Escaping The Mafia King

Chapter 52: 52- Rescued

Varys.

Varys had made it back to her, though her uncle wasn't with him. She bit back another cry as the man tightened his hold on her hair. At least it wasn't her neck this time. He lifted her by it until her toes scraped the floor. "How about it, Varys?" he demanded as he shook her. "Drop your gun, or I'm going to bash her brains in."

Hope had no doubt he'd be true to this word. This man had went off the deep-end. Max was likely dead, and she was losing hope that her uncle was okay. "What'd you do to Uncle Vincent?" she demanded as she twisted in his arms.

"Fucking bitch!" he exploded and shoved her hard into the wall. She grunted as her cheek scraped against the hard rock, but she didn't give up. She kicked and clawed at him. She was tired of being the model little prisoner. Not when Varys could see her.

"Let my wife go," Varys demanded again. His gun was pointed.

Hope didn't care if he hit her by this point. She'd take the blow to get rid of this asshole. "Shoot him!" she demanded as she kicked at him again.

The scarred hand covered her throat and she was dangled by that again as he slammed her over and over into the wall. She grunted with each hit and it just served to excite him because he lost all focus on Varys as he continued to throw her against one wall and then the other.

The bullet rang out.

Varys turned at the same time Hope did. Her attacker fell to the ground with a bullet to the side of his head and fell over, dead. Max stood at the far end of the hall, pale as a ghost and the gun in his shaking hand. "Bastard," he whispered before he fell forward on the ground in a faint.

Hope wanted to run to him, but her strength was leaving her fast too. She'd spit out some of the poison, but there was enough in her system to weaken her. She collapsed to her knees and would have hit the ground if Varys hadn't grabbed her before she fell. "Varys," she whispered. Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

He kissed her brows, her cheeks, her chin, and even her eyes before he placed a soft kiss on her lips. A kiss unlike the ones of need before. "I thought I was going to lose you," he whispered, his voice breaking. "Hope, you're all I have left."

"M'ok," Hope mumbled. "But, poisoned," she flopped her arm over to point at Max. "Him too."

"Max, did you call the doctor?" Varys demanded as he swept Hope into his arms and cradled her next to his chest. "We need to get both of you taken care of."

Hope laid her head on Varys chest as her eyes tried to close. "Varys, what about Uncle Vincent?" she whispered. She didn't want to lose any more of her family, she couldn't handle it."

Varys didn't answer, he just kissed her forehead. "We'll find him if he's out there. I promise."

Hope gave a little choked sob and nodded. She wanted to believe that he could, but all of her own hope and faith had been washed away. Her body was shaking from the inside out and her stomach clenched in painful knots. Her face had been torn in several places and blood trickled from the wounds. But above all, all she wanted to do was close her eyes and drift into a deep sleep. Just go and submit to the darkness.

"Don't you fall asleep on me," Varys ordered. "Not until the doctor okays it."

Hope did her best to keep her eyes open. But at the word sleep her eyes slid closed. The darkness hovered at her vision and all of her energy was being sucked away with it.

"Hope!"

His voice was as if it came from above as she slipped deep into the water. Down, down sinking away from the pain and everything else. Everything was drowned out and despite him saying her name over and over, she couldn't force herself to open her eyes.

Lips pressed against hers. Desperate lips, Lips that pleaded her name and were covered in salt. She tried to turn away from them, but they refused to give her peace. With a whimper, she pushed against him in a bid to get away, but instead, she was crushed against a muscled chest.

"Hope, I'm sorry for this."

Strange, what was he apologizing for?

Her answer came sooner than she thought as a biting pain covered her nose. Her eyes flew open and she stared up at Varys as he bit her nose as his eyes blazed. "Hope," he whispered as he realized she was awake and kissed the spot he bit. "You can't sleep, you have to stay awake. Keep your eyes on me, okay? Just keep your eyes on mine. The doctor will be here soon." He glanced over her head and she turned her head towards who he was asking.

Max gave her a faint smile and she winced. He looked far worse than her, and probably felt it too. "Stay awake," he ordered. "Listen to Varys on this one. I don't want to be awake anymore than you do, but I don't have a choice, and neither do you."

Varys chuckled. "Max, if you can help me keep her awake, I might have a job for you when this is all over."

Max grinned. "Sounds great, but I've got a task of my own to take care of once I don't feel like vomiting my insides all over the place."

Varys raised a brow. "And what would that be?" his words came out more in a demand than a question and Hope winced.

Max smiled as he leaned against the wall and his own eyes half-closed. "I'm going to find our missing people, I am a private investigator after all. I think I'm a bit more qualified than you for the task, Varys. Besides, you have a wedding to plan, right?"