33. Alina
Chapter thirty-three
Alina
Blood. There’s so much blood.
My eyes remain glued to the red liquid pouring out of Mauro, his body growing paler by the second.
Help him! Somebody help him!
“Alina, are you okay?” Leo crouches before me, using a knife to cut through the ropes quickly. “Alina?”
“She’s in shock.” Alex’s voice is heard nearby. “Bring her to the chopper. I’ll help Vin with Mauro.”
Leo scoops me into his arms, carrying me through this nightmare I’m trapped inside of.
Don’t take me away from him! I want to scream. But I can’t open my lips. I don’t think I could even blink if I tried.
He carefully places me on a seat, securing a belt around my waist as his eyes regard me with caution before leaving me.
Gunshots echo through the air, creating the illusion of being caught in a warzone.
Two men sit in the front, instructing the others to hurry up.
Leo returns with a tied-up Kazimir, whom he places farthest from me.
A guard carries my father inside and places him beside me. A semblance of relief passes over me when I see his chest moving up and down, but that feeling only lasts for a moment.
Because when Alex and Vin enter, carrying an unconscious Mauro, my heart struggles to flutter.
He’s paler than he was just minutes ago as blood soaks through his shirt.
“Let’s go!” Vin roars at the two men upfront.
As the helicopter ascends into the sky, I watch Alex rip a piece of fabric from his own shirt and press it into Mauro’s side.
“How bad is it?” Vin asks.
Alex shakes his head. “I’m not a doctor. I don’t know—”
“How bad?” Vin repeats with rage.
Alex wipes his forearm across his temple. “Pretty fucking bad.”
Vin looks to one of the men flying the helicopter and yells, “Get us home, now!”
Home? I slowly shake my head. He needs a hospital!
Alex must see the distress on my face because he says, “Dr. Rose is the best surgeon in the world. If anyone can fix this, it’s her.”
With shaky fingers, I unbuckle.
“You shouldn’t—”
Vin places a hand on Alex’s chest, and they watch as I stumble my way toward them and drop by Mauro’s side. I stare down at Mauro as tears blur my vision. His breathing is shallow and slowing by the second.
“Please don’t leave me,” I whisper. I reach for his cold hand, clasping my fingers with his, and press the back of his hand against my cheek. “I love you.”