Page 111 of Captive Promise

“Kat! No, Kat! Come back!”

“I have to, baby,” I choke out, tears burning my eyes. “I have to keep you safe. Now be a good girl and go with Marta, okay? I’ll see you soon.”

I press a fierce kiss to her forehead, breathing in the sweet smell of her hair. Then I’m turning, running back out into the chaos.

I can hear Seraphina screaming for me, the sound like a knife to my heart. But I keep going. I need to lead the men away from the house. Away from her.

I dart toward the garden maze, the towering hedges looming up around me like the walls of a prison. My lungs are on fire, my legs screaming with every pounding step, but I don’t dare slow down. I can’t. Not with Seraphina’s life on the line.

I chance a glance over my shoulder, catching a glimpse of the men pouring into the garden. They’re fanning out, their eyes hard and their weapons drawn, ready to hunt me down like an animal.

But I’m not going to make it easy for them.

“Hey, assholes!” I scream, my voice ragged. I gesture to myself, thankful I wore leggings and a tank top and my running shoes. Sometimes wearing athleisure all the time pays off. “You want me? Come and get me!”

Then I’m off, tearing through the maze like the hounds of hell are on my heels. The brambles snag at my clothes, thorny fingers raking across my skin, but I barely feel the sting. All I can focus on is the pounding of my heart, the burn of the air in my lungs, the desperate need to keep moving, to stay one step ahead.

I take a sharp left, then a right, then another left, trying to lose myself in the twists and turns. But I can hear them behind me, their shouts and curses getting closer by the second. They’re gaining on me, the thud of their boots echoing off the gravel like a drumbeat of doom.

I think of Nikolai, of Maksim, of the lessons they drilled into me over the years, even when I didn’t want any of them. They had insisted I needed them. “One day,” Kolya had told me after I had told him for the fiftieth time that I didn’t need any lessons, “you’ll thank me for this.”

Yeah, that moment has arrived. Thank you, Kolya. Thank you, Maksim. Hopefully one day I’ll be able to thank you for that.

Nikolai had taught me how to disappear in a crowd, how to blend into the shadows and become just another face in the throng. “The key is to move with purpose,” he had told me, after he got it into his head that I was in danger for insert-X-reason-here. “Act like you belong, like you have somewhere to be. Don’t look back, don’t hesitate. Just keep moving.”

I channel that now, letting my feet carry me forward with a determined stride, even as my heart pounds a frantic rhythm in my chest. I keep my head down, my eyes focused on the path ahead, trusting my peripheral vision to warn me of any threats.

Maksim’s lessons echo in my mind, too.

Although he isn’t as paranoid as Nikolai, he still thought it was necessary to teach me how to defend myself.

We spent hours in the gym as he taught me how to fall, roll, and how to use an opponent’s momentum against them. “Stay low,” he always said, his hands firm on my shoulders as he guided me through the motions when I would whine that I didn’t want to do this anymore. “Keep your center of gravity close to the ground. And never, ever stop moving.”

Thank you, Maks, I think to myself as I duck and weave through the maze like a rabbit through the underbrush. I stay crouched, my knees bent and my arms loose at my sides, ready to pivot or lunge at a moment’s notice.

When I reach a fork in the path, I don’t hesitate. “When in doubt, go left,” Kolya had told me once, a wry smile tugging at his lips. “Most people instinctively turn right. Be unpredictable.”

I veer left, my feet skidding on the gravel as I make the sharp turn. I can hear the shouts of the men behind me, as they hurtle to the right, their footsteps getting fainter. But I don’t let myself look back or try to confirm if any of them followed me to the left.

Instead, I focus on my breathing, on the burn of the air in my lungs and the pounding of my heart in my ears. I think of Maksim’s training, the endless hours of cardio and endurance drills. “Your body is a machine,” he had said. “Push it to the limit, and then push it some more. You’re stronger than you know.”

I cling to that now, letting the memory of his faith in me fuel my aching muscles and my flagging spirits. I am strong. I am a survivor. And I will not let them take me without a fight.

Up ahead, I see a low hedge, the branches dense and tangled. I don’t break stride or let myself hesitate. Don’t disappoint Kolya, my brain screams.

I gather myself, my thighs tensing as I prepare to spring. Then I’m launching myself into the air, my hands reaching out to grab the top of the hedge and my legs tucking up beneath me.

For a moment, I’m flying, suspended in the space between heartbeats.

Then I’m falling, my body twisting automatically to absorb the impact. I land hard on the other side, my ankle rolling painfully as it takes my weight.

I bite back a cry, my vision swimming with sudden tears. But I can’t stop. I can’t let the pain slow me down.

I just have to last long enough for Nico to come. Just a little more time. Nico’s face floods my mind with that fierce, protective love that blazes in his eyes whenever he looks at me. I can almost feel his arms around me, strong and safe.

He’ll come for me. I know he will. He’ll move heaven and earth to find me and bring me home.

So I grit my teeth and push myself back to my feet, ignoring the white-hot lance of agony that shoots up my leg. I take a deep breath, letting Maksim’s voice fill my head once more.