Page 225 of Dance of Defiance
I juststare.
I stare as the light dims from my world.
As my heart cracks, splinters, and crumbles to dust inside my chest.
But then, a fifth thing happens.
I’ve been in more fights than I could count. I’ve hurt people badly, but I’ve never killed anyone.
In that moment, though, my reaction is immediate; instinctive.
I raise my hand, pointing the gun at Pavel as he stares at his son.
My finger squeezes the trigger.
Click.
It’s empty.My gun is fucking empty.
Roman’s father’s gaze shifts to me, rage on his face as he raises his gun again.
“Fucking pidoraz?—”
A shot erupts into the night with a heavyBANG. But when I flinch and step backward, nothing happens to me.
I don’t collapse. I don’t feel any fresh pain.
I don’tdie.
Pavel's gun drops from his hand with a clatter. His face pales, and he looks down in shock at the red blossoming across his shirt.
Then he slumps to his knees, falls to the side, and goes still.
My head whips around, and I see the man Roman just dragged out of the club—Stepan—holding one hand over his blood-soaked opposite shoulder.
…And a smoking gun in the other one.
He spits on the ground before he turns to look at me, then at Roman.
“Val—”
I choke as I drop to my knees, rolling Roman over. He blinks up at me.
Fuck me.He’s fucking alive.
“Stay with me, baby,” I hiss. Fuck my own wound: I pull his shirt away from my chest and press it to the gaping hole halfway down his ribs. “Stay the fuck with me, wreckage!!”
“Val…”
When I turn, Stepan is half-stumbling, half-running to me, waving his arms.
My brow furrows. “What?—“
“THE BOMB!” he roars as the windows of the club behind him shatter, flames licking and crawling out of them. “THE BOMB IS STILL IN THE?—”
The sound is like a hurricane making landfallinside my fucking head.
Then all I’m aware of is the feel of my arms wrapped around Roman as the very ground beneath us heaves and buckles, before Hell itself yawns wide and belches fire, lifting me clean off my feet and sending me spiraling through the darkness.
