I holster my weapon and pull out my knife. I cut the ropes binding her wrists first. The moment the restraints fall away, her arms drop limply to her sides. No resistance. No reaction.
I move to her ankles, cut those ropes too. Then I’m in front of her, tilting her head up gently. Her face is destroyed. Both eyes swollen nearly shut. Lips split and bleeding. A gash above her eyebrow that’s still seeping. Bruises covering every visible inch of skin.
“Aurelia, it’s me. We’re getting you out.”
Her eyes flutter. She’s trying to focus but can’t seem to manage it. One eye opens slightly. The other is too swollen.
“Cassian?” Her voice is barely a whisper. Raw like she’s been screaming.
“I’m here. I’ve got you.”
I slide one arm under her knees, the other behind her back, and lift her as carefully as I can. She makes a sound of pain but doesn’t scream. Can’t, probably. Too weak.
She’s lighter than she should be. Too light. Like she’s lost weight in the hours since they took her.
“Are the boys safe?”
The question comes out slurred. Barely coherent. But it’s the first thing she asks. Not about herself. Not about the pain. About our sons.
“They’re safe. They’re at the estate with Nadia. No one’s going near them.”
She tries to say more but her eyes close again. Her head lolls against my chest.
“Stay with me,” I say into her hair. “Don’t you dare die on me now.”
No response. She’s unconscious.
“We need to move,” Marcus says from the doorway. “More hostiles incoming.”
I carry her toward the exit, each step careful, trying not to jostle her too much. Trying not to think about how badly she’s hurt or whether we got here in time.
We make it to the stairs and start climbing. Gunfire above us intensifies. Julian’s team is still engaged at the front, buying us time to extract.
Halfway up, Aurelia’s body goes completely limp in my arms. Dead weight.
“Aurelia!”
I stop. Check for a pulse. Find it. Weak but there.
She’s alive. Barely. But alive.
“Keep moving,” Declan says behind me. “We’re not out yet.”
We reach the ground floor and it’s chaos. The firefight has spread through the entire warehouse. Julian’s team has pushed deeper inside, forcing the Petrovs to fall back. Bodies on the floor. Smoke thick in the air. The sharp smell of cordite and blood.
Julian sees me carrying Aurelia and his face goes white. “Is she?—”
“Alive. Barely. We need the medic now.”
He’s already on his radio. “Get the vehicle to the south exit. Medical emergency.”
We fight our way toward the south side of the building. Two more Petrov guards try to stop us. Marcus and Declan put them down without breaking stride.
The exit door is ahead. Through it, I can see the SUV waiting. Engine running. Back door open. We’re almost out.
A guard appears from behind a support column, weapon raised. Aimed at me. At Aurelia in my arms.
I can’t move fast enough. Can’t drop her and draw my weapon. Can’t do anything except watch him pull the trigger.
