But it was eerily silent. Which meant the shot hadn’t come from very close by. It was done by someone with a long-range rifle.
A sniper.
Fuck.
If I moved, I would no doubt be dead.
Gritting my teeth, I sat still, forcing my breathing to slow. And I stayed just where I was until the sun began to rise over the trees, bleeding into the world with colors of red, pink, and orange. Then, I took my chances and pulled the burner phone out to call a cab.
I wasn’t safe here, and I certainly wouldn’t be safe on that plane. While I didn’t think Rurik had anything to do with the gunshot wound I’d received, I wouldn’t take my chances.
I needed to get to Alfonzo because in my gut, Iknewhe’d never harm me—not where it mattered. And I knew with every fiber of my being that he’d protect me.
Googling—which was difficult since I hadn’t used a fucking flip phone in ages—the local taxi company, I typed the number in, then hit dial.
I just had to live long enough to get to Alfonzo, and he’d take over everything from there.
Chapter Eleven
Alfonzo
Without bothering to knock first, Niran pushed open my office door and held out his tablet to me without offering a single word of explanation. Grunting, I tossed my pen down on my desk and took the tablet from him, glancing down at it. It was on the tip of my tongue to ask him what the fuck he was bothering me about security issues for since it washisjob when I saw it. Sawhim.
Myboy shakily walking up the driveway to the house, swaying on his feet. He was holding his shoulder and bleeding too goddamn much. Blood soaked his shirt completely on one side. Howthe fuckwas he still alive?
“Fuck,” I snarled, shoving back from my desk. I dropped Niran’s tablet on the wooden tabletop and hurried around him, breaking into a run once I exited my office. Rico shouted something after me when I rushed past his office, but I ignored him. Protecting Maksim would more than likely get me an ass chewing, butnothing more than that. I knew Rico well enough to know he’d let me keep him if I was so attached.
Even if he hated the Russians with every bone in his body.
I yanked open the front door, then hurried outside. Maksim’s eyes clashed with mine just as he dropped to one knee. I didn’t hear his voice, but I saw his lips mouth my name. I ran down the steps, catching him in my arms as I slid to my knees in front of him. Lightly tapping his cheek, I forced his eyes to focus on mine. “Maksim, hey. Focus on me, mouse.”
“Blood loss,” he managed. His face was so pale. Too fucking pale. How long had he been fucking bleeding? He was covered in the red substance. Some of it was dried, but a lot of it was still wet and warm. He needed medical attentionimmediately.
I swept him up into my arms despite his protests about being heavy and hurried toward the house. Rico was standing by the open door, his jaw clenched tightly. He narrowed his eyes at me. “We need to talk,” he growled.
“Once he’s received medical attention,” I told him. “Not a moment fucking sooner. He’snotdying today.”
I hurried past Rico and down the hall where our security personal stayed, which was where the infirmary was. When I got into the room, the doctor looked up at me from behind his wire-rimmed glasses, and his eyes widened in surprise. Clearly, he was confused. I could see the questions glimmering in his eyes. Weonlyhelped family, but Maksim wasmine. I didn’t give a fuck how Rico or anyone else felt about it—Maksim was getting the help he needed today.
“Alfonzo,” he greeted, quickly standing from his seat. He pushed his blonde hair back from his face. “What can I do for you?”
“He needs help,” I growled through clenched teeth. “His name is Maksim. I don’t know what happened, but he’s bleeding.”
I gently laid Maksim on the table. He frowned up at me but didn’t bother opening his mouth. He just slowly turned his head to watch Nicholas, also known as Dr. Allman, don a pair of gloves. “I need his jacket off,” Nicholas told me, falling into his role as the family doctor easily.
Nicholas had been a doctor in San Diego until he did an appendicitis operation on a pregnant woman. Her appendix was already about to explode, and he warned her of the consequences of the procedure, that while he would do everything he could to protect her pregnancy, there was still a chance she could miscarry. And that small chance happened to her. While the young woman had signed off on the paperwork to have the procedure done, her husband lost his shit and sued both Nicholas and the hospital.
Nicholas was immediately terminated, stating malpractice as their reasoning, which put a black mark on his career forever. Rico, having heard of him and how good of a doctor he was, offered him a salary twice of what he was making at the hospital if he promised to only work for Rico and turn a blind eye to the shit we all did.
Nicholas Allman had been with us since, living his best life, if I had to hazard a guess.
“You want to fucking explain?” Rico growled as he came to stand beside me.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Maksim ismine,” I told him, my eyes never leaving my boy. A warning threaded throughmy words. “Don’t try to take him from me, Rico. You willnotsucceed.”
Rico frowned at my boy, who was now out of his jacket, the bloody garment tossed into the trashcan. His dark t-shirt was stained even darker by his blood, and when Nicholas ripped his shirt open, Isnarled.
Someone hadshothim.
