Page 73 of Russian Rescue

“Yeah,” she groaned out.

“Good. You shoot the guys behind us, and I’ll shoot the guys in front of us. Can you do that?”

“Of course I can.” She chuckled softly, then moaned again from the pain.

“Contact behind you in three. I’ll guide you down the hall,” Knox said.

Now that Petro had likely told everyone to kill us as he fled, I no longer had their need for my skills to keep me safe from certain death. I started running with Piper then heard her gunfire as I pumped down the hall. Several bullets came back in our direction. One hit me in the leg, and it felt like a sledgehammer slammed into me, but my tactical suit prevented it from penetrating. I ignored the pain and kept moving.

“Stairs coming up on your left,” Knox said quickly. “Three guys ascending now. Take them out, then head down.”

I readied my trigger finger as Piper continued shooting at the guards behind us. I saw the opening to the velvet carpeted stairs and spun down it. The three guards rushing up toward me stopped in stunned surprise when I appeared in front of them but had no time to process before I dropped them each with quick, well-placed shots.

“Nice work, Pretty Boy! Keep moving!” Knox commanded.

As I ran over the bodies, Piper saw the carnage and said, “Whoa. I taught you well, baby. Nice shooting.”

She groaned when I jumped over a body onto the landing, and her pain squeezed my heart in my chest, but it was also the only way to save her life.

“The guests are screaming out into the parking lot. It’s a total shitshow out there,” Knox said. “You’re coming up on two more guards in the hallway. If you take them out, you should be able to disappear into the crowd and get the hell out of there.”

“Roger that.” I paused to check my gun. “I’ve got two shots left.”

“Then you’d better not miss, or we’re toast. I’m out of ammo,” Piper said.

I love you.

Her words bounced around inside my head as I narrowed my eyes and prepared to make my last two shots count... save the woman I couldn’t, wouldn’t, live without.

“Contact in three, two...”

When Knox hit one, I stared down the sights of my gun. The two guards stepped into the hallway and saw me. As I took aim, they lifted their guns.

Pop, pop!

My two bullets traveled the length of the hallway and hit their targets consecutively. Each man dropped to his knees, then crumpled forward.

“Holy shit, Pretty Boy! Nice fucking shooting! Now move!”

I wanted to stand there and appreciate the long-distance shots I’d made, but Piper moaned again, and I snapped back to the reality of the current situation. I had to get her out. Now.

I took off again and raced back to the second-floor landing. The last of the guests were piling out the door in a sea of glitter and gold. I ran down the stairs and jumped in with them, pushing us into the pack.

“I need to set you down so we don’t draw attention. I’ll hold you up, though.”

I slid Piper to the ground and snaked my arm around her waist, holding her body up as I moved with the swarm of panicked people to our car. I felt her fight slipping away as she slumped against me, her toes dragging on the ground as she leaned the entirety of her weight on me.

“Almost there, baby. Just hang on. You don’t get to tell me you love me, then go and die on me. Okay? We’re gonna live a long, happy life, and we’re going to race in our wheelchairs when we get old. Well, when you get old. I’ll still be young and spry.”

She laughed softly, but when I glanced down, her eyes started blinking shut.

“Piper! Stay fucking with me! You’re not dying because of something my dumbass did! Stay alive, Piper. Do it for me!”

I got to our car and got her into the passenger seat. She slumped back against it, and I hurried into the driver’s seat. When I started the engine, I glanced over, and she blinked at me slowly.

“I do love you, Wes. I hope you know that.” She breathed out in a pained whisper. “In case I don’t make it, just know that I love you. I’ll always love you. I’m sorry it took me so long to admit it.”

“You can tell me you love me when you wake up from this.”