Chapter 5

Five

Lili

I f this is what getting grazed by a bullet feels like, I would hate to get shot.

Fire blazes across my left shoulder. I swear a red-hot poker would feel like ice against my skin in comparison.

"Son of a bitch, this hurts!" I gasp for air and let the burn of pain rip through me. Blood runs down my arm, but the water washes it away just as quickly. My heart stutters and trembles in my chest. But I don't have time to be scared because out of nowhere, Accandis' men pour into Bastian's penthouse.

How, I don't know. But I need a gun and an escape route.

I slap my hand over the ripped flesh and pull back bloody fingers. Behind me, wood cracks as a beast of a man tears through the living room. Behind Bastian, Con, Arthur, and James lay waste to men I've never seen before. Bodies fly. Male growls carry over the sound of water. Guns go off. Blood turns the water red, and my dazed brain can only think about the ruined white carpet for several heartbeats.

A heavy hand comes down on my shoulder and I whirl around ready to put my fist through someone's face.

It takes everything in me not to scream and strike out. Only a familiar set of eyes keeps my heart in my chest and my knuckles out of his teeth. "Get to the elevator. Go to floor twenty-nine and wait for us. Code is nine, seven, twelve."

Bastian's nose is touching mine as he shouts. There's a wildness in his eyes. Behind him, Liam lays face down in the water, dead.

I gulp air. I've heard people tell me Bastian is a killer. He has told me himself. But I've never seen the mafia man prove he's as dangerous as everyone describes him as.

Now I know.

"I'll cover you."

Nausea churns in my belly at the stench of blood. I'm a lot of bravado in a small package, but I can't handle blood.

"Come here." He rips off a piece of my shirt and presses it against my arm. He uses another piece he takes from my other sleeve to tie it in place. I suck in harshly.

"Now get moving."

I want to make sure he's behind me, but he's pushing me so fast through the chaotic madness happening in his living room that I don't have time to do anything but move.

We get about five steps from the elevator when the doors slide open and two men I have never seen before step out, guns drawn.

My world turns into a blur of motion.

One second I am in front of Bastian and in the next all I see is the back of his head.

He's in front of me, his weapon drawn. Two sharp pops and the intruding men fall to their knees.

I stumble back, but I don't get far. An overturned couch keeps me from planting on my ass in the river of red ruining Bastian's carpet. It's a silly detail to focus on, but my brain latches on and refuses to let go until my stepfather is in front of me.

"Hey, baby, look at me. You're safe now."

My heart occupies my throat so talking is a no-go for a moment. He pulls me into his arms, and I press my cheek against his chest. The heavy thud of his heart in my ear calms my nerves. I close my eyes and give up a prayer of thanks that we are not the ones face-down in the water.

Guns stop. The howls of pain die. Only the sound of rushing water fills the surrounding space.

"How did they get in here?"

"James sound off!" Bastian's chest rumbles under my palms. The vibrations work to take the edge off my frayed nerves.

"All dead. Senior and junior won't be a problem." I turn to see a heaving James pull Con and Arthur in for a hug. For killers, they sure are touchy-feely.

Which reminds me that Liam has a brother. "Yeah, that's great and all but the other brother is still out there." I'm shivering so hard my teeth clatter together.

Arthur looks at Bastian who gives a shrug like it's no big thing.

"One problem at a time. Arthur, we need to shut the water off at the valve. Con, get the building in lockdown."

I watch Bastian's lips curl into a snarl. "Someone let these fuckers up here. Bring the doorman to level twelve. I'll deal with him after I tend to Lili."

Con scrubs a hand down his face. "Yes, boss."

Behind him James is collecting the fallen and Arthur is heading for the water valve somewhere out of sight.

Bastian walks over to the wall and hits some invisible button. A panel swings open, and he flicks a switch upward. In seconds, the water pooling around our feet drains away.

"Neat trick. That could have come in handy earlier."

He grunts. "Something jammed it closed. I'll look into it."

I take a couple of steps back and just take in the man in front of me. He's a damn tank in the finest clothes. He's drenched, but even then he's a man I can't take my eyes off. He's flawed in so many ways, but his heart is in the right place.

God, why do I love looking at this man so much? His shirt clings to every muscle. His dress pants are soaked and highlight the fact he never misses leg day at the gym.

"And check the killer amount of water your sprinkler system released," I suggest, and pull my head out of the gutter. This would make a good time to apologize for lighting the fire in the first place, but I don't think I will. He earned every bit of me ruining all his furniture and pretty white carpet.

He's messing around with something else on the hidden panel that makes a large amount of air flow through the penthouse.

"It won't take long for this place to dry out."

As he talks and explains how the water system works, my head is stuck on how the shirt clinging to his muscles latches onto every contour and bulge. The material is transparent when it's wet and I never thought I was into tattoos, but this man is covered in them.

Huh. A little detail I never knew about him. Then again, he never took his shirt off or got soaked in front of me either.

Come on, Lili. You almost died here. And so did your friends.

I mentally shake myself.

I guess it's just easier not to think about how close we all came to not making it out of this water death trap with our lives intact.

"Yes, that too. Some wires must have been crossed between level twelve and here during the security system upgrade. There's more work to be done."

I backtrack on what he said a moment ago and start connecting the dots. I level a narrowed-eyed look at him and plant my hands on his chest when he comes back to wrap me in his arms.

"Level twelve. What goes on down there on level?—"

He cups my chin before I can voice my full question. "Level twelve is off-limits. No questions. Drop it right here and right now, Lili Irons. You're innocent love and light will never know what goes on down there."

I cock my head to this side and give a little shrug like I'll give in and back off.

Ha. For now. But I'll eventually find out. I'll pick another hill to climb for the time being. "It's Bellemore, Bastian. So, if I can't know about level twelve, then what's on level twenty-nine? And why is my birth date the elevator code to get there?"

His eyes fall to my arm before he slowly lifts his gaze to caress the side of my face with a warm look. He just made a mental decision not to correct me. Arrogance pulls his expression into a smug smile. I've known the man long enough to know his tell signs. He wants to fight me on my last name but until he adopts me or marries me I'm not an Irons.

"It's easier to show you."

I'm back in his arms and this time when the elevator doors open, there isn't a kill squad aiming their guns at our hearts. That's nice.

Bastian picks me up and holds me close to his chest. My arms go around his neck. He smells of gunpowder and blood, but he's alive when it could have turned out so differently.

"We could have died," I say to him as he punches in the code for the twenty-ninth floor.

"Yes."

Flat. No emotion. Typical Bastian.

"You did all this for peace. That kind of backfired, didn't it?"

He looks mortally wounded by my softly-spoken words. Damn. I don't want to start a fight here. Not after all the shit we just went through. I want to backtrack, but today's events ride squarely on his shoulders. Why should I feel guilty for wanting clarity and someone to take responsibility?

"Yes. You're right."

I want to demand he put me down, but when his dark eyes meet mine, the soul-wrenching look he gives makes me pause.

"I'm sorry."

Something in me calms. The freaked-out woman who doesn't like violence takes a deep breath and the crevice in my heart from his betrayal stops growing. I offer a small smile to hide how those two gruffly-spoken words grip my heart in a vice. I've never heard them come out of Bastian's mouth since I met him.

"I don't know how else to say it, but I will spend the rest of my life making up for my mistake."

The smell of his fading cologne and the feel of his warm body against mine almost have me letting this whole thing go. Almost. "Yes, Bastian, you will. And we still need to have a long talk."

My bravado is fierce, but on the inside, I want to be the damsel in distress. It's just never been who I am. Deep down though, I can see myself wearing his wedding ring and carrying his children. On the flip side, I wonder if that is how I really see this turning out for us. Can I trust him to never pull a stunt like this again, and all in the name of protecting the family again?

His arms tighten around me like he can hear my thoughts. I silently plead for him to just say he loves me and that all will be okay. But I don't want lies either.

Is this the end for us? Do I leave now and never return? The thought of never seeing him again guts me.

I guess we'll both find out, eventually. But right now, I feel safe in his arms and I'm going to hold on to that while he holds onto me.

"I agree. We have a lot to talk about, Lili Irons."