Page 131 of Lilies from Hell

“Let me go or I’ll put a bullet in your ass.” He lets out a hoarse laugh then pulls me down to the ground, his hands now on my hips.

I don’t miss the chance to keep pointing it at him, this time at his head, and I look at him with a victorious smile that will last until he manages to take it away from me, but I won’t make it that easy for him.

“Put the gun down, lyubov’,” he murmurs, bringing his lips close to my ear. “These are not things you should play with.” His voice sends a shiver down my spine that I ignore, strengthening the rage in my eyes.

I clench my fingers around the handle in an attempt to distract myself from the dampness between my legs that the memory of how weapons ended up between us in the past brings. In an instant, his lips are on mine, moving eagerly. I moan when he sinks his teeth into my lower lip, forcing me to open my mouth for his tongue. His hands now hold my face forcefully and won’t let me go, so I pull the trigger without seeing where I’m aiming or caring too much about hurting him.

When he breaks the kiss and his eyes look at me in bewilderment my heart crumples a little more for being the cause of his injury. Then I think about his cheating and point the gun at him again, smiling broadly. He moves a few inches away, bringing his hand to the spot of his leg that wouldn’t stop bleeding.

I pull away and escape before his hand reaches for my arm again, keeping the second bullet for the near future.

“Fuck! Get back here!” he yells, trying to walk faster even though he can barely take a single step.

I glance at him sideways, unable to bear the uncertainty of how he can move with a bullet in his leg. I even fainted when I was shot in the arm. Shaking my head, I ignore his growls and go up the stairs leading to the living room. My mind swims in fear and concern as I see his men pointing their guns at Grace’s men while others search the house, turning it upside down. I assume that something is actually someone: me. They are all in black military uniforms as if they are army soldiers, and the rifles they hold so easily would intimidate anyone.

“Shit,” I whisper as I look for a way out.

They can’t see me because of the wall dividing the living room from the hallway where I am, but it’s only a matter of seconds before he comes for me. I slide down the wall with my back, making my way to the door leading to the back garden. I try to make my feet barely touch the floor until the point I’m almost levitating.

“I’ve already told you there’s no one here, you’re wasting your time,” Grace says to the men. “Hey, don’t go in there!” She paces back and forth, trying to prevent them from making a bigger mess in the house.

Our eyes meet for a millisecond, and she signals me with her eyes to run for my life toward the exit. She doesn’t need to tell me twice. As soon as I start running I catch the attention of those armed men. I leave a trail of heavy footsteps behind me. My legs and lungs are burning because I can’t breathe properly. Soon I would feel that sharp pain in my sides if I don’t stop to catch my breath, but I can’t. All I can think about is getting into the bushes, thanking Grace profusely for living in a big countryside house.

When I think I have left them behind, I stop next to an apple tree to catch my breath. I freeze again when I hear one of them shouting in Russian as he gets closer to the tree where I am hiding.

I crouch down, hiding in the thick grass on the ground, and wait for him to get a little closer. When I have his boots in front of me I kick him hard in both legs behind the ankle and he falls, dropping his assault rifle. Now, this is what I call an upgrade. I murmur to myself, kicking aside my pistol to hoist the heavy assault rifle. I swear it weighs a ton. I have to make a good effort at aiming it at the man’s head.

The man slowly gets up with a cocky smile on his lips that makes me grit my teeth in annoyance. I don’t waste another second to fire a bullet between his eyes. His body falls limp into the grass, leaving a wet puddle of blood on the ground. Glad I sent him to hell’s gates with a smile on his face.

Someone behind me puts a wet rag over my face, pressing a chemical-soaked rag over my nose and mouth. I try to hold my breath and thrash, but the heavy fumes force their way into my lungs, making my vision swim. I drop the weapon to the ground and start to struggle in that person’s arms until my vision blurs and all I can sense is darkness.

Once she faints in my arms, I toss the rag aside and lift her up. It’s not easy to carry her to the truck. With every step I take, I feel the bullet digging deeper into my leg, but I prefer that to someone else touching her.

“Fuck,” I hiss under my breath, watching the corpse on the ground. He was one of my best shooters.

After I head to the truck. Forgetting the body in Grace’s territory. Let it be a gift from me for her useless help.

“You can’t take her! Ray will find out about this,” she bellows in Sergei’s arms.

It’s not until I settle her into the back seat of the truck and sit down next to her that I order him to let her go. She immediately runs to us, banging on the car window.

“Motherfuckers! You and I will talk later,” she warns, pointing her finger at Sergei before the truck pulls onto the highway.

I put Lena on my lap, resting her head on my arms. She must have been really angry if she dared to shoot me.

“Aren’t you going to get that treated?” Denis asks, looking at my leg in the rearview mirror.

The pain turned into a pleasant tingling sensation, making me forget that the wound was still there. Gritting my teeth until my jaw aches, I use the knife to slice open my pants, plunging two fingers into the torn flesh to fish out the jacketed lead before tossing it out the window.

“That’s what will happen to you too if you decide to cheat on Grace,” he says again, glancing sideways at Sergei driving. “Although with how crazy she is, you’ll probably end up worse. Maybe dead.”

I take off my shirt and tear it in two, bandaging my leg with it to stop the bleeding. Then I resume caressing her face, not caring that my hands are slick with my own blood as I resume caressing her face. Her hands and feet are tied. She’s fucking dangerous when she’s pissed off and I’m not going to risk getting shot again or losing more of my men. I pause at her right cheek and notice a redder than usual mark. As if she had been hit.

42

The first thing I see when I wake up is… Clouds against the orange sky of dawn and some kind of engine in the back that vibrates everywhere. Where am I? And how long have I been in this place for it to be morning again? I look up, feeling like I’m in someone’s lap.

“Slept good?” He asks with a hint of a smile. I look at my hands and feet. They are bound with chains. Then the memory comes flooding back.