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JosephineThe cathedral felt nothing like ‘safe’.Its tall, arched ceilings stretched into darkness with broken stained glass casting broken shadows along the cracked stone floors. What used to be sacred now felt hollow and deserted.And yet… it was the safest place according to Sasha…At least, that’s what they told me.A dozen armed men guarded the perimeter outside with their silhouettes moving behind the broken windows.Evelyn was safe, she had balled her eyes out and apologized the moment she laid eyes on me. I was relieved she was okay, and also, Mila was here too, prowling around restlessly.And Sasha…I swallowed hard.Hours had passed since they took me from the chaos of that penthouse. Since I last saw him covered in blood, barely able to stand.My chest tightened.I threw the ball again. Mila barked happily, sprinting across the wide, empty hall, her paws echoing against the stone as she chased after it like nothing in the world was wrong.I forced a weak smile. “Good girl…
SashaA guttural groan escaped my throat as I eased into the leather passenger seat of the SUV. Every muscle in my body felt like it had been shredded and stitched back together with rusted wire.The movement sent a tug of pain to my temple, thrumming in sync with the heavy beat of my heart."Sasha, look at you." Sergei said, not putting the car in gear yet.He just stared at the blood matted into my hair and the way my hands were trembling against my knees."You’re pale. Your pupils are blown. Go to the hospital. I’ll go to the shipyard. I’ll handle the recovery. I’ll find Pavel."I didn't spare him a glance.My eyes were locked on the side mirror, watching the back of Josephine’s head as two of my trusted men guided her through the chaos. A massive crowd had already gathered around the sidewalk where Gustav’s body lay, a broken, twisted heap of meat. The spectators were a perfect shield.While the gawkers and the amateur photographers focused on the gore on the pavement, my men wov
SashaThe world went white.A searing, blinding flash of heat scorched the side of my head, followed by a sound so loud, I was thrown backward. For a heartbeat, there was nothing but the high-pitched, steady whine of a flatlining pulse in my ears.Am I dead?I felt the wetness first. It was a hot, rhythmic gush that painted the side of my face and neck. I reached up, my fingers trembling, and felt the jagged, raw furrow where the bullet had plowed through the skin and muscle of my temple.A fraction of an inch to the left, and my brains would be decorating the mahogany floorboards.Through the ringing, a sound pierced the veil. A muffled, strangled scream.Kratoska.The sound of her terror acted like a jumper cable to my heart. I rolled onto my stomach, red blurring my vision. Blood was pouring into my eye, blurring the world into a fractured, scarlet nightmare, but through the haze, I found Sergei.He was crouched behind the kitchen island, his eyes wide, locked on the blood masking m
Sasha"The old shipyard." Katya whispered.My body tensed as I remembered that familiar abandoned warehouse. Silence followed on the other end of the line, heavy, like she was waiting for a reaction from me.I didn't wait for her to play more games. While her shallow breathing crackled through the speaker, I held the phone away for a fraction of a second, catching Sergei’s eye.‘Trace it,’ I mouthed.Sergei was already diving for his laptop, his fingers flying across the keys. I brought the phone back to my ear, my voice dropping so low it vibrated off my chest."The clock is ticking, Katya. Every second you waste is a second closer to the moment I stop looking for her and start hunting you."Katya scoffed, chuckling menacingly. "Sector Seven. The warehouse with the rusted crane." She sighed dramatically before continuing."It’s poetic, don't you think, Sasha? Where we used to hide away from your father's men... now it’s where Josephine will take her last breath."I tightened my fist a
Sasha “Explain.”The word tore out of me low and rough, my stare locked onto Evelyn.She flinched.“I- I’m so sorry.” she whispered, arms folding around herself as if she could hold herself together. “Jo only came with me because she didn’t want me going out alone- ”Her voice cracked. Tears spilled over and an ugly, broken sob ripped from her chest, her shoulders caving as she struggled to breathe through it.I felt my patience snap.This was not the time.Crying wouldn’t bring Josephine back. Panic wouldn’t help because every second mattered, especially the first twenty-four hours.I turned sharply and stormed across the apartment. The chair scraped loudly against the floor as I passed, the sound making Evelyn jolt.“Sasha-” she gasped.Pavel moved instantly.He stepped between us without hesitation, one arm spreading out protectively in front of Evelyn, his posture rigid and ready.I stopped short.For a split second, my brows furrowed, taking in Pavel’s immediate action to protec
JosephineBurning.That was the first thing I felt, like someone had poured acid into my eyes, my nose, my throat. A strangled gasp ripped out of me as I jerked awake but my eyelids felt so heavy.Each blink felt like sandpaper scraping, with tears trickling uncontrollably down my cheeks. My nostrils throbbed, and throat felt hot and severely dehydrated, every breath was painful.“Ah…” I croaked out.The air was thick and pungent with rust, mold and something else that was definitely decaying. I gagged immediately, turning my head to the side as bile clawed up my throat.My stomach twisted painfully, throat burning from the acid and bile but there was no product of my retching. I blinked again, forcing my eyes to focus through the tears.A concrete ceiling stained with ugly brown and black streaks. Exposed pipes above me, dripping something onto the floor somewhere close by. The sound of water hitting puddles echoed softly around me.Everything smelled damp…“-Where…?” My voice cracked
Josephine The world blurred around me, as I crossed the street with fast lunges. Dr Oliver seemed to notice this and began shuffling back before walking faster, slipping between pedestrians.My pulse screamed in my ears, fear coursing through my veins but I was fed up with being stalked by everyone
JosephineI catch on to the laughter that echoes from the kitchen. Ev hasn’t laughed as hard as this before and it wasn’t the fake one she gave whenever she wanted to get laid.This one was genuine…A small sly smile stretched on my lips as I crept down the stairs discretely, listening in on the two
SashaThe sharp scent of antiseptic and the steady beeping of a monitor were the first things that dragged me back to consciousness…I tried to shift, but a dull, searing pain shot up my side, forcing a low grunt out of me. My throat burned when I tried to swallow, squinting from the white lights ab
Josephine The familiar ceiling of my room was the first thing I noticed when I blinked awake, my vision hazy and head pounding like I’d been hit by a brick. My throat felt raw, and gosh, my eyes burned, dry and heavy, like I’d cried for hours.For a few seconds, I just lay there, staring up, trying







