“I am taking Mila with me,” Boris says. “No one else has to die. Besides, Andrei is waiting for you, Sofiya. You’re coming with us.”

I go rigid. “Andrei?”

“What about me?” Vik asks. “Anyone coming for me?”

“Not this time.” Boris sneers at her. “You think you’re so special, but no man will ever want you. Not with your bitchy attitude. If you don’t move, I will kill you. I have no need for you.”

Vik takes a step forward. “No. I am not moving so you can take my sisters away and do god knows what to them. I would rather die.”

I stare at Vik in astonishment. Vik has always been a confident woman, but this is the first time I’ve ever heard her truly fight for Mila and me.

Boris shrugs. “Then so be it.” He fires his gun at her.

But I push her out of the way at the last minute. A sharp, hot, stinging sensation enters my arm and I scream, clutching my bicep. Looking down, I see blood seeping from a small wound.

“Mila, run!” I shout. She remains frozen. “Mila!”

That jerks her out of her shock, and she takes off running towards the kitchen. Boris follows after her.

Vik turns to me. “Are you all right?”

“I got shot. But it’s not life-threatening. I’ll be fine for the moment.”

“Good. Then we need to get Mila.” Vik, despite her weak ankle, takes off running after them.

I follow at a slower rate, my arm killing me. Right when I pass Mary’s body, I hear her moan. Shocked she’s still alive, I glance down at her.

“Help me,” she gurgles out, blood staining her teeth.

“I’ll try,” I tell her before running into the kitchen.

Mila has a knife and has placed herself on one side of the island while Boris is on the other. “Come to me, Mila.”

“No,” she says. “I’m tired of being nice to you. I don’t want to marry you.”

“You said Mikhail was keeping us apart.”

“It was a lie.”

The anger that seeps across Boris’s face sends chills through me. Vik runs right up to Boris and jumps onto his back, trying to grab the gun from him, but he manages to keep it out of reach from her. He slams her back against the counter again and again until she lets go and stumbles to the ground. Boris aims his gun at Vik, but I place myself over my sister’s body.

“Don’t!” I shout, raising my hands. “Boris, don’t.”

He hesitates. “Why shouldn’t I kill her?”

“Because … because I’ll go with you. You wanted me first. So, take me this time. Both you and Andrei can have me.”

“Sofiya, no,” Vik groans, sitting up. I ignore her and keep my eyes locked with Boris’s.

“I’ll go with you. Just spare Vik’s life.”

“You’ll come without a fight?” he asks.

“Yes.”

He nods at Mila. “And I’m taking Mila. I don’t want Mikhail’s used goods, but Andrei does. He can have you while I have Mila.”

My eyes flick over to Mila, who’s frozen solid. I hate myself for what I say next. “Fine. Take both Mila and me. Just don’t kill Vik.”

Mila gasps and backs away, the knife in her hands clattering to the counter.

I promised to always protect my baby sister, and I just broke that promise. I have to believe we will make it out of this.

But Boris was so close to killing Vik, and I couldn’t let that happen.

“Mila and I will go with you,” I say. “Leave Vik out of this.”

“Deal,” Boris says super quickly. He points his gun back at her face, but Vik doesn’t flinch. She only keeps her head held high as he speaks. “No funny business. No more trying to attack me. You will stay here, or I will shoot you.”

Vik looks like she’s going to object, but I nudge her and catch her eye, giving her a small nod. I can see the worry in her expression, but she slowly nods back. “I’ll stay here,” she tells Boris.

“Good. Now, let’s go, girls. I don’t have all day.”

Slowly, I get back up, my eyes trained on Boris’s gun. He turns to Mila and grabs her arm before she can run. He walks the two of us out of the room.

Glancing back, I see Vik on the floor, absolute pain in her eyes. My brave older sister, unable to protect us. I know it’s breaking her heart.

“I’m sorry,” Mila whispers to me.

“What for?’

“For not fighting harder.”

It dawns on me then—Mila, the one Vik and I were trying so hard to protect, felt the need to protect us both. I guess my sisters and I all share something in common beyond ballet.

We all want to protect each other.

But Boris has made sure we couldn’t keep that promise to each other.

Chapter

Eighteen

SOFIYA

Boris leads us toward the elevator that will take us from the penthouse and to wherever he plans to hide us away.

I catch Mila’s eye. “The second we get outside,” I whisper, barely moving my lips, “run.”