Page 52 of Ruined By Sin

It makes me pause, but only for a second as one tear streaks down my cheek. "I'm sorry, Tim," I whisper as I reach for the knob and turning it, pull the door open.

The alarm screams a piercing electronic shriek that fills every room and scares me senseless for half a second before I push through and hit the ground running. My bare feet slap on the cold cement, then down the steps and onto wet, freezing grass. I pump my arms and run as hard as I can.

I don’t have to look back to know they're coming. I hear shouting and the door slam so I run harder, heaving for breath and silently cursing myself for not staying in shape. It's dark, and light rain slicks the ground and dampens my robe while my eyes search frantically for somewhere to hide or someone to help. But it's dark and the lights in all the houses are off.

I'm starting to panic, turning a corner and pushing my legs harder than I've ever run in my life, when I feel the earth get slippery. The path that winds through someone's yard toward their garage is muddy and slick. My feet can't get traction without shoes on and I slip, my feet shooting out from under me.

I hit the ground hard on my back and the air bursts out of my lungs in a grunt. Before I can roll over or get up, Morin's on top of me. He grabs the front of my robe and hauls me to my feet and slams me back against the neighbor's fence so hard, the panels rattle.

"You stupid bitch," he snarls. His face is inches from mine and his breath reeks of alcohol. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Get off me." I push at his chest, tears instantly blurring my field of vision. If Timur had found me, he wouldn't do this. I know it. But who knows where he's at right now, searching for me in the darkness, and I'm left with the one man of the three I know will slit my throat without hesitation. He's already tried to strangle me.

"You think you can just run? What'd you think, you were gonna go warn your family?" He shakes me and my head cracks against the wood.

"Please," I whimper, but he keeps going.

"You're dead. You've been dead since the night I pulled you out of that building. The only reason you're still breathing is because Tim has a soft spot?—"

"Let go of me, you piece of shit." I spit in his face, but his hand comes up to my throat.

This time, there's no hesitation as his fingers snake around my throat and start crushing my windpipe instantly. I grapple with his fingers, trying to pry them off, but he's too strong, bigger than me by at least a hundred pounds. None of my thrashing or clawing at his skin makes a difference.

"I shoulda killed you that first night," he snarls, though he's leaning close enough to whisper as the cold rain pelts my heated skin. "I shoulda put a bullet in your skull in that trunk and saved everyone the trouble."

My vision is going dark at the edges. The yard is shrinking around me, everything collapsing into a narrowing tunnel. My hands are still on his wrist but my grip is weakening and my legs are starting to give out. I feel my body sliding down the fence, my weight hanging from his hand on my throat, and the last thing I see clearly is his hollow, evil eyes boring into mine.

Then I hear Timur's voice.

"Let her go."

But Morin doesn't ease up, even when my eyes flutter back open, taking in the sight of his rage only increasing at Timur'scommand. I knew he would never let Morin kill me like this, but the fight has gone out of me. I'm so weak. I can't fight back at all now.

"I said let her go, Morin. Right now. Take your goddamn hand off her throat before I put you in the ground."

The pressure releases. Morin's fingers peel away from my neck slowly, like he's making a point about who's really in control, and my legs give out completely. I drop to the grass on my knees and then onto my side, gasping, choking, pulling air into my lungs in ragged, heaving breaths that sound like I'm drowning. My fingers dig into the mud as tears flood my cheeks and I curl into a ball.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Timur is screaming now. He's unhinged, his voice cracking, and through the ringing in my ears I can hear him laying into Morin. "She is not yours to touch. Do you understand me? I don't care who she is or what she's done?—"

"She was running, Tim. She heard us planning and she was going to warn?—"

"I don't care if she was running to Moscow. What is the hell wrong with you? What has gotten into you?" I look up to see Timur shoving Morin. The man stumbles a few steps then comes back at Timur with his chest puffed out.

"She's the fucking enemy, Tim, and someone has to protect you from yourself."

I cower as Morin shoves Timur back, but my chest hurts and my head is pounding. Something feels wrong. I don’t feel safe and I don't feel well.

"You're out of control and I let you go for too long because I owe you for saving my life, but this shit has to stop." Timur sounds enraged, but my vision is tunneling again, shock or hysteria. I feel like I'm going to black out.

"Tim," I whisper, but after having my throat crushed, no one can hear me. The rain starts to pick up as my head starts to spin, and I close my eyes. But I swear I hear Timur’s fist connect with Morin's flesh somewhere.

And then the world is black.

25

TIMUR

Dr. Levin works quietly at Kira's bedside while I pace the fucking floor. I'm so furious with Morin right now, I sent him home after I bloodied his face. Dryden had to pull me off the man so I didn't kill him myself with my bare hands. I don't even know what came over me. When I saw him strangling her, I snapped. No one touches what belongs to me, not even the man who saved my life.