Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 109674 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109674 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
His entire face morphed into wonder as he looked left, then right in the corridor.
“You risk too much for me,” he said eventually.
“Not just for you. I’m doing this for me.”
The truth of the matter was that I would have never run away if it weren’t for Nestore. I wouldn’t have been brave enough for myself.
Nestore held out his hand. “Come on. I know this place by heart.” I put my hand in his, and he closed his fingers around mine. We had this one chance to make it out of here alive, and we had to take it.
My heart picked up at the feel of Nestore’s scarred palm in mine. We had held hands before, but this felt different.
He tugged me toward the emergency exit. Despite his limp, he was fast. His body was battered, but the strength he harbored carried him up the stairs with surprising speed. I had trouble keeping up with his long strides, but pushed myself as hard as I could. Hope seemed to carry me when my legs couldn’t.
Nestore led us to a back door near the kitchens that I had never seen. He immediately recognized the correct keys from the bundle and unlocked the door, then tugged me outside. For a moment, he froze and sucked in a deep breath. His eyes lit up in wonder as he gazed up at the sky. He hadn’t seen the sky in two years, hadn’t felt a breeze on his skin. Tears stung in my eyes. I should have risked this far sooner.
He peered down at me and shook his head. “No regrets, Amelia. I never wanted you to risk anything for me. You already put your life on the line by feeding me and giving me medicine.”
He scanned our surroundings. “Who are the guards?”
I tried to remember whose shift it was, then named the four guards who would walk the perimeter today.
Nestore’s jaw tightened. Three of the men used to be his father’s. “If they kept the same routine, I know where to slip out.”
“What about the dogs?”
“They know me. We have to hope that’s enough.”
Nestore’s hand around mine tightened as he pulled me along the house wall, then toward the pool pavilion before we hurried over a long stretch of lawn that lay in the dark.
Barks sounded, followed by shouts and the beams of flashlights cutting through the dark.
“No,” I gasped out.
The snarls and barks came closer. Nestore dragged me into the maze. I had never set foot inside it, always remembering the story of his mother. Nestore’s hand squeezed mine as he tugged me along, turning one corner after the other. It was near black within the maze. The high wall of roses didn’t allow much light to penetrate the aisles, and even the moonlight got stuck at the edges. The thorns snatched at my nightgown and hair as we brushed past the rose bushes. My breath came in short, pained gasps, my sides screaming with pain. I wondered how Nestore could run like this after years in the cage, but his workouts must have preserved some of his former strength.
The maze distorted the barks and voices that chased us. How close were our hunters?
How could we escape from this?
“I know how to get out on the other side. We just need to outrun the dogs.”
I would have laughed if I had enough breath left for it.
Another bark sounded. Too close. Nestore threw a glance over his shoulder, then pivoted, so I was behind him, shielded by his body as a big beast of a dog chased down the aisle toward us. A scream lodged in my throat. Everything happened too fast after that. The dog lunged at Nestore and took him down. I slung my purse over my head, bringing it down on the dog’s back, hoping to get him off Nestore. Nestore had the beast by the collar, trying to stop it from ripping into his face. With a battle cry, Nestore managed to shove the dog off him, so it landed on its side. That didn’t stop it for long. It lunged again, but this time, Nestore brandished one of the keys like a knife and rammed it into the dog’s belly with enough force to pierce the skin. The dog yowled and jerked away, limping off, then dropped to the ground at the corner. Before either Nestore or I could get our bearings, four guards rounded the corner and pointed their weapons at us.
“No,” I whispered, terror filling me up. Nestore gave me a sad smile. One of the men stepped forward. He held a stun gun. The prongs shot out and hit Nestore. Gasping, he sank to the ground and began to spasm.
“Stop it!” I begged, but they didn’t stop until Nestore lost consciousness. My father appeared behind the guards. Even in the dark, I could make out the utter rage on his face.