A Silent Reckoning: Sinner's Empire Nikita Slater (smart books to read .txt) 📖

Dasha remained eerily silent as she watched Shaun, taking in the way Shaun’s hands shook and how she was holding the knife. It was clear to both of them that Shaun had no idea how to hold a blade defensively.

Dasha decided to risk it and began stalking Shaun, dancing from side to side, her heels clicking on the floor tiles as Shaun swung the knife. It was a truly amazing and horrifying sight to see the elegant older woman with her hair in complete disarray and Shaun’s blood smeared down her white fitted sweater.

When Dasha finally made her move, Shaun was completely unprepared. The other woman swung her leg around in a spinning kick that made her look like a blur. Before Shaun could determine where Dasha was trying to strike, the blow hit Shaun in the side of the head, and she was thrown sideways into the counter. Shaun retained her hold on the knife, but her ears were ringing, and her vision was blurred.

Dasha punched Shaun in the back.

Shaun screamed in agony as her knees buckled. She had no choice but to suck it up before Dasha regained the upper hand. If Dasha got her hands on the knife again, it was game over for Shaun.

Shaun pushed away from the counter, absorbing the next blow and swinging around, bringing the knife up as Dasha lifted her arm to hit Shaun again.

“No!” Shaun yelled as Dasha’s arm swung straight down.

Dasha didn’t see the knife swinging up and wasn’t prepared as it was buried deep in her arm, severing her brachial artery.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Dasha fell back, surprise written across her face.

She looked down at her arm, watching as the blood flowed down the limb like a fountain. She dropped to her knees and then fell to her side as shock crippled her.

Shaun dropped the knife and flung herself at Dasha.

“You stupid idiot!” she snapped as she assessed the other woman’s injury. She would have seconds to act if she wanted to stop Dasha from bleeding out.

Without hesitation, Shaun gripped the jagged edge of Dasha’s sweater where it had been cut. She tore it wide open, drawing a scream from Dasha; the first sound the woman had made since attacking Shaun.

Shaun looked around but there was nothing within immediate reach that would help her. She needed something to tie around Dasha’s upper arm to cut off the flow of blood pumping from her heart and out through the wound.

Her belt! She reached down and undid the buckle, dragging the belt through the loops. She swiftly fitted it over Dasha’s upper arm, pulled it through the metal loop and yanked as hard as she could.

Dasha screamed again, but she didn’t fight Shaun, instead slapping her hand over her own wound to stem the flow of blood. She must’ve realized Shaun was trying to save her life.

“This is going to hurt like a motherfucker,” Shaun warned, sitting back on the floor and placing one booted foot against Dasha’s armpit, and the other on her hip.

“Do it,” Dasha gritted hoarsely from between her teeth.

Shaun was impressed. Dasha’s wound was life-threatening and would be extremely painful, but she was dealing with it better than anyone Shaun had seen with a similar wound.

Shaun wrapped the end of the belt around her uninjured hand, gripped the leather with her bleeding hand, braced herself against Dasha and pulled as hard as she could.

Dasha screamed again then bit down on her lip to stop the cries from spilling out.

Shaun was able to gain another inch of belt. She wrapped the leftover leather around Dasha’s arm and secured it. She looked at the wound again and was relieved to see the blood flow had slowed.

It was still bleeding profusely though and Dasha would need immediate emergency medical attention or she could die. Shaun picked up the torn piece of Dasha’s sweater and pressed it against the wound, lifting Dasha’s hand to cover the makeshift bandage.

“Press as hard as you can until help arrives.”

Shaun lurched back and dragged herself to her feet, intending to head for the door. She paused and then turned on her heel and stared down at Dasha.

Dasha lay stoically on the floor, her hand over her wound, her eyes fixed on the ceiling above her.

“Tell me why,” Shaun said softly, sinking back to her knees next to Dasha.

Dasha refused to look at her and didn’t speak.

Shaun hesitated, not wanting to hurt Dasha again, but she needed to know why the other woman wanted her dead, and if Dasha died she would never know.

Shaun took hold of the leather binding and shook.

Dasha cried out and rolled her blazing eyes toward Shaun, anger rolling off her in waves.

“Your brachial artery has been severed. This fix is only temporary. Without help, you will die.”

Still Dasha said nothing.

“Do you understand, Dasha? You will die and you’ll do it without any of us ever knowing why. You raised Jozef as your son. He doesn’t deserve this.”

Some of the anger drained from Dasha’s expression and she licked her lips, wetting them so she could speak.

“Tell Jozef I love him.”

It wasn’t what Shaun was looking for, but it would have to do. If she left Dasha any longer, the woman would bleed out. She was going to need a transfusion as it was.

Shaun pushed to her feet and ran to the door, but before she could get it unlocked, Dasha spoke again, her harsh voice ringing out. “You’ll ruin us all.” Shaun looked over her shoulder to see Dasha pull herself up using a stall door. She sat back against the metal. “You already have.”

Shaun shook her head. “You’ve ruined yourself.”

Shaun unlocked the door and yanked it open. Karl was standing on the other side, his face reflecting alarm.

“Are you alright?” he demanded. “Dasha got by me and locked the door. I was looking for something to break it down.”

Shaun was surprised there weren’t a contingent of people on the other side of the door trying to get in. She