Page 34 of Darkest Sin

“Get my uncle.”

With a heavy sigh, he walks into the kitchen and a moment later, Uncle Denis comes walking out, with a big smile on his face.

“Natalya. How nice to see you again.”

“Let my sisters go.”

“Or what? You’ll shoot me? You don’t even know how to use that thing.”

My sisters congregate on the stairs.

“Natalya,” Irina cries while Sasha shushes her. Ana tries walking towards me but Sasha holds her back. She’s had to be the big sister since I left.

“I’m here to save you,” I tell them while I keep my eye on Denis. “I’m taking them with me and you can’t stop me.”

“I am not a danger to them, Natalya.”

“You’re going to force them to marry men they don’t want to marry. Youarea danger to them.”

My mom appears from the kitchen, her eyes wide when she takes in what’s going on. “Natalya.”

“I’m here to save all of you,” I tell her.

“No,” she says. “You have a chance to be safe. Leave. Before Denis hurts you.”

“But he’s going to hurt you and my sisters.”

“We can handle ourselves. Just save yourself. Please.”

Denis crosses his arms, giving me a smug smile that makes me want to shoot him on principal. “Listen to your mother.”

“I have a gun pointed at you,” I remind him.

“Yes. And my guard can easily disarm you. If you don’t want to be a prisoner here, Natalya, then you should go.” It’s a threat.

“No. I’m taking my sisters with me.” And that’s when I shoot. The bullet lands in Denis’s shoulder, shocking him as he rocks backward. It shocks me too. I actually shot someone. I’ve never done that before.

In my shock, the guard grabs the gun from me and shoves me to the side.

“Natalya!” Mom shouts, running over to my side.

“She shot me,” Denis mutters. “She actually fucking shot me.”

“I could have shot you in the head,” I say. “That was a warning. Let my sisters go.”

“But you don’t have the gun anymore,” he says, nodding at his guard. “Lock her up with the rest of them.”

“Natalya, go now,” Mom says, pushing me towards the front door.

“Grab her,” Denis snarls at his guard but I open the door and run outside before he can. Todd is still there with his own gun drawn.

“Don’t,” he says to Denis’s guard. “Natalya, get in the car.”

I hurry to the car and Todd follows and we drive away.

I tried to save my sisters and I just made it a lot worse.

I pace around the bedroom, knowing that Mikhail is going to hear about this and be upset. But how upset? I’ve never seen him truly angry with me before. Will he seriously hurt me? I’m about to find out how bad my husband can be.