Chapter 87 Chapter 87
Chapter 87
Nina’s POV
The men charged like a black wave crashing through the steam-filled room. Boots slammed against the wet floor, sending bloody water splashing up their legs.
Rifles swung up in unison, red laser dots dancing across my bare, scalded skin.
My heart slammed so hard I thought it would burst. I was naked, burning, one gun against ten, the flash drive digging into my palm like a promise I might not live to keep.
“Drop it!” one of them barked, voice muffled behind his balaclava.
I could not drop it. Not the gun. Not the drive. Not after everything.
Sabina stood behind them, arms crossed under her breasts, water still streaming down her body like she was enjoying the show. Her smile was back—sharp, satisfied. “Make it quick, boys. But don’t kill her. I still have plans for my little kitten.”
One of the men lunged first. Big, fast, arm reaching for my wrist. I jerked back on instinct, heel slipping on the slick tiles.
The gun went off again—loud, deafening in the small space. The bullet hit the wall behind him, plaster exploding in a white cloud that mixed with the steam. He kept coming.
I screamed.
Then the window shattered.
Glass rained down like diamonds in the red emergency lights.
A black rope dropped through the broken pane, and Dante swung in like some avenging shadow, boots hitting the floor hard enough to crack tiles.
He was soaked from the snow outside, coat flapping, two guns already drawn. His eyes found me in less than a second—fierce, protective, furious.
“Nina!”
Behind him, more glass exploded as Enzo kicked in the balcony door, submachine gun raised. He took in the scene—the armed men, the blood, me standing there naked and shaking—and his face twisted into something savage.
“Get the fuck away from her!” he roared.
Gunfire erupted.
The room turned into pure hell.
Bullets tore through steam and smoke. One of Sabina’s men went down with a grunt, clutching his shoulder. Another fired back, the shot whizzing so close to my ear I felt the heat. I dropped to my knees on instinct, hot water pouring over my head, burning my scalp.
The flash drive stayed clutched in my fist. I crawled toward the bed, trying to stay low, trying not to slip in the blood.
Dante moved like liquid death. He fired twice—precise, controlled—dropping two men before they could even turn their rifles on him. Enzo was all raw power, spraying controlled bursts that forced the rest to dive for cover.
One guard tried to grab me from behind. His gloved hand clamped on my wet shoulder, fingers digging into a fresh burn. I screamed again and swung the gun blindly. The butt cracked against his mask. He staggered.
Then Nikolai was there.
He came through the door like a ghost, silent and deadly, a knife in one hand and a pistol in the other. He had bypassed the main fight, sliding along the wall through the chaos.
His eyes locked on me, and for one heartbeat everything else disappeared. He saw the burns, the blood, the way I was shaking, and something dark and broken flashed across his face.
He moved faster than I had ever seen him move.
The knife flashed. The man who had grabbed me dropped with a gurgling sound, throat opened. Nikolai kicked the body aside and dropped to one knee in front of me, shielding me with his own body.
“Baby, I’ve got you,” he said, voice low and rough, barely audible over the gunfire and the still-screaming alarm. His free hand brushed my wet hair back, careful even in the middle of hell. “Stay behind me.”
Sabina’s laugh cut through everything—cold, delighted. “How romantic. The three big bad bodyguards coming to save their little virgin. Too bad you’re all too late.”
She raised a small remote in her hand.
The lights flickered wildly. Hidden panels in the walls slid open. More men poured in—reinforcements, heavier armor, bigger guns.
The room was too small, too full of steam and blood and bodies. A bullet grazed Enzo’s arm, drawing a fresh line of red. He cursed but kept firing, moving closer to me.
Dante reached us first.
He scooped me up with one arm like I weighed nothing, pressing my naked, shivering body against his bulletproof vest.
The heat of him cut through the burning water still raining down. “Hold on to me, kitten,” he growled in my ear. “We’re getting you out.”
Enzo covered us, laying down suppressing fire while Nikolai tossed something small and metallic toward the center of the room—a flashbang. “Cover your eyes!”
The world went white.
A deafening bang shook the walls. Men shouted in pain and confusion. Sabina cursed for the first time.
Dante moved.
He carried me toward the broken window, Enzo and Nikolai flanking us like wolves. Bullets still flew, but they were wild now, blind. One clipped the frame above us, sending wood splinters raining down.
I clung to Dante’s neck, legs wrapped around his waist, the flash drive pressed between our bodies.
My skin screamed where the burns met his gear, but I did not let go. “I shot her,” I whispered against his neck, voice breaking. “I think I killed her. I’m sorry—I’m so sorry—”
“Shh,” he said, voice steady even as he fired over my shoulder. “You did what you had to. We’ve got the rest.”
Nikolai reached the window first, clearing the last guard with a brutal elbow to the throat. Enzo tossed a smoke grenade back into the room for good measure.
Thick gray clouds billowed out, swallowing Sabina and her remaining men.
Dante stepped onto the windowsill, snow and wind whipping in. Below us, the black SUV waited, engine running, doors open. The chopper’s blades thumped in the distance, coming in low over the trees.
“We’re almost out,” Dante said. “Just hold on.”
But as he jumped with me in his arms, landing hard in the deep snow, I looked back one last time.
Through the smoke and steam pouring from the shattered window, Sabina stood at the edge, untouched, watching us with that same wicked smile.
She raised one hand in a slow wave.
Then she pressed another button.
The entire mansion’s exterior lights exploded in a chain of sparks. Alarms changed pitch again—this time a lockdown siren. Metal shutters began slamming down over every window and door.
And in the distance, I heard the growl of more engines.
Dozens of them.
Sabina wasn’t finished.
She was coming after us.
Dante cursed under his breath and broke into a full run toward the SUV, my body bouncing against him with every step. Enzo and Nikolai sprinted beside us, guns still raised.
“Drive!” Dante shouted as we reached the vehicle.
Enzo slid behind the wheel. Nikolai jumped in the passenger seat, already working on some device in his lap—probably another virus or jammer.
Dante put me gently in the back, wrapping his coat around my naked, burned body before climbing in after me. The doors slammed shut. Tires spun in the snow, then caught.
We shot forward, fishtailing down the long driveway as the first wave of Sabina’s reinforcements appeared in the rearview mirror—black SUVs with tinted windows, headlights cutting through the night like hunting eyes.
I clutched the flash drive to my chest, heart still racing, skin throbbing, tears freezing on my cheeks.
We had the drive.
We had me.
But Sabina was right behind us.
And this time, she was bringing an army and there was sudden aircraft sounds so I looked up and Nikolai who was busy on the system said he can try and block some access or hack their cars if it’s electric but it will take time.
“Okay, go ahead and Enzo will cover you . The flash , Nina and I “ will use the sky.
I was almost passing out from the gas I inhaled , the hot water and everything but he caught my attention.
“The sky ?” Yeah he said before taking to a walkie-talkie phone and said. “Let down the ropes “
“You will have to hug my body and wrap your legs around me . Tightly “ Dante said with all seriousness while Enzo slowed down the car and the air craft sound was getting louder as it got down lower.