“Fucking Lavrin! I will end you,” Gino screeches. “Get the fuck off me!” He’s fumbling in his pocket for something as Nikita reaches for his gun where it clattered to the floor earlier. I’m frozen with fear. I can hear Eitan gurgling in pain behind me.
Gino withdraws a knife from his pocket, unfurls it, and starts to drive it towards Nikita’s turned back.
Nikita grabs the gun and starts to spin back.
For a long beat, it’s like time stops. Gino’s knife, speeding up with deadly intent, freezes in the air. Nikita’s gun is rising to level with Gino’s face.
But it’s too slow. He’s not going to make it.
No. No. No. I can’t let this happen.
I reach out blindly to my side. My fingers close on a steel pipe, fallen from the ceiling during the shootout. I raise it over my head, then bring it down with a bone-shattering crunch on Gino’s face.
Then time kicks back in, and the room is filled with screams and the smell of blood. Gino’s knife falls to the floor and skitters away. Nikita stands and looks at me with wide eyes. Gino moans and groans and remains on the floor clutching the back of his head.
Nikita runs over to me and grabs me in his arms. “Are you okay?”
“I think so,” I say, running my hands over my body to make sure I haven’t been hit by a stray bullet.
I sigh and my shoulders slump. I’m okay. I survived. My baby and I survived. My body tenses once again and I avoid Nikita’s gaze. Not really the best time to tell him I’m pregnant. God only knows what we may have to fight against outside to get out of here.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Nikita
Having Annie in my arms safe and sound is all that I wanted. I squeeze her tight, unwilling to let go. She buries her face in my shirt and cries softly. She was brave today. She saved my life. I fully expected her to run the first opportunity she got, but she didn’t. And her face when I was shot told me all I needed to know. She cares about me.
“I’m so sorry I pushed you away,” I say as I kiss the top of her head. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if they’d hurt you. Or worse.”
“I’m okay,” she mumbles, but squeezes me tighter.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I pull away slightly and push the hair from her eyes.
She looks up at me and nods. Her expression softens as she looks over me to make sure I’m all right as well. How have I survived without her these past weeks?
“Annie, I love you. And I know I’m an idiot for running away scared because of how I felt. But I swear I won’t do that again.” I place my hand under her chin and tilt it up so that she looks at me as I say my next words. “I love you with all my heart. That means I will defend you with my life even if the odds are insurmountable. It means I will comfort you in the difficult and painful times. It means I will rejoice with you when times are good. It means I will never betray you, never give up on you. I’m yours into eternity and I will never abandon you.”
I bend down and kiss her lips. She tastes so sweet, like honey and apricots, her skin soft and smooth. I bask in our kiss, hungry for more.
“Did you memorize that speech?” she asks me.
I grin; I can’t help it. “I’ve been working on it for a while,” I confess sheepishly.
Annie reaches up and her hand caresses the side of my face. She searches my eyes and takes a deep breath. My nerves fire and butterflies swarm in my stomach because I’m unsure if she’ll return my affection or reject me. And her rejection would shatter my soul.
“I love you too. It’s confusing because of the way we met. But our night together in the mountains, the way you protected me, the way you held me. Somewhere along the way I fell in love with you. I know you’re different than my father, that you would never hurt me. You’ve proven that.”
Annie pushes to her tiptoes and plants a kiss on my cheek. It’s the best feeling in the world. My chest expands and there’s a weightlessness washing over me as if all the chains, fears, and turmoil have evaporated, allowing me to finally be happy.
“Fuck!” I curse suddenly, remembering abruptly. Annie and I both turn to face the doorway. Eitan has lost consciousness. Blood pools on the tile beneath him. I rush over and take his head in my hands.
“Eitan, Eitan! Wake the fuck up! Don’t you dare fucking die on me,” I bark.
He wavers in and out, eyes fluttering. His hand grabs mine weakly. I look up at Annie. “We need to get him out of here.”
Just then, I hear two sets of footsteps pounding towards us. Two of our soldiers appear in the doorway. “We found a secret way in and barricaded ourselves in here, sir. The rest of the men are holding off Antonio’s troops,” one of them reports. “But I don’t think we have long.”
Annie grips my shoulder in fear. “What are we going to do, Nikita?” she whispers.
“We wait,” I say. “Some friends of mine are coming.”
Everyone looks at me in confusion. But moments later, a cascade of sparks comes lancing into the barricaded door at the end of the hallway. The blades of a power saw poke through the metal, and soon, the whole door comes crashing inwards.
In the space opened up, a man steps in. He’s got a braided beard, a dozen piercings, and a leather vest on that reads “East Side Boys MC” across the back. When he sees me, he grins.
“Not a moment too soon, eh, Nikita?” he growls.
Behind him, his men come pouring in, armed
