Page 40 of Beautiful Trauma (The Irish Rogues #5)

O nce Kira left, I knew what I had to do. After I eased out of bed, I tiptoed across the room. To my surprise, no one was stationed outside the door. Glancing at the circular station in the center of the room, I found it empty.

To my right, there seemed to be a flurry of activity behind one of the curtains. I couldn’t help wondering if one of the other soldiers had been injured.

With the others distracted, I slipped over to the medicine closet and dipped inside.

Since we weren’t a regular hospital, the drugs weren’t locked up or regulated.

Gazing at all the options, I snatched up two vials of morphine along with two of adrenaline.

After pocketing them, I grabbed four packs of syringes.

After peeking out of the door, everyone still remained focused on the tasks before them. So, I hurried out.

A single focus lay ahead of me as I power-walked over to the elevator and went .

When the elevator doors opened, I swallowed hard before stepping off. Slowly, I began walking along the corridor with my hands stuffed in my sweater pocket. My gaze darted around as I stayed on the edge waiting for someone to jump out and grab me.

As I reached the chamber, a guard stepped out to stop me. “Ms. Korolova, you’re not supposed to be here.”

I gave him a sad smile. “I know. I heard he was going to die in the morning, so I wanted to tell him goodbye.”

The guard shook his head. “We have strict orders not to allow anyone in to see the prisoner.”

“Are you always such an order follower?”

“I am.”

Nodding, I said, “Not even a peek at him?”

He sighed exasperatedly. “Please leave, Ms. Korolova.”

“Fine,” I growled.

As I started to turn to go, my fingers slid along the needle in my pocket. When I started pulling it out, my heartbeat started echoing loudly in my ears.

I launched myself at the guard. I took him by such surprise that he didn’t even have time to react before I plunged the needle into his neck. A strange sense of deja vu came over me. That night at Bandia flashed before me when I’d done the same thing to Kellan.

“You cunt!” he growled as he staggered.

With a shrug, I replied, “You’re the one who had to make it hard.”

Slowly, he slid down the wall into a sitting position. When his head lolled over, I bent over and grabbed his keycard. After swiping it on the wall, the door slid open.

When I rushed inside, the metallic smell of blood assaulted my nose. Kellan lay on his side with his hands in cuffs. As I walked through the blood to him, I skidded to a stop at the sight of his back. His skin was raw and flayed open.

“Oh God,” I murmured.

Dropping down beside him, I brushed the blood-stained strands of his hair out of his face. “Kellan? Can you hear me?”

He groaned as he blinked his eyes furiously. “Mila?”

“Yes, my love, it’s me.”

As he stared up at me, he shook his head. “Are you an angel? Am I dead?”

A laugh tumbled from my lips. “You must be delirious if you’re thinking I’m an angel.”

“They said I would never see you again on this side.”

Tears streamed down my cheeks. “I’m so sorry.”

“I told Dima I’d die for you.”

I sucked in a harsh breath. “Dima did this to you?”

“He oversaw it.”

My fists clenched at my side at the thought that my brother could’ve been the one to allow so much suffering.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m rescuing you.”

“Seriously?”

I hiccuped a laugh. “Yes, it’s my time to play hero to you like you always do to me.”

His cracked lips curved into a smile. “My beautiful hero.”

As I gazed at the chains, I wondered where in the hell the keys could be. At the thought of the guard, I said, “One second.”

After I raced back out the door, I grabbed the keys off his belt.

With shaky hands, I brought a small key to the lock on his wrists.

“Fuck,” I muttered when it didn’t work. I tried the next one, and the same thing.

I went through five before it finally opened.

I whirled around and went to the other lock.

After unlocking it, Kellan pitched forward onto his face on the concrete. ”

“Kellan!” I cried before dropping down beside him.

With an agonized groan that would haunt me for days to come, he tried moving his arms from the position they’d been stretched into. My heart broke watching the muscles tremble, and his body spasm.

“I have a shot of adrenaline to give you and some morphine.”

“I don’t know if it will work. I’m so fucking gone.”

“You just have to get to the car, and I’ll do the rest.”

“I’ll try.” He smiled up at me. “I’ll do anything for you.”

“I know you would.” I dipped my head to gently kiss his lips. Even though he tasted of sweat and blood, I had to try to give him some strength through my feelings.

After pulling back, I dug the needle out of my sweater. “I wish I could give you morphine for the pain, but I’m afraid it will knock you out.”

“It’s okay.”

I quickly administered the adrenaline. A shudder went through Kellan. “Let’s do this.”

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 hummed I Can’t Help Falling in Love so 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.”

When he shook his head, I nodded emphatically. “Yes, I will.”

“S-Stubborn,” he teased.

I laughed. “Always.”

I unlocked the Rover, and Maksim eased Kellan into the backseat. When I slipped into the driver’s seat, he handed me a burner phone. “Oh shit, I didn’t even think about it.”

When he nodded, I shook my head as panic rocketed through me. “I didn’t think this plan through well enough. How the hell am I going to get out of here without Father’s men taking us out?”

“I’ll d-distract them.”

“You will.”

When he nodded, I leaned over and kissed his cheek again. “Please stay safe.”

“I h-have my m-men,” he replied with a knowing look.

And that was the truth. There would always be soldiers who thought it was wrong for Maksim to be passed over.

“Go,” he commanded.

He then slammed the door. After pushing the start button, I smacked my hand against the garage door opener on the sun-visor. As soon as it opened, I slammed on the gas and screeched out of the garage.

As much as I wanted to look back, I didn’t. My chest ached at the thought of Lev and Kira and Maksim and Aleks growing farther and farther away.

Even though he had betrayed me, I still thought of Dima as well.

Pushing those thoughts from my mind, I picked up the phone and called Bandia again. This time, someone answered. “Um, this is Mila–”

“I’ll patch you through to Mr. Kavanaugh.”

“Thank you.”

A few moments passed before Callum came on the line. “Mila?”

“Yes, it’s me.”

Silence echoed over the line. “Is he…”

“No. He’s alive.”

“Thank God.” After another pause, Callum said, “If you know what’s good for you, Mila, you’ll get the fuck out of that house because my brothers and I are in the air on our way to burn it to the ground to get Kellan.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

“Excuse me?”

“I got Kellan out. We’re on the way to you.”

“You better not be lying to me.”

“I’m not. I would put Kellan on the phone, but he’s unconscious.”

“Fuck,” Callum muttered.

“I know. He needs a hospital, but I’m too afraid of my Father finding us to take him somewhere here.”

“He’s that bad?”

I swallowed a sob. “Yes. He passed out even with adrenaline.”

“Jaysus.”

“What do I do?”

“Are you close to a parking garage?”

“What?” I screeched.

“Trust me. Find a parking garage or somewhere out of the open.”

“But my father–”

“Give me five minutes. I’m going to call my brother-in-law.”

“Leo?”

“You know him?” Callum questioned incredulously.

“Kellan mentioned that Leo and his father-in-law ensured protection for him in the city.”

“Exactly. After he lost two men tonight, he’s been itching to get back at your Father.”

“Okay.”

When I started to hang up, Callum’s voice rang in my ear.

“Mila?”

“I’m still here.”

“Thank you for saving him.”

Tears clouded my vision at his words, and I found myself unable to speak. I remained like that after Callum hung up.

Although it felt like an eternity, Callum quickly called me back. “Here’s what I need you to do. You’re going to go to 1189 Crestview Drive. If you have a GPS, put it in now.”

“Okay,” I murmured as my shaky fingers typed the address.

“That’s Edoardo Caruso’s house. He has the same hospital bay in his basement that we all do. His doctors will treat Kellan.”

“Thank God.”

“Listen, you won’t be alone with them for long. We should be landing in about an hour.”

Considering I’d never met Callum, he would be as much of a stranger to me as the Carusos. But at the same time, I appreciated he was coming to make sure Kellan got the best care possible.

“I’ll see you then.”

“Call me if you run into any trouble on the way to Edoardo’s.”

“I will.”

“Okay, Talk to you soon.”

“Bye.”

I then put the Rover in drive and headed for the Caruso’s.