“Please get up Chaos, they’re coming.”
He lifts his head, his face screwed up in agony and his eyes meet mine.
“You need to run Charley. Get the fuck out of here.”
I shake my head, my eyes welling with tears, and he continues, bringing his bloodied hand to my face, his orbs glazed with his own tears.
“He will kill us both.”
He shakes his head once, blood coating his lips.
“You need to go on without me, Lil Chaos. I can’t stand the fucking thought of you being hurt again.”
The seriousness in his eyes terrifies me, his words filled with the fate of his death, and I whisper.
“No fucking way, I am not leaving you here to die!”
I stagger to my feet, my legs trembling with effort as I grasp Chaos's arm, struggling to support his weight. He attempts torise as well, but the sudden whizz of a bullet past my head throws off my balance, and we both collapse to the ground with a heavy thud. Chaos groans through gritted teeth beside me, his voice rising in urgency as he shouts at me.
“Charley, please! Get out of here!”
My heart races as I sit up abruptly, scanning the area, until I spot the figure of Ivan emerging, dressed in a long black coat and leather gloves, with a gun at his side. I instinctively edge closer to Chaos, positioning myself protectively in front of him.
As Ivan and his group of men come to a halt, I feel a surge of fear coursing through me, tears welling up in my eyes as I take in the sight of his armed men surrounding us, their guns aimed and ready. When my eyes land on Ivan, he is assessing Chaos’s injuries with his eyes and as soon as I sense his vulnerability for his son, I speak.
“Please Ivan, just get him to the hospital and kill me. He does not need to die—”
His evil eyes flash to mine which immediately makes me cut off and he lifts his gun.
“Oh, Charley. Stupid fucking immature, Charley.”
I feel Chaos’s grip on my arm, loosening with each passing moment and I am so terrified about him dying that I can’t even be enraged by Ivan’s words.
“That is why you could never be anything in the Mafia, because if you did, you would know betrayal is a death penalty.”
Tears stream down my cheeks, the realization of his words laying thick in my gut as I respond.
“If killing your own son because he fell in love is what you represent as the Mafia, then I do not want it. I could never be so fucking cruel to my children.”
When I hear Chaos wheezing behind me, struggling for breath, I quickly look at him, noticing his eyes are rolling to the back of his head, his face pale and blood is dripping from his mouth.
“Luckily, me and you do not share the same values, Charley. Your values are weak.”
My brows furrow and I glare at him, biting on my words.
“The only person that is weak here Ivan, is you! You cannot put your pathetic feud aside enough to know that he is your fucking son above all!”
His eyes become enraged, and he suddenly releases a bullet into Chaos. I scream as Chaos scrunches up beside me, a hole in his stomach, my trembling hands instinctively place over it and his warm blood seeps through my fingers.
“He is not my fucking son.”
I start to panic, everything turning into a blur, and I scream desperately.
“No but I am your fucking queen!”
I rise to my feet, standing defiantly, fueled by a surge of anger and determination to protect Chaos at all costs. Despite the guns now trained on me, including Ivan's, I refuse to cower, my gaze locking onto each of them as I attempt to assert my power if I have any.
“I am Swan Morozov!”