His eyes meet mine in understanding, and I give him a weak smile.
“Wren. Last chance,” Robert warns. His voice is clipped and impatient, the same tone he used when I was a child and he expected me to fall in line.
I turn toward him, forcing my feet to move even though my legs feel like they barely belong to me. I nod once and step forward quickly. My balance wavers as my ankle gives a false twist, and I drop to the floor at his feet. The impact jars my spine. A few of his men chuckle under their breath, and Robert sighs in open irritation, the sound of someone inconvenienced.
I pretend to hiss in pain and clutch my ankle. My stomach is tight, every breath thin and burning with anxiety. Robert bends and grabs my arm near my shoulder, his fingers digging in with familiar control.
“Get up,” he orders as he tugs my arm.
My other hand moves beneath the hem of my dress, and my fingertips brush the cool hilt of my knife.
“Don’t touch her!” Elias yells as he starts to move toward us, giving me the exact distraction I need. Robert lifts hishead to the biggest perceived threat in the room, which is why he doesn’t see me coming.
In one smooth motion, I pull out the knife and arc my arm around, slashing across his throat without hesitation.
His eyes widen in disbelief. For the first time in my life, I see fear there. Blood wells up fast, running over his hands as he releases my arm and grabs at the wound as if he can hold the life inside him by force.
I scoot backward on my hands and heels, my breath coming in ragged bursts. Elias moves in the space created by the guards’ stunned silence. He strikes before they even register what’s happening. He slices the first man’s throat. The second goes down with a knife driven straight into his heart. The third finally reacts, turning his gun toward Elias with shaking hands.
Elias reaches him before the barrel settles. He shoves it aside, and it fires harmlessly into the wall. They grapple, the gun slipping between their hands. Elias slams a fist into the man’s face, rips the gun free, and fires a single shot into the center of his forehead.
The room goes quiet except for my breathing and the drip of blood hitting the floor. Elias spins once, checking for any remaining threat.
My gaze drops to Robert. He lies on his back, lifeless, blood pooling out in a dark, widening shape that crawls across the floorboards toward me.
“Are you okay?” Elias kneels beside me. His voice is softer now as he brushes my hair away from my face.
I nod, but my head feels light and far away. My hands are shaking. My pulse thuds loudly in my ears.
I can’t believe what I just did. I killed my own brother.
A few gunshots go off somewhere in the house, bringingme out of my shock. “Shit, we need to get out of here,” Elias says, helping me stand.
Loud, muffled voices reach us before more shots go off. Elias stops me from moving closer to the doors as he swears. “Shit!”
“What’s happening out there?” I ask in confusion. “Do you think Ivan arrived and his men are fighting Robert’s?”
Elias thinks for a second before he nods. “Possibly.”
“Shouldn’t we try to get out of here while they’re distracted?” I ask as he pushes me behind him again and stares at the door in hesitation.
“You’re right, this will be our best chance.”
We move closer to the door just as pounding steps grow louder, sounding like a bunch of men running up the stairs.
“Wren!”
“Pete!” I yell back, my heart hammering in my chest in surprise. My guys are here? Were they the ones firing? Have any of them been hurt? I try to move closer to the door, but Elias holds me back.
“Let him come to us, just to be safe,” he says quietly before yelling, “In here!”
He aims the gun he’s still holding toward the door as the footsteps grow louder. Suddenly, Pete’s head pops through the gap in the doorway, his eyes widening as he takes in the scene.
“Pete!” I yell, moving around Elias as I try to run to him.
Elias wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me back. “Let him come to you; the ground is covered in blood. I don’t want you slipping.”
Glancing down, my stomach tightens as I see what he’s talking about. Both Robert's and his men’s blood has pooled out, right where I was about to run through.
