Page 56 of Alexei

I held Kingston's head, his dark hair dull and dirty.

“Don’t you fucking die on me,” I gritted, my voice shaking. “I made a promise.”

Kingston’s eyes rolled back in his head, blood running down his nose and mouth. I’ve seen men die enough times to know he was slipping.

More of Ivan’s men burst through the door. I ejected the magazine of the gun and shoved a new magazine into it. It was my last one. Fuck!

My one hand on Kingston, I held him up so he wouldn’t choke on his own blood, while I shot with my other. One. Two. Three… I had only enough to kill ten men. Then we’d both die.

The sounds of the bullets neared. They weren’t mine. A man I hadn’t shot, fell. Then another.

“Fuck, I told you to wait.” Cassio came behind the man that fell to the ground at his feet, moaning and clutching his stomach. As if that would save him from bleeding out. Cassio pointed the gun to his head and pulled the trigger.

Nico, Luca, Luciano, and Alessio were right behind him.

“He just wanted to hoard all the fun for himself,” Luciano retorted dryly.

“Alexei, tell us what we need to do,” Nico growled. “So we can get out of here and get whoever we need out.”

Kingston’s body started convulsing again as I hovered over him, shoving my finger into Kingston’s mouth.

“There are boys in the library,” I told them. “Get them out. I have a place in Moscow. Take whoever you can there.”

Without hesitation Nico, Alessio, and Luciano took off, while Luca and Cassio stayed behind.

“Buddy, I don’t think he’ll make it,” Luca muttered. Just as the last word slipped through his lips, Kingston’s body went limp.

“No,” I hissed. “Don’t you fucking dare.”

I started CPR. Chest compressions. Mouth-to-mouth. Chest compressions. Mouth-to-mouth.

It was the first time in a very long time that I felt desperation welling in my chest, fear on my tongue. Broken promises.

It took Cassio, Luca, and I three hours to blow Ivan’s place to dust. Getting rid of the memories wasn’t as easy. In fact, it was impossible.

Hours later, I stared at my empty glass, while seated in a chair that faced the window and the door. The boys we were able to save were in bad shape. Some physically, but all were fucked up mentally.

“Fuck.” Luca shoved his hand through his hair. “I need more of this cheap liquor to forget that shit.”

Those images weren’t forgettable. They stayed with you for the rest of your life.

“How did you know about the boys?” Alessio rasped, his hand shaking as he brought his glass to his lips.

I was one of those boys, I thought silently. “A tip,” I answered instead.

Cassio’s eyes drilling into the side of my cheek, which told me he didn’t believe me. Especially since he heard one of the guards say how he should have known it was me who took Puma. As if she sensed my thoughts, my dog pushed her muzzle against my leg and laid her head on my thigh.

Fuck, I felt old. So goddamn old.

Nico strode over to us, filling all of our glasses. “You did the right thing, Alexei,” he grumbled. “To save those boys.” My throat burned from cheap liquor and emotions I had long learned to ignore. “I’m sorry we couldn’t save them all.”

Me too, I wanted to say. But my throat was too tight, memories of promises given to the little girl with dark brown eyes.

“Let’s form a pact,” Luca suggested grimly, his face serious which was a rare occurrence. “To always have each other’s back. Always fight together.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Cassio agreed, and the rest of them followed. I did too, though my voice failed me.

“Our blood family might fail us,” Alessio said, his jaw ticking with anger. It didn’t take a genius to know he was thinking about his own father. “But we won’t fail each other.”