41. Chapter Forty-One #2
I always loved watching him fight. There was something truly hypnotic about the way he moved.
The way he swung his arms. The long stretch of his legs as he delivered powerful kicks.
The brutality with which he took his enemies lives.
It was like nothing could stop him, like he was death reincarnated.
Given the amount of bodies lying on the ground all around him, the analogy fit quite well, and I’d pat myself on the back for that later.
He was a small distance away, surrounded on all sides by soldiers with a wall at his back.
I took off at full speed, focusing on nothing but him.
Getting to him. I ducked and swerved around other people, ignoring everything and everyone else.
I let loose a stream of bullets in his direction, being careful not to hit him, then I unstrapped the machine gun from my shoulder and dropped it so I could run faster, the weight of it doing nothing but holding me back.
He was up against the wall, a knife inching closer and closer to his throat as he struggled to hold it back. One last burst of speed brought me right to him and I rammed into the soldier in a brutal tackle, sending us flying into the air and landing in a heap on the ground.
The soldier was taken completely by surprise, allowing me to get the upper hand quickly.
We rolled in the sand and I pushed for the dominant position, ending up on top.
I plucked a dagger from my waist and thrust it up under his chin, the blade slipping through his skin like butter.
His lips opened on a silent scream and I glimpsed the knife inside his mouth.
I ripped it out and plunged it deep into his eye before rolling off him and jumping to my feet.
Strong arms locked around my neck and lifted me off the ground, squeezing tight.
Fuck!
I kicked out, thrashing wildly, but whoever had me wasn’t letting go. They squeezed harder and I gasped, scratching frantically at the arm crushing my throat, running out of air quickly.
The body behind me suddenly stiffened, going completely still.
“Let her go.” That voice…I’d recognise that voice anywhere. It was laced with darkness, rage, but I knew without a shadow of a doubt that it was Nikolai.
“Drop the knife or I’ll snap her neck,” my attacker warned.
“Motherfucker, you think I’m playing?” I was jostled forward slightly when Nikolai grabbed a fistful of my attacker’s hair. “I will fuck you bloody with this knife if you don’t let her go. Right. Fucking. Now!”
That threat scared my attacker enough for him to drop me instantly, his hands flying up in surrender.
I landed roughly on my hands and knees, breathing hard.
I looked over my shoulder just in time to see Nikolai sink the knife deep into the man’s neck, right down to the hilt.
He literally threw him to the side and then his arms were around me, holding me tight.
“Love, what are you doing here?” he breathed into my hair, his whole body shaking.
I hugged him back, squeezing so tightly that it made him groan in pain.
“What a stupid fucking question to ask.” I half-laughed, half-cried.
All the fear and anxiety I’d been holding in since the moment I found out he was taken came bursting out of me and I sobbed, clutching him to me like he was going to disappear again.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he chastised, kissing the side of my neck, my jaw, my cheek.
“‘Thank you, Tatiana, for coming to save me’ is what I believe you meant.”
He chuckled softly, grabbing the sides of my face with both hands. He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear and just stared at me, those mesmerising blue eyes holding all of my attention. He kissed me softly, full of love and tenderness that made my whole body melt into him.
“Excuse me?!” Both of us snapped our gazes to Vincenzo, who just yanked out his blade from a soldier's stomach and then kicked him away. “Kiss later, fight now!” He ducked under one strike, slashed upwards, ducked under another and spun, delivering a powerful roundhouse kick into a soldier's jaw.
Right.
Nikolai and I jumped up, leaping back into the fight.
“Have you seen my family?” he asked, defending and attacking, defending and attacking.
“Illayana and Aleksandr, yes. Duck.” He dropped and I swung a kick over his head, smashing my foot into the side of a man’s face.
“Lukyan and your father, no.” We kept close together, inching our way back across the field towards the hole we’d blown into the Arena. It’s not like it was easy to miss.
Mikhail’s voice blared through my earpiece. “Dimitri secured.”
Arturo’s voice came next. “Illayana secured.”
“Aleksandr and Lukyan secured,” Drea said last.
Vincenzo touched his earpiece. “Nikolai secured. Making our way out now.”
“Rendezvous at the submarine,” Arturo ordered. A chorus of “Yes’’ followed.
I looked at Nikolai. “Your family is safe.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, they—” my eyes widened as I glimpsed a figure appear behind Nikolai, a gun pointed right at his back. I didn’t stop to think, didn’t hesitate. I pushed him out of the way and—
Bang!
White-hot pain exploded across my chest. My body was propelled backwards by the force of the gunshot and I landed hard on the ground, screaming out in agony.
The pain. Fuck, the pain!
I’d never been shot before and, if that is how it felt, I never wanted to be again. Jesus.
Nikolai’s face appeared above me, eyes glistening with tears.
“Fuck, Tati. You’re okay. Why the fuck did you do that?
! You’re okay. It’s alright.” He frantically pried open my bulletproof vest and literally sagged on top of me.
“You’re okay. The bullet didn’t penetrate the vest. You’re okay. Oh fuck, you’re okay.”
“That’s good.” Whoa, was it just me or did that come out kind of sluggish?
His head snapped up and he looked at me with concern as he cradled my face. “Hey, what—” his eyes widened with fear when he looked at his hand. It was covered in blood. He lifted my head slowly and I winced. He pulled out a rock from behind me.
Did I land on that?
“Fuck.” He threw it to the side. “Get me some fucking help!” he roared to Vincenzo.
“I’m feeling a little…woozy.” Darkness crept into the corners of my vision. My head lolled to the side and Nikolai gripped my face tight.
“No. Hey! No. Stay awake, you hear me? You’ll be fine. Just stay awake.”
Dizziness washed over me. My eyes suddenly felt heavy, so fucking heavy. There was a dull pain throbbing from my skull. Something wet slicked down the back of my neck.
“Tati! Hey!”
The darkness around the edges of my vision increased, spreading out, swallowing more of my sight.
Oh, boy. This can’t be good.
Nikolai started screaming, but I couldn’t hear him. Why couldn’t I hear him? I felt so weak, I couldn’t even lift my arms. I wanted to touch his face. He had such a handsome face. Beautiful. Utterly beautiful.
Nauseousness rolled through me, mixing with the dizziness. The last thing I saw was Nikolai crying before the darkness took over completely.