Page 185 of Only for Him
But when we reach the door, I stop. Giselle’s presence behind me is steady and certain. I lock eyes with her once more.
“No matter what happens, you keep yourselfsafe,” I order.
“Roman—”
“No,” I hiss, frustration rising in my chest. This is not the time for her to defy me. “You’re walking out of this building alive and unharmed, no matter what. Understood?”
“Okay,” she rolls her eyes and I can’t fight a little smile. I expect nothing less from her. “I promise to let you kill Pavel, and I promise to keep myself safe.”
I push open the door, the hinges creaking like bones. The darkness inside swallows us whole.
A narrow beam of moonlight slips through a cracked window, casting eerie shadows along the walls. My senses are heightened. I can taste the tension and hear whispers of danger curling around me.
Giselle stays close. I feel her behind me like a second pulse. Steady. Ready. My little viper, poised to strike.
We slip down the hallway, boots silent against old wood. Then: I hear it. Voices. Close.
I throw out a hand to stop her. Two bodyguards. One room over.
The first guard barely has time to react before I’m on him. My arm snaps around his throat, dragging him backward into the dark. His struggles fade as I squeeze tighter.
Crack.
His neck gives under my grip like dry wood.
The other guard turns at the sound, hand flying to his hip. Too late. I’m on him too.
The scuffle is fast and brutal. Instinct takes over as I save my adrenaline for Pavel. The gun clatters to the floor and I shovehim against the wall. A fist to his gut puts him on his knees, and then I start kicking his face in.
He crumples, and I leave him behind, panting.
Giselle.
She steps forward as if reading my mind, her eyes firelight in the dark. She’s ready. Brave. So fucking beautiful it hurts.
And I almost grab her. Almost tell her to run while she still has the chance.
Because right at that moment, Pavel’s laugh echoes from down the hall.
The sound tunnels through me like a bullet to the spine.
My grip tightens around the knife at my side.
Adrenaline is a cold fire in my veins, igniting every rage-fueled thought that has been building ever since I heard him laugh like that in Chechnya.
He laughed like that once, and then after that, Anastasia screamed.
My mind is a void where atrocities drift by like smoke.
At the door, my hand closes around the knob. This has been a long time coming.
And now that it’s here…
“Roman.” Giselle’s voice is low, a sharp reminder to stay focused. Her hand is steady on my arm, and I relish the warmth even as my thoughts spiral.
I nod, my nerves tinted with fear for her, and gratitude that she’s here.
I always pictured myself doing this alone.
