Page 2 of Barinov

“Spit it out, babe.”

“The girl you loved already died,” he whispers.

“No.”

“He’s not done.” Cade runs a hand over the back of his neck. “And Lexie? Sweet Lexie, you better sleep tight. Because tomorrow, my game finally ignites. One door opens. One rule breaks. Let’s see how much your kingdom shakes.”

He turns my phone so I can get a glimpse of the dim, grainy photo. It’s our girl knocked out in the backseat of some soon-to-be dead fuck’s car. Bella’s hair is a mess and matted with blood from a huge gash at her hairline.

“Fuck!” I scream.

I whip around, grab the nearest chair, and smash it straight into the full-length glass window overlooking The Obsidian. A spray of shrapnel explodes outward with a deafening crash.

Cade flinches at the shattering sound echoing off the high ceiling.

“W-what do we do?” His voice breaks on the last word. He thrusts my phone back at me, his long fingers trembling against the glass.

“I don’t fucking know,” I admit, not even looking at him. I reach down and yank a jagged, inch-long shard out of my forearm. The hot sting of it barely registering over the fire in my gut.

A low, gurgling cough stutters from behind us. We spin to see Roman, his steel-gray eyes barely open. His chest is rising in short and panicked bursts as watery rattles choke every inhale.

“Roman!” My phone crashes to the floor as I sprint over to his slumped body. I rip my shirt off and jam the bunched up fabric into the gaping hole in his chest. “Roman, look at me. Stay with me.” I glance up at Cade. “Call 911. Now!”

He fumbles his phone out of his pocket.

Roman coughs again; blood bubbles at the corner of his mouth.

My hands are drenched. Crimson stains every line of my palms. It seeps between my fingers and crawls up my wrists. A wave of prickling heat washes over my skin. I try to blink away the gray spots forming at the edge of my vision, but it’s no use.

Breathe. Just fucking breathe.

I clamp my jaw shut and focus every ounce of my will on the wet pressure against Roman’s chest.

Do not pass the fuck out like a dipshit in front of your boyfriend, Barinov.

“Roman! Come on. Open your fucking eyes, man.”

Roman’s lips twitch. “L-L,” he coughs. “Luca.”

“Yes, we need an ambulance,” Cade blurts into his phone from behind me. “The Obsidian, right now. H-he’s been shot.”

Roman tries again, his breath stuttering. “L-L-Luca…”

“I know it was Luca,” I say. My hands slip through the blood as I press them harder into his chest. “You’re gonna be fine. Just stay awake. You hear me? Stay the fuck awake!”

My pulse is everywhere. It’s in my ears, my throat, and even my damn fingertips. All I can see is Bella’s body in that back seat. Her cherry-vanilla scent quickly being replaced by the smell of pennies in the air. All I can feel is the warmth of Roman’s blood soaking into my skin.

And all I can hear is Luca’s smug voice in my head.

The girl you loved already died.

No.

No.

Fucking no.

Cade’s hand clasps down on my shoulder, dragging me out of my spiral. “Ambulance is on the way.”