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“Lucas!” Noah’s voice came from the other side of the door. “Andrei!”
“Yes!” Andrei shouted back and Lucas exhaled in relief. “We’re in here. Lucas has been shot!”
There were three heavy bangs against the door before it suddenly exploded inward revealing Noah looking frighteningly similar to a ninja in his all-black garb. His sharp eyes scanned the room before settling on Lucas and Andrei.
“Get Snow! He’s bleeding out!” Andrei shouted.
As if by magic, the surgeon appeared in the doorway, a gun in hand, looking as if he was ready to take on the world. He saw Lucas, his expression hardening before he barked, “Jude, I need you.”
Something in Lucas started to relax and he again tried to smile. If he was going to make it through this, he had the best shot he was going to get with Snow working on him. He watched the surgeon jerk Andrei out of his way before falling to his knees to start looking over the wound. Jude hovered beside him, ready to follow Snow’s terse demands.
Andrei stood several feet away, his arms tightly wrapped across his chest as if they were the only thing holding him together. He wanted to say something that would erase the fear, that would reassure him that everything was going to be fine. Soon they’d be plopped on the sofa, discussing their wedding and arguing over how involved Andrei was going to let his mother be in making their plans.
Noah stood beside Andrei, his hand on Andrei’s shoulder, tightening and loosening as they watched Snow and Jude work.
“An ambulance is already on the way,” Noah murmured.
And then it clicked what was missing. Or rather who.
“Where’s Ian?” Lucas demanded, his voice sounding strangely slurred to his own ears.
“Shut up,” Snow growled.
Lucas ignored him. Rowe was undoubtedly searching for Jagger and his men. Where were Ian and Hollis?
“Noah,” Lucas said, summoning up the last of his strength. “Fucking find Ian, now.”
The other man nodded and gave Andrei one last pat on the shoulder before darting out the open door.
Lucas released the breath he’d been holding and let his eyes fall shut. He was so damn tired and cold. It was like the cold of the hard floor was seeping straight into his bones. The darkness grew thicker and heavier, wrapping around his brain. He could hear voices shouting his name, but he didn’t have the strength left to swim back to the surface. He let the darkness swallow him whole, confident that Noah and Rowe would reach Ian in time, confident that he was in safe hands.Chapter 19Ian clung to Hollis’s hand while trying to keep a calm, happy expression as people continued to laugh, drink, and dance around them. He’d heard the muffled bangs a few minutes earlier, mostly hidden under the music played by the band on the stage. A few other people noticed them as well and commented on the sound being only the popping of some balloons. Some of the guards around the rotunda had shifted around, some of them leaving while others moved closer to the exits to block any suspicious people from escaping.
Threading his fingers between Hollis’s, Ian led him farther away from a small knot of people so they couldn’t be overheard. “Tinker, any news?” Ian softly inquired.
“Not yet. There’s a goddamn jammer in the room. Two men are searching for it so we can get updates.”
“Nibs?” Hollis murmured.
“Slightly is working on him with Hook.”
“How bad?” Ian asked, fighting the waver in his voice.
“No idea, but Sm—screw the goddamn codenames! Noah is staying with Andrei.”
Ian wanted to leave this damn party and go to Lucas’s side, but he knew there was no point. He didn’t want to get in Snow’s way and he knew he couldn’t help, but he hated being in the dark. This was not how the evening was supposed to go.
They’d expected Jagger to contact one of them, luring that person away from the group. But with the earpieces and the roaming police and bodyguards, they were supposed to move in as soon as Jagger was spotted. But there were problems: Jagger didn’t show, their earpieces were blocked, and Jagger was content to just have one of his men shoot Lucas.
No, this didn’t make any sense!
Jagger was livid over the loss of the businesses, his wealth, his home…everything that he’d worked a lifetime to establish, and he was pinning all the blame on Ian and his friends. If he’d stayed behind in Cincinnati with the sole goal of killing them, he wouldn’t just hang back and leave the job to one of his men to pull the trigger. Ian knew he was still here.
Rowe suddenly started swearing and Ian flinched against the angry barrage. He looked around the party, but nothing seemed out of place. Everyone was still laughing and having fun.
