Page 76 of Savage Little Secret

I point the gun upward and fire, the bullet tearing up through his chin and out the top of his head. His blood rains down on me, making me grimace and squeeze my eyes shut as the smell fills my nose.

Enrico’s body topples off me, hitting the ground with a loud thud.

“Fuck,” I breathe out as I push myself to my feet. His blood is hot and sticky on my skin as it rolls down my face and arms.

But all I’m thinking about is getting down into that basement.

I rush to the door and peer down a flight of stairs that leads to a basement. My ears pick up the man’s voice.

“What did you do, you little bitch?”

My throat tightens. She’s down there.

I storm down the stairs, skipping more than the amount I actually step on. I make it to the bottom in record time just as I see Cara rise from a chair, a cut rope falling onto the floor behind her.

With a shout, she pulls out a shard of glass from behind her back and stabs the man in the crook of his neck and shoulder.

He shouts in pain and claws at his neck, blood spilling from the cut. It’s probably a survivable injury if he puts pressure on it, but he won’t get the chance to. I lift my gun and fire, making the guard hit the floor. Silent. Still.

Cara whips around toward me, her eyes meeting mine. Shock and disbelief ripples across her face as she stares at me like she doesn’t know if I’m even real or not. “Dmitri…”

There’s so much that I want to say to her right now, but I can still hear gunfire upstairs. This place isn’t safe for her. I’ve got to get her out of here.

Without a word, I stride toward her, pick her up, and carry her out of the basement.

28

Cara

I can’t stop staring up at Dmitri as he holds me in his arms, like if I blink, he’ll vanish.

I dreamed about this moment and hoped with every fiber in my being for it to happen. There were moments when I thought it never would, and there’s a part of me that’s pretty sure I’m hallucinating, dreaming, or dead.

“Dmitri,” I say again once we reach the top of the stairs. I can’t help but gently brush my fingertips against his cheek, flecks of dried blood covering his face and arms.

He’s warm. His stubble tickles my fingers.

He’s real.

“I’ve got you,” he tells me as he lingers in the doorway, his eyes darting back and forth as chaos unfolds in the house.

My throat tightens as a sob of relief threatens to rise up it. I manage to fight it back for now, but my eyes still water. He’s actually here.

He saved me. I’m not going to die. We aren’t going to die.

I glance down toward my stomach for a second, but I don’t get the chance to let my gaze linger when I hear a familiar voice.

“They’re fleeing!”

My eyes widen in surprise as I see my dad hurrying toward Dmitri, blood trailing down from a cut on his forehead. “Sean?”

The moment he lays eyes on me, he grins. Grins. “There you are.”

Confusion rings through me as I look between Dmitri and my father, trying to understand what in the world is going on right now. They’re enemies!

“We’ll explain everything later,” Dmitri assures me before looking back up at Sean. “How many got away?”

“All the rest of them,” Sean replies. “I couldn’t make out an actual number.”