Chapter 44
Before we left the Compound,Gio showed me additional photos of Anastasia, ones that included the man responsible for the marks on her body. I should know his name, but, for the life of me, I can’t remember. All I could focus on was getting her away from him as soon as possible, and now, all I can focus on is his dead body lying on the floor beneath me. I stand frozen, locking eyes with his corpse as his blood drips off the blade still held tightly in my hand. Everyone around me fades to a blur and the sounds of war become nothing but a whisper as I imagine all the ways I would’ve loved to torture him. Fuck a death by a thousand cuts. Even if I could’ve killed him a thousand times over it still wouldn’t have been enough—for me nor for Anastasia. Perhaps, deep down, that very reason is why I never went after my father. I imagined killing him over and over again, but I knew it would never make things right. More importantly, it would never bring my mom back, and it only would’ve hurt me to do it. But this, this doesn’t hurt me. Nor do the bullets popping into my suit. They’ll leave bruises and red welts despite the material, but they don’t hurt me. The only thing that hurts me is knowing what this animal did to the woman I love and knowing that a bullet or a blade can’t fix it. I can’t fix it.
“Damon!” As Gio’s voice rings through my headset, I come to and realize I’ve been zoned out for far longer than I thought. “Damon, we have to go. Now!”
“Gentlemen, Package #2 is secure and on the move. Cops are two minutes out from the west side of the building,” Xander says then. “Damon, Zane, Gio, and Milo, your driver is waiting in an SUV on the east side, which gives you three minutes to get the Hell out of here.”
I lift my head to take in the room. It’s full of black smoke, so much so I can’t see beyond four feet in front of me. Our suits protect us from it and it’ll serve as cover from any remaining hostiles as we make our escape. But it occurs to me then that Anastasia doesn’t have a suit. I clocked her location the moment we crashed through the glass and kept an eye on her throughout. I turn and sprint in the direction of the last place I saw her. As I move, Gio is slightly ahead while Zane and Milo flank me.
As Anastasia comes into view, Gio moves past her to open the door we’ll take to the ground level. Xander and Killian were aware of our exit plan and did their best to keep our escape route clear. But in case we run into any fire trouble, the planes are equipped with water tanks as well. Zane and Milo turn and, guns ready to fire, watch my back as I scoop Anastasia up into my arms. Up close, her wounds look even more heartbreaking than in the pictures, but as she lies limp in my arms, I’m more concerned with if she’s still breathing.
Knowing that every second we spend in this building the worse the damage to her lungs is, I push the thought of losing her from my mind and focus on getting her out and to the SUV that’s waiting for us. “Moving,” I say. Gio holds the door for me as I carry Anastasia. But once I get her through, he moves in front of us with his rifle drawn in case we run into trouble. Zane and Milo follow behind us as we descend the three flights of stairs.
“Come on, baby. Just hold on a little longer,” I say as I pull Ana even tighter against me to help conceal her naked body.
The closer we get to the ground level, the hotter and smokier things become. But, just as they become unbearable, Gio finds the door to the outside. He kicks it open and exits the building in a crouched position to make sure the coast is clear. Zane, Milo, and I quickly follow behind, and I spot the blacked-out, unmarked SUV waiting for us about fifty yards in the distance. It had to be far enough away not to get caught up in the flames surrounding us now. But, as the sounds of sirens grow closer, I fear it’s too far and we’re out of time.
“Xander, Killian, get out of here. You know what to do with the planes and where to meet up after,” I say then.
“Copy,” Killian says. Though Xander does not reply. He doesn’t want to leave until he’s sure his brother is safe.
“Xander, if you don’t get the fuck out of here right now, I’m going to drink all your bourbon when I make it back. You’ve done your job. I’m doing mine,” Zane says, scolding his brother.
“Copy,” he replies, though the displeasure in his voice is evident. Xander flies out over us as we continue running toward the SUV. Thankfully, his departure draws the attention of our driver, prompting her to reverse, closing the distance between us.
“Finally!” I say. Gio hops into the passenger seat. I move into the back seat with Anastasia spread across my lap. My arms work as her seat belt. Zane and Milo hop in through the open trunk. With them inside, our driver closes it. And, with their guns still at the ready, the three of them watch our front and back as our driver speeds away into the night in the nick of time.
As we move farther away from the building, the black smoke and flames conceal us from the cops now flooding the scene. For the first time since Anastasia was taken, I feel as if I can breathe. Though the thought reminds me I’m not sure if she can. Quickly, I take the headpiece of my bulletproof suit off and lean down so I can listen closely to Ana. Her breaths are faint, but they’re there.
“Open the windows. Let’s get some fresh air in here,” I say. Our driver does as I ask, meeting my gaze through the rearview mirror.
“Is she okay?” she asks.
“For now. We have an infirmary set up at the address you’re taking us to and a doctor waiting for us. If we can just get there, I’m sure she’ll be okay.” At least, that’s what I tell myself. It’s the only thing keeping me remotely sane and all of the emotions bubbling inside me at bay. Adrenaline, anger, heartbreak, anxiousness, overwhelm, fear of losing her still—I feel everything.
“Yes, I’m very familiar with Dr. R. Don’t worry. You did your part. Now I’m going to do mine.” She returns her eyes to the road and increases our speed.
“Thank you, Ariana,” I say.
If I could see Gio’s face, I know the look I’d find. Ariana Valentine is the woman who holds Alister’s heart. She’s the reason he left, the reason for the alliance, the reason for everything that’s happened in our world over the past six months, including my meeting and falling in love with Anastasia. But she’s not supposed to be involved with our world because it threatens her safety and her safety is Alister’s—and thus Gio’s—top priority. Gio is her protector, even though she doesn’t know it. He doesn’t take her calls. He doesn’t admit her entrance to the Amato estate. He’s done his best to keep her at arm’s length for the past six months and now they sit side by side.
“You’re right. I wouldn’t have liked it,” he says then.
I nod. “I know. But it was the only way.”
Tonight, I pulled Ariana back into a world she’s not meant to have any part of. But, on such short notice and with our numbers depleted, there was no other option. She’s an FBI agent, skilled in things like combat and fast-paced driving. Not to mention, she has a badge to get us out of trouble if we’re pulled over by the cops while fleeing the scene. Thankfully, she hasn’t had to flash it and her involvement and her friend Ray’s can go unnoticed. Come tomorrow, everything for her will go back to normal. She’ll be on the outside, wondering just like all of us when Alister will come back. And Gio will continue to secretly watch after her until he does. The thought actually makes me feel bad for her.
I was without Anastasia for mere hours and it nearly killed me. Ariana has lived without Alister for months now with no idea where he is or if he’s coming back to her. And yet she came when we needed help. That tells me she still has hope. Maybe her hope gives me some too, though, for once, my hope for Alister’s return has less to do with the Mafia and more with her and my cousin’s happiness. If their love is anything close to what I feel for Ana, and I’m sure it is, then it would be a shame if they never found a way back to each other.
“Never again,” Gio says then.
I nod even though he can’t see me. “Never again,” I agree.
I give Ariana one final glance. Holding Anastasia in my arms, I know I’d be furious if someone put her in danger. Hell, I am furious that someone put her in danger, that someone being her brother. I know better than to involve Ariana again, because Alister would never forgive me if something happened to her. Just as I will never forgive Aidan Cross for his reckless actions that caused the woman I love to be so brutally assaulted.