Page 102 of Darkest Sin

I try to grab it but Liam lunges for it, getting on top of me and hitting me in the back. With a cough, I roll over, trying to get away, but he’s so much stronger than I am.

Mikahil kicks Liam right in the face, sending Liam sprawling to his back. He doesn’t get back up. If it weren’t for his ragged breaths, I would think he was dead.

“Come on,” Mikhail says, grabbing my arm and hauling me away from the warehouse.

We try to run but Mikhail is moving too slowly for it and I’m not strong enough to help him. I can barely keep his weight up.

I glance over my shoulder to see that no one is following us but that could change any moment when Nico and Cillian realize Mikhail isn’t there.

“We don’t have a car,” I gasp. “Or cell phones to call for help.”

Mikhail slows down until he stops walking altogether. “We need to be smart about this. Come on.” He tugs me towards the large shipping containers in the distance. “We can hide here.”

“But what if they find us? We need to leave, Mikhail. We need to get away from this place.”

“I know what I’m doing.” He grabs my face. “Do you trust me?”

I answer without any hesitation. “Of course I do.”

“Then trust me to do this.”

“But you’re hurt. You can barely walk. I’m hurt.” I realize that Liam hit me harder than I first thought. My stomach is pounding with pain with every step I take.

“And I’ll make those fuckers pay for ever hurting you but right now, we need to hide. We can’t outrun them. So come on.” Heleads me into the maze of shipping containers. We find one to hunker down behind and wait it out.

For a long moment, nothing happens.

And then I hear footsteps in the distance. I hear shouts of anger. Nico and Cillian don’t have us anymore but that could change at any moment.

The footsteps start to get closer to our hiding spot. Mikhail readies himself. Despite the obvious pain he’s in, he’s still going to fight. He’s doing it for me.

A man walks past the shipping container. One of Nico’s men. He doesn’t even see us until Mikhail smacks him in the head, knocking him to the ground. Mikhail quickly grabs the gun from the man and shoots him in the head. The gunshot echoes across the water. It’s going to draw more attention to us.

But the good news is that Mikhail searches the man’s pockets and finds a cell phone.

“Hurry,” he says, guiding me even deeper into the shipping containers. We hide behind another one as he makes a call. After a few tense seconds, someone answers. “Charlie, I need help. Natalya and I are stuck by the dock. Nico and Cillian are after us. We need a car to get out of here.” He listens for a few more seconds before he hangs up. “My guy, Charlie, is gonna come and get us. He’s close by so that’s working in our favor. We just have to make it.”

More footsteps start coming in our direction. The gunshot drew attention, like I knew it would. I’m not sure we’re going to make it out of here so I grab Mikhail’s face and kiss him with everything I have. I even ignore the way he winces from his cut cheeks. I don’t care. I need him to feel the love I have for him.

We part and stare at each other with heavy glances. If we weren’t in this situation, we’d probably be making love already. But we are in this situation and making love is the last thing on my mind. Staying alive is.

Mikhail’s eyes soften as he pushes my hair back. “Natalya.” There’s so much emotion in that one word. Passion and frustration and fear and… love.

“I promised I would keep you safe,” he says. “I’m going to keep that promise.”

“Don’t do anything reckless. Don’t give yourself up to save me. I can’t lose you.”

“If it means saving your life, I will die many times over.”

But Mikhail doesn’t get the chance to sacrifice himself to save me. The sound of police sirens fills the air and are coming closer to us. The footsteps I hear – Nico’s men and Cillian’s men – disperse. They run away, so not to get caught.

I breathe a sigh of relief but Mikhail doesn’t seem happy.

“The police,” he growls. “Even worse.”

“Even worse than Nico and Cillian?”

“If they catch us, yes. We won’t be killed. We’ll be arrested and I wasn’t made to spend the rest of my years in prison.”