Page 5 of Twisted Prince
I don’t have time to think about him now, don’t have time to mourn.
Spinning as swiftly and as silently as I can, I race back upstairs and into my bedroom at the far end of the hall. Setting my laundry down as silently as I can, I ease my bedroom door closed. Then, I search frantically for what to do next.
I can’t climb out the window. The two-story drop could easily break a leg, and then where would I be? My eyes land on my open closet, and I race across the room to slip inside. Pulling the folding doors closed behind me, I can see using the filtered light pouring between the slats as I crouch low on the floor.
It’s a tactic I often used when I was a child and my dad came home drunk. I can only hope the intruder is as belligerent and oblivious as my alcoholic father was. But somehow, I doubt it, and that makes this a hundred times scarier.
Beneath me, I can hear heavy footsteps and the rapid fire of machine guns—more than one. Annie’s voice carries through the floor, her terrified pleas wrenching my heart.
It’s horrible.
The cold, apathetic Russian man who replies triggers memories of those dark, terrible days and nights spent scared out of my mind as a transport truck carried me and several dozen girls, including Annie and Tif, across the country to an unknown destination. I thought I would die in that truck. By the end, I almost welcomed death.
I can’t do it again.
My mind flashes to Gleb, the man who saved me from that horrible fate, and I quickly reach into my back pocket to fish out my phone. Adrenaline makes my fingers shake as I search for his number—the one I’ve never used but that he gave me in case of an emergency.
“Don’t fucking touch me!” Tif screams below, and the muted scuffle that follows makes my stomach knot.
A second later, I hear a resounding thwack, followed by something hitting the floor.
Who are these people? Are they Zhivoder men coming to reclaim us, like Gleb warned they might? That’s why he’s been so insistent on a twenty-four-hour guard stationed at our house. Little good that did.
Tears sting my eyes as I think of Igor’s lifeless body propped against the wall. The moisture blurs my vision, and I quickly blink it away as I find the number I’m looking for and hit call.
Please, pick up. Pick up, pick up, pick up! I’m terrified he might try to avoid me now because of my brazen kiss. What if he doesn’t answer?
Annie and Tif both release terrified screams as fresh machine-gun fire erupts through the house, turning my blood cold. A heavy thunk follows, telling me another of our guards has likely fallen. I hold my breath, fighting the urge to cry as the sound of a body dragging across the floor synchronizes with Annie’s terrified wail. A sob escapes me before I can trap it, and I clamp my hand over my mouth and nose to stifle the sound.
Right now, I would do just about anything Gleb told me to. Because I never want to suffer the horrible fate I faced before he saved me.
But my hope slowly slips away as the phone just keeps on ringing…
3
GLEB
I need to figure out what I’m going to do about Mel.
On the one hand, the thought of kissing her fills me with intense satisfaction—not to mention an insatiable hunger for more of her sweet lips. On the other hand, I ought to squash that flame before it turns into something I can’t control. Because I’m not right for her.
And now that I’ve had a taste of Mel, there’s no doubt in my mind that I could easily lose sight of that. It would be too easy to lose sight of everything that really matters.
It hasn’t slipped my mind that my bigger concern should be for her safety—though she certainly did her damnedest to distract me from it today. I swear Mel’s singular purpose in life is to challenge me. Despite the fact that I’ve done nothing but try to keep her safe since the moment I met her.
An undeniable hint of anxiety courses through my veins as I think about this new modeling gig she told me about. Because I know that when she steps into the public eye, I will have far less of an ability to protect her.
Still, I can’t deny the small flicker of pride that fills me. Mel is fearless, unwilling to let her aggressors intimidate her. She was made to be on the cover of magazines. She’s the most singular, striking woman I’ve ever met. And I could see her raw talent in the pictures she showed me today.
Which only makes me that much more despicable. Because I don’t deserve her.
And that makes our kiss all the more dangerous.
I’m so distracted by my conflicting thoughts and emotions, that I’m in my apartment, tossing my keys and phone onto the side table beside my door before I notice I have a missed call.
It’s from Lev, my right-hand man.
Snatching up my phone, I call him back as I head toward my kitchen to find something suitable to eat for dinner.
