Chapter 19 #2
The walkway vibrates from all the movement, and when Tim trips over his own feet, Rodian lets go of me so he can haul Tim to his side and force the boy to keep going.
The railings are slick under my palms, and I duck when a round of bullets slams into the metal floor. “Jesus!”
Rodian turns and fires back at the guards without stopping. “Move, Rosie.”
“I am,” I snap, my shoulders pulled up to my ears.
Another burst of bullets hits the metal walkway, and I duck as it makes sparks fly into the air.
“Rosie!” Hearing Enzo again, I glance over my shoulder and see him as he storms onto the walkway far behind us. There’s murder in his eyes, and I watch as nothing is able to stop him from pushing forward. He takes out guards on the other walkways while running toward me.
“Enzo!” I scream.
For one second, his gaze locks on mine, then something hits the walkway, and it’s blown apart right behind me.
“Shit,” I cry, clawing at the railing with both my hands as the metal grid beneath my feet disappears.
“Rosie!” Enzo roars, worried lines cut deep into his face.
There’s a violent burst of heat and pressure that slams into me as another blast tears through the walkway right in front of me, and while the whole structure screeches and clanks from bolts busting loose, the walkway swings to the side while I’m thrown off like I’m nothing more than a ragdoll.
“Rosie!!!”
I hear Rodian and Enzo shouting as I fly through the air, and somehow in midair, I manage to take in how Rodian shoves Tim ahead of him, keeping him from falling.
Then I hit the crates so hard, pain rips through my back and knocks the air from my lungs. Wood splinters, and there’s a sharp ache in my ankle before I’m slammed down between two crates. I swear the impact rattles my teeth and black spots burst across my vision.
My ears ring, making sounds muffled.
I blink as I stare up at the smoke and cash drifting through the air while trying to get a full breath into my lungs.
Crap. It hurts a lot.
Groaning, I manage to turn onto my side, but my head spins, and my vision blurs again.
I make out a shadow coming at me, and as my sight focuses again, I see Kirill lifting his arm and pointing a gun at me, zero emotion on his face that has streaks of blood on it.
My body screams at me to move, but I’m too dazed. I press my palm to the floor and try to push myself back, but my arm shakes and gives out beneath me.
Above us, metal groans, then I see Enzo at the broken edge of the walkway right before he jumps.
Only a whimper escapes me while everything in me screams, ‘Enzo!’
My heart lurches as he drops from above and lands on the stack of crates. Wood cracks beneath his weight, then he jumps again, landing between Kirill and me.
Mother of God.
Like some superhero, Enzo lunges at Kirill, slamming his body into the bastard. The impact makes Kirill’s arm swing to the side, and he fires a shot into the crates instead of at me.
I flinch as splinters spray over me, and when I look again, Enzo has somehow disarmed Kirill, and the gun falls near a table.
Kirill barely gets his hands up before Enzo drives his fist into his stomach, then his ribs, then his face. The blows land hard and fast.
It’s as if Enzo has lost all his sanity and he’s hellbent on tearing Kirill apart. The sounds of fists hitting skin get through the ringing in my ears.
Kirill stumbles back into a crate, but Enzo follows, grabbing him by the front of his shirt and slamming him into the wood so hard that cash spills down around them.
When Kirill gets a hit in, his fist cracking across Enzo’s jaw, my heart falters as Enzo’s head snaps to the side.
Turning his head back, the look on his face is savage.
Kirill swings again, but Enzo ducks and drives his shoulder into the bastard’s stomach. They crash into a table, counterfeit bills scattering everywhere as the metal legs scrape across the floor.
Kirill grabs Enzo by the hair and tries to slam his head down, but Enzo twists, hooks an arm around Kirill’s neck before throwing them both sideways into another crate.
I try to move into a sitting position, but pain rips through my ankle, and a broken whimper slips from my throat, which makes Enzo’s eyes flick in my direction.
The distraction is enough for Kirill to drive his knee into Enzo’s stomach, making him grunt.
He doesn’t fold, though, but instead catches Kirill’s leg and yanks it hard.
The bastard loses his balance, and Enzo drives a fist into his chest, then grips him by the back of the neck and rams his face into the edge of a crate, and blood smears across the wood.
My breath catches in my throat when Enzo grabs a piece of broken wood and stakes Kirill in the chest like he’s some vampire.
God.
Kirill’s body goes slack, and finally, Enzo releases him, and he crumples to the concrete floor.
Enzo has never looked more badass, his chest heaving and blood smeared at the corner of his mouth, his hands curled into fists like every part of him wants to keep going until there’s not a single trace left of Kirill.
Then his head turns, and his eyes find mine.
The violence on his face is something I’ll never forget as long as I live.
I push through the dizziness and pain as I pull myself into a sitting position, and when Enzo runs toward me, I can’t keep a sob from bursting over my lips.
He drops to his knees beside me and hauls me against his chest, his arms forming steel bands of protection around me.
“Oh God,” I sob, and getting to take a breath of his familiar scent, I break into a thousand pieces.
I no longer have to be strong. Enzo is here.
“Rosie,” he groans, the single word filled with so much pain it makes my tears stream faster from my stinging eyes. “Christ. I have you back.”
When he moves and hooks his arms beneath me, I’m hit with such a wave of dizziness that my vision goes black again.
“Enzo,” I whisper while weakly placing my palm against his chest before I lose the meager strength I have left and my arm falls down my side.
“We’re getting out of here, bella mia. Talk to me.”
“Dizzy,” I mumble.
I feel how Enzo moves, then I hear Rodian shout, “There is fire and smoke. Let’s get out of here!”
“Tim,” I groan, trying to lift my head.
“I have the boy,” Rodian snaps.
A blast rips through the air, and Enzo moves incredibly fast, my body jerking everytime his boots hit the ground. My head knocks against his shoulder, and everything goes dark.