Page 175 of Villainous Kingpin

The harsh Russian words neared and I looked frantically around Bas for his gun. I couldn’t let them finish us. The smell of gasoline traveled with the smoke and drifted into my lungs. I kept still while my eyes darted around, panic spread through every single cell of me.

Smoke and heat filled the car, and I feared we’d burn alive if we remained here.

Gun!I spotted Bas’ handgun by his foot. I couldn’t waste any time. Ignoring my aching body, I unbuckled my seatbelt and shifted forward to the left. Then I grabbed the gun and shifted around to the right.

Two men stood ten feet away from the car and without thinking about it, I put my finger on the trigger and pulled it.

Bang.

I missed. Fuck! I forced myself to calm down and aimed. Just the way Sasha taught me.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

I hit them. They stumbled. One fell down to his knees. The other followed. The latter raised his gun but I pulled the trigger again.Bang. Bang.

He fell over, blood quickly pooling around him.

I killed a human. The realization hit hard but I didn’t regret it.

Sparks popped under the hood. With no time to waste, I grabbed the door handle and started pushing. It wouldn’t budge. I picked up my legs and placed the bottom of my Chucks against it, then applied all my strength into pushing it open.

Thank God I changed out of my clothes before heading home after the funeral. It was an odd thought while you tried to get out of a wrecked car.

“Come on,” I grunted. I kicked the door. Again and again. The hood of the car was burning and panic rose inside me. I started kicking frantically, then alternated to using my shoulder.

The door swung open. My hands and legs shook and tears streamed down my face. My muscles burned, but I couldn’t stop. I rushed out of the car and around toward Bas’ door.

The fire was spreading quickly, reaching the windshield now. I gripped the car door and tugged hard, grunting while my muscles screamed in protest. The door flew open unexpectedly and I fell back on my ass.

The smoke filled the car while fire licked at the windshield. Fear gripped my lungs, burning them raw. Smoke and gas drifted into my nose and down into my lungs, making it even harder to breathe.

I stumbled to my feet and reached for Bas. He hadn’t worn a seatbelt so I just wrapped my both hands around his bicep and I started pulling on him. He was much stronger and bigger than me, but giving up wasn’t an option. He would never leave me behind.

The fire was spreading way too quickly and Bas was too heavy for me to move quickly out of the range in case the car blew up. Frustrated tears pooled in my eyes and my sight turned blurry but I refused to stop.

“Please, Bas,” I whimpered. “Just don’t die on me,” I pleaded out of breath. Blood quickly soaked his dark hair and dread pooled in the pit of my stomach. Each step I took felt lead-heavy. But I kept going until we were a safe distance away.

I dropped down to my knees. My eyes searched over his body, alarmed by the amount of blood pooling around his head. I leaned over his face and felt the gentle breath sweep against my cheek. With shaky fingers, I brushed my fingers over the pulse on his throat.

“It’s there,” I breathed with a relieved sigh. The pulse was there.

I closed my eyes, overwhelming relief washed over me. And I prayed, promising God anything and everything. As long as Bas stayed with me.

My eyes stung and my chest felt tight, making each breath I inhaled hurt. I couldn’t live without this man on this earth. I might survive knowing he was somewhere on the planet, walking and breathing. Healthy and alive. But I wouldn’t survive his death.

“I love you, Bas,” I whispered, holding his head on my lap. “I have never stopped loving you. I promised I’d never leave you. I walked away but my heart stayed behind.” I bent my head and pressed a soft kiss on his forehead. “Please stay with me.”

He barely stirred and I froze, almost scared I imagined it. “Bas?” I rasped.

I held my breath, waiting for him to move again. Say something. Anything. When he didn’t, my heart sunk. Maybe I should keep talking? I didn’t know.

“Bas, please don’t die,” I pleaded softly, whispering against his clammy forehead. “I love you so damn much it hurts. There has been nobody since I walked away that day, and if you leave me, it’ll break me. Please just hold on. For me”

A loud screech of tires had me raising my head. A black Land Rover. Another one. My eyes frantically searched around for the gun. It lay discarded close to the burning car. For a second, I remained immobile, hesitant about what I should do. I didn’t want to leave Bas, vulnerable in his unconscious state.

Except, without a weapon, we’d both be vulnerable. I laid his head down on the cold dirt ground and I scrambled over to the burning car. I reached for it and it burned my palm. A small whimper sounded in my throat, but I ignored it.

I heard the door of a car shut behind me and I whirled around to find a woman stepping out of the black Land Rover. She had a fur coat on that came down to her knees and a matching fur hat.