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Leif
Our evening goes from stressful to fun to dangerous. I look down at Ridley in my arms and then over to Franci in Gambit’s. My body feels like I was hit by a semitruck, but I’m more focused on the fact that Ley was shot, and I can feel her blood on my hands. My ears are still ringing from the explosion.
“Let’s go,” Gambit yells and runs for a crew cab truck that pulls up. “Striker, you take care of Rogue. I’ll drive,” Gambit orders the man driving, who jumps out and gets into the back. Gambit buckles Franci into the front seat and opens the back door for me to get in with Ridley. “Don’t worry. Bulletproof.” He taps the glass, and I jump in as more bullets hit the pavement around us.
I recognize Striker from the shop and know he runs with Gambit’s club. But my hearing must be off because I swear I heard Gambit refer to Ley as Rogue.
“We need to get her to a hospital.” I know I’m yelling when everyone cringes. I shake my head and hope my hearing returns to normal soon.
“No,” everyone but Franci barks at me.
I look at the woman in my arms and see the pain etched on her face, but she also has a determination behind those striking golden eyes of hers.
“To my place. It’s the most secure, and I don’t want to lead him to your place.” Ridley sits up and climbs off my lap. She removes her jacket. Her blood-stained blouse is the next to come off. She has a thin tank top on under it, and I notice she’s also wearing a very thin bulletproof vest.
“Thank fuck, love. I was scared.” I can’t keep the gruffness from my voice. “I can’t lose you either. I love you,” I tell her, not caring if she isn’t ready. She leans into me as Striker looks at the back of her shoulder.
“I love you too, Leif,” she says before she kisses me. I take over the kiss and want to take it deeper, but we aren’t alone.
“Rogue,” Gambit says from the front, “sitrep, now.”
“Crank is a guy from Roger Thant’s unit. He’s Thant’s right-hand man and a sick fucker. He called Franci’s phone. My father was on my phone. He told me not to leave the mall.”
“Wait,” the guys and I say, and we turn to the kid.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” she says quietly and then looks out her window.
“Oh, no, you don’t, jellyfish. Tell us what’s fucking going on,” Gambit orders her, and she turns on him fast.
“You don’t get to ask me questions like that. You told me I was a kid and not yours, then you attack Leif and say I’m yours. I’m not your jellyfish. I’m nothing to you. I’m done with you. Ley, I want to be moved. I understand you won’t want to, but I’m not staying here any longer. I’m an adult and obviously they found us.” She’s so angry her body is vibrating, but she also chokes on the words.
The truck comes to a screeching halt, and I realize we are at Ridley’s warehouse. The door rolls up, and Gambit pulls in. He’s out of the truck and around the hood before the door is down. Franci’s door is opened, and she’s out and in his arms. He pushes her into the side of the truck. I open my door, ready to defend her if necessary. I know she’s hurt, but Gambit is also very upset. He now realizes how messed it was to walk away from her like he did.
“You’re not fucking running from me, little girl. I’m not letting you go ever again. I was fucking wrong. I wanted to give you time to grow up, but not anymore. You are mine.” He slams his lips down on to hers. I’m about to interrupt him when a gun clicks along with several others. We all turn.
“Take your hands off my granddaughter, now, asshole, before I give you a pussy and take that dick off you,” a deeply accented voice says from the darkness. Out steps a man I’ve never seen before, but I can see the resemblance between Gray, Ridley, and him. This is her father who she said doesn’t care. Who called and tried to save our lives.
His men shift their guns, and I turn to follow their aim. There stands three more men. A man taller than me steps forward. His blond hair and cut facial features remind me of my country of birth.
“Morosov, we had a deal. You stay in Latvia, and I let you be free. Don’t make me cuff you in front of your family. I might not be contracted by the DEA anymore, but I can easily get that taken care of,” the man says as he walks up to us. He doesn’t care about all the guns cocked and ready. He looks me up and down and nods before he moves to Ley. He leans over her body and looks at her back. “Striker needs to stitch that up. Why don’t we head upstairs, and you offer these gentlemen some vodka? We have about three hours until your brother shows up with his men.” Just as he says that, the door opens and in walks Gray.
“Otets.” He looks at their father and then moves to his sister. He looks at me and then her.
“What the fuck is going on?” he barks at her.
She shakes her head, and I’m ready for her to lay into him. But when he goes to reach for her and grabs her injured arm, I’m on him.
I grab him and spin him away before I double punch him. He huffs, and I square up to him.
“She’s hurt, you idiot, and you just touched her.”
“If I fucking knew I had to kick your ass to prove you aren’t good enough for my sister, I would have before,” he barks and barrels toward me.
I’m about to take him out when I’m spun away, and he’s picking himself up off the floor. The man who came in before him has him down on the ground with a gun in his face, and Ley has me pressed against the side of the truck.
“Sorry, love,” I apologize, but she smirks and leans up to kiss me.
“That was sexy, but we have to entertain now as Commander suggested.”
