are we going to go? We don’t even have a car anymore.” Tears start to spill over my lids and run down my cheeks.
“I’ll figure something out. Don’t worry, Kitten. Just let me rest for a few more hours, and we’ll go somewhere.” His eyes drift closed, and I know he needs to sleep. There is no way he can get up and walk around right now, not after having a bullet taken out of him. I stand aimlessly beside the bed and hold onto his hand until my legs hurt, then I move and sit down on the floor next to the bed. I can only assume it’s late outside. Ivan hasn’t woken up again, thankfully, because god knows he needs to rest. I wring my hands together, thinking of what is going to happen next. We’ve survived all of this, which is better than being dead. My thoughts are interrupted, and my head snaps up when a large figure suddenly appears in the doorway. My heart races impossibly fast in my chest. What is he doing here? Did he come back to argue? To hurt me?
“Time to go,” Roman barks. “I’m closing up the gym, and I need you out of here like five minutes ago.”
Ivan stirs beside me, and I get to my feet quickly. His eyes blink open slowly and a small smile tugs at his lips when he sees me. I want to return the smile but can’t manage to even make one with Roman in the room.
“I don’t have all night.” Roman sounds inpatient and unsympathetic.
Ivan sits up with a pained grunt, holding his stomach. I try to help him up as much as I can, but he is just too fucking heavy. He’s like moving a brick building. It takes him a minute, but he finally gets on his feet, steadier than I expected him to be. He starts walking out the door, pulling me into his side. Roman follows behind us and once we are out the front door, he closes it and takes out a pair of keys, locking the doors.
“Well, now that I’ve saved your life yet-a-fucking-again, you can be on your merry way. I don’t really give a fuck what you plan to do. Just don’t die in front of my gym. It’s bad for business,” Roman says without a trace of emotion. He starts to walk away from us. He’s just walking away. I can’t believe him.
How can you be so cold toward your own family?
The way he’s acting toward Ivan right now really makes me miss my sister. We’d never treat each other this way, no matter how angry we were at each other.
“There is a little motel not far from here, let’s just go there,” Ivan whispers down at me and starts walking. I wrap an arm around him and attempt to hold some of his weight but he’s heavy, too heavy for my weak body. We only take about three more steps before he starts to sway, his body leaning into mine more. I’m trying my best to hold him up, but his strength is withering away with each step.
He leans off of me and against the building. His chest heaves, and his eyes drift closed for a second. I wish I could help him more, I wish I was stronger, and that we were back at our little house, and that he never got shot.
A car passes us and then suddenly stops a little way down the road. Ivan’s leaning against the wall, with his eyes closed, so he probably doesn’t see it, but panic pulses in my veins when the car makes a full U-turn in the middle of the road and starts heading back our way again. It’s a blacked-out SUV, and I can’t see who is inside because of the heavily tinted windows.
Oh, god, more of Rossi’s men.
I’m damn near hyperventilating when the car pulls up right next to us on the curb. I put Ivan’s arm around my shoulder and try to get him to walk away with me, but he just grunts. His eyes are still closed, and he’s not moving. Oh, god... we’re going to die. Ivan’s going to die, and all of this is going to have been for nothing. Air fills my lungs, but I forget to exhale…
The driver’s side door opens a moment later, and Roman’s brooding face appears in front of us.
“Fucking Christ, get in the damn car,” he grumbles, pulling me away from