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“There are still gunmen outside!” Keva exclaims.
Beli pulls a shotgun from his back and cocks it. “Concerned about my well-being, sweet pea?”
My jaw hits the floor.Sweet pea? I thought Keva and Beli hated each other. When I look at Tara, she just rolls her eyes and mouths, “Don’t ask.”
Keva flips him a bird, then focuses on the new casualty. I help her remove the guy’s shirt, all the while thanking the heavens for that meeting my husband went to. This could have been him. Knowing that Drago wasn’t caught up in this attack is the only thing that kept me from losing my shit the last half an hour.
“Oh, and the boss is back,” Beli says on his way out.
My hands still on the wounded man’s shirt while a sinking feeling forms in the pit of my stomach.
Chapter 22
I step out from the cover of a tree and aim my gun at the man crouching by the fountain. The bullet hits him in the back of his head, blood spraying the white marble. I’m going to annihilate every motherfucker who dared to attack my home and family.
My eyes jump to the last window on the top floor. The lights are out, just as in every other part of the house. Sienna is probably freaking out, but Adam said he left Tara with her. That knowledge helps subdue my anxiety somewhat. I almost lost it when I received that second signal from Relja and narrowly avoided crashing into a semi when I floored the gas pedal.
Even outnumbered, my men have done a good job fighting off Bogdan’s guys. Most of the attackers are dead, their bodies littering the lawn and paved surface around the abandoned vans. A few are still alive, trying to keep themselves hidden and waiting for an opportunity to flee. Well, not happening. I’ve already ordered to have the gate secured, and Filip is there with three of our guys, ready to finish off anyone who tries to escape.
Deep growling sounds on my right as I head to the mansion. I glance in that direction and find Perun and Zeus tearing at a man wearing tactical clothing. There is enough light to see matching satin bows around my dogs’ necks. Orange today.
A smile breaks across my lips. It means my wife dressed the dogs after I left. She likes to coordinate their bows with what she wears. My sparkling little bundle of joy, who’s so much more than anyone sees at first glance. Jesus fuck, I’m a goner for that woman.
The rumbling of a vehicle makes me look back toward the mansion. Beli is parking a van next to the kitchen door. Adam exits the house, holding one of my guys in a fireman’s lift. Iliya and Jovan follow, supporting Relja between them. I grit my teeth. Fucking Salvatore Ajello. I can’t stand that man, especially knowing he made Sienna spy for him. I wish I could have told him to shove his offer to have my men treated at his hospital, but unfortunately, we both knew there was no way I would refuse. And I’m certain he’s going to find a way to cash in his favor. With interest, no doubt.
Beli jumps into the driver’s seat and pulls away, maneuvering between the Romanians’ vehicles and the dead attackers, and heads for the compound gate. Getting rid of all the bodies and the vans is going to be a pain in the ass.
Their guns at a ready, Adam and Jovan approach the carnage, the bulk of it amassed before the front doors, checking out the dead. Iliya, meanwhile, heads toward the back of the house.
“Did you find Bogdan?” I ask as I approach.
Adam shakes his head. “I got a glimpse of him earlier, so he was here for sure. Jovan is checking out the backyard. I’ll call the gate and see if maybe they got him.”
“I want everyone on alert until his body is found.”
The gunfire has ceased, and it looks like we’ve finally done rounding up Bogdan’s men, thank fuck, but I’m not calling it finished until I see the motherfucker’s corpse with my own eyes.
With one last glance at the bodies lining the driveway, I head toward the garage to check if some of the bastards are hiding there, but out of the corner of my eye, I catch a reflection of shimmering turquoise blue. My head snaps to the side, zeroing in on the figure standing in the kitchen doorway. The power has been restored inside the house, so I can clearly see my wife, in her mermaid leggings, staring at me. A relieved sigh leaves my lips upon seeing her unharmed and well. The next moment, however, I’m filled with rage. Was she there the whole fucking time, while bullets rained all around?
“What the fuck, Sienna!” I roar, cutting a path across the lawn and rushing toward her. I’m going to kill whoever is responsible for allowing her downstairs. “Get back inside. Now!”
She just keeps staring at me while a tear slides down her cheek. The look in her eyes, as they bore into mine, is of utter relief, and my rage dissipates immediately. She was worried about me.
“I said, get back inside!” I continue shouting, but she just smiles. What am I going to do with her? No one is allowed to ignore my direct order, but when it’s her, I don’t really mind. Damn it.
I’m only a few steps away when Sienna’s eyes dart to the side, somewhere behind me. The smile disappears off her face, and is replaced with sheer terror.
It’s not a conscious move. There is no rational thought, only pure instinct, as I turn on my heel, shielding my wife and facing whatever danger lies ahead. My gun is primed, the metal warm in my palm as I raise my hand, ready to neutralize the threat.
But I’m too slow.
A gunshot pierces the air.
There are moments that you know will haunt you forever, even if you live a thousand years. Those moments fundamentally shake your existence, changing the trajectory of your life. The new journey before you is one you never saw coming. One you couldn’t plan for. A path you’ve never seen. Whether karma or destiny, those moments are rarely of your own choosing.
Faced with one such moment, you know nothing will ever be the same. It becomes a nexus, a pinpoint in time where everything is thought of as “before” and “after.”
I’ve already had two such instances in my life. When Arturo told us that our parents had died was the first. The second was when I found out my sister was gone, her fate unknown.
