My foot collided with his shin. He pushed me away but before I could catch my balance, his fist collided with my lips. My vision turned black and I dropped to my knees as blood filled my mouth and trickled over my chin, the warm salty taste making bile rise into my throat. Fingers twisted into my hair and I was wrenched to my feet, crying out from the pain in my scalp. My attacker didn't care. He dragged me into the lobby by my hair. I could see Tay in the arms of another tall man. He was unconscious, a bruise already forming on his forehead. I was thrown to the ground in front of jeans-clad legs and quickly peered up into a pockmarked face and cold blue eyes. "What's your name, whore?" he asked in heavily accented English. Didn't he recognize me? I supposed I looked different with blood all over my face. I stared back at him defiantly. He kicked me in the stomach and I toppled over, gasping for breath. "What's your name?" My eyes darted to a body to my right. Ken. He was making gurgling noises, clutching at a bleeding wound in his stomach. I didn't see Lily, Fabi or Nop anywhere and I hoped they'd made it to the panic room. At least, they would survive. A hand gripped my chin and wrenched my head up. "Will you tell me your name or do I have to make Igor hurt him?" He nodded toward Tay who lay on his side on the marble floor, blinking dazedly.
"Pete," I said quietly. "As in Pete Theerapanyakul?" The man asked with a cruel smile. I nodded. There was no use denying it. He said something in Russian and the men guffawed. My skin crawled from the way they were looking at me. "Where are the others? Your shadow and the children?" It took me a moment to realize whom he meant with shadow. "I don't know," I said. Igor kicked Tay. He screamed. His eyes met mine and I could see he didn't want me to say anything, but how could I watch them hurt him? Voices and shooting carried over to us from outside. The leader of the Russians grabbed me and pulled my back flush against his chest before pressing a blade against my throat. Fear paralyzed my body as I listened to the sound of fighting. I was dragged backwards closer to the living room. Igor was yanking Tay by his hair. He didn't seem capable of standing. Another Russian mobster was flung back as a bullet tore through his throat. "We have your husband, Vegas. If you want to see him in one piece you better stop fighting and drop your weapons." Vegas walked in, a gun in each hand. Macau was a step behind him. "So this is your husband, Theerapanyakul?" the man said, his breath hot against my neck. I squirmed in his hold but he held me in a death grip.
The blade sliced into my skin and I became still. Vegas's face was a mask of fury as he stared at my capturer. Macau twisted the knives in his hands over and over again, his eyes flickering to Tay's trembling form on the ground. Ken had stopped gurgling. This night could very well end with all of us drowning in our own blood. "Let him go, Vitali," Vegas snarled. Vitali grabbed my throat. "I don't think so." I could barely breathe in his hold, but all I could think about was that I could lose everyone I loved tonight. I hoped they'd kill me first. I couldn't bear the thought of watching everyone die. "You took something that belongs to us, Vegas, and now I have something that belongs to you." Vitali licked my cheek and I almost threw up. "I want to know where it is." Vegas took a step forward, then froze as Vitali raised the knife to my throat again. "Put your guns down or I'll cut his throat." Vitali was stupid when he thought Vegas would do that, but then I watched in horror as Vegas dropped his guns on the floor. "Your husband tastes delicious. I wonder if he tastes this delicious everywhere." He turned me around so I was facing him. His foul breath hit my face. From the corner of my eye, I could see Vegas watching me, but I wished he'd look away. I didn't want him to see this. Vitali's lips came closer. I was sure I'd throw up. I tried to lean back but he laughed nastily and gripped my hip but I barely noticed, because my shifting had made the switchblade dig into my butt.
As Vitali trailed his tongue over my chin, I slipped my hand into my back pocket, pulled the knife out, released the blade and rammed it into his thigh. He cried out, stumbling back and then all hell broke loose. Vegas practically flew through the room and pulled me against him as he sliced Vitali's throat open from one ear to the other. The man's head tilted back, blood spurting out, then he toppled over. Bullets tore through the air, and there was screaming. The ground was slippery with blood and only Vegas's firm grasp on my arm kept me upright. He must have dropped the knife at some point because he was shooting bullet after bullet out of a sleek black gun with a silencer. I picked up a gun lying in a pool of blood. It was slippery in my hand but its weight felt good. Suddenly Nop was there too. My eyes tried to find Tay but he was gone from her spot on the floor. Vegas shot another enemy and reached down for the gun of the dead guy as his own was out of bullets, when one of the Russian mobsters to our right pointed his gun at Vegas. I cried out in warning and at the same time stumbled forward and aimed my gun at the guy and fired. I didn't even think about it. I'd sworn to myself I wouldn't watch anyone I loved die tonight even if meant I had to die first. The bullet hit my shoulder and my world exploded with pain. My shot hit the guy in the head and he dropped to the ground dead. Vegas ripped me to the side, but my vision turned black.
When I came to my senses again, Vegas was cradling me in his arms. It was silent around us except for someone's whimpers. It took me a moment to realize they were my own and then the pain sliced through me and I wished I'd stayed unconscious but I needed to know if everyone was alright. "You okay?" I croaked. Vegas trembled against me. "Yes," he gritted out. "But you aren't." He was pressing down on my shoulder. That probably explained the pain. The back and front of my shirt were slick with a warm liquid. "What about Tay, Lily and Fabi?" I whispered even as darkness wanted to claim me again. "Fine," Tay called from somewhere. He sounded far away, or maybe that was my imagination. Vegas slid his hands under me and stood. I cried out in pain, tears leaking out of my eyes. "I'll take you to the hospital," Vegas said. "Vegas," Macau said in warning. "Let the Doc handle it. He's been taking care of our business for years." "No," Vegas snarled. "Pete needs proper care. He's lost too much blood." I could see a few of Vegas's men glancing our way before pretending they were busy again. He was their Capo. He couldn't show weakness, not even for me. "I can do a blood transfusion," came a deep, soothing voice. The Doc. He was over sixty with snow-white hair and a kind face. Vegas's grip on me tightened and I clutched at his arm. "It's okay, Vegas. Let him take care of me. I don't want you to take me to a hospital. It's too dangerous." Vegas's eyes showed hesitation, then slowly he nodded. "Follow me!" He carried me toward the staircase but I lost consciousness again.
***
I woke in a soft bed, feeling battered and foggy. My eyes peeled open. Tay lay beside me, sleeping. It was light outside, so several hours must have passed. There was a huge bruise on his forehead, but I supposed I looked worse. We were alone and disappointment filled me. I tried to sit up and was rewarded with a fierce throbbing in my shoulder. Glancing down, I found my upper arm and shoulder wrapped with bandages. Tay stirred, then he gave me a relieved smile. "You're awake." "Yeah," I whispered. My mouth felt as if it was filled with cotton. "Vegas has been guarding your bed almost all night, but Macau forced him to come out and help him with the Russian mobsters they caught." "They caught some?" "Yeah, they're trying to extract information from them." My lips twisted, but I couldn't bring myself to feel sorry for them. "How are you?" "Better than you," Tay said, then he closed his eyes. "I'm sorry I lashed out at you yesterday. I would have hated myself forever if that had been the last thing I said to you." I shook my head. "It's okay." He hopped off the bed. "I better tell Vegas you're awake, or he'll rip my head off." He disappeared and a couple of minutes later, Vegas stepped in. He stood in the doorway, his expression unreadable as he let his gaze wander over me. Then he stepped up to the bed and pressed a kiss against my forehead.
"Do you need morphine?" My shoulder felt like it was on fire. "Yeah." Vegas turned toward the nightstand and picked up a syringe. He took my arm and slid the needle into the crook of my arm. When he was done, he threw the syringe into the trash but didn't let go of my hand. I linked our fingers. "Did we lose someone?" "A few. Ken and a couple soldiers," he said, then he paused. "And Flash." "I know. I saw him get shot." My stomach churned violently. It still felt surreal. I'd have to write Flash's wife a letter, but I needed a clear head for that. "What did that guy Vitali mean when he said you had something that belonged to him?" Vegas's lips thinned. "We intercepted one of their drug deliveries. But that's not important now." "What is important then?" "That I almost lost you. That I saw you get shot," Vegas said in an odd voice, but his expression gave nothing away. "You are lucky the bullet only hit your shoulder. The Doc says it'll heal completely and you will be able to use your arm like before." I tried a smile, but the morphine was making me sluggish. I blinked, trying to stay awake. Vegas leaned down. "Don't do that ever again." "What?" I breathed. "Taking a bullet for me."
A/N: Next chapter is the last of Vegas Pete :D
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Vegas Pete - A Mafia Romance (Completed)
Romance"You may kiss the groom," the priest said. I raised my head. Every pair of eyes in the pavilion scrutinized me, waiting for a flicker of weakness. Father would be furious if I let my terror show, and Vegas's Familia would use it against us. But I ha...
