “Why the sudden change of heart, princess?” he asks, his tone mocking.
“I’m afraid you’ll hurt… us,” I say hoarsely. “Stress isn’t good in my…my condition.” I put a hand on my belly. It’s a gamble, playing on their sympathy, but it’s all I have. For a moment, I see something flicker in Dimitry’s eyes—guilt, maybe, or regret.
The scarred man just snorts. “Smart girl,” he says, reaching for me. “Now come here, nice and easy.”
As his fingers close around my wrist, I move. With a cry of desperation, I lunge forward, plunging the kitchen knife into his thigh with all my strength.
He howls in pain, his grip loosening. I wrench free, adrenaline pumping through my veins as I race for the door.
“Stop her!” the man roars behind me, his voice tight with agony.
I don’t look back, don’t hesitate. I barrel through the kitchen door, my bare feet slapping against the cold marble of the foyer.
Up the stairs! my mind screams. Get to the bedroom, lock the door. Call for help.
I’m halfway up the grand staircase when I hear them behind me, their footsteps pounding, their curses echoing off the high ceilings.
“Laura!” Dimitry shouts, his voice ragged. “Stop! You’re only making it worse!”
Tears blur my vision as I run, my lungs burning, my legs trembling with exhaustion. I’m so close, the bedroom door just a few feet away.
I stumble inside, slamming the door shut and fumbling with the lock. My hands are shaking so badly it takes me three tries to turn the key.
The phone, where’s the fucking phone?
I scramble to the nightstand, snatching up the cell phone. But before I can even unlock the screen, I hear the door explode from downstairs.
In no time, the scarred man stands by the stairs, his face twisted with fury. Blood soaks his pant leg where I stabbed him, but he doesn’t seem to feel it.
He stalks toward me, his eyes glittering with malice. “You fucking cunt,” he snarls. “You’re going to pay for that.”
I back away, my heart in my throat. I’m trapped, nowhere to run.
Help, I pray silently, clutching my belly. Someone help us, please.
He’s on me in an instant, his hands wrapping around my throat. I claw at him, gasping for air, black spots dancing in my vision.
Dimly, I barely register the panic in Dimitry’s voice as he begs, “No, no, you can’t do this! Do you know who I am?” His words cut off with the muffled sound of a gunshot, followed by a heavy thud. And it’s too late.
The last thing I feel is a sharp pain as the man with the scar grips my hair, and then the world tilts when his fist connects with my face.
Then everything goes dark.
Chapter 46
Laura
“SUKA, CAN’T handle a pussy?” The voice is harsh, mocking as it cuts through the dark, yanking me awake. My eyes are heavy, but I pry them open. I’m in a dimly lit space, the light barely enough to make out anything.
What- what’s going on?
Pain explodes in my jaw, sharp and brutal. I taste blood, metallic and sharp, on my inner cheeks. The pain is nothing compared to the terror gripping me.
Oh, no, no, no!
