Page 146 of Dmitri

I should break it.

His face is a swollen, bloody mess.

I should break that too.

“Dmitri!” Silas yells. “It’s over.”

Those words warble in my ears. “It’s not fucking over,” I growl. “Not if he’s still breathing.”

I lift Kaleb’s head and see Daelyn’s name tattooed on his bloody neck. Just when I’m about to slam his skull on the ground, something sharp pierces my side.

It happens again… and again.

Kaleb laughs, his arm jerking back and forth as he stabs me a fourth time.

My knife.I’d forgotten he took my knife earlier. The mistake costs me.

Daelyn screams. The terror of that sound races down my back and I hold my side, barely able to breathe. Blood pours from the open wounds.

Fffffuuuucccck. How could I be this stupid?

I’d gotten cocky thinking I would best this motherfucker and play with him, torture him, like he had me and my father. I tried to play a psychopath’s game and I’ve lost.

“Dmitri!” Daelyn races forward, but Ace grabs and lifts her off the ground to keep her away.

I’m grateful.

My vision darkens as I fall onto my side, which gives Kaleb the upper hand. I’m cold and can’t feel most of my body anymore. I think I’m going into shock.

“Keep her back,” I slur, panting through the pain.

Daelyn fights like a maniac to escape Ace’s clutches. He ends up dropping her, and she does exactly what I taught her in a situation like this. My girl puts one leg behind his, crouches down, and straightens her back leg out, tripping Ace and knocking him down. She scrambles across the floor and heads straight towards—

Kaleb presses the blade against me again, bringing my focus back to him.

“You tookeverythingfrom me,” he says, blood pouring from his mouth. “You took her.”

I hope I’m smiling, but I can’t feel my face to tell. “You… gave her… to me…”

Lashing out, I grab his throat, covering Daelyn’s name with my hand.

Kaleb slams his blade into me one last time.

Pop!

His expression stills, eyes lose focus. Blood drips down the side of his face, coating my fingers. I let go of his throat and he collapses with a bullet hole in his right temple and his brains splattered all over the left side of him. Leaning back, I fall on my ass, letting Kaleb go.

Daelyn’s next to us, holding the gun. Eyes blown wide, she pops off every bullet in the clip at him until she’s shooting blanks.

“That’s my good girl,” I say, collapsing with the blade still stuck in my side.

Daelyn’s gun clatters to the floor and she falls to her knees. Tears pour down her beautiful face as she crawls to me. “No, no, no! Dmitri,no!” She hooks her arm under my neck and lifts my head. “Help us!” she screams. “Someone help!”

The strength it takes to touch her face is more than I have.

“There she is,” I whisper as darkness consumes me.

I surrender and lose the fight.

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