SWNOVELS Runaway Queen: Chapter 29
Istarted forward before I could help myself.
“Leo!”
Nikolai’s arms went around my middle, and he held me back, clamping a hand over my mouth. “Shh, they might still be inside. Stay behind me. And take this.”
He set me down, releasing my mouth and pressing a wicked-looking knife into my hand. Where exactly he’d had it on him, I had no idea, but now the feel of it in my hand was reassuring.
I followed him to the porch, Leo’s name trapped behind my lips. I felt wild with worry. Nikolai led the way first, his gun ready to shoot and ask questions later. I edged in behind him. We got to the sitting room. The first thing I saw was red on the white sofa cushions. So much red.
I stifled a sob as I took in Bran, lying in front of the sofa.
“Yebat.” Nikolai was tense as hell as he approached, his gun trained on the corners of the room.
My mind seemed to detach itself from my body at the sight of the blood. Blood here, in my little humble house. Blood splattered on Leo’s coloring book that he’d forgotten on the sofa when he’d gone to bed.
I was running up the stairs before I could stop myself. Nikolai hissed my name, but I couldn’t stop. Nothing would stop me from going to Leo. Nothing.
I ran down the hall and burst into his bedroom, my knife hot in my hand. I’d kill them. If anyone had touched him, I’d kill them myself, and I wouldn’t need a weapon to do it. My bare hands would more than do.
I came to a stop just inside the room as Nikolai caught up with me.
The room was empty. The bedside light was toppled over, and a glass was broken beside it. The empty bed was rumpled.
Chiara and Leo. Both gone.
I turned wordlessly to Nikolai, my entire world dissolving. I couldn’t stand up straight. I couldn’t see. I couldn’t do anything.
Nikolai’s arms surrounded me, and he held me when my knees failed.
“Sofia, I’ll get them back. I promise. No matter what, I’ll get them back,” he said quietly into my ear. “I need to call an ambulance for Bran.”
“He’s alive?”
Nikolai nodded. His words felt like they were coming from very far away, like I was sinking underwater.
“How are you going to get them back? Is this because of Edward Sloane?”
Nikolai shook his head and smoothed his fingers under my eyes, just as I realized I was crying.
“No, prom queen, it’s nothing to do with that. This is more personal than that.”
Horror dawned through me.
“It’s Antonio, isn’t it? It’s my father. He’s making good on his threat.” My face was going numb. My entire body was following. Only Nikolai’s hold on me kept me upright.
Nikolai nodded. “It’s time for me to go back to Casa Nera, Sofia. It’s time to finish what we started seven years ago.”
“He’ll kill you. He’ll kill Leo, and then you, too.” I was babbling.
“No, he won’t. He won’t get the chance. Do you trust me?”
His question broke through the screaming chaos in my head.
“Yes.”
I knew the answer without having to think about it.
“I’ll get our son back, unharmed. Antonio doesn’t want him, he wants me.”
“So, what are you going to do?”
“Whatever I have to.”
“You’ll die. He’ll kill you.”
He pulled me close and kissed my cheeks. “Don’t forget, prom queen. It’s better to die than do nothing.”
I went in the ambulance with Bran. Nikolai followed behind us. The paramedic in charge didn’t like my rapid breathing and paleness. He was checking my blood pressure when I passed out. I couldn’t help it. I hadn’t seen someone hurt, really hurt, in a long time. Bran’s face was pale and bloodless, and his abdomen was a mess. He’d been shot in the stomach. I could only guess that it had been with a silencer, since Nikolai and I hadn’t heard anything. We’d only been feet away in the garage, and we’d missed it all.
Guilt choked me, and the sight of Bran’s dark blood welling up and dripping to the floor of the ambulance made me think of Leo. I fell into the darkness gratefully.
When I woke up, a stranger was sitting beside my bed. I shot up, and he flinched.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Andrei. I work for your husband,” he said, voice gravelly.
Worked for Nikolai? He only got to town a week ago.
“Where is he?”
Andrei was silent, a muscle ticking in his jaw. Alarm pushed me upright.
“Where is he?” I demanded.
“He has gone to take care of the problem.”
Cold dread struck me. Nikolai, and probably Angelo, had both gone and left me here. They were pursuing the men who’d taken Leo and Chiara. They were on their way to Casa Nera.
I pushed back the covers. “I have to go.”
“No, you’re to stay here. The doctor said.”
“I don’t care what the doctor said!”
“Fine, but the palach said the same. I can’t let you leave.”
“I don’t care what he said. My son is gone. My son! If you think I’m going to lie here and rest, eating Jell-O, while they go after him, you’re wrong.”
“You have no choice,” Andrei told me.
That’s what you think. I took a deep breath and tried to calm my racing heart. Panicking wouldn’t get me on the road to New Jersey any faster. I had to be smart.
“I want to see Bran. How is he?”
“Stable. He’s out of surgery and asleep.”
“Take me to see him. I can relax if I see him.”
Andrei stared hard at me, clearly unconvinced.
“Take me to see him, or I’ll scream this place down and tell everyone passing by that you attacked me.”
He blinked at me, sitting back. “I’ll take the chance.”
“Okay, fine. When I see Nikolai next, I’ll tell him you touched me. Explain that to your palach.”
A look of unease drifted over Andrei’s blunt features. He sighed.
“Fine. I’ll take you to see the Irishman, but then you have to agree to come back here.”
“Thank you,” I muttered. It would be a cold day in Hell when I thanked a man for controlling me, but Andrei didn’t know that. I was getting out of here and going to Casa Nera, and no one was going to stop me.
I got out of bed. I was still wearing my clothes, thank goodness. I put my sneakers on and walked beside Andrei as he led me to Bran’s floor.
“Are you all right? You’re not dizzy?”
I put a hand to my forehead. “Only a little.” I wasn’t sure how I was going to get away from Andrei, but it seemed best to keep my options open.
He brought an arm up, as though he was going to support me, and then blanched, no doubt remembering my promise to tell Nikolai that he’d touched me. Andrei looked over his shoulder.
“I should get you a wheelchair.”
“No, there’s no need, I can manage. Thank you,” I said, taking his arm and leaning on it. I might be laying it on a little thick, but thankfully this man didn’t know me. He had no idea what my normal looked like.
We got to Bran’s room. A nurse was just coming out.
“Mr. O’Connor can’t have visitors. He’s just out of surgery.”
“Oh, I just wanted to check on him. Can you tell us how it went?”
“It went well. He needs to sleep now, and the doctor will be seeing him soon.”
The nurse looked at the inpatient band on my wrist. “Are you ok? Do you need help getting back to your room?”
Here it was, my opportunity. I swayed a little against Andrei, who looked at me in alarm.
“Maybe. I am a little lightheaded.”
“No problem.” The nurse directed me to a seat. She started up the hall. “If you come with me, I’ll give you a wheelchair to take her up in.” She directed the last to Andrei, who looked torn about leaving me.
I forced a yawn and rested my head back against the wall. “I’m so tired, you’re right. I need to lie down, before I fall down.”
He nodded and seemed to decide I wasn’t a flight risk anymore , taking off after the nurse.
I was up and running toward the elevators as soon as he’d turned the corner. I didn’t know how much time I had until he came looking for me.
As I ran out, a voice called to me. It was Dr. Evans. She was standing at a vending machine, her wallet in hand, waiting for a candy bar to drop down.
I veered toward her.
“Sophie? This is a late visit to the hospital. I hope everything is okay with Leo?”
“It is, thanks.” Forcing the words out made me want to cry. “My friend got hurt, so I’m just checking on him.”
Dr. Evans nodded. “I’m sorry to hear that.” She turned as the candy bar got caught before dropping down and tutted. “Isn’t that always the way. Just a moment.”
She set her wallet down on the side and leaned down to try to work her hands into the thin slot of the machine.
I had her wallet in my hand and was out the front doors of the hospital before I could see if she’d gotten her late-night snack or not. I sent a silent apology to her. I’d pay her back.
I jumped into the nearest taxi and gave him Chiara and Angelo’s address. I couldn’t risk going back to my house to get my car. If I was right, Angelo would have gone with Nikolai and Chiara’s car would be sitting in the driveway. I knew where she hid her house keys and where her car key was inside.
Nikolai might think he could handle whatever happened at Casa Nera, but this was my family, and I wasn’t sitting it out. I wasn’t going to let the man I loved hand himself over for Leo. I wasn’t going to let either of them be hurt. I finally had a life worth fighting for. I finally had hope. I wasn’t the same woman I’d been when I’d last seen my father.
This time, I wasn’t running away.