AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He places his gun by his feet and fumbles for his phone with his good hand. A shadow quickly rises over the bar. Dmitri’s eyes grow wide as the man aims at him. I don’t have time to shoot as the man points his gun. The Karamazov soldier smiles with the certainty of a prized kill.
Time slows down as Viktor leaps over the bar toward us, taking the man out with a shot to the head. The boy lands hard with a scowl into a stocked shelf of glasses that break on impact. His leg is already bleeding badly. He lies winded and twisting in pain. I yank my tie off, crawl toward him to bind his leg, and stanch the bullet wound.
Just then, the memory of Paige pushing a tampon into my own bullet wound returns unbidden. I push the memory out of my head before I’m lost in it.
“This is why we wear ties,” I explain to Viktor, who looks at me with a distressed expression. “Are you okay?”
“I’ll live,” he says, gritting his teeth. “They’re falling back. Someone called the cops.”
“Probably one of the patrons,blyat.” Dmitri struggles to his feet. “We’ll have no idea whose cops are coming until they get here.”
It will be trouble if the cops get here and they aren’t friends of the Barinov Bratva. The last thing I want is an honest cop shot.
“We have to clean up and get out of here. I’ll play bait. You pick them off, Dmitri. Viktor, stay low.” I jump up quickly and run away from the bar. Bullets trail behind me as I take cover behind a metal column. I return fire, taking two more men out. The ache in my head is gone. I’m thinking clearly again as I return to my element.
This is what I know, and this is what I do best.
I dash over toward another column, dodging bullets as I fire. The emergency lights come on, illuminating dark corners, and I take aim again as sirens wail in the distance. Soon, we are back in control as our enemies fall back and then retreat.
I signal to Dmitri, and he holds up his phone. He’s made the call, and they’ve been warned. But Viktor is slumped against the bar, breathing heavily, and in the light, I can see his jeans are soaked with blood. He won’t make it if we wait.
I glance around until my eyes land on a bloodstained purse. I make my way over to it. Relief surges through me when I find a single unused tampon. Quickly, I toss it at Dmitri.
“Plug his wound with this,” I explain. “Worked on me.”
Dmitri nods, a look of true concern as he does what I tell him to do. When he’s finished, I grab the boy, fling him over my shoulder like a sack, and run to my car. He slumps in the passenger seat, his eyes slowly closing as I speed to Dr. Meyers’s home.
“Wake up, Viktor,” I tell him, coaxing him to stay alert. “You will disappoint me if you miss your initiation.”
Will Paige believe I do nothing to do with it if Viktor dies? Other men are injured, but I grab this boy instead. Why? Because her sister loves him? I shake my head and resolve to stop thinking about Paige to concentrate on the road. I’ve lost good men. I still ball up my fist when I think of Oleg.
I can’t lose this one.
“Did I do well, Andrei Vasilyevich?” The boy smiles weakly. His long hair covers his eyes.
He winces as I make a sharp turn into the driveway of Dr. Meyers’s house. I carry Viktor to the front door and lean on the bell. When no one comes, I start pounding. The outside lights come on, and the doctor opens the door with an irate expression that turns into shock.
I push past him, carrying Viktor toward the back of the house into the kitchen. I lay him on the long wooden table. No questions are asked as Dr. Meyers cuts open the bloodied pant leg.
“Will he live?” I ask, staring at Viktor’s leg.
He nods. “He would’ve bled out were it not for the tampon in his leg. But don’t expect much from him for the next few weeks.”
Dr. Meyers glances at me briefly, but what else can he say? He then turns his attention back to Viktor. I start to pace until Dr. Meyers reassures me again, but I’m not thinking about Viktor. I’m thinking about Paige. I don’t have my phone to check and can’t shake the feeling that I’m needed.
She needs me.
I look at Viktor, satisfied that he’ll pull through.
“I have to go.” And just like that, I’m out the door.
Chapter 36
Paige
“Andrei?” I rush down the stairs into the main hall in my bare feet. My happiness is mixed with relief and concern. My feet lose their footing on the slick tiles, and I grab a small table by the wall. This morning’s large arrangement of pink roses shakes slightly as I regain my balance. So much for looking cool.
He doesn’t answer me. I’m not even sure if Andrei hears me as he slams the front door. His tie is missing, and blood is on his clothes, staining his gray suit a dull maroon. When he lifts his eyes, I instantly back off.
