Page 171 of Blood & Snow

When my knees go weak, he uses his free hand to grab me by the hair and hold me up.

Pain shoots down my neck and back and I yelp, but he doesn't relent.

I continue to be dragged farther down the hallway until he stops at a back door.

It's steel, with a deadbolt and a chain.

He unlocks it and pushes it open.

Cold air rushes in, biting at my face.

The alley we step into is narrow and filled with trash.

Dumpsters line the walls.

Snow covers the ground.

The blond one shoves me forward, and I stumble into the snow.

My hands hit the ground as I brace myself and the cold burns my palms.

"Where are we going?" I ask.

"Shut up."

He pulls me to my feet and pushes me toward a van parked at the end of the alley.

The older man's already there, opening the back doors so the blond one can shove me inside.

I fall onto the floor, my shoulder hitting metal, and pain shoots down my arm.

They climb in after me, jostling the entire vehicle and the doors slam shut.

I sit up and look around as the engine starts.

There are no windows or seats. Just metal walls and darkness.

The van lurches forward, and I grab the side to steady myself.

"Where are you taking me?" I ask.

"Shut up," the blond one says again.

I don't shut up because I need to know.

I need tounderstand what they're planning.

"Xander is going to come. It doesn't matter how many times you move me."

The older man smiles and just like Sokolov's grin, it's cold and empty.

"He'll come. We're going to tell him exactly where you are."

My stomach drops as I realize they're moving me somewhere Xander can reach, somewhere he'll walk into without thinking.

Somewhere he'll die.

I have to get out.