Page 94 of Cinderella and the Daddy

Gunfire. Sharp, rapid pops that crack through the air like deadly fireworks. The peaceful afternoon shatters into chaos. Grigori is running hard toward the main house while my world bounces violently with each pounding step.

I hear men shouting and more gunfire.

Leo's voice cuts through the noise, high and scared. "Cindy!"

"I'm here, sweetheart!" I twist to see him, my hair whipping across my face. Tony has appeared from nowhere and taken Leo from Grigori's grip, cradling him protectively as they race alongside us.

More gunfire erupts, closer this time. I feel Grigori's body jerk beneath me, hear him grunt in pain, but his stride never falters. His arm around my thighs feels like a vise.

I realize with cold terror that we're under attack. Kozlov found us. Somehow, despite all of Luka's precautions, the wolf has come to our door.

Something warm and wet drips onto my hand where it dangles near Grigori's leg. In the chaos, it takes me a moment to understand what I'm seeing. Blood. His blood. He's been hit, but he's still moving, still protecting us with every ounce of strength he has.

"Grigori, you're hurt?—"

"Keep your head down," he growls, his voice strained but steady. "We're almost there."

The main house looms ahead. I feel like I’m going to throw up. A combination of fear and the bouncing. Guards are moving everywhere, taking positions, and shouting orders in Russian and English. Someone yanks the door open before we reach it, and then we're inside, footsteps echoing in the marble foyer.

"Safe room, now!" Tony barks, still clutching Leo.

Everything becomes a blur. My feet touch the ground for maybe three seconds before Grigori's arm wraps around me again, guiding me toward the safe room. Tony is right behind us with Leo, who's gone eerily quiet—the kind of quiet that means he's processing something too big for his little mind to fully grasp.

A massive steel door stands open at the end of the hall. The safe room. Grigori ushers me inside.

Tony sets Leo down gently. He immediately runs to me, wrapping his arms around my waist and burying his face against my belly. I pull him close, my hand smoothing his hair as the steel door slides shut with a sound like a tomb sealing.

We're locked in. Safe, but trapped.

"It's okay," I whisper to Leo, though my heart is hammering against my ribs. "We're safe now."

Grigori slumps against the wall, his hand pressed to his thigh where dark blood seeps between his fingers. Tony immediately moves to help him, pulling supplies from the medical kit with practiced efficiency.

"How bad?" I ask, my voice steadier than I feel.

"Flesh wound," Grigori grunts, though his face is pale. "The bullet went straight through. I'll live."

Leo looks up at me with wide eyes. "Are the bad men here?"

I want to lie, to tell him it's just a drill, just practice. But he's been through too much already to be fooled by false reassurances. "Yes," I whisper. "But we're safe here. It’s going to be okay. Your dad will make sure we’re safe.”

Where is Luka? The question burns in my throat, but I don't voice it. He could be anywhere. The monitors flicker with images of guards taking defensive positions, but I don't see his familiar silhouette among them.

“Go,” Grigori grunts. “I’ve got it.”

I understand what they’re not saying. They need Tony out there.

“I’ll take care of him,” I say.

“Guns are there.” Tony points to a cabinet in the corner.

“I know.”

“And you know what to do if?—”

“I do.”

And then he’s gone.