Chapter Twenty-Two
Kirill
We’re at war.
And it’s not looking good for us.
Vlad Petrov’s private army infiltrated my home, blew up parts of the building, and killed several of my men in the process. They came in with guns blazing, and left nothing intact, those bastards.
Shootouts in confined spaces usually happen in a short amount of time.
But not this one. Despite the fact that we’re in my study, we’ve been trying to kill each other for over half an hour.
That’s a lot of time to be constantly shot at.
And as much as I had hoped that we can finish off every single one of these motherfuckers for good, the whole thing just keeps dragging on.
I saw multiple of my men go down in a rain of bullets and I know there will be more.
I am wounded too.
My flesh has been pierced in multiple places, and I bled all over my shirt.
But I don’t care. Not as long as they didn’t hit anything vital, and so far, they didn’t.
Time is not on my side, though. I know I am going to start feeling the blood loss, very soon.
But before I fall to the ground and heave my last breath, there is something I must do.
Tiana.
She’s all that matters. I need to get her to safety, whatever it takes. She is pregnant with my heir. My heirs . She carries not one, but two of my offspring and it is my job to protect them at all cost. It is my only goal right now.
My study continues to echo with the cacophony of gunfire, the metallic tang of blood heavy in the air.
Bullets rain down like a perverse summer storm, piercing the wooden furniture that offered scant cover just minutes ago.
Tiana, her face etched with fear and eyes wide with terror, huddles behind the bullet-torn sofa.
Every fucking fiber of my being screams to protect her, to get her to safety.
Ignoring the sting of sweat in my eyes and the growing stain of blood on my shirt, I lung across the open space. The world narrows to her face, pale and vulnerable, the only thing that matters amidst the chaos. She has been in danger before and I always found a way to protect her.
But this time, it’s different.
As I fly through the open space, a searing pain erupts in my chest; hot and insistent. My body lurches, momentum failing me as I crash to the floor a scant meter away from her.
Blyad.
So much for protecting your woman, mudak.
I immediately know what happened. This is not my first close encounter with death, but it may well be my last one. Because this time I’ve been hit in the chest, right where you don’t want to get hit. The circle-shaped red stain coloring the middle of my shirt is proof.
The first thing I see after my body hits the floor is Tiana’s face. Her eyes are locked on mine, a whirlwind of emotions swirling within them – terror, disbelief, fear, and a realization that I’ve been shot. But that’s not what worries me the most.
You failed her, dolboyob.
I, who had sworn to protect her, lay here useless, blood blooming crimson on the white of my shirt. I fight for air, but it doesn’t seem to come. Tiana’s face is now a blur, but she reaches for me and screams my name one last time.
Then, the world goes black.
That’s when something or someone gently slaps me.
What the fuck?
Confusion gnaws at me. It’s still dark, but I’m no longer in my study. I’m not feeling the metallic tang of blood either. My body throbs with a dull ache, but it feels distant, unreal.
Then, another slap follows, this time sharper.
And another.
Ublyudok!
My eyes, heavy like lead weights, crack open, bringing the world back in ragged pieces.
But what comes into view is not the chaos that took place in my study just minutes ago.
Blurry shapes swim into focus, coalescing into the stark white of a ceiling.
Then, I hear the steady beep of a heart monitor, the hum of machines, and muffled voices.
My eyelids feel like they’re made of lead, but I force them open.
The beeping continues as I take in my surroundings. Pain shoots through my chest as I try to sit up, but a hand on my shoulder pushes me back down.
What the fuck?
That’s when the understanding dawns on me: I was dreaming. I’m in a bed. A hospital bed. And above me, is the face I saw in my dreams. Her eyes are red and puffy from crying, but relief washes over her when she sees me staring up at her.
Tiana.
“Kirill,” she whispers, her voice breaking. “You’re awake.” Tears spill down her cheeks, and I try to reach a hand up to brush them away, but my arm won’t cooperate.
Motherfucker.
I’m weak as a kitten.
“What happened?” I croak out. My voice feels ragged and distant, like I haven’t spoken in weeks. I look down at my chest, which is swathed in bandages. I have needles and tubes everywhere.
“You saved my life. You took a bullet for me.” Her words choke off. She pauses a moment, a hand at her throat as if trying to physically find her voice again.
“I figured that much out, Ptichka .” I smile at her. I know it’s feeble, but it seems to make her happier. “What happened after?”
“The bullet grazed your heart. You spent hours in surgery before they managed to remove it without causing more damage.” Her throat works. “It was touch and go.”
“When was that?” I frown, looking around.
“Over a week ago.”
“A week!” I want to sit up, but still, I can’t. This is bullshit! “And you were here all that time?” Her clothes are rumpled, her hair lank and stringy. And yet she’s still beautiful.
“Please lie back, my love, you’re going to hurt yourself.” Her hand is on my shoulder again, and I barely have the strength to fight it. Breathless, I slump back against the pillows.
“I need to get up,” I mutter. I don’t think there’s ever been a time in my entire life that I’ve been flat on my back for an entire week. I don’t plan to start now.
“You will do no such thing!” Her pretty face hardens with determination. She’s fucking adorable. Especially when she’s angry. “You’re going to stay right where you are until the doctor gives the all-clear.”
“I will make him give the all-clear! Where the fuck is he anyway?” I look around. The room is empty aside from us, although I can hear voices in the hallway outside.
“He’ll be here soon. I pressed the buzzer to the front desk when I saw you wake up. But he’s not going to let you out of this place until he’s absolutely certain that it won’t put any strain on your heart.”
“My heart is fine.” I feebly start tugging at the stupid tube in my hand.
“Kirill, stop it!” She puts her hand over mine, stopping me. “Please… you have to give yourself time to heal. You’re not out of danger yet.” Fear creeps into her voice. “God… I was so afraid of losing you.”
I finally manage to get my arm to lift. I reach up to touch her cheek, stroking it reassuringly despite the pain it causes me.
“Shh,” I say hoarsely, “I’m here; I am fine.
” I give her a weak smile. “I promised you no one would take you from me. It goes both ways, my little bird. I’m not going anywhere either. ”
“I know that now.” She laughs past a little sob, leaning down to brush her lips over mine. “The doctors said it was like you pulled yourself away from death through sheer force of will. That sounded exactly like my man.”
My man.
I like the way she says that.
“What about Petrov? The others?” I frown as details come flickering back to me like a faulty film reel. There’d been the gunfight, with Dima appearing out of nowhere. Petrov and his men fighting back. Zoya…
Cyka blyat!
“They’re gone. Or under control, at least.” Tiana licks her lips. “Your men took care of them after you went down.”
“Petrov?”
“Dima.” She nods. “Put a bullet right between his eyes.”
“Better than he deserved,” I growl the words. I wish I’d killed that bastard myself. “What about Zoya?” Vague snippets of a scene are coming back to me slowly. Zoya’s screames. Tiana covered in blood.
“Gone.”
“Also Dima?
“Well, no.” Her voice is husky. “That was me.” She looks down. “I’m so sorry, Kirill. It was self-defense.”
The scene I wittnessed though the dark fog of looming death becomes clearer to me now. My little bird fighting like a tiger. It was an image that cut through the pain as I lay there. “You’re a true soldier, Ptichka .”
She’s still looking down. “I’ve never…” She lifts a shaking hand and rubs red-rimmed eyes. “I never imagined that I would take someone’s life.”
“Don’t beat yourself up. Zoya was broken. A cracked vessel.” I’m still stroking her cheek and my voice still sounds like shit. Her tears dampen my fingertips. I hate seeing her crying.
She straightens her shoulders. “I know that. But still…”
Still, it hurts her. Of course it would. My woman is intrinsically good. There’s no way I deserve her in my world… but I’m going to fight to keep her in it.
“You will never have to make such choices again, Tiana. That will always be my job.” My smile is stronger this time. I’m starting to feel better already.
“I wish it wasn’t.” Tiana raises damp dark eyes to mine. “I wish you didn’t live in a world where you were in danger. I hate being afraid for you, and I—”
The door swings open, and a white-coated man walks through.
“Ah. Mr. Vyronov. Good to see you awake, at last. You gave your young lady quite a scare.” He walks up to my bedside, checking readings on the monitors by the bed. “Everything looking good here.” He nods approvingly before looking more closely at my face.
I scowl at him. “When can I get out of here?”
He chuckles and looks up at Tiana. “He’s just the way you said he’d be.”
“Hey, mudak! ” I snap a hand around his wrist. “I am talking to you.”
The doctor flinches. Seems like my strength is coming back. I feel a swirl of satisfaction.
“We’ll need to run some tests first.” He cautiously extracts his arm from my grip. “But I don’t see you leaving for at least another week. The surgery—”
“Fuck the surgery!” I manage to raise myself, even though it hurts like a bitch. “I will not be stuck here for another week.” I look around again. “Where the fuck is Dima?”
“Your assistant?” The doctor pinches his lips.
Assistant.
That makes me chuckle drily.
“Dima’s been waiting for you too, Kirill,” Tiana chimes in. “We’ve been sick with worry.”
My chuckle turns into a laugh. Which fucking hurts. “Dima sick with worry? Now there’s a picture.”
As if hearing his name, my “assistant” pokes his head around the door. “Ready to see me, boss?”
Blyad. He looks like a pile of shit. Maybe he really was worried.
“Yes.” I push myself further up the pillows. “Tell me what’s been happening while I have been in here.”
He comes to stand beside Tiana. “Everything is under control. I’ve been running—”
“Mr. Vyronov!” The doctor doesn’t seem to like this turn of events. “I am trying to examine you. This isn’t time for a business meeting.”
“Am I dead?” I look at him.
“Well, no but-” He looks flustered.
“Then your work here is done. Go.”
“But, Mr. Vyronov!” The man waves his hands about. As if that would change my mind.
“Are you gone yet?” I turn back to Dima when the man doesn’t answer. Finally, he backs away. As the door closes, I gesture for Dima to continue.
“Petrov is done, boss. Finished. We cleared out his holdings and dispersed the rest of his team. They scattered like rats.”
“And the shipments?”
“Back on track.” Dima’s lips quirk into a mirthless smile.
“He thought we’d never get to the root of it, but it didn’t take long.
Your wife… Zoya fed them intel. They got more from-” he slants a look at Tiana, “Theo Avants, but that dried up when they took him out. The rest was scavenged wherever they could find it; on the street, tapping calls. But there was no sign of another mole. Petrov overplayed his hand.”
“Excellent.” I’m pleased. Finally some good fucking news.
“Kirill, do you need to do this now?” Tiana interrupts, her hand on my arm. I like it there.
I turn my head to face her. “Business is business, Ptichka . It needs to be dealt with.”
She heaves a sigh. “I’m guessing this is my life now?”
“Not all of it. There will be a lot of good moments too.” I wink at her.
“Can I have some of those moments now?”
She’s right.
I pause, looking up at Dima. “Thank you, bratok .”
Dima looks at me, then Tiana, and moves out without question. I turn my attention back to my woman. “I’m sorry. I owe you more than that.”
“You don’t owe me anything. I just want to be able to fit into your world a bit more.” She gnaws on her bottom lip; uncertainty flickers over her face.
Reaching out to cup her face, I stare into her eyes. “You are my world, Tiana. The best part of it.”
“Am I now?” She smiles, covering my hand with her own.
“Da.” I tilt my head. “How could you not know that? I have told you that you are mine. And that means I am yours.”
“Mine?” Her eyes grow huge. “You’re mine?”
“Forever. Why else would I say I would never leave you? You hold my heart in these hands.” I take one and press my lips to her palm.
“But…” She looks confused. “You’ve never said…”
“That I love you?” The words come out a lot harder to say than I expected. But I mean them.
“Yes. That. You’ve never said it,” she whispers.
“Well, I am saying it now. I love you, Tiana.” It’s a little easier to say now. “I love you like my next breath. And I will walk through hell and back if you need me to.”
“Kirill, I…” She sniffs and holds my hand closer to her heart. “I don’t need you to go through hell. I just want you to be by my side. I want you to be there for me… and for our babies.”
My heart swells at the thought of the two tiny lives growing inside her. “I will be there for that. I will be there for all of it.” Taking in a breath, I go on, “ Ti viydesh zamuzh za menya? ”
“What does that mean?” Her brow furrows.
I pull her hand to my chest and fix her with a look. “I’m asking you to marry me.” I know my smile is gentle, which is probably why it feels odd.
“Marry you?” She stares. “You already told me that I had to, you crazy man.”
“I know. But now I am asking you. This is your decision, little bird.” My words are barely out before she’s nodding vigorously.
“Yes! Of course, yes!” The words come out in a rush, and then she’s wiping tears away again. “Oh my God.” She makes a hiccuping sound. “You must think I’m an idiot.”
“I think you’re perfect. Now come here.” I tug her wrist. “I need to hold you.”
“I’m going to hurt you!”
“You’ll hurt me if you don’t come here right now.
” I tug again. She gingerly lowers herself to hover over my chest. I pull her down more sharply until I can hold her against me.
Maybe it hurts. I don’t feel anything aside from her warmth seeping into me.
Her soft curves against me. The scent of her.
This is all I’ll ever need.
This is everything.