His (Ties That Bind 2)

He can’t be dead. That was too easy for him. That’s what I keep telling myself as I unload an entire magazine into his body, watching as he flops around like a fish on the concrete floor. I feel no satisfaction when the blood oozes from his wounds. But one word from Gleb snaps me out of it.

“Katerina.”

Kat. The Glock falls from my grasp, and I turn to her. She’s not conscious, but one of Gleb’s men has untied her.

“We need to get her to the hospital,” Gleb says. “Now.”

The guy in front of her tries to pick her up, and I shove him out of the way. “No. She’s mine.”

With all the delicacy I can muster, I scoop her up into my arms and try to wake her, peppering her bloody face with kisses.

“Wake up, baby. I’m here. I’m here, and I’m never leaving you again. So, you can’t leave me either. That’s the deal.”

Gleb grabs me by the arm, dragging me along out of the warehouse while he orders a couple of his guys to stay behind and clean up.

“Wake up, baby,” I say again, kissing her forehead. “I’m here.”

“Lev. Get in.” Gleb opens the door to his SUV, and I climb in, clutching Kat against my chest.

My eyes burn, and something splashes against Kat’s cheek, and that’s when I realize it’s coming from my eyes.

“Katya.” I clutch her face in my hands. “Don’t leave me, baby. I can’t do this without you.”

The engine in the SUV roars to life, and I don’t even know what’s happening right now. Gleb issues orders, and his man drives, flying like a bat out of hell to the nearest hospital. But all I can focus on is Kat. My angel. My life. I can’t fucking lose her.

I don’t even realize I’m saying it out loud until Gleb turns around. “You won’t, son.”

But how can he know that? How did he even find us?

“My guys hacked into your GPS system a week ago,” he tells me, answering another question I didn’t even know I said out loud. “It was a safety precaution until this blew over.”

I rock Kat in my arms, stroking her hair back away from her face. Nothing else matters right now. I just need her to wake up.

“Stay with me, baby.” I whisper against her temple. “You just have to stay with me.”

22

Lev

Kat’s hand twitches in mine, and for a second, I drag my eyes up to her face with a hope I haven’t felt in days. But beneath the bandages and the wires, and the monitors beeping around her, nothing has changed.

When we arrived at the hospital, I didn’t know what to expect when they made me hand her off. I just told them they had to save her. It was the only thing I could manage. After the medical staff took her away, it felt like days had passed before we finally saw a doctor. All she could tell us was that Kat had sustained a lot of head trauma, and now the entire team keeps assuring me that this medically-induced coma will reduce the swelling in her brain and give her the best chances of survival. Best, but not guaranteed. They never say that. They never say much of anything other than they are taking it one day at a time.

Beside me, Gleb sits like a sentinel, quiet and pensive. He’s been here the entire time, and even though we haven’t managed to say much to each other, our shared grief is enough. I’m grateful for his presence, and in a way, I find it comforting and odd. I’ve only known the man a short while, but it’s become clear to me that his strong, steady presence is that of a father figure. He was a father before he ever knew it. And I think in some strange way, he is the father figure I’d been looking for in Vasily for half of my life.

One thing I can’t regret is bringing him and Kat together. While I’ve been sitting here, feeling helpless, he’s called every specialist on the East Coast to ensure Kat’s getting the best possible treatment. Some have shown up personally while others review her medical chart from wherever they are and offer their opinions. But even though I don’t doubt Gleb has assembled the best medical team in the nation, it doesn’t change anything. Time. That’s all they keep telling us. She just needs time.

“When this is over…” His voice stirs me from my thoughts. “I want you to get her out of this world, Lev. I don’t want this life for her.”

I meet his gaze, the certainty in his tone a comfort I haven’t known before. When this is over. Not if.

“I did what I set out to do,” I answer. “I’m done. When I bring Kat home, I’m going to be the most boring fuck she’s ever met in her life. I’ll put on a polo, go to work, whatever it takes. I don’t care. I’m leaving this chapter behind, and she’s coming with me.”