Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 109716 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 549(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109716 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 549(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
He had taken everything from me.
And I was going to return the same favor. After all, payback is a bitch.
With my fingers wrapped firmly around the gun, I walked out of the shadows.
“Such a sweet moment. I almost feel bad for interrupting.”
I laughed when they swiveled around to face me. The surprise in Alessio’s face was almost comical.
But he wasn’t my target.
My target was the woman hiding behind his back.
When she came into view, I smiled. This was it, love.
Ayla didn’t realize what I wanted, I got. It didn’t matter if I had to take it by force; in the end, I always got what I wanted.
She wasn’t any different.
Pointing the gun at Ayla, I stared at her. I saw the fear and panic. It didn’t faze me.
I was going to drag her to hell with me.
She would be mine in the end.
Chapter 18
Ayla
My throat hurt from screaming. I had no tears left. I couldn’t even find my voice. Shock coursed through me, and I froze at the sight in front of me.
This couldn’t be happening.
Not after everything we had been through. After coming such a long way, this couldn’t be the end.
My palms met the grass, my knees hurting as I looked at my lap. My baby was going crazy, moving around wildly. It was like she could feel my stress. She knew something bad happened.
Oh baby.
There was yelling. I could hear people fighting, but I chose to ignore everything.
When someone grabbed my shoulders, my eyes snapped up to meet Alessio’s blue ones. I could see the panic and shock there too, but all his attention was on me.
“Are you okay?” he asked in panic.
I nodded and looked over his shoulders. “But he…he…”
Alessio closed his eyes tightly. After taking a deep breath, he stared at me again. “Can you stand up?”
“I think,” I muttered. Alessio helped me stand up, and he wrapped his arms around me.
“It’s going to be okay,” he whispered in my ears.
“No. It’s not. You father…” I trailed off, my words catching in my throat. “How…why…?”
Isaak knelt down beside Lyov. He coughed into the grass. When I saw blood, I pushed away from Alessio. “We have to help him! Oh my God, we have to help him. He’s bleeding badly…and he’s coughing blood.”
My fingers tightened around Alessio’s arm. I looked around wildly, looking for something to ground me. My skin itched with uneasiness and my head was pounding.
When my eyes made contact with the scene behind Lyov, my lungs constricted.
Alberto was on the ground with Nikolay on top of him. Viktor was standing beside them, his gun pointed at Alberto’s head.
It would take only one bullet to end his life, but Viktor made no effort to do so.
I saw Nikolay landing furious punches in Alberto’s face. He tried to cover his face, to evade the ruthless punches, but there was no escape.
The only thing I could hear was the sound of knuckles making contact with skin. It sounded harsh. Bringing my hands up, I covered my ears. I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t want to see it. I didn’t want to think of it.
My eyes moved back to where Lyov lay, unmoving. My breathing came out harder and harsher. “Alessio, we have to help him!”
“Ayla, calm down! You shouldn’t be stressing out like this. It’s not good for the baby,” Alessio snapped, his hand molding over my stomach protectively.
My eyes widened, and I pushed his hands away. “Are you crazy? Your father has been shot! He took the bullet for us. How can you be worried about me and the baby right now?”
Without giving him a chance to answer, I ran to Lyov’s side. I felt a hard kick and winced when I knelt down beside him. Lyov’s eyes were closed, his breathing labored. I choked back a sob when I saw his bloodied stomach.
There was so much blood.
His face was pale, his eyes pinched closed. I saw the line of stress on his forehead. My palm pressed against his clammy skin, and I tried to soothe his aggravated movement.
“Please don’t move. You will only hurt yourself more,” I said softly.
I heard Isaak swear. Alessio came to stand beside me. “Let’s move him,” he muttered.
I stood up and moved out of the way. Isaak and Alessio helped Lyov stand up.
“Ayla, walk in front of us,” Alessio ordered. His tone held no room to argue. His eyes begged me. I knew what he needed.
Alessio needed me in front of him. His eyes on me. He needed to make sure I was safe. Giving them a final glance, I turned around.
The others were already gone. I had tuned them out and didn’t even realize they had taken Alberto away. I breathed out a sigh of relief, my shoulders sagging.
Alberto had finally been caught.
***
We made our way to Sam. Even Ivy was there. Maddie and Lena were standing in front of the door.