by Shandi Boyes
And the next day.
And every day that followed.
BONUS SCENE
Enrique
“We have a twenty-four-year-old pregnant Caucasian female with a gunshot wound to the upper right quadrant of her stomach, unresponsive on arrival but resuscitated on sight. ETA to Ravenshoe Private is ten minutes,” announces one of the paramedics into a radio strapped to his shoulder as his partner pushes an unconscious Blaire into the back of his ambulance.
I stumble backwards when a third medic slams the ambulance doors shut before climbing into the driver’s seat.
While running my fingers through my hair, my eyes scan the area. Dead bodies are sprawled across the compound of the recently reformed Petretti crew, and a few of my crew have sustained life-threatening injuries. But nothing compares to the lifeless look in Blaire’s eyes when she peered up at me and told me she was pregnant. I’ve seen some bad shit in my life—stuff no man should ever have to witness—but her bleak eyes will forever haunt me.
I can feel the blackness closing in on me, but I’m not strong enough to fight it anymore. I did everything I could to save Blaire from this lifestyle, yet she is still suffering the consequences of my actions ten years ago. When is enough going to be enough? I’m tired of this fucking life. I’m tired of the game. I’m tired of pretending to be someone I’m not.
Adrenaline surges through my body as I grab one of the many guns left lying on the blood-soaked lawn. I storm past the men in my crew eyeing me with caution, my pace unchecked. Burning rubber lingers in the air when I dive into the black SUV mounted on the curb and shoot out into the street. Ignoring the shake of my blood-covered hands, I check that my pistol is loaded and the safety is off as I make a short three-block trip.
I’m out of the SUV and storming towards a white surveillance van before the SUV comes to a complete stop. Numerous faces lift from the bank of monitors in front of them when I throw open the surveillance van’s door and step inside. Their mouths gape open and their eyes widen, clearly shocked at seeing the carnage they are witnessing firsthand on a computer screen, but they remain seated, either scared or unsure on what to do.
FBI agents jump from their seats when I move through the surveillance van, but I don’t pay them any attention. There's only one man I came here to see: Agent Alex Rogers. Because he's so immersed in evaluating the massacre that just occurred, he doesn’t notice me sneaking up on him until the barrel of my gun is pushed up against his right temple.
“You’ll be dead before you even remove your pistol,” I warn when his hand slides towards his gun holstered at his side.
“Rico—”
“I want out,” I interrupt.
Like a man who has no concerns for his safety, Alex turns around to face me, pretending he can’t feel the barrel of my gun pinching the skin on his temple. “We still have so much information we need to get before I can approve that.”
“I want out!” I roar again before pushing the barrel of my gun to the small portion of skin between Alex’s eyes.
I hear several guns being removed from their holsters to no doubt be pointed at me, but I don’t back down. I’ve walked too far into the blackness for fear to stop me now. A soulless man can’t feel anything, let alone something as weak as fear.
“Enrique,” says a voice to my side. “We’ve discussed this. You know what we need.”
I drift my eyes to Erik. “I’ve given your agency six fucking years of my life. Not anymore. I’m done.”
I wasn’t joking when I said my life changed full circle when Blaire was attacked in the alleyway. The FBI has been infiltrating the Popov empire for years, way before my mother was killed. The years following Blaire’s attack, I tried to gain the trust of the men I believed were deep undercover in our compound, but none of them trusted me; they all thought I was hunting snitching rats. Erik was the only one who trusted me enough to fully disclose himself and his operation. He’s been sheltering me under the FBI banner for the past six years.
“I’ve spent the past three months living in the deepest pits of hell. I became a man only a monster like my father would be proud of. I’ve given all I can fucking give. I’m done.”
As Erik steps closer to me, his remorse-crammed eyes request for me to lower my weapon without a word needing to seep from his lips. “Heads will roll,” he warns when I refuse to lower my gun.
“Not as much as they will when I disclose every agent in the Popov compound to Vladimir.” I swing my eyes back to Alex. “Starting with your brother.”
Alex holds his ground, vainly trying to act unaffected by my threat. Little does he know, I know way more than he thinks I do. You don’t spend years walking amongst the dead not to learn how they operate.
“I can arrest you right now, and you would never see daylight again,” Alex snarls, his words vicious.
I laugh. It’s a laugh that displays how far I’ve walked into the blackness that’s been swallowing my life the past twenty-four years. “You really think four walls will stop me? Your agency was left scrambling when I was snatched right under your nose after I killed Col Petretti. This is way above your paygrade, Alex. It’s time for you to step back and watch how the big boys play.”
As much as it kills me to do, I lower my gun from Alex’s head and turn my eyes to Erik. “I’m done. You either get me out or I’ll find my own way out.”
With that, I turn on my heels and walk out of the surveillance van, trusting that Erik will have my back as he has the past six years. He knows too well the hell I’ve endured the past ten years—as he was standing right beside me. Erik was the one who sought medical attention when my back was burned with acid as punishment for helping Blaire. He was the one who helped me ensure my sister’s fiancé was the winning bidder when my youngest sister Callie was auctioned on the black market, and he was the one who stopped me from killing Nikolai when I found out he orchestrated Blaire’s attack.
Erik has guided me through some of my darkest days. And since today is the blackest day I’ve endured, I need to trust he will continue to have my back as I’ve had his the past six years.
Several hours later, I'm walking into a recovery room at Ravenshoe Private Hospital. The heaviness on my chest intensifies when my eyes lock in on Blaire lying the middle of the bed. She looks so tiny and frail swamped by the medical equipment surrounding her.
“I’ll keep the staff occupied for ten minutes, but I can’t give you any more time than that.” Jae runs her hand down my arm before gesturing for me to the enter the room.
Just before she exits, I call out, “The baby?”
Jae smiles. “They did a quick ultrasound during surgery. Everything looks okay.”
The stranglehold clutching my throat weakens. “Thanks.” Jae nods before exiting the room.
I remove the cap hanging low on my head and place it on the side table attached to Blaire’s bed before moving to stand next to her. Other than the medical equipment surrounding her, you wouldn’t know she's injured. She just looks like she's sleeping. She has the same peaceful look on her face she was wearing when I saw her dancing at a nightclub six weeks ago.
The weeks following Blaire leaving Vegas, I tried to stay away from her. But just like my ability to deny her requests, I couldn’t. I needed to know she was safe. The night I followed Blaire to a bustling nightclub in Ravenshoe was a bittersweet night. I was glad she was safe and happy, but also devastated she appeared to be moving on. Even though I wanted to save her from my lifestyle, I always hoped that one day I’d be saved too and that we could be together. Although seeing her enjoying life outside of the compound hurt, it also reinforced that I had done the right thing. After everything she’d been through, she deserved to be happy. That was why I filed for divorce. I thought it was what she wanted.
My mind snaps back to the present when Blaire mumbles something in her sleep. Her eyes are moving rapidly under her eyelids, and her face is scrunched up. When her hand creeps across the sheets to grab at the IV
line inserted in her opposite wrist, I curl my hand around hers.
“Shh, Kitten, you’re okay. I’ve got you,” I mutter as I glide my thumb over her hand.
Over time, her jittery movements still, and the heavy grooves in her forehead smooth. I sit with her for several minutes, comforting her in silence. Jae said Blaire’s parents have been called, but with them in Europe, they won’t be here for a few more hours. And since Lacey isn’t related by blood, she can’t see Blaire until she's wheeled out of recovery.
Several minutes later, when a door creaks, I shift my eyes to the side, expecting to see Jae. I'm taken aback when I see Erik’s six-foot frame filling the doorway.
He walks two paces into the room. “If you want to do this, we need to do it now, and we need to do it right.”
The heaviness on my chest clears away. It’s time for me to finally go home.
I nod at Erik before leaning over to press a kiss on Blaire’s cracked lips. “Don’t forget me, Kitten,” I whisper against her mouth. “I’ll be home soon.”
“Just do it already!” I shout, glaring at Erik.
He has the barrel of his gun pointed at me, but is failing to pull the trigger.
I take a step closer to him. “You said we need to do this right, so let’s do it. You know the areas to avoid; your aim is nearly perfect. Shoot me.”
“Nearly perfect isn’t fucking perfect,” Erik replies, his words as uneasy as his facial expression. “I could kill you, Enrique. One millimeter in the wrong direction can be the difference between life and death.”
I shake my head. “That’s not going to happen.”
“How can you be so sure?” Erik’s voice is laced with uncertainty.
“Because I trust you. You have my back like I’ve always had yours. Do it. Shoot me!”
Sensing Erik’s hesitation, Alex hands the mobile device recording the incident of my “death” to a blond-haired agent at his side. Without a moment of indecision, he yanks the gun out of Erik’s grasp, points it at me, and fires three times.
Pain rockets through my right shoulder, my left thigh, and the upper right quadrant of my stomach. Bitter-tasting bile surges to the back of my throat as dizziness plagues me. I remain standing for mere seconds before the pain tearing through my body becomes too great for me to handle. I crash to the ground hard, while clutching the wound in my stomach. Blood splatters my lips as I wheezily battle to fill my lungs with air.
The dew-covered ground cools my back when I roll over and face the stars scattered in a brilliant, dark sky. It reminds me of the shimmering in Blaire’s eyes every time she's about to smile. Looking into her eyes when she's happy is like staring up at a million stars brightening a pitch-black night. It's so beautiful. She's so beautiful.
She's my light.
She's my life.
She's my everything.
As the blackness slowly rolls in, my thoughts go to her: my little kitten.
* * *
THE END. . .
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The next book in the Enigma series is on Hawke. Widower, soldier, and bodyguard of Rise Up. His book is called Second Shot
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Did you know Nikolai, Enrique’s brother, has his own series? It is called Nikolai: A Mafia Prince Romance
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Facebook: facebook.com/authorshandi
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Instagram: instagram.com/authorshandi
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Email: [email protected]
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Reader’s Group: bit.ly/ShandiBookBabes
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Website: authorshandi.com
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Newsletter: https://www.subscribepage.com/AuthorShandi
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Hunter, Hugo, Cormack, Hawke, Ryan, Rico & Brax stories have already been released, Brandon, Regan and all the other great characters of Ravenshoe will be getting their own stories at some point during 2019.
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If you enjoyed this book - please leave a review.
Also by Shandi Boyes
Perception Series
* * *
Saving Noah (Noah & Emily)
Fighting Jacob (Jacob & Lola)
Taming Nick (Nick & Jenni)
Redeeming Slater (Slater and Kylie)
Saving Emily (Noah & Emily - Novella)
Wrapped Up with Rise Up (Perception Novella - should be read after the Bound Series)
* * *
Enigma
* * *
Enigma (Isaac & Isabelle #1)
Unraveling an Enigma (Isaac & Isabelle #2)
Enigma The Mystery Unmasked (Isaac & Isabelle #3)
Enigma: The Final Chapter (Isaac & Isabelle #4)
Beneath The Secrets (Hugo & Ava #1)
Beneath The Sheets(Hugo & Ava #2)
Spy Thy Neighbor (Hunter & Paige)
The Opposite Effect (Brax & Clara)
I Married a Mob Boss(Rico & Blaire)
Second Shot (Hawke & Gemma)
The Way We Are(Ryan & Savannah #1)
The Way We Were(Ryan & Savannah #2)
Sugar and Spice (Cormack & Harlow)
Lady In Waiting (Regan & Alex #1)
Man in Queue (Regan & Alex #2)
Couple on Hold(Regan & Alex #3)
Enigma: The Wedding (Isaac and Isabelle)
Silent Vigilante (Brandon and Melody #1)
Hushed Guardian (Brandon & Melody #2)
Quiet Protector (Brandon & Melody #3)
* * *
Bound Series
* * *
Chains (Marcus & Cleo #1)
Links(Marcus & Cleo #2)
Bound(Marcus & Cleo #3)
Restrain(Marcus & Cleo #4)
Psycho (Dexter & ??)
* * *
Russian Mob Chronicles
* * *
Nikolai: A Mafia Prince Romance (Nikolai & Justine #1)
Nikolai: Taking Back What’s Mine (Nikolai & Justine #2)
Nikolai: What’s Left of Me(Nikolai & Justine #3)
Nikolai: Mine to Protect(Nikolai & Justine #4)
Asher: My Russian Revenge (Asher & Zariah)
Nikolai: Through the Devil's Eyes(Nikolai & Justine #5)
Trey (Trey & K)
K: A Trey Sequel
The Italian Cartel
* * *
Dimitri
Roxanne
Reign
Mafia Ties (Novella)
Maddox
Demi
Rocco
Clover
Smith
* * *
RomCom Standalones
Just Playin’ (Elvis & Willow)
Ain't Happenin' (Lorenzo & Skylar)
The Drop Zone (Colby & Jamie)
Very Unlikely (Brand New Couple)
* * *
Short Stories
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Christmas Trio (Wesley, Andrew & Mallory -- short story)
Falling For A Stranger (Short Story)
* * *
Coming Soon
Skitzo
