We simply had too many enemies in the world to ever be free from that concern.
With Anya here, it was almost expected that someone would try to take her and use her as collateral damage.
“We questioned them,” I reminded him. Those two men I had stopped with Sergei hadn’t told us anything. They were dead now, wasted space since they took all the torture and stayed quiet about who had sent them and hired them to capture Anya. “So it proves someone’s got their eyes on her, but that doesn’t surprise me.”
Roman nodded, eating some more. “Not surprising,” he agreed after a moment, “but annoying.”
“Of course, it’s?—”
Gunfire cut him off. We both jumped into action immediately, reaching for our guns. Food was forgotten. Dinner was as goodas over. With the ingrained reaction to this sound, we snapped into high alert.
Roman ran out before me, guns up and firing at the trespassers. Like the two men from the other night, they were masked and unidentifiable. And there were many.
Guards rushed into action, firing back at the men who filed in from breaking the windows on this floor. Others set up barricades, covering me from a direct hit.
But that wasn’t how I ruled. That wasn’t how I protected the family. They could try to take a shot at me, but it was Anya who wouldn’t be able to defend herself. I never had to stress about vulnerable people in the house. My son and nephews were trained to protect themselves. They were killers. All the soldiers and guards here were able to hold their own.
But Anya wasn’t.
Fuck!
I ran up the stairs toward the floor where the ballroom was, desperate to save her, to keep her safe.
It didn’t matter if she hated me. It made no difference if she loathed me and detested being here.
Shewasfamily. I would do my duty and protect her. My loyalty to the family, my flesh and blood, would never, ever waver.
Reaching the ballroom three floors up, I arrived just in time. She was playing a complicated piece, lost in her world and oblivious to the men running in from the side of the room. They’d no doubt broken in from the back of the building, but I’d be damned if they reached her.
They raised their guns, aiming at her as they dashed further over the polished marble floor.
I didn’t hesitate. I didn’t think. Lifting my arms, I began to fire and take them out.
The music stopped. Anya ceased playing, crouching over the piano and screaming in fear.
“Get back!” I shouted at her, sprinting to her and blocking her. She hunched down, easing into the void of space between the bench and the bulky instrument. It was wise. A wall, a shelter, but I covered her front and kept firing. I would destroy each and every one of these motherfuckers for daring to threaten his brat of mine.
Roman and Andre were there. My son must have just arrived, and as he joined the fight, they came toward me with other guards, making up a wall to protect the most vulnerable. Anya stayed down, tucked against the wall of the piano and behind the bench.
We fired at the men who came in to attack, but eventually, we got them all. No longer outnumbered as more guards raised the alarm and secured the building, we killed every one of them who’d come in to target Anya.
“All clear,” a soldier announced after the gunfire died down.
I nodded, checking over the other men.
We were all standing, still guarding Anya at the piano, thanks to the rapid-fire reaction to defend the fort.
Andre hissed at a graze on his cheek.
Roman hunched over, catching his breath.
But I staggered back, sitting on the bench.
“I hope…” Dizziness hit me as I tried to twist and see if Anya was all right. She had to be. I had the sense to rush up here, knowing she’d be most vulnerable and targeted.
“Boss?” A guard near us was already urging Anya out of hiding. Andre was leaning down to get her out of her hiding spot too.
“Father.” Andre gave up helping her and reached out to catch me instead.
