Total pages in book: 51
Estimated words: 45957 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45957 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
“Okay,” she whispered.
I ended the call, then set my phone down long enough to snatch a t-shirt out of the drawer. I had just tugged it over my head when Ivan spun me around to face him. I stumbled, but his hands latched onto my upper arms, steadying me. He’d tugged on his slacks, but they were undone. In any other situation, I might have been tempted, but all I could focus on was getting home to protect my family.
“I need you to tell me what the fuck is going on, kotik,” he calmly ordered, his green eyes running over my face.
“I need—”
He yanked open my top dresser drawer and pulled out a pair of socks, handing them to me. “Tell me while you finish getting dressed,” he commanded.
I took a seat on the end of the bed and began tugging on my socks. He crossed his arms over his broad chest, arching a brow at me, waiting for me to begin. My chest was so fucking tight when I opened my mouth to speak that for a moment, I forgot how to breathe. Closing my eyes, I curled my hands into fists.
“James was shot,” I rasped, slowly opening my eyes again. His laser-sharp focus on me kept me grounded. “He’s in surgery. The doctors told Emmaline they don’t know if he’s going to make it.”
Ivan clenched his jaw, then pulled his phone from his pocket. “Meet me downstairs,” he ordered before he left my room, shutting the door behind him with a quiet shnick all while he lifted his phone to his ear. I focused on getting dressed, trusting Ivan to help me take care of this. And if he tried keeping me here while my family needed me…
I would do whatever the fuck it took to get home to them. He would not hold me here while my family suffered. I was the second-in-command. I was James’s fucking consigliere. I was supposed to take over the reins if something happened to him.
I didn’t even bother packing my things. I just shoved my shoes on and snatched my phone off my dresser, dialing Darren’s number as I left my room and headed for the stairs. He answered on the first ring. “Let me get somewhere quiet,” he told me, the sound of the hospital echoing in the background. “Jaxon, I’ll be back in a minute,” I heard him murmur. I jogged down the stairs and headed for the front door. “Alright, I’m here. Emmaline said you’re on your way home?”
“Yeah,” I grunted. “Waiting on Ivan now.” He wasn’t by the front door when I reached it, so I began pacing back and forth, unable to stand still. “Tell me what the fuck happened, Darren.”
Darren heaved a sigh. “Emmaline wasn’t feeling well, so James went downstairs to make her a cup of tea. When he didn’t come back after ten minutes, she went looking for him. Found him on the kitchen floor with two bullet holes in his chest. There was blood everywhere.” He drew in a deep breath, and even Darren, who I wasn’t ever sure was entirely human, sounded shaken. “Fuck, Adrian, her screams are going to haunt me.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Cameras?” I demanded.
“Nothing,” Darren growled. “This is definitely an inside job. I want to get the women and kids to a safe house, but Emmaline…”
“Yeah.” I inhaled deeply, dragging a hand down my face. “She’s not leaving until James can.” I blew out a harsh breath. “Fuck.”
“Jaxon and I aren’t allowing anyone around them,” he assured me. “We’ll wait for you to get home, and we’ll figure out a game plan from there. Just get here as soon as possible, Adrian.”
“I will,” I promised him. “Keep me updated.”
“Will do.”
I ended the call just as Ivan rounded the corner. He was dressed in a pair of black fitted slacks, a black button down, and his shiny Oxfords. He’d taken a few minutes to shower, and it agitated me. I opened my mouth to snap at him for wasting my time, but he held his hand up before I could. Obediently, I snapped my mouth shut, watching as he adjusted his sleeves then grabbed his coat from the coat hook by the door. He grabbed the other one hanging there and passed it to me. Without a word, I slid it on.
“I was making phone calls while I was showering,” he assured me. I relaxed at that. He hadn’t wasted precious time just so he could be clean. “We have a jet on standby. Mark and Igor will be meeting us at the airport. As of now, we trust no one else but immediate family. Got it?”
“Already ahead of you,” I said as we headed toward the garage. He pushed the door open, then stepped into the garage. Grabbing a set of keys off the wall, he pressed the unlock button. A shiny black Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut lit up. I whistled low, admittedly a bit impressed.