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Aleksandr’s gun clicks once, twice, three times, informing us that he’s out of ammo. His face pales as the gunfire grows louder down the hallway. Maks’s backup is getting close.
Releasing the now-lifeless corpse with a harsh thud, Maks unleashes a murderous grin, his eyes glinting as he watches Aleksandr like a lion who’s cornered its prey.
As if only just realizing the imminent danger, Aleksandr drops his gun, sprinting for the door at a pace I hadn’t imagined a man of his physique could muster.
Maks tracks him calmly, almost lazily with his gun, and as the fleeing villain comes within feet of the door, Maks gives his trigger one final squeeze.
The report echoes down the hallway, the sound three times louder than I had anticipated and oddly delayed.
A moment later, Aleksandr spins, his body twisting almost involuntarily until he’s facing into the room once more. Only then do I see the bullet in his chest. My eyes shift upward to find a third bullet hole squarely in the center of his forehead. A vacant expression falls like a curtain over his face.
Then Aleksandr Volkov crumples to the floor. Dead.
40
MAKSIM
My bullet hits Aleksandr square between the shoulder blades. And to my surprise, his body whips around as two more bullets find their home in his chest and head. Dimitri and Alexei appear in the doorway a moment later, their presence all the explanation I need.
Those seem to be the final bullets in our old-school shootout, and as the din dies down, the room grows deathly still in the wake of our victory.
This is going to require a massive clean-up job. But at least the casino is out of commission after our last attack on it, and it’s far enough outside the city that we’ll have more time to clean up the evidence before cops arrive.
Soft sniffling redirects my attention from my brothers’ broad smiles to the girls huddled beneath the poker table, and I turn to see Heidi cradling Sarah protectively in her arms. The sight of the incredibly maternal way Heidi holds her brings Aleksandr’s questions back to mind in an instant. And though I might have questioned it then, there’s no doubt in my mind now. Heidi has a daughter.
I don’t quite know how to feel about that—not because I have anything against children, and this one in particular, I truly enjoy.But why did Heidi never tell me?We’ve spent weeks in each other’s company, and while we tended to keep our conversations more impersonal, I told her about my family, and she told me all about Zoe and her mom.
None of that matters now, of course. My first concern is that they’re both alright, and I stride purposefully across the room to check on them. As I reach her side, Heidi looks too shaky to stand on her own, so I stoop to wrap an arm around her waist and help her out from under the table.
“Thank you,” she whispers tearfully, one hand clinging to my arm for support until she’s back on her feet.
Then her hand returns to Sarah’s head as she cradles the little girl close to her chest.
“Are you both alright?” I ask, keeping my voice low so as not to startle the little girl.
“I–I think so,” Heidi says, gingerly wiping the tears from her cheeks.
Little Sarah peeks shyly out from under her thick curtain of dark hair after a moment’s hesitation to look up at me. And as soon as I meet her eyes, I wonder how I could have thought she was anyone but Heidi’s daughter. They have the same striking hazel eyes, round with innocent wonder.
“You’re safe now,” I assure the little girl, offering her a soft smile.
And to my relief, she straightens a little in her mom’s arms, turning to return the smile more shakily.
“Did they hurt you?” I ask, carefully inspecting Sarah before turning my attention to Heidi.
“Not bad. A few bumps and bruises,” she admits, showing me one of her skinned palms.
Tenderly, I brush the back of a knuckle across the bruise that’s swiftly darkening on her cheek. Heidi flinches, air hissing between her teeth, though she tries to mask the pain.
“Mommy?” Sarah says, her voice warbling with the threat of fresh tears.
“I’m okay, baby,” Heidi promises, pressing her lips to her little girl’s temple. “Everything is okay.”
The sweet exchange is a lance through my heart as it confirms any lingering thoughts I might have, and despite my deep concern for their well-being and my need to ensure their safety, a hint of anger starts to rise within me.
It hurts to know that Heidi lied to me. It’s a deep betrayal after I’ve felt I could trust her all this time. I want to confront her about it, but I don’t want to scare her little girl.
“You never told me you have a daughter,” I state as quietly as I can manage, my voice rigid with the effort to keep my anger from my tone. “Do you have a husband I should know about too?”
