Chapter Thirty-Seven
Alexei
I’d heard enough, more than enough, actually. I didn’t want to believe any of the things coming out of Violet’s mouth, but there could be no denying the gun that was pointing at my wife’s head. A shot from that distance would scatter her brains out of the back of her head, and all it would take would be one split second.
I moved fast and silently, and Violet didn’t even realize I was there until I had grabbed her. She screamed, not in pain, but in frustration, as I forced the gun away from Amy. It went off, lodging a bullet in the ceiling.
She was fast and strong, though, fueled by rage. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Amy throw herself backwards out of the line of fire, and that’s when I put all of my attention on Violet.
Grabbing her wrist, I tried to twist it so she would let go of the weapon, and it went off again.
Finally, I slid her legs from under her and rode her to the stained and sticky carpet, smashing her hand into the floor over and over again until the gun fell from her hands. I swiped it away.
“What the fuck do you think you are doing, you traitorous little bitch.”
Under me, Violet’s eyes widened into perfect circles. “Alexei,” she whispered. Her throat convulsed as she swallowed. “It’s not what you think,” She began to cry, like that would work on me now, like I would ever believe a word she ever said.
“I was doing this for us, for me and you.”
A whimper caught my attention, so quiet that I barely heard it over the commotion of people rushing into the room.
“Alexei.”
My head snapped around, in time for me to watch Amy lift her blood-soaked hands from her even more soaked stomach and then fall back down. Pulling my hand back, I punched Violet with everything I had. Sending her sprawling to the carpet. She moaned but didn’t get up. She just lay there twitching.
Amy didn’t make a sound. She didn’t even twitch.
Scrambling towards her on my hands and knees, I reached for her, but there was nowhere I could touch that didn’t seem to be covered in blood. There was already a puddle of it spreading around her body. Her face was too pale.
“Amy?” Fumbling, I whispered her name. ”Amy, baby, please just open your eyes.”
She didn’t move, her breaths were shallow. I scanned her body quickly. The blood was coming from her stomach. That last shot Violet had gotten off had hit her and our precious child.
“What the hell?”
I didn’t even turn at the strange male voice, gruff from smoking too many cigarettes. If he was my enemy, he would have killed me already.
“She’s been shot.”
“No shit.” An older man fell to his knees next to me. “We need to get her to the hospital. My truck is outside.” He made a move to pick her up.
I shoved him back. “Who the fuck are you?”
“Her boss,” he snapped right back. “Who the fuck are you?”
“Her husband.” I scooped her up. Her blood drenched my sleeve instantly, warm and sticky. “My car will be faster. You drive. I’m notletting anyone touch her.”
For a second, he looked like he was going to argue with me, and then he just nodded, caught the keys I threw at him, and rushed away, but not before I heard him mutter.
“Should have guessed she was running from a man like you. I should have seen the signs. If A dies, then I’ll fucking kill you, asshole.”
Usually, I would have had something to say about that, but words escape me. “If she dies you won’t have to,” I muttered. “I’ll eat a bullet myself.”
Time seemed to stand still as we flew up the highway towards the nearest hospital. And not once in all of that time did I loosen my grip on her. It felt like if I let go for even a second, she would slip away from me, and I would lose her for good.
“Just hold on, my love,” I whispered to her in Russian and English. “Just keep your heart pumping, one breath after another. I’ll fix the rest. You are going to be fine. Both of you. I promise.”
Her breath hitched for a second, catching in her lungs, and I shook her shoulders. “Keep breathing, Amy. That’s a fucking order.”
