His conversation with Dad outside the office building.
Because he knew too.
The shadow of betrayal gets pushed aside when Marzena's soldier grabs my hand and extends it for her, and she uses the pliers to rip out a nail.
I bite my tongue, forcing the scream back down, until my mouth fills with blood.
Before I can shake off the pain ringing in my ears, a second nail gets ripped out, and I know I'm squeezing my eyes so tightly my eyeball might relocate to my brain.
I can hear Damien in the background, but the pain numbs my senses to a minimum, and all I repeat is that I won't scream. I won't give her that satisfaction, especially after what she confessed.
The warehouse door bursts open suddenly, letting in natural light, and my eyes distinguish the silhouette of a tall man.
I can't feel my hand where she ripped out the nails, and I think my shoulder lost too much blood, because everything's foggy and nauseous.
The man raises his hand—I think he has a gun—so I direct my eyes to Damien, who sits completely still, looking at me with so much emotion.
I wish I could hear his heartbeat. I wish he'd take me in his arms. I wish I could kiss him. And realizing I might never get the chance breaks me, and only then do I let a sigh escape through my cracked lips.
A gunshot rings out, and the soldier drops to his knees before collapsing to the ground.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" I hear Marzena scream.
Without an answer, another gunshot echoes and Marzena's scream cuts off as she collapses, though I can't see where she was hit.
"Hurry up and untie these ropes," Damien shouts.
My head becomes heavy and every particle of my body pulses with pain.
When the man unties Damien's ropes, his body is instantly beside mine.
"It's over,slonko," he whispers, pressing his forehead to mine.
"Who the hell is he?" I ask, my voice hoarse.
With a single glance at the man who's easily six foot four, Damien answers.
"Roxanne, meet Cas. Our nephew."
Chapter 50
Damien
The moment Casimir drags us out of that hangar, we're staring down an entire fucking army.
Thirty men, maybe more, spread across the compound in tactical formation. All armed. All ours, thank God. The afternoon sun is blinding after the darkness inside, and I have to squint against the glare.
Vasili's leaning against one of the shipping containers, clutching his ribs. A few are broken, from the way he's breathing, shallow and careful. Stefan's got a nasty head wound, blood matting his hair and streaming down the side of his face. But they're breathing, standing, and that's what matters. Marzena didn't want them. She wanted me and Roxanne.
Two black SUVs screech to a halt beside the hangar, tires kicking up dust and gravel. Roman barrels out before the vehicle fully stops, gun raised, and closes the distance between us inseconds. His eyes sweep the scene, cataloging injuries, assessing threats.
"Max only broke through their signal jamming fifteen minutes ago," he snaps, but I'm barely listening. My leg's gone numb below the knee. Maybe I've severed something important, maybe not. Maybe I'm bleeding out and just don't realize it yet. But I don't give a damn. No one touches her but me.
"Get a doctor to the house. Now." My voice comes out flat, controlled, even though everything inside me is screaming. "Then we clean up this mess."
Roman's jaw tightens as he takes in Roxanne, barely conscious in my arms. Her head rests against my shoulder, and I can feel each shallow breath against my neck. He gives a sharp nod and pulls out his phone, already dialing.
Footsteps crunch behind me on the gravel, but I'm already moving toward the nearest SUV. Each step sends fresh agony through my leg, and I can feel something warm running into my boot. More blood. Definitely more blood than is ideal.
