Page 67 of Savage Little War

“You deserve the perfect wedding day,” he tells me as we head down the sidewalk to reach the car parked around the corner. “No amount of expense matters, and I’m sure that Dmitri would say the same thing.”

For a second, it almost feels like I have a father again.

I’ve been insanely spoiled lately. I can only imagine how spoiled our baby will be. “You’re not wrong⁠—”

An engine roars too close to my left, low and aggressive. A black sedan surges up beside the curb. The back window glides down an inch, just enough for a gun barrel to appear.

My heart plummets at the sight.

My body locks up.

All I can do is stare at the end of the barrel, time slowing.

“Cara!”

The gun cracks, and I squeeze my eyes shut, preparing for the bullet to rip through me.

But a hard impact slams into me instead, a strong arm wrapping around me to keep my head from hitting the ground.

Tires squeal as the car races off, and I finally open my eyes to find my father holding me against his chest, his back facing the street.

“What the hell was that?” I breathe out in shock as I lift my gaze, expecting Sean to look furious, to already have his gun out.

Instead, he looks pained, his face pinched tight. He releases me and drops down to his knees in front of me, grasping at his shoulder.

My stomach twists as I pull his suit jacket down his arm, seeing blood blooming high on his chest, near the shoulder. That bullet almost hit his heart.

“Oh, my God…Dad.”

Sean groans in pain as blood soaks his shirt, his breathing growing ragged.

“Dad? Dad!” I say as he starts to sway. I look down the sidewalk to see Leo and Mark coming around the corner with their guns drawn, along with some of my father’s men. They must’ve heard the gunshot. “Help! He’s been shot!”

The guys break out into a sprint, reaching me and my father in just a few seconds. Leo guides Sean onto his back and puts pressure on the wound.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Mark asks, his eyes sweeping over me.

“I’m fine. Someone just drove up and shot at us!” I tell him, my voice starting to shake. “He-he shielded me. He protected me.”

“We need to get him to the hospital,” Leo says, blood already covering his hands. “He’s losing too much blood.”

“Should we call an ambulance?” I ask as I frantically pull out my phone.

Mark puts his hand over mine as my dad lets out a weak sound of protest. “We’ll drive him. We’ll get him there faster than an ambulance can get here.”

“Then, let’s go!” I urge them.

“I’ll get the car,” Mark says before taking off around the corner.

I kneel down next to my father as the color starts to drain from his face. Worry twists and churns in my stomach as I grab his hand, squeezing tightly to keep him grounded to reality. “You are not dying on me today! I will never forgive you if you do.”

Sean lets out a weak laugh as his glassy eyes shift to me. “That’s just not fair.”

“No, it is fair,” I argue as my eyes start to sting. “You owe it to me to survive this like everything else….”

Sean breathes in shakily as he gazes at me for a few quiet seconds. He then nods and squeezes my hand back as much as he can.

When Mark pulls the car around, he hops out and helps Leo and the others get my dad into the back seat just as some nosy bystanders start to show up. “Hurry!” I tell them as I climb into the passenger’s seat while Leo stays in the back to keep pressure on Dad’s wound.