There’s certainly nothing warm about these two who are wearing dark suits to match their looks, and I’m pretty sure they are bigger than any linebacker that ever played in professional football. I wince at the guy’s laughter. It might be my imagination but evil seems to drip off every sound. “Now it's time for revenge against Killian for trying to destroy Orla’s family.”
“You don’t mess with the Bratva. Ryan and Killian O’Leary seem to have forgotten that.” The other chimes in as they start towards me.
One steps up like he is going to grab me. He has a gun in his hand. Without thought, I kick him between the legs, sending him to the floor as he grunts in pain. I’m so distracted by him that the other one catches me off guard, punching me in the face, knocking my head back painfully. I sway and for a minute. The world begins to go dark as I fall to the floor, catching my head on the counter as I go. I try to cover myself instinctively as he kicks me in the ribs, repeatedly sending the air out of my lungs in a painful moan.
“You were just going to die before. Now, you just ensured your death would be painful,” he says. I force my eyes to open and see the guy I kicked still on the floor moving for his gun that he dropped. An image of Killian smiling at me flashes through my mind. I regret that I’ll never get more time with him, but it’s more than that.
Killian will blame himself. I don’t even have to question it. I just know he will. It hurts even more because I want to be there for him—with him. I gasp, my thoughts moving to the here and now as I see E-Z come in the room behind my attackers. It feels as if time slows down. I watch E-Z point a gun at the man about to kick me again. I scream as a gunshot rings out. For a minute, I can’t be sure if the man hit me or if it was E-Z. Then, I watch as surprise hits my attacker’s face, and he falls to the floor, nearly collapsing on me. I cry from the pain as I struggle to get out of his way. I finally roll away, instantly aware of the burning pain moving through my body. The other man yells. Until right this moment, I didn’t realize that he was finally standing. I watch in horror as he reaches for his gun—which is still on the floor. E-Z is faster than him, kicking it away.
“Unless you would like to join your brother, I wouldn’t do that, Sergei.”
E-Z’s voice is deadly calm for someone that just shot and killed a man. He’s furious, and he apparently knows the men. He has his gun trained on the guy’s head.
“You’re a dead man for killing Demetri. The Bratva will have your head.”
The man is smiling. He just watched his brother die, and he’s smiling.
“They will never know,” E-Z shrugs.
One second the guy is sitting there looking down the barrel of a gun, and the next, he’s going for his weapon. E-Z doesn’t hesitate and shoots him. He slumps over, and E-Z rushes to my side. My face is soaked with tears, and I’m struggling to breathe.
He pulls me into his arms, holding me carefully, avoiding my wounds. Hiccuping through my sobs is painful, but I’m more worried about what the men said.
“You have to c-c-call R-Ryan…Kill-Killian’s in t-trouble,” I sputter, wiping the tears away as they keep falling. “Orla s-sent them for r-revenge.”
“Shh…,” he croons. “It’s okay.” E-Z rocks me gently. I don’t know if I’m in shock, but I’m shaking like a leaf. Images of every moment leading to this one keep flashing through my mind. I need E-Z to call Killian. He needs to tell him before something happens.
“Listen to me! Please! They are going to hurt Killian and Ryan, too,” I plead. I can see the understanding on his face with flashes of something I can’t place. I cough, sending sharp pains through my side and stomach, making me moan in misery.
“I promise, Belle, that I will tell them, but only after I get you to the hospital,” E-Z says, his brow furrowed with concern when I turn my head to look at him, and he gets a look at the side of my face that got hit.
“I’m okay, E-Z. Please just help Killian.”
“If I let something happen to you, Killian will never forgive me,” he says softly, “He’s already going to be livid that they even made it in here. I’m taking you to the hospital. I’m pretty sure from your shallow breathing, you’ve got a busted rib.”
I don’t argue. It would explain the pain in my side. I try to sit up and instantly regret it as a wave of dizziness assails me. Pain explodes behind my eyes. It feels like my head is in a vice. E-Z picks me up as if I weigh nothing, carrying me out to the SUV.