12. Liam

Iwake up feeling like I have cotton in my mouth, fire in my side, and a jackhammer in my head. “Fuck.”

“Hey, Boss.”

I blink my eyes open to see Artyom standing over me. “You’re gonna live. Let me get the doc.”

I don’t have time to lie around, but I’m not sure I can stand, much less walk, out of this room and kill that fucking Dimitri Babichev.

A few moments later, Artyom returns with Dr. Patterson. Luckily for me, he’s open to morally gray situations like I am.

I’m a former FBI agent who’s been working with organized crime. Doc Patterson is a family medicine doctor who also works with organized crime, for a pretty penny, of course.

He works at a clinic, but he lives in a home built back when doctors made house calls and often had a practice attached to their home. In his case, the back building started as a dental office but now was unused except for times like now when I have a hole in me that couldn’t be treated at a hospital.

“You’re one lucky sonofabitch,” Patterson says with a shake of his head. “Bullet went through you. Didn’t hit anything important. But even if it hit your kidney, you can live with one.”

I look down to see a bandage to the right side of my stomach. “When can I leave?”

“Well, you should rest. You lost a lot of blood, and I want to make sure you don’t get an infection. You can survive the bullet and still die of sepsis.”

Since I can’t manage to get upright at the moment, I nod, but as soon as I can, I’m up and out of here, sepsis or not.

Patterson leaves the room.

“Where’s Kate?” I imagine she’s in a more troubled state than she’d already been. I can’t believe she pulled the trigger. While I’m glad she did because it shows she can protect herself, I’m not too glad I’m the one she shot. Maybe I should have taught her how to use a gun. I’d considered it when I first put her in Witness Protection, but I wanted her to live without the dark, dirty side of life.

My heart stopped when I saw Robbie push her into the tree and hold his gun to her head. Fucking hell. I don’t think my body can take much more of the stress and turmoil.

“Robbie took her to New Jersey, but?—”

“But what?” Maybe I’ll need to get my ass up sooner if something has gone wrong.

“He took her to Ricci, not the safehouse.” He watches me, and I get the feeling he’s assessing. Have I made myself look inept by working with the Mafia? I trust Artyom and his brother Robbie, but when word gets out, my other men might question my leadership.

I’d accused Igor of the same when he appeared to make a deal with Niko and Donovan. The one advantage I have is that everyone knows I was working with them in the FBI.

“Good. Let them deal with her. She fucking shot me.” I’m a dick for acting like she’s more trouble than she’s worth, but I can’t risk Artyom or any of my men questioning me at this time. Right now, my mountain home is torched and I’m laid up, all signs of weakness.

“What’s the damage?” I ask.

“Beyond your house, we lost two. Jacob and Eric. But we got six of theirs.”

I hate having lost men. Two good, loyal men. “Make sure their families are taken care of.”

“Already on it.”

“We need to get this shit done. Babichev needs to be gone at whatever the cost. Anyone who brings me his head will be rewarded. Pass that along, will you?”

“Anyone? Want this just with Bratva or beyond?” Artyom was asking if I wanted to let Mafia, mercenaries, and assassins know of my desire to rid the world of Babichev.

“Anyone. Everyone. I want that fucker dead.”

“I’ll pass it along. What is your plan right now?”

“I need to get to New York.” I need to check in with Niko and Donovan. I don’t like admitting I need help, but considering I’d been there for both of them when Don Abate and Don Fiori were fucking with them, I figure they owe me.

Imanage to make it a day before I can’t take it anymore and I need to get my ass in gear. Artyom and my men have salvaged money and guns from the safe, the only item having survived the fire. I hand over a nice wad of cash to Dr. Patterson as a thank you. He gives me some antibiotics just in case I need them.

Once free and Artyom is driving me south, I make a call to my contact at the FBI to make arrangements for Kate. Through him, a bank account is opened for her, and I fill it with two million dollars. Then I call Niko for a meeting. He indicates that he’ll be in New Jersey with Donovan. Knowing Kate is there makes me hesitate. It’s time to break all ties with her. She’s endured enough. She still needs protection, but at least with Donovan, she can see Lucy and Elena.

As Artyom drives us to New Jersey, as I make plans to make sure Babichev is terminated along with anyone who still wants to follow him or seek revenge on me.

“All his men have scurried for cover,” Artyom tells me. “I think their failure to get you and the woman has made them uncertain of Babichev.”

“Good.”

“Two have made contact with us, but…” He doesn’t finish, and I know that the two have been killed. We’re not in a place right now to trust anyone who just tried to kill me and mine.

“His army is dwindling.”

“Yes, although it’s not enough to not be vigilant. They’re regrouping now. We’ve heard rumors that Babichev was wounded… worse than you, but not dead, and he’ll likely survive.”

That gives me time to regroup myself.

When we arrive at Donovan’s home, I take a few painkillers to dull the fire in my side and allow me to stand up straight as I walk in.

“He lives,” Donovan quips as he opens the door for me.

I’m not in the mood for his jokes, but I give him a har-har. “Is Niko here yet?”

“Yep. In my office.”

“Quite a feat, moving this meeting here instead of Niko’s,” I say. “You must be getting big for your britches.”

Donovan snorts and pats me on the back. “It’s Lucy with the big britches. She’s the queen, you know. Besides, she figured you might want to check that Kate is okay. The woman is beside herself for shooting you.”

Donovan smirks, and I know he’s thinking of some snarky joke to say about my getting shot by her. I send him a look to tell him I’m not in the mood.

I enter Donovan’s office where Niko is standing over Donovan’s desk looking at something. Lucy is with him.

She looks up, her eyes narrowing at me. “The prodigal asshole returns.”

“Now, now, honey,” Donovan says good-naturedly. “Give ole Liam a break. It’s not like Kate didn’t get her payback.”

“She should have shot you in the dick.”

I arch a brow and wonder if she knows I fucked Kate. Women talk about stuff like that, don”t they?

“Perhaps we can get on with business,” I say.

“Word is you’ve outsourced your issue with Babichev,” Niko says, picking up a drink and sipping.

I really want a drink too, so I help myself to whatever is in the decanter sitting on a table in Donovan’s office. “Sooner he’s dead, sooner Kate can go back to her life.” I down the drink and pour another without regard to how it might interact with the pain pill.

“Sooner you’ll be head of Bratva, more like it.” Lucy purses her lips at him. “I supported you, and you?—”

I hold up a hand. “I’m well aware of what you think?—”

“Don’t you fucking shush me with your hand.” She glares at me.

“I’m here to do business. Perhaps you can chastise my personal dealings with Kate later.”

“He’s right,” Niko says with a look at Lucy.

She nods but continues to give me the evil eye.

“What are your thoughts?” Niko asks.

“Kate stays with you.” I look at Lucy and Donovan. “She’ll be happier here, and I know you two can protect her.”

“What about Elena?” Lucy asks.

“That’s up to Niko. I think Kate would like to see her, but considering the danger and Elena’s pregnancy, we all understand why you might want Kate to stay away.”

“I appreciate your concern, Liam. I’ll do what I can to help Donovan and Lucy keep her safe.”

“I’d like her to start living again…” I take a deep gulp of my drink. “I’ve arranged funds for her. They’re clean. If she could have her own place… work… yet still be under your protection, it would be ideal.”

“You don’t think that’s risky?” Lucy asks.

“I do, but I also think that with her away from me, Babichev’s interest will wane. He thinks he can hurt me through her?—”

“He can,” Lucy states.

“No, he can’t.” I won’t let him. “If it’s known she’s under your protection, he’ll stay away.” If he’s smart, he will, anyway. “I know there’s only so much you can do since she’s not Family, but…”

“She’s a sister to Elena. Plus, much of this is our fault,” Niko says. “We’ll protect her as if she’s one of us.”

“Thank you.” I hand over the envelope with all the information needed for Kate to start a new life to Lucy. I do it to show my respect for her as a woman with power in the Mafia, but also because I know she’ll take care of Kate.

“What’s this?” she asks.

“Everything she needs.”

Lucy’s eyes narrow. “What about when Babichev is dead?”

I shrug. “What about it?”

“What about Kate then?”

“Kate will live a long, happy, safe life. I know you’ll make sure of it.”

She shakes her head, not liking my answer, but it’s the only option. I can’t offer Kate anything except this life of danger. I won’t do it.

“You should at least let her see that she didn’t kill you and say goodbye.”

No. I can’t. Seeing her will make this all the more difficult. “Okay.” Fucking hell. I’m about to break my own heart.