Page 39 of Shadows of the Past
For a fleeting moment, Martin’s voice echoes in my head, a memory, and I take one deep breath.
The next instant, the man lunges at me like a predator closing in on its prey. Luckily, I drop low just in time and dart toward the doorway—but before I can make it out completely, his hand clamps around my ankle.
I hit the floor hard on my stomach as his laughter fills the room, like nails on a chalkboard. My ribs take most of the impact, and I can already feel a nasty bruise forming where they collided with the floorboards.
He kneels down, gripping my ankle tighter, but before he can do anything else, my foot connects with his chin in one sharp kick. The satisfying crack of pain escapes his mouth as he reels back slightly.
It’s not much but it’s enough for now.
“I’ll make sure they tear you in half, doll!” he snarls.
I don’t answer because I can’t waste time. Akim’s words from yesterday echo in my mind, instructions on how to use my agility if I ever need to escape someone. My movements are clumsy, unsteady, but I manage to wrench myself free. The force of it nearly sends me tumbling forward, but I catch myself and bolt.
Then, I feel it: a crushing weight slamming into my back. My chest skids across the hallway floor as I realize he’s tackled me.
He flips me over with ease and pins my wrists above my head. His face hovers inches from mine, blood dripping from his mouth, and for some reason, maybe defiance or sheer madness, I smile.
The slap comes out of nowhere. I don’t even register it until the sting spreads across my cheek, my head snapping to the side from the force and I know it’ll leave a nasty mark.
A small whimper escapes me before I can stop it, and I hate myself for that moment of weakness. My entire head feels like it’s spinning from the blow, and his face blurs in and out of focus.
No. No. No! NOT AGAIN!
Panic and adrenaline surge through me, and somehow, one of my hands slips free from his grip. My instincts take over—I have to get him off me.
My nails dig into his eye, harder than I thought possible, until I’m sure I’m seconds away from gouging it out completely. Hisscream of agony is deafening as he jerks back, clutching his face in pain.
I don’t wait to see what happens next. I wriggle out from under him and run as fast as my legs will carry me.
His shouts echo behind me, but all I can focus on is the trembling in my legs, the sweat slicking my palms, and the rhythmic throbbing in my face where he hit me.
Akim. I have to find Akim.
I dash toward the staircase leading to the first floor. When I reach the bottom, I glance back to check how far behind he is.
He’s at the top of the stairs now, blood smeared across his chin and neck as he yells my name like a curse.
I turn back around to keep running, only to slam into something solid.
My hands instinctively press against a black T-shirt as a familiar scent fills my senses: rosemary, bergamot, cedarwood. Relief crashes over me so hard that tears prick at my eyes.
I look up, and there they are: gray eyes staring down at me with an intensity that makes everything else fade away.
Maksim.
His gaze flicks from my face to the top of the stairs where my attacker stands frozen, bloodied and trembling now that Maksim is here.
“Maksim,” I whisper, barely audible, but he hears me. He stops for a moment and turns back toward me.
Before I can process what’s happening, his pinky brushes against mine, a fleeting touch that feels like a silent promise:I’m here now. It’s going to be okay.
The next thing I know, Maksim pulls a gun from his waistband and fires without hesitation, hitting the asshole square in the knee.
The man screams in agony as he collapses down the stairs in a heap.
“Start talking, Gregory,” Maksim growls through gritted teeth.
I’ve heard people say someone’s eyes can go dark with rage, but until now, I’d never seen it happen for real. The light gray of Maksim’s irises has deepened into something stormy and dangerous. My heart pounds so hard it feels like it might burst, not because of the man bleeding on the floor, but because of Maksim.
