Page 41 of Ten

Ten swiped his thumb across the screen to answer Boychenko’s call. “Boy?”

“Someone shot at Nisha,” Boychenko said in a hurried rush. “They hit Savannah and killed the lawyer lady. Chess got hit in the leg. It’s a shit show, Ten. You need to get down here right now.”

“Where?” Ten cradled Lev against his chest and shot to his feet. “Where am I going?”

“They’re waiting for an ambulance. There’s not—hang on.”

“Ten.” Nikolai stepped forward with his phone clamped between his ear and shoulder. He grasped his son and then said, “Go.”

Ten raced from the nursery, startling Stasi who barked and followed him out into the hallway. “Roman!”

“Sorry!” Boychenko apologized. “I was waiting to see what Kostya said. Ben Taub. They’re taking the women to Ben Taub.”

“I’m on my way.” Ten raced by Ilya in the kitchen and burst out the back door of the house. He ran straight to his Tahoe and hopped behind the wheel. Horrible images flashed before his eyes. Nisha torn open by a bullet. Nisha bleeding on the pavement. Nisha terrified and calling out for him.

I should have been with her.

I should have been beside her.

I should have been protecting her.

“Never fucking again,” he swore furiously. He was never letting her out of his sight again.

Right before he reached the hospital, Ten’s phone rang again. He tapped his touchscreen to accept the call via the SUV’s Bluetooth. “Yeah?”

“Anton!” Nisha’s agonized voice filled the vehicle. “They shot at us! Savannah is dying, and Chess is bleeding a lot. Why would they do this? Why would they do this?”

“Nisha. Baby, I’m almost there.” Her sobs tore at his heart. “I’m almost there. Stay with me.”

Her sobs and the sound of ambulance sirens echoed in his ears. He gripped the steering wheel and silently cursed whoever had targeted Nisha. Murderous intent burned through his veins. He wanted to hurt someone.

“We’re at the hospital,” Nisha wept. “Ben Taub. We’re at Ben Taub.”

“I know. I’m a few blocks away. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“I have to hang up. The paramedics are taking me in now.” Her voice was small and weak. “Please hurry.”

“I’m coming.” Ten’s chest constricted so tightly he could barely breathe. How badly was Nisha hurt? Was Savannah really dying? And Chess? Fuck, Artyom was going to burn this city to the ground if Chess had been hurt.

Ten pulled into the parking garage and furiously cursed under his breath as he searched for a parking space. He found one, finally, and bailed from his Tahoe. He didn’t bother with the elevator. He took the stairs, hopping down three and four at a time to get to the ground floor faster.

He jogged across the hospital campus, desperate to reach Nisha. When he reached the ER entrance, he grimaced at the number of people packed into the waiting room. Not that it surprised him, of course.

Ben Taub. The Tub. The county’s main hospital took in all the patients no one else wanted. It was where the best trauma surgeons worked. Gunshots, stabbings, anything brutal or violent—Ben Taub’s trauma rooms had seen them all.

He stepped inside the lobby and spotted Artyom standing near a set of double doors. Their gazes clashed, and Ten nodded somberly. He weaved his way through the sea of bodies milling around the waiting room. “Artyom.”

“Ten.” Artyom stepped closer so their conversation wouldn’t be overheard. He slipped into Russian to add another layer of privacy. “It was a sniper on a building across the street. Savannah took a bullet to the chest. Chess took a round to the thigh. Nisha’s leg was bloody, but I think she missed the worst of it. Kiki’s lawyer died before she hit the ground.”

“Were you there?”

Artyom’s jaw clenched. “The parking lot. Chess didn’t want me to come inside with her. She worried I would get hassled.”

Ten heard the regret in the other man’s voice. “You could have been shot if you were with her.”

“I wish it was me instead.” Artyom glanced at the doors. “If something happens to her, I can’t even help. I’m not her family. Not legally. I can’t make medical decisions for her. I can’t keep Callie if—.” He couldn’t even finish the thought. “I should have done something sooner.”

Ten regarded Artyom with surprise. He had known that Artyom had feelings for Chess that were stronger than friendship, but there were complicating factors. Namely that Artyom had been there the night Adrian had been killed and that he had actually been the one who—.

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