17. Chapter Seventeen #3
“How could you not know anything?” she suddenly whispers. My feisty, strong sister. It’s a jarring sight.
“What has happened since I left? Father was always cold but it seems like things have gotten worse. You blame me for that?”
“You’re off having fun with your new husband,” she spits out. “It’s not fair. None of this is fair.”
“What isn’t fair, Adriana? Tell me. I don’t understand.”
Her eyes flick over my shoulder and she lets out a gasp. Turning around, I come face to face… with Lev.
He shuts the door behind him as he enters. “Be quiet,” he snaps. The gun in his hand is obvious as he points it at me. “You’re coming with me, Lana. We have unfinished business.”
When Maria and I were first kidnapped, I froze. But I’m not going to let that happen again, especially with Adriana here.
I grab the lamp from the vanity table and chuck it at Lev’s head. He jerks out of the way and I grab Adriana’s hand, tugging her towards the door.
But Lev is faster. He grabs Adriana around the waist and places the gun to her temple. “I wouldn’t scream if I were you. Either one of you.”
My body becomes ice. “Let her go, Lev. It’s me you have a problem with. Not my sister.”
“Ah. Your sister. I forgot this was her. Oh interesting.” He looks her over with eyes that make me disgusted.
Adriana whimpers, squeezing her eyes shut.
“Now, you’re going to leave this theater with me before your husband finds us.
Both of you. Neither one of you will scream or alert anyone.
You got that? Or I will shoot her in the back. ”
“Fine,” I grit out. Since Nikolai has been helping me, I haven’t needed to grit my teeth at all. The pain in my mouth makes me feel like I’m the little girl I once was before Nikolai entered my life.
“Then let’s go.” He shoves the gun into Adriana’s back and makes her walk forward.
I grab her hand. “It will be ok.” I promised that to Maria and she was murdered. I will not let my sister be murdered.
We walk through the small, tight hallways of the theater. Lev moves behind us, each step sounding like a gunshot. I spy the other ballerinas in the main dressing room, all chatting away, laughing, sharing stories. None of them are in a life or death situation.
Jealousy pangs my heart. Nikolai has helped heal me but he’s also the reason danger has been invited into my life. And I know things will never be the same again.
We make it outside into the bitter, cold night. My small costume doesn’t provide me any relief. At least Adriana has her coat on but that will only help her so much.
Lev walks us right up to a van and tells us to get inside. Audience members stroll out of the theater, talking amongst each other. No one seems to notice the danger me and my sister are in.
My eyes search for Nikolai or my family but I don’t see them. They must still be inside.
“Open the back door,” he growls.
I do it since Adriana is too scared to move. We have to be careful. One wrong move and Lev could shoot us.
I get inside but Adriana doesn’t.
“I said, get in,” Lev growls.
“Adriana,” I snap. “Now is not the time to fight. Get in.”
Adriana looks like she wants to spit in Lev’s face but thinks better of it and gets into the van.
Lev closes the door, shutting us inside.
This familiar scene sends a chill down my spine.
Maria was with me before and now she’s gone, replaced by my sister.
I pull Adriana close to my body. I will not let her be murdered. I will not.
Neither one of us says a word as Lev drives us away from the theater. I try to look out the windows but they’re too dark. The night sky has enveloped everything.
After a long time, Lev stops the car. His footsteps on the ground, the crunch of the snow, makes me flinch. Adriana whimpers.
He opens the back door and motions us out. We’re in the middle of the woods again but it’s not the same cabin. It’s a different one. The realization that we’re in the middle of nowhere means it will be that much harder for Nikolai to find us.
Lev makes us walk to the cabin. Its empty compared to the last one, like he didn’t have time to furnish it. Maybe he recently bought it… just to bring me here. I shiver.
He opens up a door hidden in the wall to reveal a set of stairs leading down into darkness. Another basement. Another place to lock me up. Another place to kill my sister and leave me traumatized.
No. I will not let Adriana die. I will die if I have to.
“Move,” he snaps, shoving me forward. I stumble but catch myself.
“Watch it,” Adriana snaps.
He waves his gun at her. “I would be careful if I were you.” She snaps her lips shut.
I grab Adriana’s hand and together we walk down into the cold basement. There’s no pole in this one. Just an empty room. Lev follows behind, grinning like he just won the lottery.
“We’re here,” I say. “Hurt me but let my sister go.”
“You thought you could take everything from me,” Lev hisses. “I want to make you pay. I’m going to torture this pretty little sister of yours until you’re begging me to kill you.”
“You’re not going to get any of Nikolai’s money now,” I say. “You do know that, right?”
“Of course I know that, you bitch. But I still want to hurt you. I can’t let it go. I can’t let you be happy, knowing you took everything that was owed to me.”
“Don’t call my sister a bitch,” Adriana cuts in. “You’re the bitch.”
“Adriana,” I snap. She shoots me a glare and I can only glare back. Can’t she see that I’m trying to keep her alive?
“You’re feisty,” Lev says, pointing at Adriana. “I like feisty.”
“I will bite your penis off if you try to use it on me.”
Lev chuckles. “You’re going to be fun to hurt.
” He rushes at her and throws her to the ground.
The cry of pain that leaves Adriana’s voice hurts me in a way I’ve never been hurt before.
Not even when Maria was murdered. Maria was just a ballerina I had competition with.
But Adriana is my sister. My flesh and blood. I will never stop fighting for her.
He raises his gun to shoot her but I throw myself in front of her body. That’s when Lev pulls the trigger.
The bullet goes straight through my thigh, right above my knee. My scream is blood curdling as I drop to the ground. Adriana stares at me with wide-eyes.
“Fuck,” Lev grumbles. He takes off his belt and wraps it around my leg, making a tourniquet. “I don’t need you dying yet. Where would the fun be in that?”
My leg is bleeding out. The throbbing pain is killing me.
My leg was shot. My leg. My entire life changed in the matter of seconds.