Chapter 33

Chapter Thirty-Three

I 'm right behind Mikhail. Rushing the building. We both start running at the sound of gunshots. Mikhail yells something in rapid Russian before shouldering his way into the room.

"You're late, as always, love." Izzy smiles at him.

My eyes flick around until I spot a guy bleeding out on the ground, bullet wounds littering his motionless body. And then I see her. Zoe. She's huddled on the floor, her back leaning against the wall. Like it's the only thing holding her up.

"Fuck. Zoe." I drop down in front of her. My hands cup her cheek. "Zoe, it's okay. It's going to be okay."

Her eyes are looking directly at me, but they're also not. It's like she's not here. She blinks, "Marcel?" My name is nothing but a whisper on her lips. And then she smiles.

"Yeah, babe. It's me. It's going to be okay," I tell her.

"I know," she says before her eyes roll back in her head. Her body starts slipping to the side, and the next thing I know, she passes out.

"Fuck," I curse under my breath, catching her before she hits the ground. My body tears open with the movement. Literally. I feel the stitches fucking break away from my skin.

"Marcel, move. I've got her." I look up at Santo. My eldest brother is right beside him.

"Come on. We need to get you out of here. You need a fucking doctor. Again," Gio says.

"No." I shove his hands off me and reach out for Zoe, who Santo is effortlessly picking up off the ground.

"I'm just going to carry her out to the car, Marcel. Come on," he says.

I let Gio help me up to my feet. "Fucking hell," he grunts, his eyes landing on the front of the hospital gown I'm still wearing. Which is now covered in blood. Gio shrugs out of his jacket and wraps it around my shoulders. "Come on, let's go," he says while circling an arm around my waist.

I lean my weight on him, moving to exit the room. My eyes focused on Zoe and nothing else.

"Hand her over." Mikhail steps in front of my brother, blocking his path.

"Yeah, that's not happening," Santo snarls at him.

Mikhail tilts his head ever so slightly, an amused smile on his face. I don't think he's used to people telling him no. "I won't ask again," he says.

"Good, I won't answer again," Santo counters.

"Follow us to our place, Mikhail. She needs a doctor," I tell him.

"So do you. Fucking hell, Marcello, what were you thinking?" Izzy asks while throwing a hand out towards my chest.

"I was thinking some psychopath had my girlfriend," I grunt. "Can we talk about this later? She really needs a fucking doctor."

"Let's go." Izzy places a palm on Mikhail's chest. "Come on," she tells him.

Reluctantly, Mikhail turns and exits the room, my brothers and I following right behind him. Izzy and Mikhail argue the whole way out of the building. But all I hear is the last bit as we all reach our respective cars.

"Yeah, well, she loves him, which means we have to tolerate him at best," Izzy tells her husband.

The memory of Zoe and I exchanging those words hits me. She's going to be okay. She's still breathing. Her heart is still beating. She's going to be okay.

Gio helps me into the back of the car while Santo lays Zoe across the seat, her head resting on my lap. "She'll be okay, Marcel," he says.

"I know," I tell him.

She has to be. I can't imagine a life where she isn't. I have a whole new appreciation for my brother's grief. Not that I didn't before. But now, having experienced it, even for a short time… Well, the thought of Zoe being taken from me is not a reality I want to live in. Honestly, I don't know how the fuck he does it.

"If she's okay, then why isn't she waking up?" I ask the doctor, as he's stitching me back up. I made him look Zoe over first. He says she's fine. That she will wake up. That there aren't any serious injuries.

"She went through a traumatic event. Shock, anxiety, fear. It takes a toll on one's mind. She will wake up. And when she does, she will need help. I'd suggest getting her to see someone," Doc says.

I nod my head but don't say anything else. I have no idea how this is going to affect Zoe. She's already dealing with PTSD. I will do whatever I have to do to help her through it, though.

Doc packs up his shit, and a few seconds later, Gio and Santo follow him out. I refuse to leave Zoe, which is why we're in my room. She's in my bed. She looks peaceful, like she's sleeping.

"She's tough. She will get through this," Izzy says.

I look from her to Mikhail. "Do you think her panic attacks will get worse? More frequent?"

"I don't know. They're not as bad as they were when we first found her. And this incident, it was bad, but nothing like what happened to her before," Izzy tells me.

I know she wasn't abused sexually, not this time at least, but she was locked in a room with a psychopath. And she saw her friend killed. "I'll do whatever she needs," I tell them.

"As will we," Izzy replies.

Mikhail's phone rings. He pulls it out from the front of his suit jacket before eyeing his wife. "It's Kon."

"Wait." I hold up a hand to stop him from answering. "Ask him where the fuck he was."

"What?"

"You heard me. Ask the fucker where he was. For the last few weeks, he's been following Zoe around with Ivan. Every day but today. Ask him why."

Mikhail nods his head, then leaves the room to take the call.

"You know, he likes you," Izzy says while glancing in my direction.

I snort. "I doubt that."

"Yeah, like is probably too strong. He respects you," she clarifies. "But she loves you, which makes us family."

"I love her." I stare at Zoe. Willing her to wake up.

Mikhail walks back into the room. "I need to pay Ivan's family a visit," he tells Izzy.

"Okay, I'll wait here," she says.

"Your father is blowing up my phone. Call him. The kids are fine, but he's not happy about being left with babysitting duties."

"Okay. I'll call him." Izzy leans in and kisses her husband. And I'm left to feel like I'm watching a very domesticated side of the Russian Pakhan that not many see.

"Let me know when she wakes up," Mikhail says before walking out again.

"I'm going to leave you to rest. You should try to get some sleep. When she wakes up, she'll need you more than she needs me," Izzy tells me.

Nodding at her in acknowledgement, I take hold of Zoe's hand and entwine our fingers together. I don't ever want to let go of her again. I'm already working on how I can get her to move in with me. Either here or maybe we'll get our own place. Just her and me. Like I told Gio I wanted to do.

Gabe bought a house, for him and his girl. Although Daisy is still here. She won't move into it without him. Maybe I'll get Eloise to find me a house in this neighbourhood too.

My big brother already tried to tell me it wasn't an option, and he lost his shit when he found out Gabe was planning on moving out. The guy is a control freak, and when we're not all under the same room, he can't keep as close an eye on us. He has this need to protect us.

I think it's time to move on, though.

I let my eyes close. Picturing our future. Mine and Zoe's. We'll have our own house, a dog, and eventually some kids running around too. I will spend every day of the rest of my life making sure she knows she's loved. Wholly and completely loved.

I'll chase her monsters away. I will fight her demons with her. We're going to get past this. It's going to take a while and it's not going to be easy. But we will come out the other end—that much I know for sure.