Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 73724 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73724 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
“How long until the cab reaches us?” I ask.
“Five minutes. We have to wait here.”
Good. I don’t think I can walk much farther.
My vision blurs, and I shake my head while sucking in deeper breaths of air.
Just get Eleni to safety.
“How do you feel?” my sister asks.
Like I was shot three times and I’m bleeding to death.
I lift my chin and mutter, “I’m fine. How long until the cab arrives?”
“Just shy of two minutes.”
“The cab needs to take us to the harbor.” I glance down to where she’s gripping the phone tightly. “Check the messages for the name of the person we’re meeting.”
She unlocks the screen and quickly reads over all the information. “There’s a dock number where the cab can drop us off.”
“Good,” I whisper, glancing around us again.
The road is quiet, but for some reason, it makes me feel more on edge.
I reach for my gun, my fingers wrapping around the handle while my eyes keep roving over every house.
“If they catch up to us, you have to run,” I order Eleni.
“I’m not leaving you,” she argues.
I continue to glance anxiously around us as I bite out, “You will. If I’m killed, Santiago Castro will meet you at the docks and take you to a safe place.”
“No, Cassia!”
Before we can argue further about the matter, the cab pulls up ahead of us.
“Hurry,” I snap. I try to move faster and keep glancing over my shoulder.
Eleni opens the backdoor, and as she slides into the backseat, the windshield shatters, and a bullet hits the cab driver right between the eyes.
“Down, Eleni!” I shout, and miraculously, a surge of energy rushes through me as I dart forward.
I yank the dead driver out and quickly climb in behind the steering wheel. Flooring the gas, the tires squeal before the vehicle lurches forward.
My side window shatters, and it has Eleni screaming, “Oh God! Cassia! I don’t want to die.”
“You’re not dying today,” I shout while turning the steering wheel hard and willing the cab to go faster.
I won’t lose Eleni as well.
I keep checking the rearview and side mirrors, and when it doesn’t look like anyone is following us, I quickly glance over my shoulder at Eleni.
“Are you okay?”
She just nods before she bursts out in tears. “Why is this happening?”
Because Dad kept provoking the fucking Russians. If only the stubborn man had listened to me.
I don’t answer Eleni’s question but instead order, “Bring up the map so I can see where I need to go.”
Eleni leans forward between the seats, and I take the device from her. Setting it down on the console, I check the map and see we’re thirty-five minutes away from the harbor.
A lot can go wrong in thirty-five minutes.
Chapter 5
CASSIA
I try to ignore the shivering and pain in my body and keep blinking to clear my blurry vision.
Only five minutes to go. Almost there.
My eyes flick to the rearview mirrors, and when I see multiple SUVs fall in line behind me, my heart sinks.
“Get down, Eleni,” I say, my tone firm.
She does as she’s told while asking with a quivering voice, “Why?”
“They’re right behind us,” I tell her the truth. “If they manage to stop us from driving, you get out and run like hell.”
“But–”
“Eleni!” I snap angrily. “For once, don’t argue with me and just do as I say.”
“Okay,” she replies with a sob.
Two of the SUVs break away from the others, and as they pick up speed, they try to come up on my sides. I swerve the cab from side to side, trying to make it difficult for them to pass by me.
When I swerve to the left to block the one SUV, the other shoots past me. The driver turns in front of me, and I have to steer the cab onto the side of the road, narrowly missing a road sign.
The SUV hits the right back side of the cab, and I struggle to keep control of the vehicle.
God. Just let me save Eleni. I’ll never ask you for anything again.
One of the bastards rams into the back of the cab, and I lose control of my vehicle. It spins across the road before coming to a crashing stop against a tree.
“Eleni, go!” I shout as I shove my door open, and I hear her move as I grab hold of my gun.
Even though my body has been pushed to its limits, I run after my sister.
“Run, Eleni,” I scream. “As fast as you can.”
Please. I beg you. Don’t let her die today.
A gunshot sends a shockwave of terror rushing through me, and while continuing to run, I try to shoot back at the men who are hot on our tails.
“Zigzag, Eleni!”
My sister listens, and she covers her head with her arms as she runs while darting like a deer from side to side.