We had made it through the house and out the side door before we ran into trouble. A mad dash back to Viktor's place was the fastest solution to get the women out of harm's way. I heard the gunshot and lunged just in time to catch Sophie. Her eyes met mine for a moment before the light faded.
I screamed until my throat hurt.
Lucian's men offered cover fire as Lucian and Valentina tried to pry me off Sophie.
How could I let her go?
Yet she was gone.
Everything went deathly quiet. A sinister laugh from behind had our attention. I jerked my head around, and there stood the head of the Vypers, Donavon. I reached for my gun, but Donavon had me dead to rights before I could move.
"Well, if it isn't the errand boy and the crybaby." He laughed, "Another two for one special."
Sophia's blood pooled in my hands as I waited for my end. Lucian was in no better shape than I was. We knew when we grabbed them, it was likely a mistake. But leaving the ladies to the Vypers was something neither of us could have survived. The man with the gun would have made sure we saw pictures. The nightmares alone would drive us to madness.
It seems both paths lead us to the same destination.
The only sounds were Valentina's prayers from behind me; I felt her hands on me.
“Those won't save you.” Donavon mocked.
The next second, Donavon hit the ground, face-first. A single shot to the back of the head. Nobody moved, except Valentina, who was praising the God she knew. More gunshots rang out from inside the house, and I glanced at Lucian.
“More of your men?'
He shook his head. “No, they're all right here.”
I glanced back at the house. “Then who's in the house doing our job?” Then back to Lucian, “Who's the sniper?”
Lucian shook his head. “Again, I have no idea.”