When All is Lost

Chapter 54

I can't run.

My boots made sure of that. They'd managed to track me all the way to my small hidey-hole – they'd find me again. The only thing I could do was try to stall them.

Tiptoeing across the room, I peeked out the window. My side throbbed in a way that had my stomach turning itself over. It hurt far worse than it had since I'd attempted to cauterize it and a part of me knew something was wrong.

Focus.

There was only one flashlight – one person – moving around outside. The figure had the light aimed at the snow and walked with a confidence that had me shrinking farther into the shadows.

It's them.

It had to be. The person was moving to the far side of the house where I'd entered through a window. I dashed out of my hiding place, trying to not make any noise as I did, but the old floorboards creaked under my every step.

I made it to the outside of the bathroom I'd previously entered from and let out a small puff of air in relief to see that the door was still closed. My relief was short-lived, however. I heard the soft tinkling of broken glass hitting the tile floor as someone messed with the window.

Adjusting my knife in my grip, I prepared myself for the inevitable, hoping that the element of surprise was on my side. I heard the moment the person's feet hit the tile floor. I held my breath, waiting.

The doorknob turned slowly and I squeezed my knife, ignoring my sweaty palms. The moment the door opened, I lunged. I moved to stab the person in the gut right as my eyes met theirs. There was only a moment for me to see their surprise before they reacted instinctively.

They shoved my outstretched arm out of the way, making me lose my balance. Before I even had the chance to recover, they whacked me upside the jaw with their flashlight. My arms pinwheeled as I tried to recover, but I ended up sprawled on my ass with a mouth full of blood.

My knife was still locked in my death grip. My knuckles took the brunt of my fall in order to keep it. I glared up at the figure and froze. I knew him.

Anton.

My guard from the courthouse towered above me with an angry scowl. In one hand he held a flashlight, in the other he held a metal bat. Looking at the man's physique, I realized how lucky I'd been that he'd chosen to not use the bat.

"You didn't really let me escape, did you? You tricked me," I said, almost unable to help myself.

The man raised a pale brow at my statement. "Yes."

I hadn't actually expected him to answer me – let alone answer honestly. Not wanting to give any of my emotions away, I instead took the moment to spit the blood building up from my bitten tongue to the ground beside me.

Anton's face stayed blank as his icy-blue eyes watched me carefully. Only when I made a move to get back onto my feet did his expression change to show a hint of weariness.

I staggered a bit, catching myself on the wall beside me as I stood. "Are you going to kill me?" I asked, needing to know.

"No."

Stunned, I could only blink at him. I tried to get a read on him to better understand, but it was like studying a plaster wall. The man didn't even bother to elaborate, instead, he began to move farther into the house, craning his neck as if searching for other people.

"You alone?" He eventually asked and I heard the hint of an accent again in his voice, but I couldn't place it.

My heart sank. Of course, he wasn't going to kill me yet. He still needed me alive to find the rest of my group.