Milana
It feels wrong, leaving Lyov as he charges into a burning building. Pavel has a car ready on the other side of the door. I glance back into the hallway of the Romanov mansion, considering turning around.
“Milana, what are you doing?” Pavel asks.
I glance at him and then back into the house. “It’s not right,” I say. “What’s not right?”
I shake my head. “Leaving him here. I can’t.” “Milana, don’t even think about it.”
I ignore Pavel, which he’s used to me doing, and turn back. Lyov may think he’s protecting me by sending me away, but the last thing I’d want is to leave him to his death. I’d rather die along with him.
My gut twists with unease as I head closer to the scent of smoke. It’s clouding the air and getting worse by the second. “Milana,” Pavel shouts after me. His footsteps thunder behind me as he gains on me effortlessly.
I gasp as he grabs me by the waist and hoists me into the air. “Where the fuck do you think you are going?” he growls.
I grit my teeth, wishing I had the strength to fight him off. “Let me go, Pavel.”
He pulls me back the way I’d come. “No, you can’t help them.” I give up as he pulls me toward the door to outside.
The sound of a gun being cocked has us both freezing. “Where do you two think you are going?” Yerik asks.
Pavel sets me onto my feet and blocks me with his body. “If you hadn’t noticed, the mansion is on fire.”
Yerik’s eyes narrow. “You were trying to escape with my fiance.”
Pavel squares his shoulders and sighs. “I was trying to save her as her bodyguard. Put the gun down, Yerik.”
Yerik glances between me and Pavel two times, before putting the gun down.
“Let’s get the fuck out of here,” Pavel says.
Yerik gives him a nod, but I can tell he’s still wary of our intentions. “How did the fire start?” he asks, glancing at me.
Pavel shrugs. “Fuck knows.” He barges through the door to the side, swinging back around with his gun drawn on Yerik.
Before he can realize what is happening, I dodge away from him and dash to Pavel’s side. Yerik holds up his hands. “What the fuck?”
Pavel ignores him. “Milana, in the car now.”
“I knew you were helping her escape. You probably started the damn
fire,” he yells.
“Now, Milana.”
I glance between Pavel and the building burning in front of me. Lyov is in there. It goes against my instincts to leave him, but I’ve got no choice. I rush for the passenger’s side of the car and open the door, freezing at the sound of another gun being cocked.
Dima is standing in front of me, aiming his gun right at me. “Don’t move a muscle, sis.”
I swallow hard, staring into the soulless dark eyes of my brother. There’s no doubt that he will shoot me if I don’t do as he says. In fact, he might still shoot me even if I do.
“Put the gun down, Dima,” Pavel orders.
He chuckles a deep, evil laugh. “I’m not taking any orders from a traitor. My father will string you up for what you’ve done.”
I keep eye contact with my brother, trying to work out a way out of this. “Pavel isn’t a traitor. He was trying to save me from this building and that asshole.” I nod toward Yerik.
Dima’s narrows his eyes. “Don’t try to take me for a fool, sis. You don’t want to marry Yerik and you’ve managed to convince Pavel to get you out of here.”
I keep my expression blank. Dima has always been too perceptive.
The sound of the door opening behind us has all of us looking over. Andrei is standing at the door with Lyov and Alexi behind him. I swallow
hard, knowing this is going to end in bloodshed.
Dima won’t let them leave. There’s more chance of me sprouting wings and taking flight.
Yerik points his gun at Andrei. “Don’t fucking move.”
Dima keeps his gun trained on me. “Or the bitch gets it.”
Lyov tenses and moves forward, which prompts Yerik to cock his gun in warning. “Not another step,” he growls.
Andrei stands at the front with a calm and collected expression. “If you don’t let us go, you’re declaring war,” he says quietly.
Dima glares at him, but it’s Yerik who speaks, “I think you are the one declaring war, by breaking into my father’s home.”
Andrei steps forward, shaking his head. “Blame his father.” He nods toward Dima. “He snatched Milana from us and draw us to your home.”
Yerik glances between Dima and me. “Milana is his sister and my fiance. You have no claim on her.”
Lyov steps forward this time. “I don’t fucking think so. Did Milana agree to the engagement?”
Yerik glances between me and Lyov. “She didn’t refuse it.”
That’s true. In front of him, I kept up pretenses, knowing it was the safest option. “I definitely didn’t agree to it either,” I protest.
“Shut the fuck up,” Dima spits at me. “You’ve done enough.”
Lyov draws his gun in a flash, pointing it at Dima. The cocking of his gun has my heart racing faster.
This is escalating quicker than I could have imagined. Alexi follows his lead. “Stand down, Dima,” he calls.
“Or what?”
Alexi shakes his head. “Luka agreed to let us go, so holding us up only goes against your allies orders.”
Dima glances between Andrei and Alexi, unsure what to believe. “What of my dad?” he asks.
“He didn’t have much to say on the matter.” I don’t miss the glint in his eyes, and I feel my stomach dip. They’ve killed him. I can’t explain how I know, I just do.
I know that is a lie. My dad would never agree to let them go, believing that they’d set this fire, and after everything I’ve heard about Luka Romanov, he wouldn’t either.
“I don’t believe it,” Yerik says, shaking his head.
Andrei nods toward the door. “Why don’t you go and ask him?”
Yerik’s eyes narrow. “Are you telling me he’s still in the burning building?”
Alexi shrugs. “Why don’t you find out for yourself.”
I sigh heavily, wishing this childishness would end. “Dima, put down the gun.” I glance at my brother, hoping I can reason with him. He is my family.
He steps forward and keeps his gun trained on me. “What makes you think I’d do anything you say?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Lyov moving toward me. I want to tell him to stop, but I can’t draw my brother’s attention to him. Instead, I keep my eyes fixed on Dima. It’s all I can do in a hope that he doesn’t seem him move.
Dima is ruthless. He will shoot first and ask questions later.
Dima makes a split decision to pull the trigger on me. It’s as if time slows to a halt as the trigger goes off and the bullet ricochets toward me. Suddenly, I’m pushed to the ground by a large, hard body.
I glance up to see Pavel lying across me with a bullet wound in his chest. I try desperately to stem the flow of blood.
It’s at this moment that Dima notices Lyov’s advance.
“Lyov,” I scream, trying to warn him. His eyes are trained on me as he searches for a wound. Dima doesn’t hesitate as he shoots Lyov, catching him in the shoulder. A pained expression passes across his face as he collapses backward onto the floor. The impact of the fall knocks him out cold, and I can’t get to him.
I can’t move under Pavel’s immense weight. The worry and panic spiral out of control as I try to process what just happened. The man I love has been shot and I haven’t even told him yet. He’s lying on the floor and I can’t go to him. Pavel, a man who has been like a father to me has also been shot. Both of them by my asshole of a brother.
A few more gun shots ring out, but I can’t see what is happening. The weight of Pavel is weighing heavily on me, but I’m trying desperately to stem the flow of blood from his wound. “Hold on, Pavel,” I say, tears prickling at my eyes.
He’s unconscious and breathing shallowly.
Suddenly, Pavel is yanked off of me, and Andrei is standing over me.
He holds out a hand for me to take, and I do.
Once I’m back on my feet, I see Yerik and Dima lying on the floor. They’re both alive with minor gunshot wounds. Dima is whining like a coward. He’s only been shot in the leg. Lyov is lying on the floor still and I rush toward him. He’s unconscious. Tears flood down my cheeks as I kneel by his side, pressing my hand against the bleeding wound in his shoulder. “Lyov, no, please don’t go.”
A hand lands on my shoulder, and I turn to see Alexi. “It’s a flesh wound.” He shakes his head. “He’ll be okay, but it’s going to take him a while to recover.”
I sniff, returning my attention to him. “I want him to wake up. I haven’t even told him the truth.”
“What truth?” Alexi asks.
“That I love him more than anything in this world.” A steady flow of tears race down my cheeks.
Alexi snakes a hand around my shoulders and forces me to my feet. “You can tell him that once he’s awake. I promise you, he will be fine.”
Andrei is on the phone, speaking frantically in Russian. “Are we going to call and ambulance?”
Alexi shakes his head. “We’ll drive him and Pavel to the hospital. They can’t be linked to this place, otherwise the police will be swarming within seconds.” He glances over at Andrei briefly, before lowering his voice. “Both of us will have to drop you off with Pavel and Lyov. We can’t hang around. It’s too dangerous.”
I nod my head. “Is my dad dead?” I ask, staring into the auburn eyes of Lyov’s friend.
There’s sympathy in his eyes as he nods his head. “Yes, I’m sorry. It wouldn’t-”
“Don’t be sorry. I despised the man,” I say, despite the slight burning in my chest. The world is a better place without Georgy Veselov in it, and my life will be better without him hanging over me. Even so, he did father me. It seems to have a slight pull on my emotions, which annoys me.
Andrei approaches us. “We need to get them in the car and to the Los Angeles general as soon as possible.” He turns his attention to me. “Mila, please wait in the back of the SUV.”
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.