Page 106 of Fierce Pursuit

“Go,” Gregor said. “We’ll split up. Mikhail, take the roof in case they get out of the building.”

Mikhail nodded and ran past me up the stairs, his sniper rifle strapped to his back.

I ran down the stairs, flight after flight, struggling to keep my focus and my feet straight as the stairs swirled around me. I had lost far too much blood, but it didn’t matter.

Blood could be replaced. Marina could not.

When I got to the bottom of the stairs, I had to stop for a moment, bracing my hand on the wall as the room spun and bile rose in my throat. I pushed it back down and headed to the lobby, straight to the banks of elevators.

The elevator car the dead men and Marina were on was on the second floor and heading to me.

Screams sounded around me as I pulled out my gunand aimed it toward the elevator, waiting for the gilded doors to slide open.

I was ready.

Two shots between the eyes and Marina would be safe.

Even if I couldn’t hold the gun steady, I could keep them trapped just long enough for Gregor and Damian to give me the backup I needed.

As soon as the doors opened, I would know that she was safe, that I had not failed her so completely.

Finally, a high-pitchedpingannounced the elevator’s arrival.

Gun aimed, I was ready to take action.

The doors opened to a family all wearing “I Heart New York” T-shirts, staring in horror at me.

The man, his eyes wide, didn’t move, but the woman was the one who acted. She grabbed her kids and yanked them behind her.

Fuck.

Without saying a word, I tucked my gun in my waistband and turned to the other elevator that was opening to reveal Damien and Gregor, armed and ready to fight.

They looked at me and I clenched my teeth, trying to hold back the rage threatening to break free, and let rationality take control.

“She’s gone.”

CHAPTER 29

MARINA

The elevator only went down four floors before the men pulled me from the car with the gun still held to my head and marched me through empty service hallways. I had no idea where we were going, but I knew it couldn’t be good.

Did Kostya even know about these elevators?

How was he going to save me in time?

I knew he would come for me. I just didn’t know if he would be fast enough.

The words the man whispered into my ear still burned, almost as bad as the sour stench of his breath. “It’s a good thing you like your sister’s sloppy seconds, because our boss can’t wait to get his hands on you.”

“I would sooner die than let anyone, especially a monster like Solovyov, touch me.”

“Death is definitely on the table for you, sweetheart,” he laughed. “But it’s not Solovyov who will deliver it. They sent Oleg.”

Oleg. The name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place it.

Was he another one of Veronika’s lovers? An enemy? Solovyov may have been the man that she saw the most, but I knew he wasn’t the only one. He was the most dangerous, the one I was most afraid of, but there were others.

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