Chapter 49
FORTY-NINE
Gunshots fill the air, loud and unmistakable, and everything else is forgotten.
My only thought is Zia. He stands tall in the midst of the screaming crowd, everyone ducking and scrambling to escape as the shots grow louder.
“Nikko, get out!” Lucas barks as he heads past me. “I’ll get the exits open for the crowd.”
“Thanks.” I nod as I glance at my dad to see Charlie tugging him away.
The sight fills me with relief, and I spit out my mouth guard and pull off my gloves as I clear the ropes and jump into the crowd.
I use my height and size against them, pushing through their panicked masses until I can catch my boy’s hand and turn him to me.
“We need to go!” I hiss.
He nods, sliding his hand into his jacket, and I shake my head, but he pulls out a gun. “They are here for me,” he discloses. “I’ll draw them outside. Get everyone out, okay? We can’t have anyone injured.”
“Baby,” I hiss, but he leans in and kisses me quickly.
“Do as you’re told. Please.” He fades into the crowd, even as I yell his name. Turning, I see two girls struggling in the mob, so I wade deeper and hold out my hand.
“Come with me.” The pink-haired one eyes me before giving me her hand, keeping the other girl’s, and I barge my way through the crowd, around the ring, and to the back door where my dad waits.
“Nikko, let’s go!” he yells. “Something is wrong.”
“Here.” I push the girls at him. “Get everyone out.”
He catches my hand. “Son, let’s go!”
“I can’t leave Zia here alone.” I yank my hand free. “I can’t, Dad.”
“He can take care of himself!” Charlie yells, but my dad nods, his expression blank.
“Go,” he orders before he pulls me close. “You both get your asses back alive.”
“Yes, sir,” I respond before I rush through the swarming crowd, grabbing someone’s discarded hoodie on the way and pulling it on. I’m still barefoot, but I ignore it as I burst through the main doors and into chaos.
Zia’s guys are spread out, with three SUVs blocking the venue as they stand behind them, firing over the top.
Zia is with them, crouched behind the hood, putting himself in danger.
I can’t see who shot first, but there are other cars with open doors blocking the exit to the parking lot.
Clearly there are more than a few attackers, and whoever it is knew Zia would be here.
They wanted to kill him and make a statement.
Is this what he’s been worried about?
Is this why he’s increased his guards?
Despite it all and being weaponless, I focus on my man, uncaring about anything else.
The gravel cuts my feet, but I ignore it as I head his way, ducking when I reach the car. He crouches down to reload, his eyes widening when he sees me. “Nikko, what the fuck are you doing?”
“You think I’d leave you? Give me a gun,” I demand.
“Not a chance,” he dismisses. “There are cameras. I won’t let you get involved in this. Get back inside and leave through the back with your family. We’ll buy time until the police arrive.”
“If you’re staying, I’m staying,” I tell him, and he shakes his head before tucking me closer as bullets hit the car.
“I’m sorry, Nikko,” he says as we hide from the barrage. “I had no idea they would do this tonight. I’m so fucking sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” I reply as he climbs to his feet and fires. He looks so fucking sexy, but now is not the time to ponder that as he crouches again as gunfire explodes where he was just standing. “What do we do?”
“Buy time. They only want me, I promise, and the police will run them off.” He pushes me closer to the ground. “Stay down,” he orders as he stands again, firing.
I can hear police sirens, and one of the guards turns to us. “Sir, get out of here now—” His head explodes, and he falls right in front of us.
Snarling, Zia turns and shoots before I even see the man sneaking up on us. He falls over the dead guard, and Zia looks at me. “Go now, out the back. I’ll cover you.”
“He said for you to go,” I argue.
“You can’t be arrested here, Nikko,” Z snaps. “Go.”
“Sir, please go!” another of his guards calls as the sirens become louder. “We can hold them off.”
It’s clear Zia has no intention of leaving his people, and I can’t lose him, so I make the decision for him. I know he’ll be angry later, but at least he’ll be alive.
Gripping his hand, I look at his men. “I’ll get him out. Cover us.” I yank him up and force him to run to the building with me. I drag him as he fights me.
Gunshots explode behind us, but I ignore them, focused on getting him to safety.
My bike is around back, and I pull him inside as he yells for me to let him go. Ignoring him, I lean down, scoop him up, and rush through the venue and out back, only putting him on his feet to shove a helmet at him.
“I have to go back, Nikko. They are my people!”
“And they need you to be safe. Let’s go!” I roar. “Put it on.”
He does as he’s told, his eyes wide, and I press my forehead to his. “Please, baby, I need you to be safe.”
“I won’t be until this is over,” he whispers, startling when there’s more gunfire. It’s tearing him apart not to be there. “I thought we could wait, that he might change their mind, but I was wrong. We need to end this.”
“Then let’s end it. I’ll go with you.”
I expect him to argue, but if anything, he looks relieved. He climbs on my bike after me, and I gun it away from the firefight and sirens, his hands clutching me tightly.
We meet Yuki at my place, where I quickly change, and with some soft-spoken words, Zia looks at me. “He’ll get my people out and the camera footage has been deleted, so no one will ever know you were involved.”
“Good. How do we end it?” I ask.
“Are you sure you want to come with me?”
“Where you go, I go, so where are we going?” I ask.
“Sir, I can bring men,” Yuki begins.
“No, I won’t need them. They won’t expect me to come to them. They still think they are smarter. Besides, if what you said is true, then he’s already there.” Taking my hand, he nods. “Come on, Nikko. Let’s face the people who want me dead.”
“Sir, please let me come,” Yuki protests.
“I need to do this.” Zia presses his palm to Yuki’s shoulder. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me, okay?”
“It’s my job to,” he defends, “and as one of your friends, it’s my right.”
“And you are the best friend I’ve ever had,” Zia says with a soft smile.
“Don’t say it like it’s goodbye,” Yuki responds.
“Then I’ll see you for breakfast,” Zia says instead, “when this is all done and over. We have our jobs to do. Yours is to keep our people safe, and mine is to keep us all safe, and I’ll do that. Besides, I’m not alone.” He looks at me.
“I’ll protect him,” I tell Yuki as I take Zia’s hand again.
Yuki looks us over before sighing. “Breakfast,” he orders, pointing at us. “I mean it.”
“See you then.” Zia nods and tugs me out after him.
We walk back to my bike, and this time he drives.
I wrap my arms around him, holding on tightly as we zoom through the city.
Wherever we are going, it’s clear he doesn’t want this.
He was hoping he could avoid it. Maybe that’s why he’s been so torn recently.
I saw the pain in his eyes.
The drive doesn’t take too long. We speed past the skyscrapers and closer to where Zia and his father live, on the rich side of the city.
The apartments turn into sprawling mansions similar to castles, and at one of the driveways is an open gate he zooms through.
He doesn’t stop until we are under a covered entrance.
Taking off my helmet, I offer him my hand to get off, which he gratefully accepts.
Taking a deep breath, he stares up at the door as he pulls out his phone. His face pales when he reads something just as the door opens.
Two guards are framed there, clearly carrying, and I stiffen at their presence while Zia pockets his cell, tilting his chin up. He tugs me to his side as he stalks toward them. “Mr. Xander, I’m afraid Mr. and Mrs. Bardin are not available,” one of the guards informs us.
“Yes, they are now,” he orders as he barges past them, and they have no choice but to move.
We hear laughter as soon as we step inside a huge foyer covered in gilded paintings. Seeming to know where to go, Zia steers us to the right and down a corridor to an open door, where he steps inside of a dining room, only to freeze.
“Dad, what are you doing here?” Zia asks, his eyes wide with concern.
“Oh, Toma called me over for dinner.” He smiles brightly, but when he looks at Zia’s face, it fades. “What’s wrong, son?”
Zia looks at the couple next to his father, and his face goes cold. “Guards, take Father home.”
“What’s going on?” His dad thrusts to his feet, looking between the couple and Zia, putting the pieces together. I have no idea who these people are, but it’s clear Zia does. Worst of all, they seem familiar and friendly. If this is who is behind the attacks on him, no wonder he was hurt.
“There have been attacks on me and the company. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Father, but I didn’t want you to worry.
I finally found out who was behind it all.
” Zia looks at them. “It seems so has your son. Faiz will be here soon. I didn’t tell him, but he isn’t stupid.
Why?” He sounds so sad as he utters that word, and I stare at the couple once again.
These are Faiz’s parents? Why would they hurt Zia?
“Why did you try to kill me? Why have you tried to ruin my business?”
His father’s expression becomes blank as he turns to the couple. “You tried to kill my son?” His voice is deadly quiet.
“Nikko, please take my father,” Zia implores.
Nodding, I release his hand and walk over to his father. He snarls at me but lets me pull him away so we are behind Zia, who stares them down.
“I wondered how long it would take you to figure it out. I was hoping we would end it first,” Mrs. Bardin remarks as she dabs her mouth with a napkin and leans back, a wine glass in hand. “Let my son come. He should hear this too. After all, this is all his fault.”
“What is?” a voice snaps behind us, and I turn to see Faiz.
He spares us a dark look as he stops at Zia’s side, making his loyalty clear.
It hurts to see them standing united while I’m on the sidelines, but I understand.
“Tell me it isn’t true. Tell me it wasn’t you.
I checked the attacker’s history . . . Tell me it didn’t lead to you. ”
I look at Zia, shocked, but he appears empty and cold.
“They can’t,” Zia says. “I want to know why. I deserve to know.”
They laugh, and the sound causes the hair on my neck to stand on end as I tug his father farther back. They were going to use him against Zia, and I won’t let that happen.
I don’t care who they are. Nobody hurts my family.