Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 80602 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80602 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Her eyes widen, but she says, “I knew as much.”
“No, you didn’t. You only knew I was a killer for hire. The organization bit is new to you.”
“And how long were you part of this organization?”
“Since I was five years old.”
Her eyes droop, and I hate the look in those eyes.
“Stop looking at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like you fucking pity me.”
She shakes her head frantically. “It’s not that.”
“Then what is it?”
“Nothing.” She pauses. “And then what?”
“Then nothing.”
“Kyle!”
“What? You’re not the only one who can use that word.”
“Has anyone ever told you you’re a major jerk?”
“You do that all the time. You have no competition in that department.”
“Dick.”
“I know you’re addicted to my dick. You don’t have to remind me.”
Her cheeks heat. “No, I meant you’re a dickhead.”
“Does that mean you want to give my dick head?”
“Ugh. Stop twisting my words around.”
“Why shouldn’t I?” I smile genuinely for the first time in a very long time. “It’s fun.”
A bang comes from outside, and I stare at my watch. Ten minutes early—what the fuck?
Rai pushes away from me and runs out of the supply room, her trembling limbs long gone.
“Bleeding hell,” I mutter under my breath as I jog after her toward the dining room.
Chaos unfolds in the midst of the peace as armed men barge inside with their weapons held high. Women crouch under the table, squealing as every man gets his weapon out.
Rai stops in front of them, pats Anastasia’s head, and then says something to Stella and a few other women.
I think she’ll join them and make this mission at least a bit easy, but then she bolts upright, and motions at Ruslan. He passes her a gun as he, Katia, and Rai form a triangle and shoot at the men.
The fucking bravery of that woman always gets me.
It’s useless in this situation, though. Not only are the attackers wearing bulletproof vests, but no one in the mafia can match their level.
Rai jerks her head in Sergei’s direction.
The motion happens in a fraction of a second. I follow her gaze and see the exact moment her brain decides on its course of action. There’s a gunman aiming at Sergei, and Rai just decided she will protect him.
Fuck!
I run at full speed and beat her to the position at the last second. She halts at my right, her expression stunned as a bullet pierces my chest.
The force swings me back and I slump on the ground, my bones taking the impact. Hot liquid pours out of me before red soaks my chest and pools all around me.
“Kyle!” Her shrill, panicked voice reaches me despite the chaos.
An angelic face hovers over me, flashing back and forth in my blurry vision.
I raise a finger to her cheek, only my arm doesn’t move.
“I knew you would be the death of me, Princess.”
My eyes roll back in my head and the world turns black.
27
Rai
“Kyle!”
I run to him and drop to my knees beside his unconscious body, my heart hammering so loud I hear the pulse in my ears.
The chaos surrounding us, the gunshots, the whimpering sounds, the shouts in Russian—it all fades into the background. The only thing I can focus on is the man lying on the ground.
The man whose eyes are closed as blood soaks his shirt then oozes out of him at a frightening speed, as if life is abandoning him.
I place shaky fingers on the hole and press as hard as I can.
“Don’t go…don’t you dare go…” My voice chokes at the end, but I sniffle, focusing on my task.
He can’t leave, not anymore. He promised he’d stay. He fucking promised.
“Get Dr. Putin! Now!” I shout at the top of my lungs to anyone who can hear. I can’t find the will to cut off my attention from Kyle. I feel like if I take my eyes off him even for a second, he’ll vanish into thin air.
Katia pulls herself from the front lines and nods, rushing to the entrance.
If it were up to me, I would take him to the hospital, but we don’t have that luxury in our world, not when every gunshot is reported and will sure as hell cause a ruckus later on.
The brotherhood has its own doctor who’s paid generously enough that he comes when asked to.
Ruslan stands beside me with his gun raised to protect me. “Do you want me to move him?”
“No. It could make his wound worse.” My breathing is deep, controlled, but it hints at being on the verge of a breakdown. “Give me your jacket and cover my back.”
Ruslan doesn’t hesitate as he shrugs off his jacket and hands it to me. I press it on Kyle’s chest, hard. I might not know what to do to save him, but I know the bleeding needs to stop.
With every passing second, his pulse decreases, and my heart rate picks up at a frightening speed as if it’s about to stop altogether.