With This Secret

I rubbed it away and tried to see through the haze of smoke. Unlatching my seat belt, I dragged myself out of the car. I had crashed into Bogdan’s car when I saw an oncoming white van that would narrowly miss them and crash into me, which would mean Bogdan would escape. In that insane split-second, it felt as if everything slowed down and my senses became super-sharp. I felt as if I had 360-degree vision. Everything became crystal clear. I could even feel my clothes brush against my skin, blood seep down my face, the trickle of sweat roll down my spine, the air that I breathed, the grain on the leather of the steering wheel, the fire in my ribcage, the throbbing in my swollen nose, but the only thing that mattered was saving Bianca Russet.

My instinct became so keen I didn’t have to calculate where in his car she was sitting. I knew exactly where to ram. My heart seized at the thought that she would get thrown forward, but my brain calculated that the size of the driver in front of her would probably mean if she was thrown forward, she would slam into him and not go through the windshield. It was either that or the risk of Bogdan getting away with her.

It would have been game over then.

So I slammed into Bogdan’s car. So hard, I launched it into the air. The on-coming van sped past. I even saw the driver’s shocked expression.

My leg felt like it had been crushed, but I staggered out. Gun in hand as I was about to move towards the somersaulted vehicle by the side of the road when there was the screech of an approaching vehicle. I hoped it was Maxim’s men or my guys, but cautiously I crouched down. The moment I noticed that they were Bogdan’s guys, I aimed my gun at them, ready for the moment when they tried to retrieve Bianca from the crash.

They hurried over to the car and looked into the driver’s window.

What they saw there made them rush over to the side where Bogdan was. They couldn’t pry the door open, but they were large strong men and they made the job of pulling their unconscious boss out of the car window look like child’s play. They carried his body to their SUV and laid him inside.

Then they turned back and started towards the wreckage again. That was the moment I fired my first shot. I didn’t want to hit either of them, it was just a little incentive for them to get out of there with their boss, but when they began firing back at me, my stomach twisted in fury.

One of their fucking bullets was going to hit Bianca.

I took aim and was about to drop one of them when we all heard the screech of approaching vehicles.

Bogdan’s men didn’t need further incentives to leave. They jumped into their SUV and escaped with their boss as they sped their way down the dark empty road.

I limped over as quickly as I could towards the smoking wreckage. I looked in through the shattered window of the vehicle and found her figure twisted and unconscious.

My heart lurched into my throat and I lost it.

I flung my gun to the ground then kicked and fought with the mangled door like a mad man until my guys came around to help me.

They had metal cutting instruments with them and they pried the door open.

With bleeding fingers, I reached in to get to my girl. Carefully, I extricated her from the safety belt that had held her in place and took her into my arms.

Pushing her hair out of her face, I pressed my finger to her pulse. The beat of her blood, although faint, was steady. The blood from my head dropped to her face and with tears in my eyes, I wiped it off. I sat with her unconscious body on the ground and rocked her, unable to move, or let go.

I had lost my mind. I had completely and utterly lost my mind over this troublesome, disobedient, beautiful woman.

As if it came from far away, I heard myself speak, “Get us home now.”

Then blackness descended on me. I tried to fight it desperately, to not give in to it. I wanted to stay and protect Bianca, but it swept me away.

32

Bianca

I came awake, and for the first few moments, my brain couldn’t understand where I was, but as the decor and fittings around the room began to register, I realized I was back in Levan’s home.

This was his room.

But I couldn’t be here. If I were then it meant that … Aldie.

I bolted upright to a sitting position and almost doubled over by the jarring pain from bruises all over my body. A violent headache started up in my head. The pain threatened to split it into two, but I wouldn’t back down. With my hand pressed to my head, I ran to the door and pulled it open. I went down the corridor and as I reached the top of the staircase, I saw a figure arrive at the bottom of the stairs.