Raven immediately spun and pulled out two knives from the drawer. One was slid across the surface of the counter to me. “Just like you did with the executioner, alright?”

I gripped the knife and nodded, but I was terrified, just like I had been on that cold night.

Raven grabbed my hand and pulled me behind the kitchen island so they wouldn’t see us.

They tried the knob discreetly, and then the knob turned slightly and shifted, like they were picking it the way Raven had done in the camp.

My heart pounded. The anxiety hit. But I gripped the knife tighter because I knew it would be either them or us—and it wouldn’t be us.

The door opened, and their boots stepped inside. There were three of them, as far as I could tell. One gave orders in French before the other two scattered, searching for us throughout the apartment.

I peeked around the corner at the door, hoping we could sneak out of the apartment. But the guy remained in place, blocking our exit. Raven moved around me then inched around the kitchen island, getting closer and closer to him so she could lunge out and catch him off guard.

I held my knife at the ready.

She went for it and slammed her blade into his stomach.

“Ahh! Bitch!”

I sprinted around the island and jumped on him, stabbing him just the way I did with the executioner. He collapsed to the floor in a bloody mess while the other two ran to us.

“Go!” Raven shoved me out the door.

I fell but quickly got to my feet, leaving the blade behind. But then I stopped.

Two men were stationed at each end of the hallway.

Raven knocked into me and grabbed my hand to prepare to run. But when she saw what we were up against, she stilled.

The two men stepped over their dead comrade and walked into the apartment, yelling in French.

We shouldn’t have gone back to the camp.

It was a mistake—a big fucking mistake.

Raven held on to me, protecting me even though there was nothing she could do.

The men marched toward us and grabbed Raven first. “Fucking cunt.” They shook her by the arms then threw her down. “You thought we wouldn’t come for you?” He pressed a boot to her back. “Tie up this bitch.”

Ropes were bound around her wrists, right there in the middle of the hallway, like they didn’t care if they were seen by anybody.

I lowered myself to the floor and lay beside her, knowing a fight was pointless so I should just cooperate.

They lifted Raven to her feet then marched her away.

No one touched me.