Sharp ringing drowned my ears, but amidst this I heard the windows explode and the bullets piercing the wall, and the screams became deafening; then nothing... total silence, or so I thought.
The noise was really stimulating, and all I could do was wince as pain shot throughout my whole body.
I heard a voice, but I couldn’t see anything. But the warmth of a hand brushing along my face compelled me to open my eyes
"Anastasia. Look at me."
I did, and I saw Zade hovering above me.
"Z-Zade." When I tried to move, he grunted, jaw clenching as he ducked his head.
"Wha-What..." I couldn’t finish when I felt something warm coat my hand.
I looked, the air in my lungs tightened.
Blood.
I pushed myself upright, and he rose onto his knees, still towering over me. I frantically reached for his coat, but he stopped me by snatching my wrist.
"Are you hurt?"
How could he ask me that question? That blood clearly wasn’t mine!
He grabbed his arm, then I saw the hole in his coat. He’d been shot!
"Anastasia!" Julius called, limping toward us. "Are you alright?!"
"C-Call an ambulance... n-now!"
~☆~
"You need to go to the hospital," The medic insisted. "We need to make sure there isn’t any deeper damage."
Zack glanced at his arm and replied casually. "It’s not deep. Take the bullet out and patch me up."
"That’s not how this works."
"Then make it work."
The female medic glanced my way as though wanting my input on the matter, but I couldn’t form words.
Worry bordered my mind. All I wanted was for the bleeding to stop, and if this is what Zade wants then...
"D-Do it."
"This is going to hurt."
Zade nodded, his jaw tightening as the medic worked.
I turned my face away, unable to watch, my chest growing heavy by the passing torturous seconds.
"This is not something you should see. Go to the room where your friend and Caleb are."
"I’m not leaving you," I replied faintly.
"Stubborn girl—Ugh!" He growled when the bullet was out.
The medic exhaled. "Got it."
Oh god.
She cleaned the wound carefully, closed it, and wrapped his arm in a fresh bandage.
"Done?" Zade glanced at it as though it were nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
"Done."
"Good. Then we’re finished here." He stood, rolling his shoulders cautiously.
"M-Maybe you should sit down," I panicked, placing my hands against his bare chest and feeling the sweat beneath my palm.
He had a few small plasters on his face from the cuts caused by the shattered window.
"I’m fine, kitten. Are you?"
"Y-Yeah."
I had no injury except the bruises from when I was tackled down to the floor and...!
I froze in place when he brushed my neck, tilting so that he saw the plaster there that the medic had used on me earlier.
"It’s just a scratch."
"You’re hurt."
"And you saved my life."
I couldn’t get over how he shielded me from everything, and I wasn’t sure I could have lived with myself if...!
My breath hitched—just the thought of that moment when I saw the blood on my hand instilled terror into me.
I’ve never felt so much panic, and the thought of losing Zade frightened me to the core.
"We could’ve handled this more quietly if there weren’t so many guests injured." He swept his gaze around the busy gallery. "Now the cops are involved... again."
The guests were being treated, and some were taken to the hospital. Thankfully, Zade’s brothers were okay and Jade too. She was shaken but okay.
I gulped. "They’re after me."
He pinned his eyes on me.
"Whoever did this was after me, right?"
"That’s the theory."
"Do you think that..." I swallowed again... harder this time, my throat tightened in pressure. "D-Do you think it’s the same person that killed my father?"
"Maybe."
Annabeth.
However, the thought of her doing such violent things didn’t exactly match the picture in my head. Did she hire someone to do the work or—!
"I know what you’re thinking." Zade curled his fingers beneath my chin, turning my face toward him. "Don’t."
My eyebrow furrowed softly, and when he saw my expression, the hardness in his gaze dissolved.
He leaned toward me in a heartbeat and pressed his lips against mine as though to feel them, and I got consumed instantly when he switched to moving our mouths passionately.
I held him close, and hearing a grunt, I quickly pulled away, realizing I had gripped his arm.
"Easy there, kitten," he mused. "It still hurts like hell."
I smiled, but only briefly as a feeling took a hold of me.
"I was so scared." I gently caressed the back of his neck and whispered under my breath. "The-The thought of losing you..."
"You won’t lose me, baby. Besides, we anticipated that this wouldn’t end on a good note."
"The only thing we anticipated was an uncle, not this."
"Hey..." He stopped me, tucking some strands behind my ear, and I didn’t know what else to say.
I was just so scared out of my mind right now.
The sudden clearing of the throat pulled our attention to Julius, rubbing the bandage around his hand that had a dot of blood.
"Are you alright, Anastasia?" he asked.
"Yes, are you?"
"If I had known this funeral would’ve taken such a turn, I wouldn’t have come."
"You should have known, given how informed you’ve been," Zade countered.
"If you’re talking about how I knew Roman’s associate was gonna seek an audience with Anastasia... then that’s not something you should worry about. Anyone would have known that it was only a matter of time, and what happened today is a clear message."
He dragged his eyes to me. "Someone’s after you, Anastasia."
I already knew that much, but Julius had put the pieces together. And I was more worried about how much he knew. It seemed like he was letting on more than he was telling, and I’m sure Zade could sense this too.
Rick came close, spotting the tension but that didn’t stop him from getting in the middle of it.
His eyes scanned me for any wound, and when he didn’t see any that would spike his worry, he released a breath of relief.
"We, um, did a sweep of the whole estate and found evidence. Judging by the bullet’s trajectory and where the shots came from, it was a sniper."