I holster the gun and catch Savannah by the arm, pulling her gently but firmly behind me. She shakes so violently I can feel it through my grip.
“You’re safe,” I say quietly.
Her breath stutters. Her fingers clutch the back of my jacket like she needs to hold on or she’ll fall. The sound she makes—it guts me. I should’ve been here sooner. I should’ve known she would run. I should never have let her face any part of this alone.
Belov spits blood on the floor. “You’re late, Romano,” he grunts. “I almost had?—”
I shoot him again. Right in the other leg this time.
He collapses fully, clutching what's left of his dignity and groaning.
I turn to Valerio, and he immediately realize what I need. We’ve been together long enough to communicate with gestures instead of words.
He disappears and returns a minute later with a suitcase in hand.
The administrator trembles behind his desk, stammering about protocols and misunderstandings and how he didn’t know. I throw the suitcase onto the desk so hard the latches snap.
“Open it,” I say.
The man flinches at the sound of my voice but obeys. The case is full. Stacks of bills packed so tightly they don’t shift. His eyes go wide.
“That covers her mother’s surgery,” I tell him. “And the transplant list. And whatever else you people require to keep her alive and breathing. You will move her procedure forward right now. Not later. Not when the board approves it. Now.”
He blinks, mouth opening and closing. “We—we can’t just?—”
“You can.” My voice leaves no room for debate. “You will. You’ve taken dirty money this far. If you don’t want me to tip off the FBI about your organ trafficking scheme, you will do what I’m asking, and you will do it now.”
“B-But?—”
“No.” I step closer until he recoils against the wall. With wide eyes, I continue, “I don’t care who you have to call or what favors you have to pull. But my woman’s mother goes into surgery today. Anything bad happens to her, I’ll make sure the same happens to you. I don’t bark, I bite.”
Savannah makes a small sound behind me. I reach back, take her hand, and squeeze it once. Then I look at the Bratva men still frozen in place.
“Now go,” I tell the admin guy.
He scurries off like a rat. Good. At least he knows his fucking place now.
I point my gun to Belov again. “Look away, kitten.”
Behind me, Savannah’s trembling. Her hands are shaking, but then so is her head. “No,” she whispers. “I won’t look away anymore.”
I don’t want to do this in front of her. I really fucking don’t. But one look at Savannah tells me she’s already made her choice.
“If you’re going to carry my burdens,” she says, “then I’m going to carry yours.”
The words sends shiver down my skin.I’ve found the one.No doubt. I take a breath. Slow, deep.
Blowing out a breath, I shoot Belov in the head.
No gunshot rings out. My silencer muffles everything but the body hitting the floor.
“Pick him up,” I tell his men. “And get him out of this hospital before I put the next bullet through your skull.”
They grab the corpse with shaky hands and limp out the backdoor as fast as they can.
I don’t take my eyes off them until they’re gone.
Only then do I turn to Savannah.
