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Lom and his driver don’t waste any time. They fire their guns, and then we’re met with gunfire. I rush with Inez into the room we just came out of to shield us from the shots, and once the gunfire comes to a halt, I peek my head around the corner.
Crimson red is soaking into the white dress shirt Lom’s wearing. He looks down at it briefly and then looks at me. “It’s just a flesh wound. Come on, we have what we’ve come for.” Lom starts walking down the hallway, and I motion for Inez to follow me. We all make it out of the home and get the girls into the car, then we all jump in.
Lom gets in the passenger seat and looks really pale, so much worse than he looked a couple of minutes ago. I make sure the girls are buckled in properly and that Inez is settled. Lom’s driver starts to drive, leaving Duarte’s compound.
Meanwhile, I’m grilling Lom. “What’s going on with you? You don’t look too good right now, Lom,” I comment, trying to get something out of him. If he needs help, I need him to ask for it. I’m not a doctor, so I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing right now.
“We need to get out of here, then we can worry about this slight mishap.”
“Slight mishap? You were shot in the fucking chest!” I grunt. Taking off my cardigan, I ball it up and press it against his wound. I don’t know a lot about emergencies like this, but I did watch my fair share of medical dramas back in the day. This is common sense, so hopefully, it’ll be enough to help him right now.
“This is nothing. I’ve been through so much worse.”
“I’m glad you think so. I can’t let you die. Not after you just helped me get my girls back,” I tell Lom, and he looks right at me as I’m hovering in the space between the driver’s and passenger’s seats.
“Relax. It’s going to take more than a tiny ass bullet to take me out of this world.” Lom laughs, but the second he does, he grimaces. I guess it must hurt him to laugh, but his humor tells me he’s okay. At least for the moment, that is.
“Once we get out of the city, I can make some calls. We’ll get you all fixed up, Boss,” the man next to him states, and a slight bit of relief washes over me. Okay, so this guy has a plan. That’s the best thing I could ask for right now.
“Are we going to stop somewhere?” I’m a bit nervous about the answer. If we stop somewhere here, even outside of Lisbon, there’s a huge chance Duarte might have his people looking for us.
“Yes, somewhere. We need to get Lom checked and assessed soon.”
I nod, understanding what his right-hand man wants. The number one thing for us all is our safety, and Lom literally took a bullet for my children and me. Whatever the man wants, he’ll damn well get.
Chapter Nineteen
Nazyr
“These paintings are marvelous. How is your artwork not spread across the world yet?” Duarte’s making an effort to impress my sister by flattering her, but it won’t work. She’s not some average woman who he can get to swoon over him whenever he feels like it. Hell, the bastard tried hitting on her not long ago. Then Eset put him in his place, reminding Duarte she’s married to Santos Ramirez.
I do find it funny how Duarte brought up the fact he’s friends with Santos’ father, Julio. The same man who we’re going to have an impending problem with.
“I haven’t done too much marketing yet, but I have made a few connections in the art industry. Soon enough, my work will be in New York and Los Angeles.”
“That’s amazing. I do need some of your work in my home. If I buy in bulk, do you offer a discount?” What a cheap, sleazy bastard.
Eset chuckles lightly. “Unfortunately, I don’t. Some of these paintings take me hundreds of hours to complete, so the price posted on the back of the canvas is accurate. I always accept payment plans if that would be your speed.”
Fuck, I love my sister. She’s insulting the man without even getting her hands dirty.
“Ah, well, I don’t need a payment plan. I only assumed since I do so much work with your family that you might be inclined to offer me a deal.”
“That’s where you made your mistake,” Eset replies.
“I’m sorry, I’m not following along.”
“You assumed. You shouldn’t have done that. Now it makes you look dumb, and I’m sure it’s humiliating you.”
I’m doing my damndest to keep my smile from actually slipping as Duarte glares at my little sister.
“You know what, maybe I’ll find another artist’s pockets to line. I don’t feel like you’re going to need my money in the long run.” Duarte tries to walk for the stairwell, but I’m standing in front of it and don’t let him pass.
“Nazyr, I would very much appreciate you stepping out of my way so I can leave.”
“I know you would, but I can’t let you leave. You see, Duarte, you’ve hurt someone I care about, and I’m not going to stand for it any longer.”
“What?” Duarte furrows his brows together and looks at me like I’ve lost my damn mind.
