Page 202 of Wicked Proposal
Mia flinches at my shout, then steels herself. “I’m not your wife yet,” she whispers.
Then she slaps me.
It’s a cold, hard strike across my cheek. It couldn’t hurt if she tried. I’m trained for pain—it’s my oldest companion.
And yet, at that moment, something else fills me.
Shame.
I let go. I don’t mean to, but I do.
“Mia—”
Then I hear it.
Herscream.
Mia’s face falls. Her eyes fill with cold, naked horror as she watches her best friend fall to the ground.
And then she starts running.
In the rain of bullets. With no protection, no vest, no weapon.
Straight towards her friend.
My heart stops. Time slows to a crawl. I can see every moment amplified, every bead of sweat frozen as if caught in amber.
Then I see the bullet pierce Mia’s arm.
She staggers. Blood spurts from the wound, bright and red and terrifying.
My veins fill with ice.
This is it,I think.This is how I lose her.
And then,No fucking way.
I follow the trajectory of the bullet. It’s instinct more than anything else, a split-second decision.
Then I fire into the trees.
The noise stops. Something falls from a branch—a man. Dressed in camouflage, disguised, perfectly blended with his surroundings.
Dead.
The rain of bullets ends, as abruptly as a summer storm. Mia stumbles forward, clutching her left shoulder, but doesn’t stop moving. Instead, she starts crawling on the grass, dragging herself towards her friend.
“Kallie!” She’s panting hard, her free hand darting towards Kallie’s wrist, searching for a pulse. “Can you hear me? Stay with me, Kal. Please.”
Blood is oozing from her side, dark in the moonlight. Her sari is torn at the height of her stomach—a round, perfect hole quickly covered by Mia’s hand.
Next to them, Maksim is on his knees. I’ve seen a lot of expressions on his face over the years—joy, anger, mockery.
But I’ve never seen him look so empty.
Slowly, I drag myself over to them. Force my feet to move, even when they feel like twin blocks of cement. Even with the memories weighing me down every single step.
This is your fault,the voices of my dead family hiss in my ears like vengeful spirits.You did this. You killed her friend.
