All Rights Reserved

Chapter 34-The Attack

Miranda Barone's POV

"Miranda."

I jerked awake and a splitting headache pounded through my head. "Good. You're awake." I let out a soft groan and spotted a man in his thirties or forties dressed in a suit sitting in front of me. Honestly, I expected him to be wearing jeans or something sloppy but he was in a suit and this man seemed distinguished.

I looked down at my hands and I was surprised that I wasn't tied to anything and glanced around. I was in a well furnished bedroom and I sat up slowly from the bed. "Who are you? What do you want from me? Where's the child?" I questioned fearfully even though I was trying not to show it.

The man shrugged, "My name is of no importance to you. But seeing that you will be here for quite a while, you can call me Joseph. The child is fine."

I eyed him warily, "Prove it." Joseph raised an eyebrow and gestured for something. And soon the door opened and a man brought Mikael in. I quickly appraised him and saw that except for some minor scratches, he was fine.

The man released Mikael and he ran towards me. I held him tightly, afraid for him. "See he's fine. I don't like hurting children but if you don't answer my questions, then I would have no choice but to do so."

I inhaled sharply and Mikael clutched onto me tightly, his little body was almost shaking from fear. I quickly nodded my head and glanced around the room to see if there was any way I could escape.

The room was well furnished and had a ensuite bathroom and a closet. But there wasn't any windows and the only exit from the room was the door. Darn it!

"Good. Now, let's start. I'm sure you've heard things. After all, you're Slade Kolosov's girlfriend. Now, is the Russian Mob and the Italian Mafia working together?"

I shook my head and rubbed soothing circles on Mikael's back. "No. They aren't. My brother doesn't like Slade." I answered quickly.

Joseph frowned slightly and shrugged, "That must be difficult especially during family occasions." He mocked and I remained silent.

"Alright. Second question, are Kolosov's men loyal to him?" I nodded, "Yes they are. Even those who have retired."

Joseph frowned, "That's not a good thing. What's your name boy?" He directed the question to Mikael.

"Mikael." He answered quietly and Joseph sighed heavily, "Mikael what?"

"Mikael Carter." I answered quickly before Mikael could say his actual name. If Joseph and his men knew that Mikael's father is Slade's right hand man, things would be even worse.

"Right then. Now one last question. Where does Slade Kolosov keep his money and his weapons?"

I paled, this I didn't know and honestly even if I knew, I wouldn't say a thing. I had faith that Slade would be able to reach me in time. "I don't know. He doesn't say a thing about all of that." Joseph's eyes hardened and his tone turned cold and serious. "I'm going to ask this one more time. Where is it?"

I shook my head and pleaded, "I really don't know. Please! He doesn't talk about things like that!"

Joseph snorted and took out a knife from his pocket and pointed it in Mikael's direction. "I told you if you're not going to cooperate, he's gonna get it."

I shook my head vigorously, "Please don't hurt him! I'm serious, I don't know where it is!" I cried and held onto Mikael tightly. Joseph made a tsk sound and pulled Mikael away from me forcefully. "Mel!" Mikael cried out and I rushed towards them.

"Please don't hurt him. Hurt me instead. He's just a child!" I begged.

Joseph let out a scoff and pushed Mikael back to the bed and grabbed me. His fingers threaded through my hair before fisting it and tugged painfully and I let out a cry of pain but froze when the cool metal of the blade of the knife touched my cheek. "You really are a beauty. I can see why Kolosov is enamoured with you. But I wonder if he would still feel the same if you had scars?"

I flinched and inhaled sharply as my body shook with fear. But I remained silent, I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of hearing me beg for my life. For Mikael, I would. But for myself? No. "Nothing to say?" He taunted and I lifted my chin defiantly and glared at him.

He let out a bark of laughter and slapped me hard on my cheek and I was very sure it was going to bruise. I held in a cry of pain and bit my tongue. "Not so brave now huh?"

I still remained quiet and Joseph shrugged and snorted, "Kolosov really has found a keeper this time round. But too bad for him, you're not going to last long. I have to go now but think about it, the more you resist, the more painful your death. Choose wisely." With that, I watch him stand up and leave. The door slammed shut and the sound of the lock being turned echoed around the room.

Once he was gone, I quickly turned to Mikael who had tears rolling down his cheeks. "Mikael are you okay? Are you hurt?" I asked frantically. Mikael shook his head and his lower lip trembled as more tears fell. "N-no. I just want to go home with my mommy and daddy."

I bit my lip, Mikael being here was all my fault. "Don't worry, everything's going to be fine. I'll get you out of here safely. I promise." Mikael nodded and curled up onto the bed with me, his eyes closing as he fell asleep.

It was all because of me that Mikael is kidnapped, Mark and Tony were hurt and could die. Slade and Alexi could be in danger and it was all going to be my fault.

Now that there was nobody around and I didn't have to be strong for anyone, tears slipped from my eyes and I wept silently, wishing that I was in Slade's embrace.

***

I was almost asleep when there was a knock on the door. Immediately, I jerked awake and sat up and used my body to shield Mikael.

The door opened and instead of seeing Joseph, a familiar tall skinny man came in with a tray.

I watched him warily as he placed the tray of food in front of me. "You're Carter." I breathed out, recognising this man who had helped me slightly before. He gave me a quick glance and passed me a wad of napkins.

"There is a gun with six bullets in between the napkins. There are no cameras in this room but there are two men guarding your door." He said so softly I was unsure if he had even spoken.

"Why are you helping me?" I questioned and Carter sighed before looking back at me, "You remind me of my older sister. You only have one chance. Use it when you need it the most." With that he left.

I watched him leave and I could feel the weight of the loaded gun as I held onto the napkins. Oh god. I've never held a gun before in my life. The cool weight of the deadly piece of metal made my hands tremble.

I pulled the napkins away and there the gun was. I inhaled sharply and traced the rigid edges of the gun with my fingers.

Footsteps could be heard heading towards the room I was in and I quickly slid the gun into one of my shoes. It was a good thing I was wearing black boots as they helped to conceal the deadly weapon.

The door opened and this time, Joseph came in. "Good morning. I hope that you've slept well because you have a long day ahead of you today." He finished with a cynical grin and I swallowed anxiously.

Mikael and I were led into a living room of sorts where there were about five other men guarding the area. There, another well dressed man was waiting and he gave an acknowledging nod to Joseph. I guessed that these two men were the bosses or something like that. I spotted Carter standing to a side with a blank expression on his face but I could see a hint of pity and sadness in his eyes.

I swallowed nervously and held onto Mikael's hand tightly, trying to convey all the strength and comfort I could to him. He in return gripped my hand tightly and hid his small frame behind my legs as we neared the men in the room.

"Ah, our guest of honour has arrived." The man in the suit announced mockingly and stood up to peer at me. "Hmmm, I don't see the resemblance between Barone. But you do have his eyes. I wonder what Slade Kolosov sees in you. But I guess we're going to find out."

I pressed my lips into a thin line and watched the men nervously. "What do you want from me? Are my guards alright?" I asked quietly and the man barked out a laugh, "Aren't you such a doll? Isn't she Joseph?"

Seeing my blank expression, he straightened and said blandly, "You see, you're Alexi Barone's sister and Slade Kolosov's girlfriend. And both men are the leaders of the leading gangs here in Chicago. The thing is, we as Americans deserve the right to be on top of the food chain, not begging for scraps from these bloody foreigners. So I'll release you once they relinquish their gangs to us. And then, the underworld of Chicago will once again be ruled by true blooded Americans not these filthy immigrants."

I swallowed and paled slightly, my mind racing on the information the man gave. "So for now, before we give the ransom note of sorts, we'll have a little chat where you give me answers and I'll provide safety to the child." He stated and with a slight gesture of his hands, two men shoved me into a chair opposite the man and Joseph while Mikael was taken away from me and in Joseph's clutches.

"Please don't hurt him, I'll tell you whatever you want to know." I pleaded for Mikael's sake. The man snorted and straightened in his seat, "Right-oh, how rude of me, my name is Ben but you can call me Bones." I shivered involuntarily at that and glanced around the room anxiously.

"Now, lets begin."

***

I cried out in pain as Bones slapped my cheek again. "I asked you, where the fuck is the money?"

"I told you I don't know!" I cried and gasped out as I spotted the blood seeping from the small wound on my palms. "He doesn't tell me these things!"

Bones scoffed and Joseph shook his head before using his blade on my hand but instead cutting my palms, he drew a thin line on my left forearm. I whimpered from the pain and watched as beads of blood appeared from the cut. "I swear! I don't know!" I cried out and Joseph slapped me again.

I whimpered again and Bones tilted his head again and Joseph drew his blade and prepared to slice through my other arm when gunshots sounded. Both men stopped and turned to the doorway. I glanced towards Mikael who was thankfully unharmed but was bound and gagged on the floor.

Shouting and screams of pain sounded along with more gunshots. I closed my eyes and one of the men grabbed me from my chair and pulled me with him, I could feel a sharp blade on my neck and I inhaled sharply from the sensation.

"How the fuck do they know where we're keeping her?" Bones hissed and Joseph shrugged and kept a firm hold on me as the knife pressed into my skin even more as the shooting and shouts of fallen men neared to the room I was in. Joseph and Bone's men cornered us and I knew that Slade was here.

From the corner of my eye, I spotted Carter holding onto Mikael and slowly untied him from his restraints. I gasped as Joseph's hold on my neck tightened and I grabbed at his forearm desperately, trying to let some space for air to flow into my lungs. The door burst open and all of us flinched from the flying shards of glass and wood.

Around me, bullets flew and I watched as men in black armour and huge guns came into the room and managed to take down most of my captors' men. Soon enough, the only ones left in the room were Carter, Mikael, Joseph, Bones and myself along with two of Bone's guards. The two guards raised their guns and fired frantically and blindly into the rising cloud of dust and debris.

With two shots, both men collapsed onto the ground and died. The dust settled and I gasped as Slade entered the room and behind him was Alexi.

Slade's eyes met mine and I took him in hungrily. His blue eyes were cold and filled with murderous intent but as he looked at me, his eyes softened and I could see relief and love in them. But as he spotted the bruises on my cheeks and the blood on my arms, his eyes blazed with rage and his entire body stiffened and tensed. He barked out some orders in Russian and his men turned and left the room.

Alexi on the other hand watched me with relief and appraised me carefully. Glad to see that I wasn't harmed too badly, he turned his attention back to my captors. "Release my sister now and I promise that you'll get to live."

At this, Slade turned to my brother in anger, "No they won't. Don't make promises you can't keep Barone. But if you release her now, I promise your death won't be as painful as I planned it would be." He snarled the last part to my captors and Bones laughed bitterly, "Even though our plans are foiled, taking her away from you will be good enough for me." With a slight tilt to his head, Joseph released the knife from my neck and plunged it into my abdomen.

The pain was excruciating. I could feel the blood gushing out of me, the veins in my body were throbbing and I didn't even know if I let out a scream or a cry of pain. I collapsed onto the floor and met Slade's horrified gaze. Everything became blurry but I fought to remain conscious. Slade went over to rush to me but Bones blocked him and they began fighting.

I gazed around the room wildly and I spotted Erik entering the room with Mira behind him, they went towards a submissive Carter and Mira took Mikael away and Erik came towards me. "Fuck!" He swore violently and tried to apply pressure on my wound and I almost passed out from the pain. Meanwhile, Alexi was fighting Joseph and one lone man came into the room and tried to shoot at Erik.

I gasped out a warning and Erik lunged himself at the man and they began fighting. I breathed shallowly as consciousness began to ebb away and I spotted Slade on top of Bones giving him blow after blow and to my horror, Bones had a knife in his hand and was about to shove it into Slade.

I had to help, it didn't matter that I was going to die. Mustering up all the strength I had, I reached down for the gun in my boot and clicked off the safety with shaky hands. Without hesitation, I aimed it Bones and pressed the trigger.

The effect was immediate and Bones died immediately. Slade was confused for a moment before ignoring that and ran towards me. "Mel, stay with me please!" He pleaded and applied pressure on the knife wound. I gasped and my lower lip trembled.

I was going to die. And we both knew it.

I was never going to have that future with Slade after all. That future of family, children, marriage, grandchildren, growing old together, everything. It was never going to come to pass.

"It's okay. E-Everything is going to be okay. I p-promise." I said in between shallow breaths and gave him a watery smile. I was lying and we both knew it. "Somebody! Fucking call the ambulance!" Slade roared and turned back to me.

With my blood in his hands, he caressed my cheek and tears slowly rolled down his cheeks. "You're going to be fine Mel. You are. You can't leave me. I can't allow you to." He said brokenly and forcefully as he gazed upon me anxiously and worriedly. His hands were trembling as he held me and I inhaled slowly as the pain intensified.

I teared up and tears rolled down my cheeks. "I love you Slade. Promise me that you won't shut out your brother. You need him." Slade gazed down at me in anguish, "I love you too Mel. I need you more Mel. I c-can't go on without you. You can't leave me, I won't allow it. Just hang on. Everything is going to be fine. I promise." He pleaded and hugged me tightly while maintaining his hold on my wound as if he was refusing to let me go.

I reached out shakily and caressed his cheek and with all the strength I had, I said tearfully, "I love you Slade. Always have and always will." With that, my hand went slack and I lost consciousness.

***

A/N: Hey guys, here is the chapter. I hope you like it. And well, I'm not that good at fight scenes so yeah. Yay for me. :/ I'm back from my holiday so I can start with the dedications and update more regularly. Yay for you! ;)

Ahaha, let me know if you cried because I like to know if you guys did. So comment if you did here. LOL. Again, if you like this chapter, give it a vote and comment your thoughts and whatnot! And also, LAC's highest rank is now #13! YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING! Seriously let me know what you think. AHAHAHAH.

Chapter is dedicated to shorty_big_booty! :)