Page 172 of Betrayal and Vows

Because I’m slipping.

I’m dying.

As darkness pulls at me, I take comfort knowing my enemies are dead.

They won’t get their hands on Lena.

Chapter 28

Lena

Iroll Anton onto his back, his head lolling to the side.

Blood pools beneath him, spreading across the concrete like spilled wine.

"No, no, no," I sob, pressing my hands against his chest, trying to find where the bullet went in. There's so much blood. Too much blood. "Anton, stay with me. Please stay with me."

His eyes flutter open, unfocused and glassy. "Lena," he whispers, and blood bubbles from his lips.

"Don't talk," I tell him, my voice breaking. "Save your strength. Someone will help us. Someone has to help us."

But even as I say it, I know it's not true.

The gunfire continues around us, Popov's men and what's left of Vadim's organization tearing each other apart.

No one is coming to save us.

I find the wound—a hole just below his ribs, pumping blood with each heartbeat.

I press both palms against it, putting all my weight behind the pressure.

The blood seeps between my fingers anyway.

"Help!" I scream over the sound of automatic weapons. "Somebody help me! He's dying!"

No one hears me.

Or if they do, they're too busy trying not to die themselves.

Anton's hand finds mine, his fingers cold and weak. "Solnyshko," he breathes.

"No," I shake my head frantically. "Don't you dare say goodbye to me. Don't you fucking dare."

His smile is soft, peaceful in a way that terrifies me. "I love you."

"I love you too, which is why you're not allowed to die." Tears blur my vision as I lean down to press my forehead against his. "We're supposed to go to Spain, remember? We're supposed to have a life together."

"You'll have a life," he whispers. "A good one. Without all this violence."

"Not without you." My voice cracks completely. "I can't do this without you, Anton. I won't."

The blood won't stop. No matter how hard I press, no matter how desperately I beg, it keeps flowing. His face is getting paler by the second.

"HELP ME!" I scream again, my voice raw and desperate. "PLEASE, SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

But the gunfire is dying down now. Soon there will be silence. And then what? Do I run? Do I stay here and die with him?

Anton's breathing becomes shallow, labored. His eyes are closing.