Page 144 of Mile High Daddy

She gasps, pressing her hands to my side, where the blood is spreading fast.

I ignore it.

Alexei fires another shot, forcing Ryan to stumble back. “Get up, you bastard,” he snarls.

Evans is still on the ground, groaning in pain. I grab a broken pipe from the floor and slam it against his temple.

He goes limp.

Ryan sees this, curses, and starts to run.

Alexei doesn’t let him. He moves fast, tackling Ryan, both of them crashing hard against the floor. They struggle, fists flying, the gun skidding across the room.

I force myself up, ignoring the pain in my side, and grab my own gun from the floor.

Ryan sees it too late.

I fire, and the bullet slams into his chest.

His body jerks, his eyes going wide. He stumbles back, blood blooming against his dark shirt. He gasps, like he wants to say something—then collapses.

Silence.

Heavy breathing.

Lila is still crouched behind the crate, her hands shaking, her eyes locked on me.

Alexei shoves himself off the floor, dusting himself off, his expression unreadable.

Evans is still breathing, barely. I step forward, pressing my gun to his bloody forehead.

Lila stands, her voice shaking. “Mikhail, don’t.”

I glance at her. Then, slowly, lower my gun.

Her cold fingers clamp around my arm, and I barely have a second to register the way she’s shaking, her chest rising and falling too fast, before she gasps, “Mikhail?—”

Her nails dig into my skin.

“The babies—” She sucks in a sharp breath “They’re coming.”

Everything else falls away.

Because Lila is doubling over, clutching her belly, her face contorted in pain.

I catch her before she collapses, wrapping an arm around her waist.

“Breathe,kiska,” I murmur, keeping my voice steady even as panic claws at my throat.

She shakes her head, her fingers gripping my jacket. “It—hurts.”

I glance up. Alex is already moving.

“We need to get her out of here, now,” he says, his usual calm completely gone.

I don’t waste time.

I scoop Lila into my arms, ignoring the fire in my ribs as she buries her face in my shoulder, trembling. Alex leads the way out of the warehouse, stepping over bodies, kicking Evans’s half-conscious form aside.

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