37

While Yuri talked to the other three Russians in their language, the tallest of whom continued to hold my arm roughly, we slowly walked further and further away from the spot on the beach where Nero lay and the bitter thought that he was lonely and alone would wake up, my heart would be torn into a thousand pieces.

Plus the realization that he had sacrificed his own whore to distract us all... Anjelika was just as innocent a victim as Senan and Nero...

"We can also send her to Russia. Such dark hair and big eyes. That's a lot of money, boss," said the blond, skinny Russian next to me, who seemed to be undressing me with his disgusting looks.

That disgusting bastard!

"Hmm," Yuri said thoughtfully, stopping to take a good look at me while the dumb guy behind me tightened his grip again. "It's too small," he said while looking at my legs and I pulled out angrily and wanted to kick him with all my strength, but I just couldn't get to him, which also made this monster laugh.

"I told you, my legs are too short," he explained to the other Russian, who looked at my breasts and licked his lips greedily.

"But before we kill them, we could at least have some fun," he said, almost drooling, to Juri, who just shrugged his shoulders and looked at me in amusement.

"You can try it!" I provoked the guy and apparently he took that as an invitation too.

I hated my big mouth!

Frightened by his sudden proximity, I felt my heart tremble with its strong pounding and while he simply put his hands on my breasts, I held my breath in disgust and tried desperately to free myself from the giant's grip .

"Fuck off! You w-"

I couldn't get any further!

There was a loud bang and I watched with huge eyes as the guy in front of me took a last deep breath before he just fell sideways to the ground. I no longer felt my body at all at that moment. Felt trapped and suddenly tasted the blood of him that had splattered on my face.

"Let her go immediately!!!"

I stared into the darkness with my mouth open and, despite this hopeless situation, I caught a smile spreading across my face just from Rian's voice.

"Oh, the high politician is here! We should all bow!" Yuri laughed and just relaxed drew his pistol to point it right at my head. The other Russian took aim at Odran, while the giant behind me used me as a kind of shield.

Cowardly asshole!

"I said he should let go of her! Immediately!!!", Rian screamed and when he and Odran came closer and closer and I counted more weapons than people, my pulse quickened, but I also felt somehow safe, now that I looked deep into Rian's eyes.

He would never let anything happen to me. I knew that and I really believed that!

"You know I can't do that," Yuri replied with a grin. "This is a really tricky situation. If I let her go, you'll kill me. If I don't let her go, I'll probably die too. But either way, she'll die too!"

Rian suddenly ran towards Juri with his gun and even when he pointed his gun at his face, Rian didn't stop until the barrel pressed right on his forehead and Juri just looked at him with a grin.

"You eldener bastard," Rian whispered with such a coldness that a shiver went down my spine. "If you don't let her go within the next three seconds, I'll kill you right now! This is between the two of us! Keep her out of this!!!"

Yuri suddenly clapped his hands in amusement and shouted something in Russian, causing several men to appear out of the darkness...

At least now I knew where those damn guards had gone.

And now it really looked like shit for us. Three against eight!

"So? Still so brave?", Juri asked Rian with a dirty grin, but he still seemed unimpressed.

"And even if the whole Russian army were standing here, you're still a little pisser!", Rian growled and took a few steps back to point his gun right at Yuri. "You and me. Let the others go!" He demanded again and when Yuri spoke to the Russian next to him in his own language, they both laughed briefly and I got the shock of my life.

Another shot rang out, but this time it didn't hit any of the Russians...

"No! Oh my god, no!!!", I screamed with a trembling voice and out of sheer adrenaline and panic I actually managed to free myself from the giant and ran past Rian to Odran with tears in my eyes fallen to the ground, holding her shoulder, cursing and moaning in pain.

I lifted his side and ripped his shirt off a bit, but I couldn't see anything from the tears. "You stay awake!" I just sobbed and put my hands on his cheeks while he forced a smile and nodded silently.

I suddenly saw his pistol lying next to him and for a brief moment I forgot what was going on here because I was so scared. Without considering the consequences of my action, I cautiously leaned over him, gripping the pistol in my trembling hand, then stood up to wipe my tears and stand right next to Rian, aiming at the bastard aiming at Odran had shot.

I glanced at Rian, whose expression somehow made me realize that this was the end of us, but I had an ace up my sleeve... even if I didn't know if it was ever going to happen...

"Oh man!" Yuri suddenly got excited artificially and looked back and forth between the two of us. "I didn't mean to kill you guys that easily! That's no fun! Where's the sorrow and regret then?!"

Just the stupid way he talked made me aim for him too. At the thought of how many pistols were pointed at me and Rian, my hand started shaking uncontrollably again, which annoyed me more than just.

At least in the face of death I wanted to be as tough and controlled as my husband for once, but I couldn't.

"I'm going to shoot Juri and that's when you run away. You just run and don't turn around, do you understand?" Rian suddenly whispered to me from the side, but I just looked at him angrily.

"Like I'd let you down," I smiled, and then as we locked eyes, the Russians seemed to no longer exist for us, but it was Yuri who wanted to ruin the moment.

"So the fun's over! Put down your guns and I want to see your hands!"

As soon as he said that, I tossed the gun in the sand and took a deep breath, looking at Yuri to find my husband's hand, who cupped it protectively but didn't even think to put down his gun.

On the contrary!

He pulled me by the hand and quickly stooped for my pistol, then aimed both weapons at the Russians.

"No matter what else happens here, you will go down with me!", he then threatened Juri and now aimed both weapons at him, while I clawed at his back and noticed the tension in every muscle of his.

Then there was silence... It was the kind of silence that made your heart race, because all I could think about was that the next bang could kill Rian and I kept looking at Odran, who to my relief seemed to be conscious, yes was in a lot of pain judging by the way he was panting.

"I love you, Keeva," Rian then whispered so quietly that only I could hear, and reluctantly my eyes filled with tears again, afraid I'd heard those words for the last time.

"Me too," I breathed against his back and snuggled even closer to him, trembling, until I unexpectedly heard this whistle....

That shitty whistle that mixed with the wind and gave me hope!

"Rian?" I demanded his attention and he turned his head back slightly without taking his eyes off Juri. "I lied to you. I didn't talk to my father on the phone," I admitted and now he turned completely around to me and looked at me completely confused before I heard several Russians swearing and looked at them again, what Rian equaled me.

I immediately grabbed my gun from Rian's hand and now it was me who smiled at Juri, while behind him stood a brown-haired handsome boy in a white undershirt, who held a long blade to his neck and winked at me.

"Gypsies don't need guns. We're not afraid of physical contact," Padraig grinned and motioned to my other cousins, causing them to kill all the Russians except for Yuri with their knives.

Not a pretty sight, but at least we were alive!

"Wow," I suddenly heard Rian say, impressed. "No wonder I love you."

"Be glad that I love you too," I grinned and together we walked towards Juri, whose stupid grin had disappeared once and for all while some of my cousins took care of Odran.

****

"You damn piece of shit!" Rian growled menacingly next to me and punched Yuri in the face so hard that you could hear exactly how his cheekbone broke.

Padraig then let go of the Russian, who fell on his knees in the sand cursing and, despite his situation, started laughing dirty.

How I hated that laugh because I knew it would stay with me forever in my memories.

"Peach," Padraig addressed me by my nickname and glanced at Rian, who was busy venting his frustration on Juri's face before he hugged me tightly and I smelled that familiar smell, which for me was always meant family.

I've never been more grateful to have one...

I still couldn't make up my mind why he always called me Peach, which didn't matter at all now. I quickly disengaged from his embrace, totally agitated, and nodded to my other cousins, then turned my gaze to Rian, whose body was shaking with anger as he stared at the Russian with hate.

"Get it over with, brother," Yuri said to him, spitting his blood right in front of his feet.

"Keeva," my husband suddenly spoke to me and his voice was so cold that I shuddered briefly. "Do you want?"

I didn't really understand what he meant until he held out his gun and eyed me intently.

Shit !

I really hated Yuri and inside I didn't want anything else but for him to die, but kill someone? Am I ready for this? Would Yuri become a part of me forever if I took his soul?

And what if I declined? Would Rian even want me if he thought I was too weak?

Overwhelmed by my thinking, I took the pistol in my hand and took a few deep breaths, which didn't calm me down at all.

"If you can't, then-"

"I can," I interrupted Rian and yet I knew that he could hear the tremor in my voice very clearly, but he didn't leave me alone with it.

So while I was aiming at Juri, who was grinning at me, I felt Rian's hands on my waist, giving me the support I needed while he breathed in and out with me.

"You can't do it," Yuri laughed in amusement and just as he was about to say something again, I looked deep into his blue eyes and without thinking about it, pulled the trigger, while my heart jumped from the shot to my throat and me got hot and cold at the same time.

My first murder! And he was, in my opinion, perfectly justified... although, on the other hand, taking a life with a finger still seemed cruel to me.

I hit his head right and watched him overwhelmed as all life left his body and he just fell sideways into the sand and suddenly it came over me...

Sadness, anger and the total overload of my feelings. I was lucky to still be alive. Frightened by the many corpses around me and still so thankful that Odran and everyone else seemed to be fine.

"Keeva?" I heard Rian whisper behind me, and while tears from all the chaos trickled down my cheeks, I turned to him and clung to his strong body for help.

I took a deep breath as his scent soothed me and I pressed my face against his chest to listen to his heartbeat as he held me tightly in his arms and gently rubbed my back.

"I have something else," I heard Padraig behind us and reluctantly broke Rian's embrace to look at my cousin in irritation. "He met us halfway."

I looked at Padraig's brother Arthur, who was grabbing someone by the neck and shoving them onto the sand in front of us, making my eyes widen and unconsciously holding my breath.

It was Brandon and even though he scared me so much, I felt sorry for him now.

As he sat on his knees and trembled. Add to that his sobbing and the fact that he was ultimately being forced into it... He didn't deserve to die!

Before I could say anything, Rian pulled the gun out of my hand and aimed it at Brandon, but I looked up at him in panic and tried to stop it.

"Rian, he didn't do anything to anyone. He was forced himself!" I explained sympathetically, but Rian was shaking with anger and hatred and didn't let me tell him anything at the moment.

"Anyone who betrays you once will do it again!" he said coldly and glanced down at me. "Go back to the villa with your cousins and Odran. Take Nero with you. I'll take care of this."

And again he had that look that didn't allow any arguments. I looked dejectedly at Padraig, who I knew thought just like Rian. I was probably still too weak, or maybe my heart was just too big. Certainly naive, but I couldn't just turn it off like that.

"I'll stay here too," Padraig said and after I kissed Rian gently on his cheek, I reluctantly walked back to the villa with the others.

As I made my way through the sand, I said hello to some of my family and kept glancing up at the night sky, wondering if I'd ever forget that night, until I heard a pop and winced.

Brandon was probably history now too and I thanked Rian for sending me away, because a few tears ran down my cheeks again, but I quickly wiped them away so as not to be seen as weak.

When I got to the stairs I saw someone standing at the top and when I recognized Senan, who was holding his head and seemed to be in pain, I hurriedly ran up to him and hugged him tightly.

"I told you not to come out," he whispered in my ear and then kissed my cheek while I didn't even dare to let go. I didn't want to be alone now with all the terrible feelings that held me so captive. "Where's Rian?" he suddenly asked with wide eyes and I looked up at him.

"He... he..." I stammered and only noticed how everything around me went black.

RIAN POV.;

Gun in hand, I stared at Brandon's lifeless body, and even though everyone was dead, my hatred just wouldn't let go.

There was no sense of relief... More like anger... Merciless anger at myself!

I couldn't protect Keeva and my eyes fell on Padraig, who was taking away valuables from the dead Russians.

Yes, you could probably make money that way.

"Thank you," I breathed in his direction, and when he lifted his head and looked at me, his gaze seemed completely blank.

He suddenly came towards me, standing right in front of me and for the first time facing me someone who seemed just as cold as I did.

"You better take care of her," he said with a raised eyebrow and grinned stupidly seconds later. "Even though I know how stubborn and idiosyncratic she is."

"She really is," I replied and was about to turn away when he suddenly grabbed my arm and seemed thoughtful.

"Do you love her?" he demanded and I immediately nodded in agreement without even having to think for a second.

"More than I'd like," I explained and he seemed satisfied with my answer as he patted my shoulder and then lit a cigarette.

"I haven't had this much fun in a long time," he then exhaled and ran his hands through his brown hair, which he brushed aside.

I would have liked a situation like this before. The adrenaline that punish, but since I recently thought that Keeva was going to die, I was totally confused in my feelings and wanted nothing more than to take her in my arms, but someone had to clean up the chaos here.

"I'll call a cleaner for a moment," I then explained to Padraig and took a few steps away to make a quick phone call before I hung up and turned to Padraig again. "Let's go "