Sanctum: A Dark Romance by Ashley Arabella

Author:Ashley, Arabella
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2024-01-23T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

Isabella

For an hour, it was unnervingly quiet.

After Nikolai and his brothers crossed the clearing and disappeared, I’d watched the monitors obsessively. I hadn’t seen any movement and focused mostly on the fallen tree.

The snowfall was getting heavier and blew wildly as the storm approached.

I’d started to wonder if Travers had changed his mind, the thought gave me more hope the longer I watched.

That hope was dashed with a single chime. One of the cameras detected movement.

My heart raced. I double clicked the video, enlarging the feed to the size of the entire forty-eight-inch monitor and stood watching. Three black SUVs slowly made their way down the driveway, stopping feet from the giant fallen tree.

Within seconds, a large group of men were piling out and gathering in front of the lead car.

Almost immediately I heard gunfire. My body jerked violently, surprised by how loud the shots were, even in the basement. They came in such rapid succession.

Some of Travers’ men dropped where they stood, the others ran, jumping behind the vehicles or off into the forest seeking shelter. Over the next few minutes, the men who’d hidden behind the cars, popped out and fired down the drive.

One by one, they stopped.

After that, I didn’t see any more movement, but the gunfire continued until the sounds dropped off to an occasional pop. They still caused me to jump, each time.

Desperate to know what was happening, I finally remembered the walkie talkie. I grabbed it, searched until I found the volume, and twisted the dial. Within seconds, I heard static and then Nikolai, calling out the word “five.” The word echoed loudly through the room.

The computer chimed again. I clicked on the feed with the yellow flashing border, and saw a man, dressed in black, darting across the frame of one of the cameras in the forest.

As he passed a tree, a white figure attacked from behind, knocking him to the ground. It was Nikolai. I could tell from his build.

My heart pounded as I watched Nikolai fight the man with his bare hands.

Another chime, movement detected on a different camera. At first, I struggled to take my eyes off Nikolai, but something tugged me away.

I clicked on the tiny video feed and enlarged it. My heart dropped. It was Lester.

Because of the heavy snowfall, it took me a second to figure out where he was, and then I recognized the small shed behind the cabin.

Fear coursed through my body. I stepped closer to the monitor. He walked up to the snow-covered shed and yanked on the lock several times. He took a step back, and in a single motion, kicked in the door, before disappearing inside.

A strange pang hit my gut. I glanced back at the video of Nikolai and both men were gone. My heart sank. I’d missed what happened, but I could feel something was wrong.

Back at the shed, Lester walked out with a large can.

I was pretty sure it was a gas can.

I remembered the bookstore, the thick smoke and fire, and years of my life burning down.

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