Renata’s Bedroom
I pace up and down my room, wondering what’s happening out there. It’s been almost ten minutes since Rokiades ordered his guards to escort me back to my room and lock me in here.
Also: Drago is here. Why the hell is Drago here?
I want to believe he’s working with the Clan now, but I’m not so sure. Truthfully, I’ve never been sure of Drago. He changes alliances like the wind, regardless of whose life hangs in the balance. The only life he’s ever truly cared about is his own.
He sure as hell never cared about mine.
I have to believe that the O’Sullivan Clan has something to do with his presence here. There’s no way Drago would voluntarily walk into the home of the man who tried to kill him. Not without a damn good reason.
I keep pacing. Every time I hit the window, I gaze out at the roof of the warehouse. My body feels clawingly aware of everything. Every noise makes me jump.
Rokiades had left me with a reminder. “When I’m done with your brother, I want your decision. Kian or the runt.”
I didn’t bother to tell him that he’d promised me twenty-four hours. I don’t expect anything from Rokiades, least of all honesty.
My hand flutters over my stomach as I make my millionth circuit around the room. Kian had been so sure. Choose the baby. He made it sound simple.
I wish I had an ounce of that certainty. My heart plummets when I think about what it would mean if my decision actually comes to pass. What if the Clan doesn’t show up in time? What if Rokiades changes his mind and kills Kian immediately?
A hundred other what ifs roll through my head. And each one only makes me feel more helpless than the one before.
I walk back towards my door and rattle the handle. It doesn’t budge. Not that I expect anything different. It’s more like a nervous tic. Something to do even if I know it’s going to accomplish exactly nothing.
On my way back to the window, I stop and scan the warehouse once again. I notice a few dark vehicles whizz past, but I don’t think much of it. Probably just more of Rokiades’s stooges entering the compound.
I’m still staring at the roof of the warehouse when I hear the gunshot. It’s slight, given the distance, but I’m a hundred percent sure I haven’t imagined it.
A single word slips from my lips. “No!”
Has Yannis killed Kian? Has he taken matters into his own hands after all?
My stomach twists. Pain inches into the corners of my chest and squeezes tight. It feels like someone is trying to choke me from the inside.
“Oh, God. It can’t be. He can’t be dead…”
A single shot. A kill shot. An execution shot.
The reality that Kian might be dead seems to pull things into focus for me. Suddenly, everything becomes clear. Everything becomes simple.
I trust Kian O’Sullivan.
Hell, I may even love Kian O’Sullivan.
It makes zero sense. As with many things in my life, I’ve had no say in falling for him. But this is the first time that I don’t mind that choice being taken from me.
I wonder if I’ve made my peace with that just in time for him to die.
Suddenly, the silence that followed the first boom is broken by a storm of answering gunshots. I hear an explosion soon after. It’s so loud that I drop to my hands and knees and crawl towards my bed. The entire foundation of the house seems to bellow with complaint as another explosion goes off. This one is not far from where I am.
“I have to get out of here,” I whisper to myself. Swallowing hard, I force myself to my feet and rush to the door. I slam my palms against the cold wood and scream. “Let me out! Let me out now!”
There’s definitely something going down outside. The door unlocks and two of my guards run inside. I expect them to grab me and pull me out into the corridor, but they slam the door shut and aim their guns at it.
“What the hell is going on?” I demand.
The guards exchange a glance. “We’re under fire.”