Page 86 of Double Edged Hearts
Chapter Twenty-Six
Alex
I see her.
Fuck, she’s outside but too far away from me.
I race down the stairs but keep my eyes trained on the horror before me. Richard is pointing a gun at Cora, and I think he’s going to shoot her.
I think he’s going to kill her.
It’s clear he is.
I run towards one of the bikes the guys brought. There’s still fighting around me. I jump on it and gather my strength to make myself be okay. I have to do this. There is no question here or choice in the matter. I have to save her, and I have but one shot.
I gun the engine and ride. There’s a floor-to-ceiling glass window in front of me. The distance between me and it is twenty feet. The distance between them and me is about forty. The minute I burst through the window, I’ll have to shoot and take Richard out.
I accelerate and grab my gun. I’m going to have to use my bad arm to shoot and my good one to steady the bike.
I pull in a breath and count.One. Two. Three.
I crash through the glass in an explosive blast, and shards of glass go flying everywhere.
Richard looks toward me, and I take my shot.
The bullet gets him straight in his head the same way I shot Matvey, and he drops to the ground in a crumpled heap.
I drop the gun and grab the bike’s handle to steady myself as I pull to a stop that sends a bolt of pain shooting through my body.
“Alex!” Cora shouts.
I look back and see her running to me.
I jump off the bike and reach for her just as she throws herself into my arms, and although my fucking body feels broken, holding her is priceless.
She cries hard as I hold her, keeping her close, and I promise myself I’ll never let her go again.
* * *
Claudius smiles at me and gives me a nod. He’s the last one left.
We’re standing in the kitchen, and he’s getting ready to go back to Chicago with Ava.
Cora is in the living room, resting.
“Thank you again for today,” I say.
Only God knows what I would have done if they hadn’t come when they did.
“You can’t thank me for doing something I would have done anyway. The doc’s going to come by in the morning to check on you,” he says.
“That’s fine. I think he’ll be happy when I tell him I can rest now,” I answer with a smile.
“Yeah. I’m happy to hear that.”
“I probably do need to rest and take a break too.”
Caution fills his eyes. “Does that break end with you coming back to Chicago, and back to us?”
