“Leave him!” I shouted, shielding him with my body.
“Damn it, Sonia. I only want to staunch the bleeding,” he cried.
“Give it to me,” I said holding my hand out for the T-shirt.
He passed it to me, and I took it without thanking him and promptly pressed it to Romi’s gunshot wound.
“Trigger’s on his way,” Ash said, sighing heavily and moving to stand a few feet away.
Good. I didn’t want any of my brothers near my man. Especially not those two. Not after the way they’d beaten him and then separated us. If they hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t have been in that tunnel when Ivor appeared. As I’d said to Miki. It was their fault. Especially his. If Romi died, I would never forgive them.
Looking at his pale face. He’d lost quite a bit of blood but the pressure I was putting on the wound had slowed the bleeding down. However, it needed to be dressed properly before we could attempt to move him. Where was Trigger?
As if answering my prayers, he ran into the room.
Taking in the seen, he hurried over and fell to his knees beside me. Trigger, as ex-military, had some basic training in how to deal with gunshot wounds, so I let him take over tending to Romi’s wound while I continued to gently stroke his head, willing him to be okay.
It was only when a tear hit my hand that I realised I was crying.
CHAPTER 39
ROMI
A FEW DAYS LATER – RECOVERING
When I woke up in the small hospital within the Estate, everywhere ached.
The only thing that made me want to keep my eyes open and not slip back into unconsciousness to avoid the pain was Sonia’s worried gaze as she peered down at me. I managed a smile for her, or probably a grimace, but the sentiment was there.
Relief filled her eyes, and she smiled back. That was more than enough reward for the effort even that small movement took.
Doctor Rawlins fused over me for a few minutes before telling me I was going to be fine. Thank God!
“I’ll pop in again to see you tomorrow. For now, I’ll leave you two alone,” the doctor said, smiling at us before leaving the room.
“Get up here, baby,” I said, patting the bed beside me.
Sonia grinned and climbed up onto the bed. Pulling her close, I kissed her fiercely.
When those bastards had their hands on her, I had been terrified that I might never see her again. With a gun to her head, the thought of losing Sonia before she was even truly mine had cut deep like a knife through my heart.
Pulling away so we could catch our breath, I placed my forehead against hers, closed my eyes and breathed in her scent.
We had always been drawn to each other. Sonia and I were always meant to be. Fated. I knew that now, just as I knew, there was no way I could live without her.
“Did they hurt you?” I whispered, dreading her answer.
“Just cuts and bruises,” she murmured back.
“The blood?” I asked.
“Ivor’s. I killed him,” she replied softly, a small hitch in her voice.
Taking her face in my hands, I looked her in the eyes.
“What did he do? What happened, Sonia?” I questioned.
“It doesn’t matter, Romi. I don’t want to talk about it. It’s over now,” she said, pulling away from me slightly. The hint of sadness lurking in the depths of her eyes belied the easy smile. It had affected her way more than she was admitting.