my lap. I can hear how hard it is for him to breathe but I don’t know what to do. I feel so fucking helpless right now.
“Why… what’s wrong with this car?”
“Tracker… there has to be a tracker.” Shit, Ivan is right. How else would they have found us so quickly? Rossi must have tagged this car somehow. I blink the tears away. This happened because he was saving me. I can’t imagine what would’ve happened if I hadn’t shot Luca when I did. I was so scared, so afraid but the thought of losing him terrified me, terrified me more than killing someone.
“Ivan, are you still with me?” I question, feeling the tears slide down my cheeks.
“Yeah.” His voice comes out breathless.
“What do you want me to do when I get to the gym? Who am I looking for?” There must be a doctor at this place, why else would he have me go to a gym?
“Roman… ask for… Roman.”
I glance from the road to Ivan and then down at the screen. Thanks to me driving well above the speed limit, we are only five minutes away. I white knuckle the steering wheel the rest of the way. The copper tang of blood meets my nostrils as I take the next exit with my tires squealing and follow the rest of the directions the navigation gives me.
“We are almost there, Ivan, just hang on a little longer.”
A few minutes later, I pull up in front of a large white building with a small neon sign above the door. Iron Fist Gym. I put the car into park and run inside, nearly tripping over my feet. This is definitely not the kind of gym I was expecting to come to. When I walk in, I enter one large room. There’s a boxing ring in the center with some gym equipment scattered around it. There are mats, and a bunch of guys working out. I panic for a moment, running a hand through my hair.
I have no idea how to find this doctor named Roman, or where to even start looking.
“Can I help you?” A female voice startles me, and I whirl around to find what looks like a teenage girl with pink hair standing a few feet away from me, eyeing me cautiously.
“Roman… Where is Roman?” My words are shaky and come out too fast.
She gives me a confused look. “Are you okay, lady?” The question is irritating, especially with Ivan damn near dead in the car outside.
“Just fucking tell me,” I yell in her face. “Where is Roman?”
“Okay, okay, calm down” She holds her hands up like she is trying to calm me. “He is in the boxing ring over there, the one in the gray shorts.”
I don’t even thank her, I simply run over to the ring where the two guys are sparring. I don’t how crazy I may seem in this moment. All I can think about is saving Ivan’s life.
“Roman?” I call out, and the man in the gray shorts glances over at me with minimal interest. He must be Roman then.
“Who are you and what do you want?” he asks me without missing a beat, ducking when the guy in front of him throws a punch.
“Please, I need your help.” My words come out as pleading, and he glances over at me again for a fraction of a second before he goes back to ignoring me. I don’t know what to do... what to say. I’m so afraid that I’ll lose Ivan that I’m ready to scream, beg and plead, cry.
“Ivan sent me. He said you could help.”
As soon as the words are out, Roman stops, his movements halt completely and he waves the guy in front of him away. He turns on his heels and walks over to me and if I wasn’t already scared out of my fucking mind, I would be right now. He is so big and muscular, just like Ivan, and he is stalking toward me like he is about to strangle me. He’s intimidating as hell, and I want to take a step backward but I can’t. I refuse to be afraid of this man when he’s my only chance at saving Ivan.
“What does he want?” he sneers.
“He is outside, he needs…”
Roman cuts me off before I can even finish. “Why the fuck would my brother send in a little girl to get me?” He rolls his eyes as if he’s annoyed. “Tell him to walk his fucking ass