Page 25 of Wounded Angel

“All right, Halil. You and I are going to make a deal. You’re going to tell me everything you can about your employer and who hired them, and then I’ll see what I can do to make sure you aren’t killed. You know who you’re going after, correct? You know her family?” I arch my brows, wanting him to realize the magnitude of what he’s done.

“I was told to kill Xava Umarova, the youngest sister of the Umarova family. I… I don’t know too m-much. I just overheard my boss talk a little b-bit about Ruslan betraying his w-word. That’s why we g-got the job. Why we n-needed to send a message.”

Wait. The youngest sister… but that would mean… It can’t be possible, can it?

“How old was the person driving the car?” I narrow my eyes at Halil, only wanting the truth.

“Sixteen… he’s my little brother. I needed someone to drive the getaway car. Someone I could r-rely on. Please don’t hurt him. H-he didn’t know what I was d-doing.”

Halil is nothing more than a scared teenager. A teenager who knows he made a horrible choice and can’t come back from it now. I’m not typically the type of person to give someone a second chance to fuck up, but for some reason, I feel like I need to give this kid one. I can hope he won’t fuck up, but only time will tell.

“Ambros!” Xava’s trembling voice calls my name from the safety of the SUV. Rolando has pulled over to this side of the road and exits the vehicle. He grabs the gun and puts it in the vehicle, tucking it away from anyone who would dare try to use it.

“Have you called anyone?” I look at Rolando first.

He nods. “Yes, Ruslan is on the way.”

“Perfect. Stay here with him for a moment?”

Rolando nods, and I stand. I head right over to the SUV. Mascara is running down Xava’s cheeks. I run my fingertips against her soft cheek. “Are you all right,ελ?φι?”

“Y-yeah… I can’t believe that just happened.” Xava’s bottom lip is trembling, and she’s having a hard time speaking.

“I know. Ruslan will be here shortly, and once I speak with him, you and I can get out of here. Okay?”

“Uh-huh.” Xava nods her head over and over again. She shuts her eyes as tears begin sliding out of the corners. I think she wants to seem strong for me, that she doesn’t want me to see her crying, but she’s allowed to. She was just shot at. Someone just tried to kill her. If anything, she has a damn good excuse to cry right now.

I wipe my fingertips against her cheeks and brush away the wetness. “I know this was terrifying, but you’re okay. I promise you, you’re okay.”

“I know I am. It’s just a lot to take in, is all.” Xava licks her bottom lip, and I know she’s trying to calm herself down. I place my hand on the top of her back and look right into her eyes.

“You’re okay. It’s all okay. I know it’s a shock, but you’re all right. Everything is going to be fine. I’ll speak with Ruslan when he gets here, too, okay?”

“Okay.” Xava sobs, nodding her head.

A blacked-out SUV pulls up on the other side of the street corner. Ruslan hops out the back, and then there’s another man following him, only a few steps behind.

“Ambros?” Ruslan doesn’t seem pleased to see me. He furrows his brows, and his jaw is in a clenched state.

“Ruslan, care if we have a chat?” I suggest.

He gives me a curt nod, and then we walk a few feet away from everyone so we can have some privacy. “Run me through what happened to Xava.” His tone says he’s anything but pleased. I’ve never been on Ruslan’s bad side before, and I feel like if there’s ever a time for me to be on it, it could be right now. For some reason, he doesn’t like the fact that I’m taking Xava on dates, and if what Halil said was true, it could make sense. Why would Ruslan want a man like me to be going out with his sister?

“Xava and I had just finished up dinner. Rolando was pulling the car around, and we decided to wait out front. The child over there shot at Xava and thankfully missed.”

“Child?” Ruslan whips his head around to look at Halil.

“Yes. He’s only seventeen.”

Ruslan shrugs. “Seventeen is almost a man.”

“Almost is key in that sentence. If you look at him, he’s a scared boy.”

“He should be. He shot at my sister, and you expect me to show him mercy. I’m not an idiot, Ambros. You’re coddling him for some reason. Why? You obviously have an infatuation with Xava, so why are you trying to protect the person who almost killed her?”

Sister. There I have it. I finally know the truth. Xava is Ruslan’s sister, as well as the rest of the siblings.

“I thought Xava was your cousin.” I look him dead in the eye.

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