Page 306 of Sinister

I rise up on trembling legs. She has a look of disgust on her face as she gazes down at my blood-covered self.

“Hands behind your back,” she commands as she jiggles a pair of handcuffs.

I don’t move. I cannot. If she cuffs me, I will not have any way to get out of this situation. It will be akin to signing my death warrant.

Adrenaline rushes through me, and in a moment of pure madness, I butt her in the head. The hit momentarily stuns her, and it gives me enough time to snatch the flashlight from her and sprint down the passageway.

I’m barely a few feet away when a gunshot rings out.

83

PETRA

The bullet narrowly misses me, but I lose my footing and end up on the floor. I try to get my bearings together, but Fiona is right behind me.

Damn it! I’ve never been the most athletic individual, but pregnancy has made me a lot more sluggish. It takes me twice as long to get up and run again, and by that time, the detective is only a few steps behind.

She shoots another shot, this time a warning one seeing how it’s not aimed at me. “Stop, Miss Valentine!”

I’d be crazy to.

“Petra! Stop before you make this more difficult.”

“Why? So you can kill me easier? No way!”

I run faster, fueled by the sheer need to survive. But Fiona has had training in chasing criminals, and in just a few moments, she’s on me. She grabs on my shirt, pulling me backward.

“Stop! Or I will be forced to hurt you.”

“Right,” I snort. “No, thank you.” I elbow her in the gut, but she pulls back in time so I only graze her stomach.

She grits her teeth and grabs my arm, fiddling with her cuffs so she can detain me.

Hell no!

“Stop fighting, or it won’t end up too well for you.”

There it is—she’s clearly stating her intentions now. And unless I act fast, I will be dead like Daphne.

Mustering strength I did not know I possessed, I swivel toward her and punch her straight in the face. She’s taken aback by the blow. Hell, even I am shocked by my strength as blood pools down her face.

But this is my moment to act. As she teeters on her heels, I make a run for it.

I’m no match for a trained detective, though. Blood still pouring down her face, she quickly follows after me.

She shoots another bullet that narrowly misses me.

Fuck. At this rate, she will shoot me. I don’t remember how the last murder was supposed to occur, but I am sure she’s skilled enough to aim for a non-vital spot, then keep me alive long enough to torture me to death.

Good Lord! How the hell did I end up here?

I still don’t know what I did to deserve this. I’m not evil! And Snowden’s murder—in a past life, no less—should not qualify as a sin when I was saving someone else’s life.

But seeing how I am now running for my life, I must concede that there is something I must not be aware of.

Out of nowhere, I’m falling.

“Agh,” I cry out as Fiona tackles me to the ground. “My baby. Please, my baby,” I mutter incoherently as I angle my body so I don’t hurt my belly.