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Another shot followed? Edward was thrown back from me. My head slammed into the ground, and the angry sky spun.

A second later, Maksim pulled me into his arms. "Katya," he rasped. "I've got you."

CHAPTER 38

As the car started moving, I tried to wake up more, to make sure Maxim was okay and to tell him that I'd be fine.

He had one arm wrapped around my back, his other hand pressing down on my wound. "Stay with me, solnyshko! You need to stay awake!" He yelled at Vasili. Our speed increased till I felt like we were zooming.

"Maxim . . . you were shot."

"Flesh wound. You fouled his aim--or I'd be dead."

I pried open my eyes. "Is he?"

"He's taken care of. Please stay awake for me!" Maxim looked like he was about to lose it. "Talk to me. Tell me about this."

"I finally can."

"You've been running from Edward for three years?"

"Never stay in a place . . . longer than six months." My voice sounded so far away. "Rule number three."

"You were about to leave Miami for good?"

I tried to nod. "I clean houses. Ivanna's. But Shadwell . . . I had no money. Thought I saw Edward here. . . ."

"Keep talking. You thought you saw him, then what happened?"

"Scared. I could take Ivanna's date with some Russian . . . I figured one guy, one night. Couldn't be worse than Edward." I lost track of what I'd been saying. My lids felt so heavy.

"You told me I was your first. I refused to believe you. No, no, stay with me! Keep talking. When did you marry him?"

"Eighteen. After my mom died. H-he killed her." My voice broke. "I was so stupid. Got swindled out of everything."

"Swindled? What did he want from you?"

"He and Julia . . . wanted my beach. Planned to kill me too."

"Your beach?"

"Martinez Beach. Worth one fifty."

Sevastyan's brow furrowed. "They targeted you for a hundred and fifty thousand dollars?"

"Million."

I heard Vasili gasp from the front seat. "Is Vasili shot too?"

"No, he's surprised, as am I."

"It's in trust . . . couldn't sign it over." I needed to close my eyes for a second. "Edward's a lawyer. I signed everything else over to him. Idiota. . . ."

"No, you were so young. Keep talking. Wake up!"

My lids flashed wide.

"Eyes on me, baby. Then what happened?"

"He framed me. Couldn't go to police . . . I got a gun. Accidente. Shot Julia and blood was everywhere . . . He swore he'd kill me. I ran and ran. Probably going to jail."

"Nothing will ever happen to you again! Never. Look at me. Talk to me. About anything. What were you doing in the classroom?"

"Last exam. Maxim, I-I finished college today."

His brows drew together, as if I were breaking his heart. "Congratulations, little love. We will celebrate when you are better." He barked something to Vasili, who responded just as tersely. "You must've had a laugh when I asked you why you didn't go to school."

"I never lied. I bob. And weave."

"You're very good at that. But you're an atrocious liar."

"The worst," I agreed. "Anthony told me . . . you booked Ivanna."

"Fucking kill him. He likely said that to convince you to take the date you spoke of. I only called for her number to try to find out more information about Edward. I decided on the plane that I would discover who he was and pay him to give you to me."

"You did?"

"When I comprehended you were really leaving me yesterday, I let you--so I could track you and find the man I thought you loved."

"Sneaky."

"I knew he wouldn't possibly leave you for less than a billion, so I decided to give him that and make the better bargain."

"Are you telling me this . . . because I'm dying--"

"NO! You are not dying, solnyshko. We're almost at the hospital. I'm telling you this because I will always tell you everything in the future."

"I saw the blade . . . but my chest doesn't hurt at all."

Immediately, I perceived even more pressure from Maxim. He snapped at Vasili, then asked me, "With all that happened to you, how could you not scream at me when I accused you of entrapping me?"

"Rule number one. Don't tell . . . anybody anything. I wore a muzzle . . . nice to lose it."

"You were leaving last week, weren't you? You rescheduled your final. I forced you to stay in Miami, then drove you right to him. You would've told me, trusting me with this."

Numbness was stealing over my body, but I still felt his fingers biting into my arm as he said, "I could have taken care of him while you slept soundly last night."

I lifted my hand to his face, frowning when it fell limp. I'd streaked blood across his cheek. "I'm really dizzy."

His eyes were glinting. "I know, but you have to be strong, Katya. You cannot leave me." His body kept tensing up against mine, like the invisible fist was paying him a visit. "Though Katya's not your name. You're Ana-Lucia."

"Just Lucia."

His breath shuddered from his lungs. "Did you know that your name means . . . light?"

Light. Sun. I was his sun, and he was my Russian. He'd taken a bullet for me. He'd never booked Ivanna. He loved me.

Maxim rested his forehead against mine, rocking me in his arms. "I'm begging you not to leave me, Lucia."

Needed to tell him . . . "Te quiero tanto, Maxim. I love you so much."

Those black dots swarmed again. The last thing I heard was his anguished roar.

CHAPTER 39

Beeping sounds. The smell of disinfectant. Hushed tones.

In some hazy twilight, I knew I was in a hospital. I heard Maxim's voice, and others' as well.

Over what felt like days, conversations filtered through my mind to the beat of a heart monitor. I clung to threads.

In one, Aleks was angry with his brother: "We had to fucking hear about this from Vasili?" Aleks and Natalie had come here? They'd left their honeymoon?

In another, Natalie had asked Maxim, "Is your chest going to be okay?"

"Thanks to Lucia." He's out of danger, gracias a Dios. "That fuck actually had a bead on my forehead." And Maxim had kept charging forward??

In another thread, he told them about his fight with me, ending with: "This is all my fault. When I thought she would leave me for another . . . I imagined life without her, and I lost my fucking mind. Couldn't think or see reason." He asked Aleks, "Did you know

jealousy before you met Natalie?"

"Maks, I didn't know anything."

One time, I'd heard Maxim outside the room in a heated conversation with someone. Inside, Aleks had asked Natalie, "Why do these things keep happening to our family?"

"Oh, no, no. The Sevastyans do not get to shoulder this one. Cat--Lucia--never would've met Maksim if she hadn't already been in danger. And I jeopardized myself when I searched for my birth parents. When she pulls through, everything will be better."

Whenever Maxim was alone, he pleaded for me to wake up, promising me that I was safe. "You lost a lot of blood, but you've already started healing. When you wake up, you'll be as good as new. Please come back to me, Lucia. . . ."

He also took the blame for everything: "You told me 'don't do this,' but I kept hurting you. I drove you away." Now I sensed he was beside me, alone. I could feel his warmth, even before he took my hand in both of his.

He sat on the edge of my bed with a ragged exhalation. "Solnyshko, you must wake. It's been four days."

En serio? I'm here! I could hear him perfectly, but I couldn't speak. Or move. How frustrating! Why couldn't I clasp his hand?

Voice thick, he began talking, about everything and nothing. He described the weather and wondered aloud what kind of dog I would like. He talked about trips we would take to fill up my passport. He relayed how awful Vasili felt for his suspicions about me.

I wished I could tell Maxim that I would take the ugliest mutt I could find out of the pound, one with street cred, one no one else would bring home. I'd like to see Cuba and Russia. I wished I could tell him that I understood and appreciated Vasili's concern. I'd had no identity, could've been preying on Maxim. All the man had wanted to do was look out for "boss."

How could I fault him for that? When I wanted to as well?

Maxim continued, "How will you forgive me? Anything I could possibly do wrong, I did."

You took a bullet for me, Ruso!

"You can do anything now. You'll have your life back. You're so young, and you wanted your freedom. If you choose to leave me, how will I let you go? I couldn't before."

I wouldn't choose to! I needed to tell Maxim that we could work through this, that I was ready to do the heavy lifting in our relationship--but I couldn't even lift my lids.

"Will you please wake for me?" He raised my hand to press my palm against his face, as if he were starved for my touch. Stubble covered his jaw. Was his cheek damp? "Better things await you, Lucia."


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