And then there was an explosion and a blinding light, and Raoul was sitting up abruptly. I heard him curse and then give a sharp shout. And then more explosions and suddenly he was slumping against me. And my face and neck were sticky. I pressed my lips together, kept my eyes screwed shut.
Raoul made a strangled, gurgling sound, jerking against me in a way that was unnatural. I didn’t move. Couldn’t move now. He was lying on top of me, too heavy to lift. Not that I had enough wits about to me to try to move him.
What the hell was going on?
Footsteps thundered into the room, and the weight of him was off me. But my face was wet, and the stench of iron made me want to gag. Blood. I was covered in blood.
“Oh, my God!” I gasped out.
“Sasha…”
I opened my eyes and into a glittering green gaze.
“Alec…” I sobbed out. He was gathering me to his chest. “Alec…” I couldn’t find other words to say. I burrowed my face into his neck.
“It’s okay…you’re okay,” he said into my hair. There were more shouts coming from outside. The light from the hall streamed into the room. “I’ve got you,” he said. I tried to ignore what was going on outside, focusing purely on him. The safety of his arms. He pulled back a little. I wanted to cling to him, but he was looking over his shoulder.
“We have to get out of here,” he said, and I knew he was right. My mind couldn’t grasp what he was doing here or how he’d arrived, but I knew we were in danger. “There are others behind me,” he said. I didn’t understand. “They’ll see to the guards.” I nodded. He had a plan. He had to have a plan. He stood and took my hand, and I swung my legs from the bed and found my feet, though I was unsteady.
Raoul’s lifeless body lay crumpled on the floor, the back of his head blown clean off, his face a shattered mess. I looked away. Prince didn’t spare him a glance, tightening his grasp on my hand and leading me quickly to the door. He took a quick look into the hallway, then glanced back at me and gave a sharp nod.
“We have to make it fast,” he said. “There’s a door at the end of the hall. It leads out back.” I pressed my lips together. I’d seen it, but hadn’t been through. They’d kept me locked inside since I’d arrived. His hands had moved to the vest he was wearing, and I realized it was the type I’d seen in movies. The sort of thing worn by soldiers in combat. He was taking it off.
“Get this on,” he said. I stared at him soundlessly, still in shock. As if dressing a child, he slid it onto my shoulders, pulled my arms through the armholes, began buckling thick straps. It was surprisingly heavy. And now, he had no protection.
“Alec, no…” I began.
He shook his head. “When I tell you, I want you to run,” he said. I was shaking my head. “When we get through that door, there’ll be a vehicle waiting. Get into it. Don’t look back.”
“No!” I said more firmly. “I’m not going anywhere without you.”
He cupped my cheek with his palm. I could smell gunpowder and blood.
“I’ll be right behind you, Sweetness,” he said gently. I swallowed and met his eyes.
“Promise?” I whispered.
“I swear it,” he assured me. There were voices coming closer, feet thumping down the hall. My heart thundered. He stepped ahead of me, pulled a pistol from his waistband, and fired two rounds through the door ahead of us. I had no idea if it was even locked, but it was a moot point because the door handle had been blown away, and the splintered wood swung free of the door frame.
“Go!” he shouted sharply. “Run!”
I flung myself down the corridor toward the gaping doorway. In the darkness beyond, I heard the rumble of an engine. Freedom lay ahead. We were going to get out!
A short staircase led down from the door. I leaped down it without bothering to run down the steps. My knees objected as I landed heavily, but I was up and running toward the car just a few feet away. I could hear Alec right behind me, and my heart gave a surge. Dark tinted windows hid the occupants of the car, but I knew they were on our side.
I reached for the door handle, fumbling to open it when a sharp crack tore the air and something whined past my head.
“Sasha!” Alec shouted out. “Get down!” I spun to face him, not sure whether to run back to the safety of the building or to try to get into the car. And then he was yanking me behind him. Another sharp crack left my ears ringing. He jerked up against me, and I heard him suck in a sharp breath. He dipped his head and looked down.
“Get…!” he said hoarsely. The door of the car was swinging open. But I wasn’t moving toward it. Alec was sinking to the ground. He’d been hit.
“No!” I screamed as I saw him clutch at his chest.
“Go…Sash…go…” His voice was strangled.
In the light of a nearby window, a figure loomed, hulking and ominous. Razortip! The image of his face was burned into my mind. A nightmare that would haunt me. And he was holding a pistol. I stared into the barrel of it and realized it was pointed straight at Alec’s head.The man I’d loved. The man who’d come to save me. The father of my child.
The man who’d fallen at my feet and was sagging onto his side.
