Under his protection

Chapter 6

Dante

We are under attack!

The explosion still rang in my ears as the truth snapped into place. The shooting at the club must have been a mere distraction, unprofessional on purpose, just to pull my men away from the house. They must have been watching this place and just looking for the right opportunity.

How did they find out about this place?
I did not think too much. I quickly jumped into action.

“Aria,” I said, gripping her shoulders, forcing her to look at me. “Listen to me very carefully. We are under attack, and we need to leave now, so I'm going to need you to trust me.”

Her eyes went wide, terror swallowing every word she tried to form. I felt it too, but I could not show it.

“You stay with me no matter what,” I continued. “If I get hurt, you run. Do you understand me?”

She nodded quickly, lips trembling, still silent.

The sound of boots echoed down the corridor.
Too close.

I pulled her off the counter and reached for my gun in the same motion. She gasped, but I did not look back. I dragged her toward the concealed panel at the far end of the bathroom, my pulse roaring in my ears.

Before opening it, I glanced through the window.
The property was surrounded.

Men in masks moved with disciplined precision, weapons raised, spacing too clean to be amateurs. Russians. I could recognize them anywhere.

I swore under my breath and dialed Adriano.

“Boss,” he answered after the first ring.

“The house is compromised,” I said. “The club was just a distraction.”

“s**t,” he breathed. “We are on our way.”

“No,” I snapped. “I am not losing anyone else today. I will get out and move to a safe house. I will call when I can.”

A pause. Then, quietly, “Stay alive, brother.”

I ended the call and grabbed a second gun from the hidden compartment.

“The passage is on the other end of the hall, so we have to move very quickly,” I told Aria.

Aria just nodded again, pale but focused.

I opened the door.

Voices erupted instantly.

Two men rounded the corner, guns already raised. I fired without hesitation. The shots were deafening in the narrow space. One went down hard. The other stumbled back, screaming.

We ran.

Bullets struck the walls, shattering glass and splintering wood. I returned fire while pulling Aria forward, shielding her with my body as best I could.

We slammed into the hidden entrance, and I sealed it behind us just as more gunfire tore through the hallway we had left.

The passage was narrow and dark, carved deep underneath the house. But I knew these passages like the back of my hand. We ran blindly, my breath coming in sharp bursts, my shoulder and feet already aching from r strain.

I kept glancing at Aria wondering how she was able to keep up. She was breathing hard, face covered with dirt and fear, but she did not slow down. She did not scream.

She was stronger than I expected.

The passages opened into the woods.

Cold air hit us as we burst through the exit. I looked up to see half of the house was already on fire. The night filled with shouting and distant gunfire. I pulled her running through the trees, branches tearing at our clothes and skin and the ground uneven beneath our feet.

I had a car stashed away just up ahead.

Just as we got close.

A shot rang out.

I turned just in time to see the muzzle flash.
The bullet was meant for her.

I twisted, yanking her sideways as pain exploded through my shoulder. The force nearly knocked me to my knees. Aria screamed.

I shoved her into the car and spun, firing back. The man dropped instantly.

I collapsed into the driver’s seat and slammed the door, my vision blurring as I hit the accelerator. The tires screamed as we tore through the dirt road and onto the highway.

We had to get out of here.

“Oh my God, you have been shot.”

“Yes,” I muttered. “I noticed.”

“You need a hospital.”

I let out a short, humorless laugh and glanced at her. Blood speckled her face. She was shaking now, adrenaline finally giving way.

“That is not going to happen, princess.”

Even though I had lost a lot of blood, the hospital was not an option.

I took a sharp left toward the closest safe house, checking again to make sure we were not being followed.

The safe house came into view a few minutes later.

We made it inside, and the moment the door closed behind us, the strength drained from my legs. I might have fallen if Aria had not caught me, surprisingly.

She helped me into the bathroom, her hands surprisingly steady as she guided me down. I peeled off my shirt, the fabric soaked through with blood.

Her face went white, like she could pass out at any moment.

“I am going to need your help,” I said, grabbing the first aid kit and a bottle of vodka. “You have to get the bullet out.”

Her eyes widened. “I do not know how to do this. What if I kill you?”

“You will not,” I said, taking a long swallow of vodka and pouring the rest over the wound. The pain was blinding. “I would do it myself if I could reach my back.”

I turned, handing her the forceps.

Her hands shook as she worked, breath hitching every time I tensed. I bit down hard, refusing to make a sound.

I would not scare her. Not now.

Then she gasped.

“I got it,” she said, voice breaking. “I got it.”

The bleeding slowed.

I turned to face her.

For a moment, the world went completely quiet.

She was still holding the forceps, her fingers trembling now that the danger had passed, but excitement still dancing in her eyes. Her chest rose and fell unevenly, her breathing shallow. Dirt and blood streaked her skin, but there was something raw and unguarded in her expression that pulled at something deep in my chest.

Her gaze dropped from my face to my bare chest, and I watched as the realization hit her.

Then her eyes snapped back up too quickly. Heat bloomed across her cheeks, and she swallowed hard.

“You should sit,” she said, her voice barely steady. “You lost a lot of blood.”

I do not know why, but I stepped closer instead.