Sitting up, I drag her into my lap, pressing her against me like she’ll vanish the second I let go.Fuck, I don’t think I’ll ever manage to let her go again.
Eventually, we both turn our gaze to the surroundings, inspecting the carnage left behind in the room. My gaze searches intensely for one specific face, and my shoulders heave in a grateful breath when I locate who I’m looking for. Ivan sits against the far wall, exhaustion leaking from his features.
Andrei’s steps thunder down the wooden stairs among the rest of the primary hit team, checking bodies to make sure there are no survivors.
Sudden pain causes me to groan out as Cassandra twists in my lap before scrambling to her feet. Sure as fuck not ready to let go of her, I struggle after her, heart stuttering when I realize where she’s headed.
Cass rushes through the maze of gore and bodies and throws herself to the floor beside my old friend. Ivan looks up at her, a flicker of protectiveness blazing through his gaze. I examine the interaction with genuine curiosity, watching as she starts searching his body for injuries. At some point, these two developed a close, real connection, obvious by the way they interact with one another.
Rather than feeling an abrupt rush of jealousy, I find steady solace in the fact that the two most important people in my life want to take care of each other. My cheek twitches with a smile.
“Mikhail, he looks even worse than you do. We need to get the two of you to a hospital, stat.” Cassandra beckons me closer, still searching his chest for larger wounds. The adorable order reminds me of the night she came into my life, all those months ago.
My girl is so bossy.
Even through his swollen features, Ivan’s playful smile matches mine for a moment before his gaze turns serious.
“I’m so sorry, Mikhail. I had no fucking clue?—”
I cut him off, coming closer to the pair and wrapping one of my arms around Cassandra’s waist. “None of us knew. And as far as I’mconcerned, everything he did? It changes nothing between you and me. We’re brothers. Blood or not.” I say, grabbing onto his shoulder with my other arm. Ivan nods his head sternly, so many emotions welling up in that complicated look.
“He didn’t deserve you,” Cassandra says, burying Ivan in a tight hug. The three of us linger there for a moment, taking the time to appreciate the new bedrock formation of our unique family.
“Okay,” I say, clearing my throat. “You heard the girl. Let’s get the hell out of here.”
The three of us stretch up, stepping over the scattering of limbs on the ground. My arm stays wrapped around Cass all the way up the stairs, her waist a steadying presence through my already blurring vision. When we emerge from the shadowed cave of the lower level, we find ourselves in a decaying, wooden cabin, the harsh glow of moonlight piercing through open windows.
I begin ushering Cassandra toward the collection of SUVs parked out front, but all three of us stop short at the final body littering the scene. Collapsed beside the doorway, Lev’s lifeless body lies across the threshold, a single bullet piercing through the pale expanse of his temple.
Shoving down my own spawning emotions, I watch carefully as Ivan bends down to squat next to his brother. The sight is like a macabre mirror, one twin alive and breathing, the other little more than food for the worms. Ivan’s wandering hand reaches up to Lev’s face, hovering at his brow before gently closing those dull, green eyes.
“You okay, brother?” I ask, resting my hand on his back in silent support.
Ivan looks up, nodding and rising to his feet. After a few heavy minutes of silence, we continue our descent back to the cars, all knowing the extent of the lie within the small gesture. It will be a long time before he’ll ever be “okay” again.
Cassandra
My head vibrates against Mikhail’s broad chest as the car rolls down the bumpy dirt road. He hasn’t let go of me since he tackled my body to the floor, covering my extremities from the graze of dancing bullets with his own. Even now, his arms curl tight around my waist, holding me to him like a life preserver in the green, leafy ocean that surrounds us. Trees line all sides of the road, the encroaching forest a cruel reminder of how far we are from our home in the city.
Home.
Damn, I’d never thought of Mikhail’s apartment in that way before, but it feels so right. There’s nothing I wouldn’t give to be transported into his huge, warm bed, the gleam of city lights twinkling through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
My jaw stretches out in a wide yawn, the heavy weight of exhaustion pulling over my features. I blink my tired lashes, trying to keep myself awake and conscious.
“It’s okay, love. You can rest now. I’ll keep you safe.”
The beautiful voice swirls through my ears like a drug, lulling me down into the comfy cradle of his arms.
Wavesof antiseptic assault my nostrils as I pace the small expanse of the private hospital rehabilitation room.Who knew that rich people have their own private hospitals?
“Come sit down. They’ll be back any second to clear me, and then we’ll be all good to go.”
I glance over to where Mikhail lounges back on the hospital bed, legs crossed and extended like he thinks he’s on a beach in Aruba.
“They onlyjustmanaged to sew up all the cuts on your face, baby. I highly doubt you don’t have some form of concussion after all that.”
His jaw ticks like he’s trying not to laugh at my antics.Just you wait till I get you home. It’ll be nothing but hot soup and tea for weeks.
