Page 147 of Bratva Knight

Bang!

White-hot pain exploded across my chest. My body was propelled backwards by the force of the gunshot and I landed hard on the ground, screaming out in agony.

The pain. Fuck, the pain!

I’d never been shot before and, if that is how it felt, I never wanted to be again. Jesus.

Nikolai’s face appeared above me, eyes glistening with tears. “Fuck, Tati. You’re okay. Why the fuck did you do that?! You’re okay. It’s alright.” He frantically pried open my bulletproof vest and literally sagged on top of me. “You’re okay. The bullet didn’t penetrate the vest. You’re okay. Oh fuck, you’re okay.”

“That’s good.” Whoa, was it just me or did that come out kind of sluggish?

His head snapped up and he looked at me with concern as he cradled my face. “Hey, what—” his eyes widened with fear when he looked at his hand. It was covered in blood. He lifted my head slowly and I winced. He pulled out a rock from behind me.

Did I land on that?

“Fuck.” He threw it to the side. “Get me some fucking help!” he roared to Vincenzo.

“I’m feeling a little…woozy.” Darkness crept into the corners of my vision. My head lolled to the side and Nikolai gripped my face tight.

“No. Hey! No. Stay awake, you hear me? You’ll be fine. Just stay awake.”

Dizziness washed over me. My eyes suddenly felt heavy, so fucking heavy. There was a dull pain throbbing from my skull. Something wet slicked down the back of my neck.

“Tati! Hey!”

The darkness around the edges of my vision increased, spreading out, swallowing more of my sight.

Oh, boy. This can’t be good.

Nikolai started screaming, but I couldn’t hear him. Why couldn’t I hear him? I felt so weak, I couldn’t even lift my arms. I wanted to touch his face. He had such a handsome face. Beautiful. Utterly beautiful.

Nauseousness rolled through me, mixing with the dizziness. The last thing I saw was Nikolai crying before the darkness took over completely.

Chapter Forty-Two

Tatiana Andreeva

Igroaned,myheadpoundinglike a jackhammer in my ears.

Where the fuck am I? What is going on?

My mouth felt dry, a heavy grogginess working its way through every single one of my limbs, making it almost impossible for me to move. The last thing I remembered was fighting in the Arena. The flash of a gun. The pain of getting struck in the chest. Falling. A complete wave of disorientation. Nikolai.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and struggled to push past the haze that controlled my mind. There was some sort of repetitive beeping noise swimming around in my head. It reminded me of what you’d hear in a hospital, like a heart monitor. Was that where I was?

It made sense, given the last few bits of fragmented memories I could make out.

The heaviness over my eyes slowly started to fade, and I used all of my strength to open them.

I was right. I was in a hospital. The room brought back painful memories of the last time I’d been in a room like that, but I shut them out. I locked them back away in that little corner of my mind where I refused to go.

Nikolai was slumped forward at my side, his head resting on his forearm, hand clasped over mine. He was sleeping. Lines of exhaustion marred his face. His hair was a dishevelled mess, his clothes all rumpled and dirty. They looked like the same ones he’d been wearing in the Arena. Had he not rested the entire time I’d been out?

Bloody hell, probably not. This man, I swear.

I licked my dry lips, shifting my body slightly. I didn’t want to wake him, especially considering how tired he looked. My whole body ached. Pain throbbed from everywhere. My chest. My legs. Even my goddamn toes. Everythinghurt.

Now that adrenaline wasn’t flooding through my veins, masking the pain, I could feel everything. And it fucking sucked.

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