“You better not fucking die on me,” I growled into Eva’s temple as I held her close.
Dmitri’s eyes met mine in the rearview mirror, but he didn’t say anything.
I whispered incoherent praise into her hair, promising her the world, anything, if only she would stay with me.
The city blurred past our windows, traffic laws mere suggestions with Dmitri at the wheel. Eva’s pulse grew weaker beneath my fingers, each beat a desperate fight against the failing mechanism in her chest.
Dmitri took a corner at dangerous speed, the SUV’s tires screaming against wet asphalt. Red and blue lights flashed in our wake—a police escort, courtesy of the bratva.
“Dermo.” Shit. Dmitri glanced in the rearview mirror. “Her lips...”
Eva’s skin was taking on a bluish tinge, a visible sign of how I’d failed her. How we’d all failed her.
“Two minutes,” Dmitri promised, running another red light.
I pressed my fingers harder against her pulse point, counting the spaces between beats—too long, far too long.
The hospital’s emergency entrance blazed with light. Dr. Kouassi waited with a trauma team, their faces grim and focused. The moment our SUV stopped, they swarmed the vehicle.
Dr. Kouassi’s expression darkened at the bruises visible on Eva’s throat, but his voice remained professional. “OR Two is prepped. We have her medical history from the last episode. Coach Novikov, I need?—”
“Her father’s on his way,” I interrupted. Why hadn’t I made her give me medical power of attorney? Fuck.
“Then wait here.” Dr. Kouassi’s tone left no room for argument. “We’ll update you as soon as we can.”
I paced the waiting room, regretting fucking everything, wishing I could take back every moment between us, making promises to a god I didn’t believe in that I would do anything if she pulled through. He couldn’t take another person I loved from me.Please.
“Sasha.” Dmitri’s voice pulled me back. “Conrad Jackson is here.”
I turned. Conrad stood just inside the entrance, looking older than his years. Blood matted his red hair, his clothes still disheveled from Carter’s assault, but his eyes held the same desperate love I’d seen in Eva’s when she’d offered herself to save him.
“Is she—?” His voice cracked.
“In surgery.” I stepped closer, my old need for revengebriefly surging to the forefront of my brain. “Why did you call me?”
He looked up at me with surprise. “Because you love her enough to do whatever it took.” He took a deep breath. “Sixteen years ago, I made a mistake—” He stopped then collected himself. “I committed an act of evil. You’ve been paying for it every day since—you, Eva, and those boys she loves so much too.”
I waited, my heart in my throat.
“Every time I look at her, I see what I’ve done. Every sacrifice, every burden, every moment of pain—it’s all because of me. I owe her an apology, but I owe you one too. I know it’s not enough, but I’m sorry.”
A nurse hurried past, pushing a cart of supplies toward the OR, and both our gazes followed it, the same worry on our faces.
“She never blamed you.” I ran a hand through my hair. “Not once. Even when Carter was using your debts to destroy her, she protected you?—”
The OR doors burst open, interrupting me. Cole and Tristan sprinted down the hallway, faces white with panic. They stopped short when they saw me.
“Where is she?” Cole’s voice shook.
“Surgery.” I caught Cole’s arm as he moved toward the OR doors. “Dr. Kouassi’s with her. We have to wait.”
“Like hell we do!” Cole tried to pull away, but Tristan grabbed his other arm.
“Cole.” Tristan’s voice cracked. “Let them work. Please.”
Cole slumped against the waiting room wall, sliding down until he sat on the floor. Tristan joined him, their shoulders touching, neither speaking.
Conrad watched them, his expression haunted. “I did this,” he whispered. “All of it. The gambling, the debts,Carter’s obsession with revenge—it all started with me. And now,” he gestured at Cole and Tristan, at the OR doors hiding his daughter, “everyone’s lost everything.”
