Page 4 of Betrothed
I wasn’t one to set my beliefs on any one entity. There was too much at stake.
With a quick nudge from Kazimir’s elbow and a chiding look tossed in my direction, I was forced back into the moment at hand. Grinning, I nodded in respect to Rafaela first before acknowledging my acceptance of the important role in the child’s life.
At only one month old, the baby was so tiny. The first time I’d held the little tyke, I’d been frozen, terrified I’d drop him. A memory I wasn’t certain I’d share when he grew older.
With various prayers given, the priest guided the family to the vessel of water. Soon, I found myself relaxing, even daring to think about the possibility of having a child of my own one day.
Rafaela kissed Artemus on the forehead, her soft crimson lips staining his skin. The child’s father squeezed his little arm, so obviously proud of his boy.
Even Sasha was enthralled, standing up straight in reverence as he’d been taught to do.
Kazimir stiffened, which caught my eye. When he lifted his head, so did I, scanning the balcony.
I’d generally been damn good with my instincts and right now, they were screaming there was about to be a bloodbath.
“Prignis’!” As soon as I shouted get down, gunfire erupted. I threw myself toward Kazimir, knocking him to the floor while two of my men rushed toward Rafaela and the two boys.
Hissing, Kazimir pushed me off, instantly reaching for his weapon as I’d already done.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
The dog started barking, immediately guarding Rafaela.
What the fuck? With no shots heard from outside the church, that meant the person doing the shooting had hidden inside long before we’d arrived.
People started running for the exit, the booming sounds of their feet echoing, their movements making it impossible to hear anything but their panic.
“Get my wife and children to safety,” my Pakhan snarled, the command meant for me alone.
Soldiers burst in through the doors, clearly confused as to what the hell was going on. I frantically scanned the balcony, trying to detect any movement.
Another two shots were fired, a soldier instantly slumping to the floor.
“Fuck.” I backed away, trying to keep an eye on Kazimir and his family. The Pakhan had no interest in staying out of the fight.
The gunfire echoed with the high ceilings as every guest scrambled for cover. While chaos could easily reign, we were used to being attacked. So were my men who rushed toward the balcony where the shots had come from.
“Mama!” Sasha screamed.
“Take the Pakhan and his family to safety,” I ordered Grigor, another trusted soldier the family could count on.
“There was no sign of any disturbance outside,” he insisted.
“Yeah, I’m sure.” There was no time to lament. “Go. Go. Go.”
Pop! Pop!
More gunfire erupted from the back. A scream was followed by a brutal thud, at least one of the guests down.
I moved toward Rafaela while still scanning the upper level. The eerie glow from the candles created shadows, but my vision was twenty-twenty. A slight movement and I pointed the barrel of my weapon.
A split second before I pulled the trigger, a shot was taken by the assassin. I could almost feel the slight breeze as the bullet whizzed by. And I felt the horror nearly paralyzing Kazimir as he struggled to reach his wife and children while being dragged to safety by men who’d been trained to do so.
There was no second guessing. I threw myself over the water vessel, wrapping my arms around her and the boys just before all three of us dropped to the cool marble floor.
The close proximity of the gunshot created an intense muting of every sound, the entire moment shifting into slow motion.
Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!
