by Bianca Cole
I bite my bottom lip, staring at the fearsome New York brotherhood pakhan. It’s not a good idea to deny him anything, but I don’t want to leave Lyov’s side. “But—”
Alexi grabs my arm. “He’s going to be fine. Wait in the car.”
I sigh heavily, glancing once more at Lyov’s still body. I get into the vehicle and watch as Alexi, Filip, and Andrei struggle to carry him to the vehicle, bundling him into the seat next to me. They turn back to retrieve Pavel.
I sweep some of his hair out of his face. The fear I felt when he hit the floor was immeasurable. This man has brought sunlight into the darkest depths of my heart, if I were to lose him now, I’d plunge into eternal despair.
“I love you, Lyov,” I mutter, pressing my lips to his forehead. “Please make it through.”
Andrei, Filip, and Alexi manage to get Pavel into the boot, as there’s no space for him to lie down in the back of the car. They get into the front and turn over the engine. I hold Lyov’s hand, praying he will be fine. He has to be.
23
Lyov
The beep of a heart monitor breaks through my unconscious as I slowly open my eyes. I shut them almost immediately, as the light is too bright. I feel the soft warmth of a delicate hand rest on top of mine. “Lyov,” Milana utters my name, squeezing gently.
I try to reply, but my mouth is too dry. I recall the last thing I remember, staring at the sky as I hit the ground. Milana’s screams filled the air as gunshots went off. All I could do in those moments was pray that she was okay—that Andrei managed to save her.
As I recall the moment, my eyes shoot back open. I force myself to look through the blinding light. Once they adjust, I see Milana staring down at me like an angel from heaven.
An Angel who I still haven’t told the truth. A lump forms in my throat as I realize I could have died before I had the chance to tell her I loved her. I move to sit up, but she weighs me down with her hand, shaking her head. “Don’t sit up. You’ve lost a lot of blood.”
I groan and allow myself to fall back against the pillow. “What happened?”
“Dima shot you in the shoulder. The bullets shattered through one of your bones.”
I turn my head, searching for Andrei or Alexi. “How did you get away?”
She smiles, weakly. “Rest and worry about that later. We’re all alive, and that’s all that matters.”
I narrow my eyes. “What happened?”
She sighs heavily, eyes tearing up. “Pavel jumped in front of a bullet and saved me, giving Andrei enough time to disarm Yerik and shoot Dima in the arm.”
I swallow hard, realizing her bodyguard meant something to her. “I’m sorry, is he okay?”
She squeezes my hand. “They’re operating now.”
“Where was Pavel hit?” I ask.
“The chest. The bullet was close to his heart.”
That doesn’t sound good at all, but hopefully, he will pull through—he seems like a tough guy. I don’t voice my concerns to Milana, noticing how worried she is. “He will pull through.” I glance around again, searching for Andrei. “What about Andrei and Alexi?”
“They’re both fine, but they had to return to New York urgently,” she says.
The door to the hospital room opens, and a nurse enters the room. “You are awake. I need to ask you some questions.” She’s holding a clipboard.
Milana helps me sit up in the bed, but my shoulder hurts like hell.
“How are you feeling?” the nurse asks.
“Not great. My arm is painful.”
She nods her head and glances warily at Milana. “Can you tell me how you sustained this injury?”
Milana squeezes my hand. “I told you. The three of us were walking down the street when a man tried to mug us at gunpoint—”
“I asked the patient,” the nurse says, giving Milana a stern look.
I expect that they are going to be suspicious. One look at me inked to the hilt, and they’ll know this isn’t a straight forward case. We don’t usually come to hospitals if we can help it. It’s no surprise Andrei and Alexi high-tailed it out of here. It brings up too many questions we can’t answer.
“As she said. A guy mugged us at gunpoint. Is there anything else to say?”
The nurse narrows her eyes and glances at me. “Have you informed the police? They will want to speak with both of you.”
Milana surprises me by answering, “Yes, the police came to the scene and took our statements. I’m not sure why you are questioning us, instead of attending to Lyov.”
A small smile pulls at my lips at her feisty attitude.
The nurse nods her head, and her expression softens. “Of course, I’m sorry.” She does her routine checks, making sure my blood pressure and vitals are all okay, before leaving without another word.
I glance at Mila, smiling. “You did well.”
She shrugs. “Andrei and Alexi made it clear what story to stick to, and I’m following instructions.”
“Well, I know you are good at following instructions,” I say, thinking about how submissive she is in the bedroom.
She shakes her head. “Don’t be an ass.”
The smile drops from my face as I realize I have too often been an ass toward her. I’ve not even told her how I feel. “Mila, listen.” I grab her hand.
Her eyes widen slightly. “What is it?”
I press my lips against the back of her hand. “I’m so sorry.”
She laughs. “Sorry about what?”
“I have been an ass. I didn’t tell you that I love you.”
She looks taken aback by my sudden profession of love, but I couldn’t wait any longer. It’s not exactly the most romantic setting, but if I’ve learned anything these past twenty-four hours, it’s that waiting is a bad idea. “I should have told you a while ago.” I shake my head. “I just…”
She squeezes my hand, cutting me off. “I love you too, Lyov.” Her eyes are brimming with tears and one races down her cheek.
The need to kiss her, hold her, and make love to her is overwhelming, but that won’t be happening here—not in my state. Instead, I squeeze her hand back and pull her lips close to mine.
Her plump lips part as we kiss. It’s the best I can do right now. Even leaning into the kiss sends a shooting pain through my shoulder and down my back. I grimace and Milana pulls away, keeping her hand on my chest. “You need to rest, Lyov.”
I rest back on the pillows. “When will you hear about Pavel?”
She worries her bottom lip between her teeth. “They said the surgery could take up to three hours. It has only been two.”
As if like clockwork, the nurse pops her head into the room. “Your dad is out of surgery, and you can see him now if you want?”
I give her a questioning look, but it’s clear she had to lie about who he was to her when we arrived.
“Yes, I’d like to see him now.” She turns to me. “I’ll be back shortly.” She presses a kiss to my lips, before walking away and out with the nurse.
I sigh heavily, unable to believe I’ve been this lucky to get away with only a bullet wound to the shoulder and with Milana unharmed. I hate her being away from me ever, but it’s not like I can go with her.
As soon as Pavel is well enough to be moved, we need to get out of our enemy’s territory, though. Yerik and Dima will already be in this hospital too. It’s also likely that Luka has told Dima of his father’s death. Anger is all he’s going to feel.
I shift in the bed, trying to get more comfortable. It’s been a whirlwind two weeks since I met Milana. She came out of nowhere, blustering into my life like a hurricane and turning my world upside down—for the better.
I can feel again, for the first time since Lilianna died, I feel human, or at least less beast-like. Milana has tamed the hurt inside of me and given me a relief I don’t believe I deserve. Yet, she takes me as I am, never judging my past actions.
The swing door to my room opens, and Milana stands in the doorway
, pale.
“What is it? Is he okay?” I ask.
She nods her head. “Dima has ordered the brotherhood to find us. I overheard him on the phone in his hospital room on the way back. Pavel isn’t in a state to get out of here, but we have to.”
“Fuck.”
“Are you going to be able to walk?” she asks, glancing back into the corridor.
I nod my head, despite not feeling up to it at all. “Yes, we’ll have to wheel Pavel out the back entrance. Where’s my gun?” I wince as I pull the iv needle out of my arm before swinging my legs over the side.
Milana lifts her shirt to reveal my gun tucked in her jeans. “Here.”
I nod. “We might need it. Keep an eye on the door, Milana.”
She walks to the door, staring out of the glass hole.
I force myself onto my feet, grunting at the pain shooting through my arm and down my back. Milana is in danger, and I can’t protect her if we run into trouble.
I force my feet into my shoes and opt to leave my clothes off and stay in the hospital gown. There’s no way I can dress in my state.
“Let’s go,” I grunt, trying not to let her see how much pain I’m in.
She nods her head, biting her bottom lip nervously. We walk out into the corridor and turn right, heading toward Pavel’s room. If it weren’t for the fact this guy means something to Milana, I’d be leaving him high and dry. It would be a death sentence, but trying to save him might get us all killed.
Milana leads the way down another corridor and into a room where her bodyguard is unconscious.
“This could be dangerous for him, taking him off the meds.”
Milana glances at me. “What choice do we have? Leave him here to die?”
She has a point, but we’re going to need to race him out of Los Angeles brotherhood territory and straight to another hospital. “I’ll remove the meds, but as soon as that monitor goes dead, we won’t have long until the staff notice. We need to disable the alarm.”
I step over to him and using my right hand only, get to work at trying to disable the alarm, which will alert the staff his heart rate is gone. Once it’s disabled, I glance at Milana. “We may be best taking the drip with us, as it could be important to his recovery.”
She nods her head in agreement, nervously glancing over at the door. “How are we going to go unseen?”
“We’ve got to take it as it comes. Improvise. There’s no other option.” I kick off the break from Pavel’s hospital bed and try to move him, but the guy is heavy. “Fuck.”
Milana comes to the other side. “Together?”
I nod. “Let’s do this.”
We push Pavel to the doorway on his bed. I realize once we get out of here, we’re going to have to steal a fucking ambulance. It’s not ideal. We’re out of our territory, and the police will come down hard if we’re not discreet.
The hallway is empty, and after a brief look over the floor plan, we’re close to the back entrance here. “This way,” I say, heading down the corridor the opposite way to the central hub. “What floor are we on?” I ask, realizing I hadn’t even checked.
“Ground floor, luckily.”
I sigh a breath of relief, but a commotion behind us has us marching faster. The sound of raised Russian voices makes my heart pound out of my chest.
Dima’s guys are already here, and we barely missed them. We turn the corner and rush toward the fire exit at the end. The sound of footsteps following has both of us on edge, as Milana reaches for the gun.
I give her a nod, and she passes it over to me. This is the last place I need to be entering into a shootout, especially after just being shot. We both come to a stop, and Milana waits to one side with Pavel. I listen for the oncoming footsteps. There’s at least two of them, and we only have one gun.
As the first comes into view, I shoot him in the chest, stopping him dead. I can’t risk Milana. If I could avoid killing, then I would, but there’s too much at stake.
The guy next to him begins to shout, as I shoot him through the chest also. He falls to the floor, but the sound of far off footsteps running has me turning around.
“Quick,” I say, nodding toward the fire exit, which is only thirty yards away.
Milana pushes Pavel’s bed toward it, straining under the weight as she tries to speed up. I do what I can to help, pushing through the pain. As the adrenaline kicks in, the pain is fading into the background. We rush out of the exit only to find we’re down a small alleyway. I’d hoped there would be ambulances parked outside.
“Fuck,” I say, running a hand through my hair. “This way.”
Milana and I push the bed toward the main street. We need to find an ambulance. As we break out of the alleyway, I spot one pulled up by the side of the road. The back doors are open. “Perfect, over there.”
Milana’s eyes widen as she realizes what I mean.
“It’s our only option.”
We head toward it and push the bed right up to the back. “Excuse me,” I say.
The paramedic in the back turns to look at us, puzzled as he notices the hospital bed. I cock my gun and point it at him. “Get him in now,” I say. There’s no driver in the front, which means I have to drive.
He holds his hands up. “Of course, don’t shoot.” Despite his shaking hands, he’s quick to get Pavel into the back. I pass Milana the gun. “Keep it on him.” I shut them in the back and rush to the front, noticing a couple of Los Angeles brotherhood men rushing out of the same alleyway.
In the nick of time, I turn over the engine and flick on the sirens. It’s about time we got the fuck out of here. I grab my phone out of my pocket and dial Andrei’s number. “Lyov, is everything okay?” he asks.
“Not really, we’re in an ambulance we just fucking stole because Dima sent the brotherhood after us. I need a way out and quick.”
“Okay, I’ll get it sorted. Head for the same airstrip we came in to, and I’ll ensure a plane is ready to fly you out.”
“Thank you, sir. We’ll need a ramp access setup for Pavel,” I say, weaving through traffic as my sirens blare.
“Consider it done. See you soon.” He hangs up, and I glance into the back, checking Milana is holding her nerve with the paramedic.
She sits with the gun pointed at him fearlessly. The fire in her eyes is enough warning not to move, although I wouldn’t be sure that she’d have it in her to shoot an innocent guy.
As we turn onto the coastal road heading toward the airstrip, I relax on the speed and shut off the sirens. There’s no one following us. Although, the police may be aware that someone stole this ambulance
I shut the radio off about thirty minutes ago back in the city. Speed is still key.
Milana moves closer to me, keeping the gun trained on the paramedic. “How far is it?” she asks.
I shake my head. “Not far.”
We fall into silence, and some of the adrenaline ebbs away as the airstrip comes into view. It’s only a few hundred yards up the road. It’s at that point when I hear it — the roar of bike engines behind us.
“Fuck, it looks like we’ve got company,” I say, glancing into the rearview mirror.
Milana glances into the mirror, and her face pales. “Are those Los Angeles brotherhood men?”
I nod my head, knowing a lot of them drive those bikes. It’s going to be a fucking nightmare trying to get on that plane.
“Hold on,” I say as I press my foot down on the accelerator, speeding toward our destination. Milana braces herself, holding on with one arm and keeping the gun pointed at the paramedic.
I rush through the gates, knocking the barrier down as I do. A security guard jumps out of the booth, but I’m already fucking gone. The strip is a hundred yards ahead, as I race along the tarmac toward it.
The bikes are following, but have dropped behind. I skid to a halt in front of the plane, throwing open the side door and rushing to the back. A man comes over. “Lyov is it?” he asks.
“Yes, I ne
ed to get on that plane and out of here now,” I say, glancing back toward the road.
“Okay, I’m the pilot.”
The roar of the bike engines gets louder as I undo the door and allow Milana out. She hands me the gun, and I point it at the paramedic. “Get him out,” I order.
He gets to work, lowering Pavel’s hospital bed onto the tarmac. Once down, I shut the guy in the back of the ambulance, for his safety. If this goes south, he could get caught in the middle.
Pavel stirs, muttering something, as the anesthetic finally starts to wear off.
I turn to the airstrip employee. “Help me get him onto the plane. Milana, get into the plane .”
She hesitates for a moment, biting her bottom lip.
“Now,” I order.
She does as I say, rushing toward the plane. The pilot helps me wheel him into the aircraft as one of the bikes skids to a stop on the tarmac. “You may want to get in,” I say as he points a gun at us.
“Fuck,” the pilot says, jumping into the plane.
I shoot at the biker, catching him in the shoulder before he can fire at me.
Quickly, I release the ramp from the plane and pull the door up, locking it from inside. “We need to go, now,” I growl, as bullets begin to ricochet off the plane’s chassis.
The pilot nods his head and rushes into the cockpit, quickly starting the engines. He’s fast to get us moving down the runway, as I watch through the windows.
At least eight bikers watch us take off, attempting to shoot at the moving plane. I sigh a breath of relief as I feel the plane lift from the ground. We made it. Against all the fucking odds, somehow, we made it.
Milana walks up to me, snaking her arm around my waist. “We’re safe now,” she says.
I grab her hand and pull her to face me. “Safe and together, forever,” I say, kissing her softly.
A groan behind us makes us both turn. “Cut that soppy crap, what the fuck happened?” Pavel says.
“You’re awake,” Milana says, rushing to his side. I watch on as she grabs his hand and begins to fill him in. For once, it feels like just maybe, we will get our happily ever after.