Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 122242 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122242 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
I see Roman, Finn, and Luke running toward us, guns in their hands.
Tires squeal as Milonov takes off in the black passenger car.
I jump to my feet and spin in the direction of the car, emptying the rest of my magazine. The back window shatters, but the car doesn't stop. It takes a hard left out of the parking lot, narrowly avoiding plowing into a cab. The cab's driver slams on the brakes, tires squealing and the back end fishtailing. The engine of Milonov's car roars as he hits the gas and quickly races out of sight.
Faith cries out behind me.
"Faith!" I drop my gun and charge toward her, not stopping until Sedov's body is off her and she's in my arms. She's soaked in blood. Sedov's handprint is an angry red welt across the side of her face. The sight of it fills me with rage. I run my hands all over her, checking for any other injuries, but not finding any. I don't think the blood is hers. It's his.
She sobs uncontrollably, wrapping herself around me and clinging.
"Está bien, conejita. Estoy aquí. Estoy aquí." I bury my face in her hair, trying to calm the way my heart races, sending fury pumping through me with every heavy beat. I'm going to destroy Tarasova for this. I'll kill every single one of his people if that's what it takes to ensure they never come for her again.
"Is she hurt?" Roman asks, running up to us.
"It's not her blood," I tell him, pulling back to look at him.
His expression is grim and full of worry. He drops to his knees beside us, positioning himself between her and Sedov's body as if to keep her from seeing the blood and brain matter seeping out onto the cement a couple feet away.
"Are you good?" he asks me.
Fuck no, I'm not good. I almost lost her.
Dios. They could have taken her from me.
"I'm good," I lie, holding Faith tighter as she cries. I rock her back and forth in my lap, murmuring to her. She's crying so hard I don't think she hears anything.
"Sedov fucking slapped her," I seethe.
Roman's blue eyes darken with rage.
"Did you see whoever got away?" Finn asks from behind him.
"Victor Milonov. There was someone else in the car with him, but I didn't see his face."
"This one's still breathing," Luke calls out and then immediately follows it up with a cheerful, "Never mind. He quit."
No one makes a move to start CPR.
"Please don't go," Faith pleads with me, clinging when I try to pull back from her. She's tucked into the passenger seat of Luke's SUV, gripping my shirt so tight I know it has to be hurting her fingers. Officers mill all around, working the crime scene.
Finn called Knox Cooper to come get Mila and Lola. They left about an hour ago, headed to Luke's. Now that Faith has finished giving her statement, I'm sending her with Luke to meet them. He and Knox are going to keep them safe while Roman and I hunt down Milonov. I don't care if I have to plow through every Bratva member in the city to find him. He's going to die tonight.
I gently untangle Faith's hands, bringing each to my mouth to kiss her knuckles. "I have to go, angel."
"No you don't!" she cries.
"I do." I don't want to leave her either, but I'm not giving them a chance to come for her again. One way or another, we're settling this shit tonight. If I have to hunt Tarasova down and put a bullet in his brain too, I'll do it. But they aren't going to hurt her again. I promised her.
I lift my hand, running my knuckles gently down the handprint on her cheek. It's already bruising, darkening her tawny skin. The edges of it are purple. She flinches like my touch hurts. A knife twists in my guts. The urge to kill Sedov all over again rises hot and fast, blowing through me like a fierce wind.
"They hurt you," I whisper, my voice shaking with emotion. "They shot at you, conejita."
"I don't want you to go after them," she whispers back. Tears shimmer in her lashes. "I don't want to lose you, Octavio."
"Angel." I tip my head forward, pressing my forehead to hers. "I swear to you that I'm coming back for you. But I have to go. I promised that you'd be safe with me. I have to keep that promise now. What kind of man would I be if I didn't?"
"The safe kind," she says, sniffling. If she wasn't currently breaking my heart, I'd smile at the sheer annoyance in her tone. "Promise me that you're coming back."
"I swear to you, Faith, I'm coming back. They aren't going to take me from you. I won't allow it. I won't allow them to come after you again, either. I have to go take care of this. It's the only way to guarantee your safety. I don't want you looking over your shoulder all the time, afraid they'll come for you or me."