Page 108 of Scarlet Sins

It’s enough to stumble free. I run, shouts and murmurs rising from the people outside the club. I head to the entrance where Alina and Kara are coming for me. “Watch out! They have a gun!”

Pandemonium sets in and screams echo all around as I run into my friend’s arms.

Demyan’s men appear, weapons drawn, and they rush the men, trying to disarm them.

Guns go off, and I gulp in air, seeing two of Demyan’s men fall dead as Kara and Alina drag me back in.

People are running everywhere but the guns keep shooting until they end abruptly, and Kara screams. “They’re coming.”

Alina grabs us, dragging us behind the bar and we rush, following the bartender out through an employee exit and into the night.

I can’t breathe, and tears are blurring my eyes, my ears ring with the shouts and shots.

Kara flags a taxi, and we bundle in Alina, shouting out our hotel’s name.

I should be helping, I know that, but my thoughts are everywhere. Who the hell were those men? And is my son safe?

“What if they know where we’re staying?”

But Alina’s on the phone to Olga. “Get Sasha, grab a bag, and meet us in front.”

“Is it safe?” I swing my head wildly from Alina to Kara, but Alina squeezes my arm as the taxi pulls up in front of thehotel and Olga, Sasha, and two bags squish in the back with us.

“Where to?” the driver asks.

Alina rattles off an address and hands him a pile of money. “More if you get us there unseen and as fast as you can.”

“Are we safe?” I ask as a crying Sasha scrambles over the others to me.

I hold him tight and try and breathe.

“We’re safe, we’re going to be safe.” Alina makes a call. “We used to holiday here all the time so I know people. More importantly, we’re going to a safe house and the staff there are waiting. We can trust them.”

And the driver, I want to ask, can we trust him? But I don’t because while she’s paying him a lot of money, I don’t want to know what’ll happen.

Instead, I reassure Sasha, who’s terrified.

“It’s okay, it’s okay, we’re going on an adventure.”

He hugs his turtle and goat and me, big eyes taking everything in. “Dino?”

“He’ll be here soon,” I whisper, “Daddy’ll be here soon.”

We turn onto a bumpy road, and the driver suddenly pulls over in the darkness.

That’s when I see two headlights flash. Two big men appear and one pays the driver more money, and they help us out of the car. We wait as the cab turns and drives out of view.

Then we’re piled into a big SUV.

“We’re heading to the safe house now. We had to do the transfer here because, even if they get to the driver, pay him more money, and he talks, he doesn’t know anything other than this spot and we could go in any direction from here.”

Kara stares at Alina. “You’re as bad-ass as your brother.”

“I’m not,” she says, “I just know the drill.” Then she sighs. “I’ve texted Ilya and Demyan.” She holds her phone to herear, then leaves a message in Russian. She does this a few times.

“Has he picked up?” I ask as I try to keep the panic from my voice.

But Alina shakes her head. “Straight to voicemail, both of them, but they’ll get these and we’ll keep trying.”

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