Chapter 23
Henry’s scream might break my heart into more pieces than I know how to put back together.
The moment the gun goes off, I shift my hands from his ears to his eyes in an attempt to spare him from having to see the gore and carnage that’s going to spill in front of him.
My own eyes scrunch shut so tightly that my face actually hurts from the effort of keeping them closed. I think I’m screaming. The gunshot is so close that the sound rings and rings in my ears, a roaring loop without end.
Henry’s seen enough. This is the sort of thing that changes a child, something that could alter the course of his life going forward and shift that bright, happy personality that he has into something different if I’m not very careful in these next moments. I have to be strong for him. If he truly is Nikolai’s child, then I’m carrying his sibling in my womb. I owe it to both to do better, to be better.
Somehow, I muster the strength to pull the still-screaming Henry up and over the bed. I scramble us both over to where my purse had fallen from the table and my trembling hand finds the car keys. No matter what happens, I’m going to get the two of us out of here.
My heart breaks to think of leaving Alek in this mess but I don’t have a choice. I know that he would want me to run.
When we get to the doorway, I kick it open, not caring who sees us or if they call the cops. My father had beaten it into me at a young age that the cops were never a good result. Given the lives we all lead, I’m sure that the men in this room feel the same way. They all have rap sheets as long as my arm. That’s the danger of living outside of the law the way that we do. If it weren’t for Henry, I would simply let them sort things out, but he has to be protected. He’s the only priority here.
I pull him behind my body and block him like a human shield as I turn almost against my will to stare into the room behind me. Despite the pool of blood rapidly growing under Nikolai’s feet, it seems that Horus didn’t shoot to kill. He shot Nikolai in the hand to make sure that he couldn’t fire his own gun. Nikolai charges at Alek, knocking his gun from his hand. The pair of them fall to the floor in a blood covered scuffle for power. Horus seems to be trying to get a clean shot on them in a way that won’t kill Nikolai, but physically impair him.
Henry pulls away from me and my heart bottoms out of my ass.
“Henry no!”
My words are a desperate scream. He turns and runs for the nearest open door and I chase him. I can still hear the sounds of fighting from the other room. Henry’s already on the phone in that room when I round the corner. I wait to hear if it’s 911 or, no… Daniel. My shoulders sag in relief and I practically fall into the doorframe.
“You’re on the way?” Henry sniffles. “Can you hurry… please… I’m scared…”
My heart breaks as I cross to him. I don’t make any effort to pull the phone from his hands as I come up behind him and wrap my arms around him. The hug is as much for me as it is for him.
“S-she’s okay…” Henry continues. I know that he’s talking about me.
“Ask how far away they are,” I murmur when I find my voice again.
“How far are y-”
Henry’s question is cut off by the sound of sirens.
“Stay here!” I order to Henry where he’s sitting on the bed. “Stay on the phone with Daniel until he gets here, ok?”
Henry grasps the phone tightly as he nods. I can’t say that I blame him for wanting to use the phone as a lifeline.
Heavily armed cops offload their squad cars en masse and start charging toward the hotel room. I don’t care that they are telling me to stop or yelling at me to keep my distance as I swing back into the room just in time to see that Alek has Nikolai on the ground, his knee pressed into his back in a very similar way to how Nikolai had been holding me captive not too long ago.
The cops present a whole new issue for me.
I can’t let them get their hands on Alek. But they don’t seem interested in him.
Daniel must have paid them a good amount of money to get them here this fast and to not ask too many questions. I realize Daniel also knew where we were, which probably explains how Alek found me too. Trackers in the cars. Just how Nikolai already knew where I was when I called him… by tracking my phone.
Alek scoots off Nikolai, who starts to come off the ground with an animalistic roar of rage and instantly lunges back for him and Horus, only to get tased.
Nikolai’s large frame shudders under the force of the electricity as his many muscles shake and shudder and goes back down. Long enough for the cops to rush into the room and get him in handcuffs. It takes five of them to lift him up off of the ground and drag him to the back of a squad car. I can’t even imagine how hard it’s going to be to get him out of that same car when they get to whatever facility that they are going to.
To our benefit - none of them so much as pause to look at the rest of us in the room as they take their prize and leave as quickly as they came. Minutes after the last squad car pulls out of the mostly abandoned motel, another black SUV pulls up and Helena throws herself out of the car before it’s even fully stopped moving.
Henry squeals from the other room and takes off at a sprint to get to in his chosen mother.
Alek pulls me into his arms. I still feel numb. Cold. I don’t know how long it’s going to take for all of this to wear off. Daniel stands by the car - more emotion on his face than I’ve seen on him so far as he watches the teary reunion. It’s going to be very hard for him to allow either one of them out of his sight for the upcoming days, that much I’m absolutely certain about. Helena slides into the back seat with Henry and Daniel turns his focus to us.
Alek and Daniel exchange knowing looks and nods.
“If you want to go with him, then you should go.” Alek says softly in my ear. His face is already swelling again.
“You’re not coming?” I whip around in his arms to face him, shock written all over my features.
“I will… but there’s some loose ends that I have to tie up first.” Alek swipes his thumb over my cheek, wiping away tears.
“What sort of loose ends?”
Alek glances back over his shoulder to Horus and I start to understand. “The Bratva…”
Alek nods in confirmation. “Yes. With Nikolai gone, there’s going to be something of a power vacuum there. All of the businesses and men under Nikolai’s reign are going to fall into chaos if there isn’t already a structure of power in place by the time that they learn of his arrest.”
“You are going to take over everything?”
Alek nods once more. “It’s not something that can wait. I have no choice but to step in.” he smiles but it doesn’t meet his eyes. “Even though my father trained me my whole life for it, I never really wanted to be in a position of power like this. But I think that I owe it to Lilian’s memory to fix this whole thing once and for all.”
“I’ll come with you. I’m his wife… things are going to be expected of me as well.” I slip my hand into his and tuck myself back into his side.
Daniel gives us a look of understanding and tosses a cell phone over in our direction. Alek catches it easily in one hand. “Keep in touch, I’ll be here when you’re ready. Let”s go home and put this stupid war behind us.”
There’s not even a question as to whether or not the pair of them are going to be in an alliance. For Henry? I think that either one of them would do absolutely anything.