AllFreeNovel
Share Us
And in my arms, Celine still hasn’t moved.
A silhouette draws closer through the gloom and smoke. It takes shape—Dima. He’s got blood and sweat and his hair matted to his forehead. I see before he even approaches that he’s coming with bad news.
“He’s gone, isn’t he?” I ask through gritted teeth.
Dima nods heavily. “I’m sorry, brother. The Bellasios got him back.”
50
TAYLOR
I cradle my sister’s head in my hands as we speed through the streets.
I buried my mother only days ago. I don’t have the strength to bury my sister right next to her. So I cling to Celine like I’m the only thing keeping her above dark water. I talk to her in the hope that some small part of her can hear me.
“It’s going to be alright,” I whisper again and again until my throat is hoarse from smoke and tears. “Everything’s going to be alright.”
Dima, Mila, and Ilarion are all in the same Hummer with us. None of them look at me as I continue my steady stream of pointless affirmations. None of them say anything. Like they’ve already written her off.
Not me.
I’m not giving up.
When the truck finally stops, the door is opened for me. Dima looks at me with the kind of aching sympathy I never want to see again in my life.
“Give her to me, Taylor,” he says gently. “I’ll be careful.”
I can trust him, can’t I? He’s got a kind smile and a pocketful of sweet toffees he’s willing to share. He would never almost run me over with his car. He would never show me what freedom tastes like, then rip it away, along with everything else I’ve ever loved.
I’m aware that my logic is severely flawed, but I don’t have the mental bandwidth to pick it apart right now.He has toffees. He must be kind.That has to be enough.
So I help him scoop Celine from the seat. He takes her as tenderly as he can. When my arms are free, I stagger out of the Hummer and look around for the first time.
As Mila steps to my side, I turn to her in horror. “This isn’t a hospital,” I exclaim. “This is the Diamond!”
“Don’t worry,” she reassures me. “We have a doctor upstairs waiting for her. He has all the medical equipment he needs to—”
“She needs arealdoctor!” I cry. “And arealhospital!”
“She’s in good hands here,” Ilarion interrupts, stepping in front of his sister before she can answer.
“Good hands?” I repeat furiously. “Whosegood hands?Yours?”
Ilarion grits his teeth. “Mila, go inside and talk to Dr. Baranov. Stay with Celine and let me know what needs to be done.”
Mila nods and slips away from my anger. That’s fine with me; she’s not the object of it. “Why the hell aren’t we at an actual fucking hospital?” I demand of the man I’m blaming for all of this.
“Because that will raise too many unnecessary questions. We don’t need the police getting involved.”
“Oh, so you’re going to compromise my sister’s life because you don’t want to deal with the inconvenience of a bunch of cops asking someverygood questions?”
“Nothing is being compromised, Taylor. Dr. Baranov knows what he’s doing.”
“I want her taken to a hospital!”
“You just want her far away from me,” he grits out. “Which is understandable, but inadvisable. She will get the best treatment possible right here.”
I stare up at him, at his beautiful, terrifying face stained with the blood and sweat of battle. It’s a stark contrast to how calm he is, how calm healwaysis. Even in the face of chaos, his breath is steady and level.
