With my eyes locked on my wife, I watch as she stumbles, pushes herself back to her feet, and turns to face the men creeping out of the shadows.
Horror rips a shout from me as she trains the barrel of her
gun on a propane tank. "No!"
She's too close.
Her body jerks as she takes the shot, and I swear my soul up and leave my body as the seconds tick by.
She misses and stumbles backward, letting out a wail
before dropping the gun.
"Mariya!" I shout again, and this time her head snaps in
our direction.
The sight of us has her dropping to her knees, extreme pain and relief mixing on her face.
Christ, what have they done to her?
Bullets start flying past me from Viktor, Uncle Alexei, and
Uncle Demitri.
When I'm mere feet from Mariya, she slumps to her side, and I fall over her, shoving my hand between her head and the ground in the nick of time.
Her breaths wheeze over her lips, and she looks like she's been to hell and back, but she still manages a crooked smile. "Just... in... time." She lifts a bloody hand to my jaw, and I take hold of it, pressing a kiss to her palm. "Love..."
Her eyes flutter closed, and I lose my fucking mind. "No!" Climbing to my feet, I pick Mariya's limp body up and start to run back in the direction of the helicopter.