Page 126 of Beautiful Trauma

I slung Kellan’s limp arm over my shoulder, causing him to bellow in pain. With a groan, he started shuffling forward. “That’s it. You got this,” I praised.

After exiting the cell, the guard was still snoozing, his snore echoing down the hall. As we worked at a snail’s pace, I started to worry that there was no way Kellan was going to make it to a car. My mind spun wildly with possibilities to wheel him out in anything from a laundry cart to a trash bin.

“Just…leave…me,” Kellan choked out as he dragged himself along the floor.

I furiously shook my head back and forth. “I can’t. I won’t.”

The ding of the elevator sent fear crashing over me. Glancing wildly around, there was nowhere to disappear to. As the elevator door slid open, I fought to breathe. When Maksim stepped out, his steps faltered at the sight of me and Kellan. His dark eyes bulged as his jaw clenched.

“Please, Maks, I had to save him!” I sobbed.

Slowly, he started walking towards us–his gaze locked on mine. “He stopped the men from raping me. He risked his life in Dublin to get me home. His bodyguard only fired at Dima because he shot at Kellan first.

“K-Know t-that,” he growled.

The closer he got, the more my heart threatened to beat out of my chest. Shaking my head, I said, “He would’ve never tried to hurt Dima or any of you. He loves me too much to hurt me or anyone I love. He wants to give me the world with marriage and babies. He even wants me to study astronomy like my mother would’ve wanted.”

When Maksim loomed over me, I put myself in front of Kellan’s crumpled form. As my body shook with my cries, I said, “If you kill him, have mercy and kill me as well because I don’t want to live without him.”

Maksim’s face was impassive as he eased me aside. When he reached for Kellan, I pinched my eyes shut. Since he’d been trained in hand-to-hand combat, I knew he could break Kellan’s neck. It would be cleaner than Maks taking his knife and slitting Kellan’s throat.

In the end, I couldn’t bear to watch him end the man I loved. Covering my ears with my hands, I hummedI Can’t Help Falling in Loveso I wouldn’t hear the sounds of Kellan’s murder.

“Let’s go,” Maksim's voice clearly rang out.

My eyes flew open. I gasped at the sight of Maks cradling Kellan in his arms. Blinking at him in disbelief, I asked, “What are you doing?”

Cocking his head, Maks gave me a pointed look. “You’re not going to kill him?” I asked.

When Maks shook his head, I stared at him. “Why?”

“H-He’s proven h-himself w-worthy.”

A cry tore from my lips. “Yes, he has. Time and time again.”

Maks jerked his chin at the elevator. Nodding, I swept past him and ran to the door. I jabbed my finger at the button. When it opened, I hopped inside.

After holding the door open, Maks and Kellan got on. As the elevator lurched upwards, I turned to Maks. “What happens to you because of this?” I whispered.

At his shrug, I winced. “I don’t want you to get hurt because of me.”

“N-Nothing else h-he can d-do to me that h-he hasn’t already d-done.”

Leaning up on my tiptoes, I brought my hand to my cheek. “You should be the leader of the family, Maks. You have the head and the heart.”

“T-Thanks.”

When the door opened on the main floor of the house, my breath hitched. Maksim stepped out, and I followed close behind him. Our footsteps echoed in the silence as we went down a long, dark hallway off the kitchen. It was primarily used by the servants when they brought in groceries and materials from the garage.

At the last door on the right, Maksim jerked his chin. I rushed ahead of him to open it. We stepped into the garage.

“R-Rover keys,” he instructed.

I glanced at the wall and snatched the keys to the massive black Range Rover that belonged to Maksim. “I can’t take your car,” I protested.”

He grinned. “I-I have m-more.”

“I owe you for this, and I will pay you back.”