Chapter 228 I am not the man you knew.

Chapter 228 I am not the man you knew.
CHAPTER 228
I am not the man you knew
ROMAN

It knocks the air out of my lungs, and I clench my jaw hard. I fix the gun slung over my shoulders, and I shoot until he falls to the ground, limp.

Scarlett is in my arms.

She is my arms. 

I turn to her, feeling my heart pound fast. Shit. Shit. 

For a second, amidst the endless gunfire and chaos, she is all I see, all I feel. My eyes burn with tears, and I exhale shakily. I almost pull her into a tight hug, till I remember I am covered in blood, so I stop. 

“We … we need to l – leave now,” I whisper, my voice cracking.

She raises her brow and looks downstairs, “How do you intend for us to get through all that chaos? Are we going to leave? Going to run away while our friends remain here? Do you even know where Luca is? I assume he came here with you. Have you seen Liam either? Are we leaving Emiliano alive? What are we doing, Roman?” 

I stare at her, lungs aching, “You are my mission. You are my priority. I came here for you, and the instructions were to leave with you –”

“Fuck the instructions. They went into a fucking rebellion for me, and I am not leaving them to die, not when Emiliano is bringing in more men.” She says, obstinately.

“More reasons for us to leave now.” I try to rein in my anger.

“That is every reason for us to stay. I ran away from here once, and I am not running again, so you can either stand with me and fight because you have no choice. You’re not leaving me here, not with our baby in my belly. So, let’s stop arguing. Let’s rescue the victims, make sure they’re safe, let’s get our friends and leave, because that’s the only way I am leaving. I abandoned my family once, and I never saw them again. I am not doing that again.” She shoves me in the chest angrily.

“I am your family.” I wipe the blood from my face.

“And so is Luca.” She tells me firmly.

I look at her, and I know nothing will change her mind. She is the most obstinate woman I know, and even now, absolutely breathtaking. I pull her to me by her waist, and her face flushes. She holds on to my shoulder, running her gaze over my face. I remove the vest I brought for her and help her into it. I want to cup her belly, but I have blood on my hands. I do not want my first contact with our child to be this, this version of me. 

I hand her a small pistol and order tightly, “You stay beside me. Please, please, don’t try to play hero.”

“Or, what? You’ll burn the world down. A little too late for that.” She smirks at me, and I shake my head, warmth spreading in my chest. 

Unsatisfied with the pistol, I had her pick up my MK18 and two guns from the ground. I hold her hand tight as I move around the mansion, stepping over dead bodies. I tap my earpods, trying to get them to work. “Where the fuck are you? What is going on? Luca?” 

“I am in the dungeon. We’re getting the victims out on the boat.” His voice cracks, and I look around.

“Do you have Scarlett? Have we lost visual? Have you seen Jul? Have you seen Liam?” Mei demands.

I look at Scarlett. She has led me into her bedroom. She pulls away from me, and I watch with a heavy heart as she pukes down the toilet bowl. She whimpers in pain, holding on to her belly. Shit. Fuck.

“I have Scarlett, but she refuses to leave until we’re sure that everyone is fine. Get Luca and the team out safely. We’ll find Liam and Jun. We’re heading to his office. Then, we leave. Have the plane ready and close by. If anyone sees Emiliano, please shoot him in the head –”

“No,” Scarlett yells. “He doesn’t deserve a quick death.” 

I exhale harshly and take her hand in mine. Together, we make our way to Liam’s office, avoiding the chaos. The soldiers are going hard at it, fighting the mercenaries. I clench my fist, unable to shake the bad feeling. We shouldn’t be here. We should be on our way out. She should be on her way to safety, not playing hero, but I know that there is no chance to convince her, so, like a fool, I dance to her tune. 

“Roman!” She yells, shoving me away from gunshots.

I stare at her, eyes wide as she hides by the wall. I hold my gun firmly, then put it aside. Once the man is within arm's reach, I grab him, wrap my arm around his neck, and crack it with so much force. I slam the butt of his gun in his face just for it. Then, I cross the hall, pulling her to me. She’s breathless and pale. 

“That’s … his office is right there.” She gestures, and I shove the door open.

Liam is seated behind his desk, on his computer, as if this is just a simple door. Jun is beside him, and only when I see the blood on his lips, the blood pooling on the ground from Liam, do I realise that something is wrong. We just walked into a trap.

Out of nowhere, I am kicked in the back, slammed forward. I barely catch myself before I hit my head on the desk.

Scarlett is ripped from my hand, and she screams.

I turn around, and I see him. Emiliano. Holding her, smiling with his arm wrapped around her chest, and a knife pressed against her belly.

“Think carefully before you make a move, Sterling.” He smiles at me, eyes bloodshot.

I don’t take my eyes off him. Scarlett has tears in her eyes. Rage spreads through me. I want to be pissed, but I know that this is how this was always going to end. 

“I don’t want any more trouble. All I want is to leave. I don’t even need her. I have a helicopter landing in a few minutes, so make your choice. What will it be? To see me leave, or lose the woman you’ve done everything for?”