Page 48 of Leave Me (Touch of Death 2)
I can hear the soft intakes of her breaths as I move closer…and closer. The sweet scent of her skin hits me, and I breathe her in like an addict. She stirs when I’m close enough to touch her, and I know I should move, but I don’t. I can’t.
Then, she murmurs the one word that could make my resolve waver. My name. What feels like a fist grips my stomach, and I grit my jaw. This was a mistake. Everything in me vacillates violently as emotions battle through walls that crumble in her presence. I have the urge to take Adelina forcibly and leave Gabriella to her fate. I turn away, closing my eyes and driving my mind to a place of indifference—a safe place with rational rules.
“Sasha,” she breathes again. “Sasha?” More clearly this time.
I glance over my shoulder and make out her sitting form. “Malyshka.”
“You’re here,” she whispers, her voice catching in her throat.
Cold. Rational. I grip the two qualities with everything in me. “I need to know where Gabriella is. Is she alive?”
“Gabriella?” She says her sisters name as though it confuses her.
I move closer, keeping my voice low. “Bianchi took her. Do you know if he brought her here?”
“Um, yeah.” She drags a hand through her hair. “Yes. She’s here.”
“Focus, Adelina.” I instinctively place my hand to her cheek without ever really giving myself permission to do so.
She flinches away on a hiss. Before I can think about the stupidity of the action, I switch on the bedside lamp. She winces against the light. An array of bruises, some purple, others turning to shades of yellow and green cover her neck and face. When I sweep her hair away from her cheek, I see her ear, scabbed and crusted with blood.
She keeps her eyes on the bed linen, refusing to look at me. “He threatened to cut off my ear if Gabi didn’t tell him where his guns are.”
I push to my feet and turn off the light before I walk away. We stand in the darkness, two entities, separated by what feels like an entire universe. Blind rage threatens to break out of the cage I have it locked in. The bars rattle furiously, vibrating my whole body. But it’s the same story. Round and round we go. Adelina chose this. I tried, many times, and still she chose this. Her fate is not my concern anymore. I throw the cage in another cage and padlock it tight. I then force it down into a deep, dark place where it can’t rise. Inhaling a steadying breath, I turn to face her. I feel my calm, rational self fall into place, and I almost sigh at the sensation. Control. Rational thinking. Strategy.
“Where is Gabriella?”
There’s a pause. “In the wine cellar last I saw. There’s a door in the back of the pantry.”
“Thank you.” I move around the bed and head for the door.
“Sasha.” I pause. “I’m so sorry.” Meaningless words in the face of her actions.
“So am I.” For more than she can possibly know.
I open the door silently and slip through into the dark corridor beyond. When I close that door, it feels like more than a physical action. I close the door on Adelina as well, on the man that she makes me. I can’t lose myself in her plight. I can’t pity someone who won’t help themselves.
Getting through the house is easy enough, despite the transparent nature of the glass structure. His men move through the property, talking amongst themselves. I duck into doorways and empty rooms, going unnoticed. If one of them were to see me, he’d be dead before he could open his mouth. But then there would be a body, and that always complicates things. It’s much easier if I just get by unseen. Finally, I make it to the kitchen and peer around the doorframe before ducking behind the wall. An older man moves around the large room, stirring a pan that simmers on the stove. He hums to himself. Taking another look, I see a door off to the left, right by the units. There are huge patio doors at the back, and I quickly decide that’s probably my best escape route.
My senses are stretched to capacity as I watch the man while listening to any possible approach from behind. Finally, he moves over to the fridge and swings the door wide, peering inside. I have maybe three seconds, so I dart across the kitchen on silent steps and open the pantry door. The hinges squeal slightly, and I wince as I slip through and pull it shut behind me. I wait for several moments, holding my breath, listening to the steady thump of my heart. My fingers wrap around the knife hilt sheathed at my thigh, prepared for the door to open at any second. I count to ten. Nothing. Releasing the breath I’d been holding, I relax my hand and take out my torch. The spotlight moves over the shelves of food, looking for the door. There isn’t one. I gently tap on the walls until I find one that sounds different. I search, looking for a mechanism, and as I push on the wall, it gives, swinging inward. Cool air drifts up a dark stairwell to greet me, and silence reigns beyond. I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing. Gabriella may not be alive even if she is down here. I cut off the light in case any of Bianchi’s men are with her.
