Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 83814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Lev’s on his knees with a sneer on his face. He’s staring up at Adriano Marino who has a gun aimed at his head. Their conversation finally reaches me as I edge forward into the ring of light. There are six other Italians, and if any of them looks up, I’m fucked.
“…your friend on a leash,” Adriano’s saying.
“I don’t control what Alexander does and doesn’t do.”
“Then you’re not worthy to run your family when the time comes. Should I make your father’s succession plans easier? Kill you and force him to find someone more qualified?”
“Go ahead, pull the fucking trigger. But we both know what’ll happen if you do.”
Adriano’s smile is startlingly calm. “There will be war. Real war, full blown war. But that’s an inevitability at this point.”
“I don’t even know why you care so much. You never like Natalya.”
“No, you’re right. But it embarrassed me when she was stolen away, and I can’t have that.”
“Then what? This whole thing was a trap from the start?”
“I knew you couldn’t help yourself. You’re too impulsive, and now you’ll pay the price.”
Lev tilts his chin up. He shows his teeth and doesn’t blink.
I’m proud of him, that crazy bastard. In the face of death, he’s not begging, flinching, or shying away. He’s facing it with strength and dignity.
But lucky for him, his guardian angel is watching.
I squeeze off a round. I’m at least fifty yards away and the lighting’s bad, which means my shot has to be perfect. Unfortunately, it’s not—and I only manage to hit Adriano in the calf.
He grunts in shock and staggers. When he shoots, the bullet goes wide of Lev’s head.
Well, so much for fucking stealth.
I start firing like a psycho. The Italians don’t know what’s going on at first. I manage to kill two of them while the rest scatter, looking for cover. Lev rolls to the side and stumbles as he picks up a dead Italian’s gun. But it’s Adriano who figures it out first, even though he’s down on one knee and bleeding from a wound. He shouts and fires back at me, forcing me away from the edge of the containers.
“Lev, run!” I shout, rolling to the side and coming out one more time to start shooting. It’s a dumb idea, but if Lev’s going to escape, he needs cover.
Down below, Lev sprints like a man possessed. At least he knows better than to stop and start shooting too. The Italians are surprised and pissed that their ambush didn’t work, but they’re already regrouping under Adriano’s leadership.
Once I’m sure Lev’s on his way out of that death trap, I shove myself up and start sprinting along the top of the containers. It’s dark where I am and I have to hope the Italians aren’t very good, otherwise I’m beyond fucked.
Sparks burst from the metal all around me. I feel something sharp rip through my shoulder and arm, but I keep going. There’s yelling and screaming and more shooting, and I keep going, running as hard as I can.
That’s when the real pain starts. I grunt and stumble as fire burns through my thigh, just above my knee. I try to push through it but my pants are soaking wet, and I realize it’s blood.
“Fucking shit,” I growl as I stagger and fall. I nearly slam my face but catch myself at the last moment. I manage to shove myself back to my feet, but I’m stumbling and staggering like a drunk, and I don’t know how much further I can go. I’m bleeding from a few wounds, and while the pain isn’t that bad, the blood loss is going to finish me off.
Lev got out. I know he got out. Even if I’m dead, at least Lev escaped. He’s getting the second chance his brother was never given, and I’m thankful for that.
But a deep mourning fills me.
My baby. My child. I’ll never get to know them. Girl, boy, whatever, I’ll never see my kid grow up.
As I finally trip on gap between two containers and go down again, all I can see is Natalya’s face in my mind.
Her beautiful smile. Her frustrated frown. The teasing way she rolls her eyes. Her gorgeous body as she gets out from the pool, water dripping from her hair and lips, those big, vulnerable eyes looking at me with a mixture of fear and desire.
I’m going to miss her most of all.
“You stupid bastard!” Lev’s voice. Even though I’m dying, I still imagine him insulting me. “You shouldn’t have come back for me.”
Then he’s grabbing me, and I realize it’s really him.
“What are you doing?”
“I got you, big guy.” He helps me to the edge and swings me down onto the ladder. Agonizing pain lances up my leg. “Come on, you strong bastard, you gotta climb.”
“The Italians,” I murmur.