Page 72 of Innocent Bratva Twins

I shake the picture away.

Where would she go?

She’s on foot. I don’t know of any friends that she has in town. She doesn’t have family. She has to go home, even if only for a short while. I think Luka is right. She has to go home before she can plot out her next move.

I run from my apartment, wanting to catch up with Luka.

Chapter 20 - Serafina

I escaped about forty minutes ago and managed to hide in the laundry room downstairs in Nico’s building. I’ve been crouched and hidden, peeking through a window that looks out onto the street, to make sure Luka didn’t follow me and that Nico wasn’t right there lurking in the shadows. I can only just make out what is going on at street level because the laundry room is beneath the building. The windows are small, but it’s okay; it's helping me feel safer.

But the longer I wait, the more anxious I get, because the only thought spinning in my head is that I have no idea where to go.

I can’t sit here, hiding in the laundry room, forever.

When I see Nico’s car pulling into the underground parking lot, I feel ill.

He’s home now. Does he know I’m gone yet? Is Luka awake?

Guilt pushes through me, thinking about how I stole the keys from Luka and how angry Nico will be with him. It’s not Luka’s fault, though; it’s Nico’s for trapping me in there. Even his sisters could see how wrong it was.

My anxiety thickens.

It’s now or never, Serafina.You have to make a choice. And once it’s made, you have to stick to it. I’ve already been hiding for too long. I should have run straight out of the building and just kept going. Somewhere, anywhere—just move.

I’ve never done this before, though. I’ve never had to escape from anything or anyone before. I’ve never been kidnapped and held prisoner before.

This is crazy and wild, and I havenoidea what I’m doing.

I climb out from behind the machines and run up the stairs to the foyer, my eyes darting in all directions, waiting for someone to leap out at me.

I jog through the wide glass doors and out into bright daylight, squinting against it.

My mind is racing a million miles an hour as I stand on the street outside Nico’s apartment block.

Left? Right? Straight?

Where the hell am I going?

I have nowhere to go except home. That’s the first place he will think to look for me, but I have things that I need there if I’m going on the run.

Should I go back inside and hide? Should I call the police? Should I try and find Jade? Would she help me?

Tears spring to my eyes and I turn left, change my mind and turn right again.

My throat tightens and I can’t breathe.

The air is too thick. The sunlight is too bright. It’s too cold. My head is spinning.

I turn back towards the building, wanting to shout for help, but there isn’t anyone to call.

Panic surges again and I clutch at my chest, which is spiking with pain.

Dropping to my knees, I hit the pavement, and agony shoots through my legs.

A dark figure comes running towards me, but I don’t know if it’s good or bad. I don’t know if I’m going to be okay. I don’t know if this person is with me or against me.

I try to fight the black weight of fear and pain, but the world spins around me and pulls me down, down into darkness. My thoughts fade and I fall to the ground, unconscious.