But Alexei was holding Ilya’s head, forcing him to look up, and when he saw the gun in Cort’s hand, his eyes widened. It was the smallest flinch of movement, but it was enough to alertAlexei.
He turned and fired without missing a beat, and Cort cried out as a red stain blossomed on the front of his shirt and his gun skittered across thefloor.
“Cort!” As Cort sank to his knees, Cam sank with him, pressing his hands to the wound in Cort’sside.
Damon sank to the floor on his other side, but Alexei brandished the gun in his direction, elbow locked, and Damon stood again, holding his hands in front ofhim.
“Jesus,” Bas breathed, moving his body to blockDrew’s.
“You see what you’ve done?” Alexei said, looking at Bas. “You see? You made me shoot him.Youdidthat.”
Bas swallowed, not arguing. “You arenothing,Sebastian. You deservenothing. You forced my hand, time and again. Refusing to work with me, disrespecting me. You made my father betray me. You took everything fromme.”
He shook his head frantically, eyeswild.
Down on the floor, Cam began sobbing. “Stay with me! Kendrick Cortland, if you love me,stay withme.”
Alexei smiled at Bas and turned the gun on Drew. “And now I’ll take everything from you.” He shrugged almost apologetically. “That will even thescore.”
“Mister McMann,” Alexei called. “Stepaway.”
Drew moved, but just as quickly Bas moved to block him. “Don’t youdare, Andrew!” hewarned.
“Move,now,” Alexei said. “Or I’ll shoot both ofyou.”
Drew pushed Bas, forcing him aside and pinning him against the wall with the back of his arm when Bas made to move in front of him again. “Enough, Bas!Enough.”
“So brave,” Alexei mused regretfully, aiming the gun at Drew’s head. “It almost makes me sorry to do this to you, McMann. But you picked the wrong man to fall in lovewith.”
Drew’s eyes widened as they all realized that Alexei wasn’t bluffing thistime.
Bas struggled against Drew’s hold, trying to wriggle in front of him, but Drew held him back with a strength Bas hadn’t known hepossessed.
“No,” he told Alexei. “I didn’t.” He turned to look at Bas one last time, his brown eyes resigned and full of love. “I picked the best possible man. And I have loved him my entirelife.”
“No,” Bas screamed. “No!”
He bent his knees, ducking beneath Drew’s arm and freeing himself just as the pistol crack echoed across the smallspace.
