Kostya and his team burst in from the west, two shots to Carmine's chest!
The old fox's eyes widened in disbelief, staring at the blood pouring from his chest. He swayed, then fell into a pool of blood.
The surrounding gunmen reacted, preparing to fire—
Mark stormed in from the front. Pincer attack!
Gunfire, screams, explosions—the warehouse became hell on earth.
But I didn't care anymore.
I staggered toward Vivienne, cut the ropes with my knife, and pulled her into my arms.
"It's over, it's over..." My voice was hoarse, repeating those words.
Vivienne clung to me, sobbing uncontrollably.
"You bastard! You damn bastard! How could you—how could you shoot yourself—"
"Because I can't live without you." I lowered my head, forehead against hers, voice barely a whisper. "I can lose the Volkov family. I can lose everything. But I can't lose you."
She cried harder, little fists pounding my chest, but soon she had no strength left, just clutched my shirt.
"Nikolai... I'm pregnant..." she choked out. "I'm carrying your child... I'm sorry... I should have told you sooner..."
My brain exploded.
Though I'd already known, hearing her say it—hearing the guilt in her voice—the shock and overwhelming joy still hit me like a tsunami.
"I know." I tightened my arms, wanting to fuse her into my bones. "I know everything, Vivienne. I'm sorry. This is all my fault... If I hadn't treated you that way, you wouldn't have—"
"Pakhan!" Kostya's shout interrupted us. "Move! This place is coming down!"
Only then did I notice—the firefight had ignited chemicals stored in the warehouse. Fire was spreading fast. The steel beams overhead groaned under the strain.
"Sasha!" Vivienne suddenly shouted.
I turned. Sasha was still tied to the post, unconscious.
"Kostya, get her out!" I pushed Vivienne toward Kostya.
"No! I'm not leaving! Nikolai—"
"Listen to me!" I shouted, then turned and ran toward Sasha.
I cut the ropes, hoisted him over my shoulder, and staggered toward the exit. Blood loss blurred my vision, but I gritted my teeth, one step at a time.
Finally, I burst out of the warehouse.
Fresh air flooded my lungs. I collapsed, Sasha and I hitting the ground together.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Vivienne
The steel mill behind me crumbled like a beast's shattered spine, torn metal shrieking as sparks rained down, the heat wave and choking black smoke nearly singeing my hair.
But I didn't care about any of that.
