Soldier Mine (Sons of War #2)(58)

They slip more than once, and tears blur my eyes. Todd can’t die because I had a meltdown. I’ve kept him safe for four years. I’m not going to fail him now. With renewed effort, I manage to pierce the duct tape once with the blades and scratch my thumb. I shift and do it again and again, crying quietly at the pain caused when I miss stabbing the tape and hit my hands.

Pausing when The Monster crosses through the living area towards the bedrooms, I resume the moment he turns his back. With a hefty tug, I manage to break one side of the bonds and twist my hands free before bounding to my feet.

“Hey!” The Monster shouts, emerging from my room.

I reach for the gun in my pocket only to find it gone. My eyes search the floor frantically as I duck an attempt to grab me by The Monster. Skirting the armchair, I spot it and lunge.

The moment I lift it, he freezes. “Don’t get no ideas, Claudia. You shoot me and the whole apartment goes up in flames.”

“It’d be worth it for this to be over!” I respond and wipe the tears from my eyes with one hand.

“Not if you kill Todd in the process.”

“You said he’s in the trunk of your car!”

“Or under the kitchen sink. I had to move your snowman jar.” His smile is cunning.

My heart sinks. There’s no way for me to know what the truth is without verifying it for myself. I struggle to determine where Todd might really be. At four fifteen he said he was almost home. It’s a quarter ‘til five now. Assuming he made it in the door, he would’ve hung up his key beside the door the way he does every day.

I inch to position myself for a clear view of the area around the door.

The muzzle of the gun is trembling, thanks to my unsteady hand. I’ve dreamt of a world without The Monster and experienced it this past weekend.

But I never considered what it’d be like to have the choice and power to kill him like I do now.

“I sprayed the cabinets down good,” The Monster adds.

“Let him out.”

“No.”

I choke back a sob. “Jake … just go! Leave us alone! No one will find you here … just run to Mexico or something!”

“I’ll be hunted wherever I go, thanks to you.” He shakes his head. “No, Claudia, if I’m going down, you’re coming with me, and so is Todd.” The Monster pulls a lighter from his pocket.

“You won’t do it,” I say. “You’re a narcissist.”

“A narcissist headed to jail.” He flicks it closed, open, closed, open. “You willing to risk Todd’s life on it?”

My world is cracking and starting to crumble. The safety and joy I experienced in Petr’s arms, the fairytale weekend … they were too good to be true. This is my reality, and no amount of hope will change it.

“Or you put down your gun and I’ll put down the lighter,” The Monster adds.

I risk a look over my shoulder towards the door.

No key.

Todd didn’t make it into the apartment.

“I want this to end, Jake,” I whisper and shift the gun to see if there’s a safety or anything. “I don’t care if we both die to make it happen.”

By the look on The Monster’s face, he’s starting to believe I’m serious. Which is good, because I am. My heart feels like it’s in a blender, my mind flickering between images of Petr’s face to Todd’s and how I’ll miss the both.

But at least they’ll have each other. Petr can help Todd heal from losing a sibling and watch over him.

The sound a key in the door startles me. “Claudia.” Warmth fills me and just as quickly flees at Petr’s soft, dangerous voice.

“Who is this, Claudia?” The Monster’s features grow harder. “I own you, bitch. If I find out –” He’s growing incensed, out of control once more. If both of us go down in flames, it’s one thing. But not Petr.

“Petr, leave!” I shout. “Find Todd and go!”

“Todd’s fine,” Petr comes into view. The expression on his face isn’t one I’ve seen before. It almost scares me. Calm and controlled, hard, without a drop of warmth. “He’s at my house.”

I gasp. If I had known, I wouldn’t be here, and Todd and I could’ve been long gone by now. I clutch my chest with one hand, certain it’s going to explode from the emotions. “You son of a bitch!” I whisper at The Monster and begin crying once more, partially in relief and partially out of horror that I let him manipulate me again.





Chapter Twenty One: Petr


Claudia is losing it, and the man she calls The Monster isn’t far behind. His eyes glow with fury as he stares me down. It takes me all of two seconds to assess the situation is as volatile as the two people caught in the middle of it. They’re at a standstill, one that’s about to explode from emotions shortly before the gas-drenched apartment goes up in flames.

I can’t think of Claudia right now or the fact she’s bleeding, hurt and sobbing. I’m in mission mode, with my focus being on defusing the situation before we all end up swallowed by a fireball.

“Claudia, I need you to move this way,” I urge her in a low, calm voice.

“No, Petr. You need to go. Take care of Todd.”

“He needs you, sweetheart.”