Page 130 of Gamble with Me

“One more thing,” I said before giving it to him. “There will be a shift of power you should know about.” His eyes showed curiosity but also impatience. He visited me during working hours, so his boss might start looking for him. “When it happens, you’ll get a list of names to look into. I will need everything about them.”

“Your plan is to give power to someone you don’t know?” he asked, his brows furrowing.

“I know the main players,” I claimed, moving the envelope toward him. “I don’t want to be surprised by pawns. You can never be too cautious.”

Ethan opened his mouth to say more but was interrupted by the door slamming open. Malin pushed it so hard it hit the wall and returned to smash him. He kicked it, looking like hellhounds were hunting him.

“Why don’t you pick up your phone?!” he yelled, making my brows lift in surprise. I could count on one hand how many times he’d raised his voice in his life.

“I have a meeting,” I replied, noticing he was upset. It gave me chills because my brother was a man who had difficulty feeling anything. I immediately knew something terrible had happened.

“Dorian, Valeria, and her bodyguard were just admitted into the hospital,” he announced, his voice jumping. “She is beaten to a pulp, Dorian has a gunshot wound, and Martin has a head injury. I don’t know how serious it is.”

“What?” I yelled, standing so abruptly the chair hit the bookshelf behind me. “What happened?”

“Kellerman,” Malin snarled, his face twisting with fury and repulsion. “I’m going on a hunt with our boys. Are you going to the hospital?”

“Of course.” I grabbed my keys and wallet, joining my brother on the way out.

“Some neighbor called the police when the gunshot was heard,” he informed me, turning to Ethan, who walked behind us. “We need all the information we can get.”

“I’ll keep you posted,” he promised. “What about Kellerman? Can I help you somehow?”

“We have it covered,” I replied, impatiently hitting the button to call the elevator. “You don’t want to be involved in this.”

No one said more. We split up in the garage, and I speeded to the hospital like a maniac. All kinds of scenarios popped into my mind. Still, I couldn’t imagine how Chester overpowered the trained former SWAT member or where Dorian and Valeria met when she drove Zara to school, and he had to perform surgery that morning.

Gripping the steering wheel tightly, I fought with myself to not let anger overtake me. It gathered in my chest, clutching my insides, but the fear for Valeria and my brother was stronger than anything I had ever felt.

I called the hospital on the way, but they refused to give me information over the phone. I only knew that all three were there and under the care of doctors.

My ears buzzed, and black dots disturbed my sight. I was barely in control of myself. I pushed the gas pedal down, ignoring the lights or other cars. My only mission was to get to Valeria as soon as possible.

I barged through the front entrance of the modern hospital fifteen minutes after Malin’s announcement. The familiar smell of disinfection and desperation that usually filled the halls hit my nose as I hurried to the nurse’s desk.

“I need—” I started without greeting, but the nurse dressed in typical blue scrubs with glasses and a kind smile interrupted me.

“Come with me, Mr. Zhumagulov,” she said, waving at me to follow her. “Your girlfriend is constantly asking about you. It is impossible to explain to her that it wasn’t you who got shot.”

My brows furrowed, but the chain squeezing my chest lessened its hold on me. Valeria was talking. It was a good sign.

“How is she?” I asked, following the nurse like a lost puppy through the halls.

“It’s a miracle she has no broken bones or internal injuries,” she replied, checking her pager. “But she’s covered in bruises, has a minor concussion, and she’ll need a few days to be able to see through one eye. She got hit bad.”

My palms clenched, and I barely suppressed a snarl that threatened to flee from my mouth. I already knew what I would do with Chester when I got my hands on him, but if my men didn’t deliver him soon, heads would fall. My patience was at its end.

“And Dorian?” I inquired, wondering why we were going up the stairs instead of taking the elevator. The nurse looked at me, perplexed. “My brother,” I said when she didn’t respond. “He looks like me.”

“Oh, sure.” She smiled. “Two guys came with her. Your brother was shot in the shoulder. The bullet went through. He is still in surgery.”

“And the other guy?”

“He’s in a medically induced coma,” the nurse answered, stopping before a door. The window into the room was covered with a grey curtain, keeping spectators away. “The hit, unfortunately, caused a hemorrhage. It’s pretty serious.”

“Okay, thank you,” I exhaled, running my hand over my face.

It was a disaster. It should never have happened, and I couldn’t ask the bodyguard where he had made a mistake because it was possible he would pay with his life for it.