Chapter Seven
QUIET SHROUDED THE room like a down-filled quilt. Sophie’s naked body lay stiffly next to Yuri, still unconscious from his liquor-induced coma. Her dead phone was back in the pocket of his jacket that she’d returned to its heap on the floor. She might have dozed off once or twice, but sleep had been out of the question. Her nerves were on high alert as pale pre-dawn light filtered weakly through the windows.
She allowed her eyes to close, but a sudden, deep thud from somewhere in the bowels of the mansion snapped them open again. A few seconds of silence, and the sound repeated. The bed shook slightly from the vibration, but Yuri did not stir. She could hear heavy footsteps moving quickly along the hallways, fading away then returning.
A string of popping sounds echoed ou
