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So, I do the only thing that comes to mind. I turn and run through the doors that swing wildly into the parking lot. Leo is standing by the car, but Isabella’s nowhere to be found.
“Leo!” I yell. “Where’s Isabella?!”
He starts to speak when I hear the sound of a gun safety going off. I spin, my gun in my hand, but before I can fire, another gun goes off. Igor falls to the ground with a thud. And behind him?—
Isabella.
Holding a gun.
25
ISABELLA
I heard it the same time he did. The sound of the gun clicking. I wasn’t sure who it was—someone my father sent or someone else with a grudge against Roman.
But when he sent me out to meet Leo and tell him that Igor had escaped, I realized it was the man my father promised me to. The person Nico said I would marry after they killed Roman.
The man who tried to kill Roman once and failed. I stopped it the first time, and I wasn’t about to let him finish the job.
“Isabella?” Roman rushes to my side while I stare at the body on the ground, feeling nothing. He gently takes the gun from my hand and pulls me into his arms, his warmth barely penetrating the numbness that fills me.
Leo holds the car door open, and Roman ushers me into the back seat, sliding in after me. The door closes, and Leo steps into the passenger seat, with Sergei taking the wheel.
The ride back home is silent, but I can feel Roman’s anger radiating through the air, making it thick. I’m not sure if he’sangry at me for taking a risk, but I know if I had the chance to do it again, I would.
Without hesitation.
When we get into the living room, he turns to Leo and Sergei and says, “Give us a moment.”
“I’ll head back to the scene,” Leo says. “The cops will want a statement, and it’s best they don’t come here to get it. I’ll take Sergei with me.”
Once they’re gone, Roman breaks the silence with something I don’t expect.
“I didn’t know you could shoot like that.”
I blink, stunned. “What?”
“Igor,” he says, stepping closer. “You didn’t flinch. Not even when he hit the ground. Most people would’ve frozen up. Dropped the gun. Panicked. You just…stood there. Ready for the next move.”
That’s it? I wasn’t expecting praise—not for pulling the trigger—but the warmth that spreads through me at his words is undeniable.
“Where did you get the gun?” he asks next.
“Leo,” I say, a small, wry smile tugging at my lips. “Told them I needed privacy. Found it in the glove box. He had no idea it was gone.”
Roman drags a hand down his face, then shakes his head like he’s trying to clear it. “Heavens,” he mutters. “What the hell do I do with you?”
“I saved your life,” I remind him, lifting my chin.
His eyes darken. That calm in his voice disappears. “And you nearly lost yours.”
There it is.
“You were reckless, Isabella,” he says quietly, but there’s nothing soft about it. The quiet is restraint. “I gave Leo instructions to get you out. Instead, you stole a gun. You went looking for danger—with my child inside you.”
My mouth opens, and I force the words out before I can second-guess myself. “How exactly was that reckless?” I challenge. “It was one man. Just one.”
His eyes narrow, and for a second, I can see the war inside him between pride and fury. Between wanting to pull me close and wanting to shake sense into me.