Love in the Line of Fire

2

More bullets. More screeching tires. Until it suddenly stopped. It would have been one second or one hour, I couldn’t distinguish.

“She dies. No loose ends,” one of them demanded in English, and instinctively I shrank further back into the car, although it was burning, coming dangerously close to an explosion.

“No.” A cold voice. A hard tone. But it wasn’t Adrian’s. Was he even alive?

My nails dug into my palms, squeezing so hard that pain exploded on my skin. More commotion. More words. I couldn’t process a single word because my brain was still stuck on ‘she dies’ and terrified they meant me.

“Are you sure?” The deep masculine voice filled the air along with the sound of crunching glass. A pair of expensive, leather Italian shoes filled my vision.

I had to be in shock. Because I registered the brand. Santoni’s men’s shoes. My husband was in danger, and I stared at a pair of five grand Italian shoes.

“The woman doesn’t know anything.” The voice sounded vaguely familiar. I couldn’t place it. “I’ll take full responsibility for her.”

“If I find out she had anything to do with her husband’s games, I’m coming for her.” A light Italian accent. Deep voice.

“She knows nothing. If she does, I’ll handle it.” Another pair of expensive shoes. Art. 504 shoes. Even more expensive. Dark suit pants. Perfectly fit in length. Expensive material.

I shook my head. I needed to get out of here, not identify their wardrobe.

Another pair of expensive shoes entered my vision. A pair of Prada shoes. Adrian wore Prada shoes.

Was that him? I should have called out to him, but instead I stayed frozen in my spot. Staring at the Prada shoes like the ones I’d bought my husband.

“D’accordo.” Definitely Italian. What the f**k did that mean? “Don’t make me regret it.”

Bile rose in my throat and I inhaled deeply to stop myself from retching. One of the men left, a pair of expensive Italian leather. Two remained. My heart raced. My vision swam. My ears buzzed. My lungs burned as I waited.

Bu-bum. Bu-bum. Bu-bum.

Bang.

The last bullet. It felt like the final bullet before it was my turn.

A body hit the dirt with a loud thud. My eyes pulled from the shoes outside my window to the other side of the car. Adrian’s dead eyes met mine. An expression I couldn’t identify was still etched on his face. The last expression before he died. Staring back at me. A single bullet hole in his chest, blood seeping out.

A gasp left me, and my heart stopped beating.

“A-A-Adrian,” I choked out, my voice broken. He didn’t move. His stare blank, fixed on something I couldn’t reach. His face bruised and bloodied, whether from the impact of the car crash or someone’s fists, I couldn’t tell.

With each heartbeat my life slowly faded, following him. Until something inside me snapped.

“Nooo!” I shrieked and my world as I’d known it ceased to exist.

ONE

TATIANA

Beep. Beep. Beep.

A steady beeping. The nauseous scent of disinfectant all around.

Blood. Bleach. Sterile coldness.

Adrian’s scent cocooned me, citrus and sandalwood, but there was a spice in it too. Maybe it was just the hospital.

There were sounds of hushed voices.

“You better heal her if you want to live.” The voice was hard. Cold. Russian accent. It wasn’t my brother’s voice. But who?

“Sir, we’ll do our best.”

“You will do everything,” he roared. “Not your best.”

More commotion. The sounds of a struggle and shouting. More voices.

Was Adrian here? Instantly images of his dead eyes flooded my brain. Blood trickled down the corner of the mouth I used to kiss. The taste of copper flooded my mouth.

Clammy, cold skin under my fingertips. The cold kiss of death.

“Breathe.” A scream. Mine. Maybe? I wasn’t sure. My mouth on Adrian’s.

One. Two. Three. Air into his lungs. One. Two. Three.

An explosion. Loud. The earth shook.

Everything was fuzzy. My chest squeezed, a sob choking my throat. Yet, nothing came out.

But I heard the screams piercing my brain. I heard the cries. I tasted the blood.

I felt the loss.

No, Adrian wasn’t here. He was gone. I knew it deep down in my soul. In my heart. And it f*****g hurt like hell. It felt like a bullet lodged itself in my lungs and refused to ease up. It hurt to breathe. An ache swelling inside of me, until it drowned me.

“I’ll find you again,” I murmured.

Or maybe my brain whispered the words. I wasn’t sure. I couldn’t feel my mouth move. Every single inch of me was numb.

“She’s awake.” The same deep voice shouted. A pair of hands gripped my shoulders. “Tatiana, look at me.” I followed the voice but my eyes couldn’t focus. My head ached. Even my brain hurt. “Look at me, moya luna.”

Moya luna. I’d heard that before. The words were buried deep in the fog. Why can’t I get my brain to work?

I turned my head in the direction of the voice. There was nobody there. I blinked, then blinked again. The light was too bright. I couldn’t see anyone.

“A bad dream,” I said as a sob erupted from my lips. I couldn’t hear it, nor the words. But I felt them. In the marrow of my bones, right along with a fear that whispered of nightmares.

I licked my lips and tasted blood.

Eyes without any light in them stared at me. My husband’s eyes. He’s gone, the nightmare whispered. It sent a soul-shattering ache through every inch of me. I couldn’t handle it. I needed more numbness.

More words shouted. I couldn’t hear nor understand them. I was too far inside my head where despair consumed me. Adrian’s dead eyes. Blood covering the lips that used to kiss me.

The lips that used to say kind words to me. The same lips that used to put bullies in their place. The same lips that called me ‘pipsqueak’ when I was a little girl.

“Adrian!” I screamed, my heart shattering, a nightmare consuming me.

My body started to shake. My teeth chattered. My soul split. The sound of glass breaking and metal clanking against the floor. Hands on me.

Then a prick in my flesh and the world ceased to exist again.