“Sir, Penn…all you have is a knife. Take my pistol…” He fired at a man to our left and he crumpled to the ground.
“I’m not good at shooting.”
“But you know how, now take it!”
I rolled my eyes but did as instructed and rushed out the door. I was careful as I rounded the corner and Raff was right, it was empty. I had to get to the opposite side and hope Olivia was there.
There was no doubt that Benito was behind this, but with his reputation in tatters how’d he get a fucking army behind him? That I didn’t know.
As I rounded another corner, I saw Alex against the wall holding his shoulder that was gushing blood. I crouched. “Alex.”
His eyes were glazed, he’d lost a lot of blood. “Penn? What…? I don’t understand what’s happening.”
“We need to stop the bleeding.”
“I can help.” A man maybe in his forties kneeled beside Alex. “I was in the bathroom and I heard the gunshots. I’m a doctor—a friend of the Popovs.” That was Mila’s family.
He had a wad of paper towels and a black bag. “Okay, I have to look for Olivia.” I handed the doctor the KA-Bar. “Take it. If someone comes near you both, stab them until they stop moving.”
He eyed the knife. “I heal, I don’t kill.”
“Doc, if someone is about to kill you, I feel like you’ll get over it.”
He reluctantly took it. I squeezed Alex’s leg and rushed past them. I didn’t encounter anyone else. The gunfire was dying down, and I just had to hope that meant our side was winning here.
I spotted the doors, and I knew once I opened them I’d see the orchestra set up. I didn’t see Olivia or Jennifer in the hallway, but I noticed a room across from it. I decided to check that out first.
When I entered the room that was clearly for special conferences, the scent of vanilla and roses lingered. Jennifer’s perfume. They were either here or had been.
“Livy?” I whispered but there was no answer.
I peeked under the table and searched the bathroom that was off to the side. Nothing, no one was here. Maybe Jennifer had gotten her to safety once the shooting had begun.
I slipped out of the room, checking left and right. The shooting stopped, the silence was eerie. No shouts or screams. As I backtracked toward the ballroom, crouching low, I could hear whimpers and soft groans. I was about to open the door, but something pressed against the back of my head.
“Don’t move. Stand up slowly.”
“Um…don’t move or stand up?”
“Don’t be an idiot.” I noted the light Russian accent.
I stood and was about to turn around, but he stopped me by applying more pressure. “Drop the gun and take two steps to the left.”
I calculated the probability of me getting shot if I refused, but this guy hadn’t killed me, and I didn’t know why. He clearly wanted me to go with him.
“I feel more secure with the gun. I think I’ll keep it.”
“The order was to bring you alive, but no one said I couldn’t shoot you.”
Okay, so I was being taken somewhere. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll find out soon, now drop it.” When I didn’t, he said the one thing that made me let it fall. “We have the twins, and I’ll take you to them, but only if you drop the gun and don’t give me problems.”
I complied and he shoved me in the direction he wanted me to go, so I went. He’d better be taking me to Owen and Olivia, or I would beat the shit out of him with his own pistol.
There were sprays of blood on the corridor walls, bodies slumped over. I recognized two of Gideon’s guys, and one of Mila’s friends who was at the engagement party dead by the entrance of the venue.
Outside of the venue there was a black van idling. The door opened and Owen and Olivia were sitting inside, wrists tied, gagged, and tears streaming down their faces.
