73. Chapter 73

73

Dimitri

O ur son ?

The words echo in my head.

Our.

Fucking.

Son.

My brain's still processing when Wren moves. Fast. Desperate.

"Take him!" she yells, her voice cracking.

The kid's airborne. Heading my way. Blyat.

My arms flash out faster than lightning. Pure instinct. I snatch the squirming, snot-covered bundle of limbs out of the air just in time.

Oof! The kid collides into my chest with a thud that knocks the air right out of my lungs. My arms tighten around him instinctively. He sobs uncontrollably, his tiny body heaving in my arms.

The kid's wailing. Fucking wailing. In my goddamn ear, "Momma! Momma!" Over and over.

I squeeze him tighter, my jaw clenched so hard I swear I can hear my teeth grinding. He's so tiny, so breakable. And he's ours.

Our son. The thought buzzes through my mind like an exposed wire.

"Shh, shhh…" I growl, the words harsh, too harsh. Fuck, how do you calm a kid down? Think, damn it, think!

"It's… it's okay," I manage, the words feeling as foreign as the language of some goddamn alien race.

My gaze darts back to Wren. She's moving fast as a fucking cheetah. Lunging for Elena. Hands out. Clawing for the gun.

They collide. Spinning across the floor. Debris crunching under them. "Wren!" Her name tears out of my throat. Raw. Primal. The kid in my arms— our son, fuck—starts thrashing. Little fists pummel my chest. Each hit a reminder. This is real. This is happening.

"I want Momma! I want Momma!"

"Don't move," I snarl. I adjust my grip. The kid's slippery. Like trying to hold on to a greased pig. "Stop… stop moving, uh… kid!"

He's not listening. His body shakes.

Yob tvoyu mat . This kid's got some fire in him.

He twists in my arms, all elbows and knees, trying to squirm free. His face is a mess of snot and tears, but those eyes… Suka . They're piercing. Fierce. Like I'm looking into a mirror but with Wren's determination burning behind them.

"Momma!" he screams again, his voice raw. He's not giving up, the stubborn little shit.

His tiny fists pound against my chest, each hit punctuated by a sob. "Let… go! I want… Momma!"

For such a scrawny little runt, he's got some strength in him. Must get that from Wren, too. He manages to land an elbow right in my solar plexus, knocking the wind out of me.

" Ouff !" I wheeze, tightening my grip. "Stay calm, kid!"

But he doesn't stay calm. Of course he doesn't.

He's mine and Wren's, after all. Stubborn as a fucking mule, trying to break free, to get to his mother. To protect her.

I feel it slipping. My control . Rage and fear battling it out in my chest.

"Hold your fire!" I order.

My men hover. Edging the room. Guns trained on the women. But they can't shoot. Not without risking Wren.

"Boss!" Saveliy shouts over the chaos. "Enemies are down. But no sign of Zimniy."

"Keep looking. Seal off the exits."

I grunt, eyes locked on Wren and Elena. They're a fucking tornado of rage, rolling across the floor. The gun's between them, muzzle swinging wildly.

"Enough, Elena!" I bark, my voice booming over the boy's wails and the tussle's commotion. "Knock it off!"

"You think this changes anything, D? Zimniy won't stop. He can't be stopped—not by you, not by anyone here!"

"You've lost everything now—stop!"

" Lost ? D, you fool!" she spits the words, face contorted with a mix of pain and fury as she tries to wrestle the gun from Wren. "This was never about what I had to lose. It's about showing you the cost of your betrayal!"

"Shut the fuck up and die," Wren snarls, her boot connecting with Elena's jaw. The crack echoes through the room. Elena stumbles, blood spraying from her mouth.

I want to rush to Wren's side. But I gotta keep our son safe, no matter what . He's my flesh and blood, my own damn kid, even if he's as stubborn as his mom.

Wren's on Elena in a flash, twisting her wrist. Elena howls, then slams her knee into Wren's gut. Wren flies back, hitting the wall hard. Fuck.

Elena's got the gun again, barrel swinging between me and the kid. Her eyes are wild, pupils blown. She's gone full psycho.

"You want to suffer, D?" She cackles, finger twitching on the trigger. "Watch your precious family die."

Everything slows down. I see Wren coming at Elena from the side, face twisted in rage. But she's too far. Too slow.

The gun fires.

I move without thinking, spinning to shield the kid. Pain explodes in my back. Once. Twice. Like being hit with a sledgehammer.

Through the haze, I hear another shot. Elena's head snaps back, a red mist spraying. Wren's standing there, gun smoking.

My knees give out. The kid's screaming, but it sounds far away. Wren's face swims into view, pale and terrified.

"D! Stay with me!" Wren's voice cuts through the fog that's clouding my mind. I try to respond, but my mouth's full of copper, my tongue heavy and useless. All that comes out is a wet gurgle.

The numbness spreading through my body is a bad sign. Can't feel my legs, and the rest of me's not far behind. The kid's still clinging to me, his tiny body shaking against mine. I've got to stay awake. For him. For Wren.

Someone shouts, "Zimniy!"

The shout snaps my head up, sending the room spinning like a fucked-up carousel. Through the haze, I see him. That suka , standing there looking all high and mighty with his piece out. Before I can even think of moving, Oleg's there, putting himself between Zimniy and us.

Two shots ring out, loud and sharp. Oleg stumbles, red blooming on his chest like some sick flower. But the tough bastard doesn't go down. His gun comes up, and he fires off three shots in quick succession.

Bam. Bam. Bam.

Zimniy dances away, dodging bullets like the slippery fuck he's always been. More shots echo through the room, muzzle flashes lighting up the space like a demented disco. I can't tell who's firing anymore; everything's a blur of noise and light.

Wren's got her arms around me and the kid, trying to drag us back. Her face is contorted with effort, teeth gritted as she pulls. "Stay awake, D! Don't you dare check out on us!" she growls.

I want to nod, to tell her I'm trying, but my head's too heavy. The world's going fuzzy at the edges, darkness creeping in, no matter how hard I fight it.

The kid's hand finds mine, his tiny fingers slick with blood. My blood? Fuck.

I've got to stay awake. Got to protect them. But everything's fading. Wren's voice, the gunshots, it's all getting farther away, like I'm sinking underwater.

The last thing I see is the kid's face, tears cutting clean trails through the blood and grime on his cheeks.

The darkness creeps in, but I fight it. Just a little longer. Just need to hear her voice one more time.

And there it is. Wren's voice, "Don't you fucking die on me. Not now, not ever. You stay with me, you hear?"

I want to tell her it's okay.

I want to tell her I miss her.

But the words won't come.

Her sobs fade, replaced by a high-pitched ringing. Then… nothing but darkness.