Page 77 of Then We Shatter

My friend’s eyes harden just a fraction. “Go,” she sneers.

I snarl at her as I slice the knife through the front of my bodice so it falls way, revealing my perfectly rounded breasts that one man worshipped and another found fault with. Once I’ve hiked up my sports bra, I slash the wheels on both golf carts.

“Don’t try too hard to raise the alarm,” I say, winking at Emily.

Sasha gets no more than a nod before I set off at a sprint towards the cliff.

“Enjoy the ride!” she shouts after me.

I immediately break into a run and when I’m a safe distance away, I drop the confiscated cell phones and clench my hands into fists. My arms pump at my sides and my sneakers bounce off grass that’s still damp from this morning’s downpour. That, coupled with the unrelenting heat and oppressive humidity, means I’m already breathless by the time I come level with the house. The figures gathering outside are tiny dots, but I still have a lot of ground to cover. I’m less than a third of the way to the cliff’s edge when the sound of Emily’s hollering carries across the island.

I dig my toes into the ground and push myself harder. The very large replica of Killian’s cock presses into my back where I shoved it into my cycle shorts. The sensation brings back happy memories and that spurs me on. If I don’t clear the rocks when I jump, I’ll be seeing Shorty very soon. And if I do clear them? Every man who’s ever wronged me or my sestras is going to pay for their sins.

If I have any regrets, it’s wearing the goddamn egg vibrator. It’s not something that was designed to go running in and it’s distracting. All this moving about has switched it on. Now isn’t the time to have an orgasm, but my clit is already throbbing.

Above my labored breaths, I hear shouts and gunfire. Some of Eric’s guards will have long-range rifles. Would he give the order to shoot to kill? Or just maim? Would Vasili stop him or encourage him?

My heart leaps into my throat when I hear the roar of an engine revving. It’s not the rumble of a car. It’s a motorcycle. Fuck, I wasn’t expecting that so soon. The edge of the cliff is still too far away. I can’t outrun a Ducati.

Fat raindrops hit my face and the storm comes in fast and thunderous, drowning out everything except the ominous buzzing of the motorcycle closing in on me.

I barely hear Eric call my name, but it sends a chill down my spine. I’ve wanted to strangle him every time he’s called me Kitty Kat and I don’t want to hear it now.

My next exhale is a howl of determination as I draw on every ounce of strength I have left. I can smell the sea air, but the roar of the engine is close and I can feel the ground shake. As I prepare to be grabbed or run down, Sasha’s words come back to haunt me. Enjoy the ride.

Chapter 29

Killian

Before

When I approach the top of the split staircase from the west wing, half a dozen more Bratva soldiers are entering the house. They pivot their rifles left and right as they scan their surroundings, and the first to look up and spot me gets a bullet in his head as his prize. The others scatter, but I manage to take out the guy diving for the front door before bullets fly in my direction.

Taking cover behind the marble balustrade, I poke my rifle between the stone spindles. A decent sniper could hit me through the same gaps, but it’s a risk I’m prepared to take to save Katarina. As is jumping up from my hiding place when the four remaining soldiers try to spread out across the foyer. I survive unscathed while the body count downstairs increases by one.

Raised voices carry through from the direction of the Great Hall, and Russian expletives are thrown like grenades. I don’t know what Katarina’s saying, but she isn’t going quietly. That’s my Kitty.

Needing to stay on the attack, I crawl down the first flight of stairs on my belly. The Bratva spray bullets all around me, opting for quantity over precision. Their gambit almost pays off as chipped marble stings my cheek. That was close and it pisses me off.

I rise up again and empty my magazine, making the bastards scramble back to their holding positions. I cut down another soldier before I’m forced to take cover again.

“I don’t need all four of you pushing me around for fuck’s sake!” Katarina barks, her voice nearer this time.

I can’t help but smile as I swap the empty magazine for a fresh one. She’s letting me know how many targets are being added to the mix.

“Kitty, I thought I was the only one you misbehaved with,” I shout back so she knows where I am.

One of the two remaining soldiers I’d been swapping bullets with takes a shot at me and I retaliate, forcing him to retreat to a room on the right side of the foyer. The other soldier provides cover for his pakhan and the other bastards trying to hustle Katarina out of the house.

Vasili and his little group appear directly below, the barrel of his gun pressed to Katarina’s temple. Danyl’s included in their number, as is the pastor. It looks like Andrey didn’t make it. Good.

Five sets of eyes look up, and when my gaze locks with Kitty’s, we hold each other for one fleeting moment before Vasili interrupts.

“You’ve been fucking my niece, McConkey,” he hisses.

I could torture him with details of my conquest, but I won’t treat Katarina like some kind of trophy. That’s his style. “She’s mine now. Get used to it.”

“You’re not giving me much of a reason to keep her alive if that’s the case.”