Dom avoided his eyes. Without a word, he knelt on the ground in front of Sergei. “Just make it quick, all right?”
Sergei flinched. “Shouldn’t…” His mind raced, searching for any means to delay the inevitable. “Don’t you want to see a priest first?”
Dom lifted his gaze. “After everything I’ve seen, do you really think I still believe in God?”
So much for that stalling tactic.
“Please, Sergei,” Dom breathed. “Don’t drag this out.”
Heart thumping and stomach twisting, Sergei stepped closer. He was tempted to kiss him, or touch his face one last time, but that just seemed like unnecessary torment for both of them.
Dom tilted his head back. Sergei pressed the muzzle up under his jaw.
He curled his finger around the trigger. One pull. All he had to do was give it one pull, and this would all be over.
But his hand shook. Goddammit.
He forced his emotions back. He could break down afterward. Not while Dom was still alive. While he could see him, hear him, realize how much this hurt. No, he’d wait until he was sure Dom’s heart wasn’t beating anymore.
Dom put his hand over Sergei’s. “Just do it.” His finger slid over the top of Sergei’s, and when he swallowed, his jaw pushed against the muzzle. “Please.”
Just one shot. Once his heart stops, I can lose it.
Just one shot.
One bullet.
One—
He jerked the gun away. With shaking hands, he dropped the magazine and cleared the chamber, and then tossed all the pieces on the ground. “I won’t.”
“Sergei—”
“No.” He met Dom’s gaze and clenched his jaw. “They killed people I love. If they want you dead too, I’m not doing that dirty work for them.”
“But they’ll kill you too.”
“I know.” He dropped to his knees and touched Dom’s face, tears falling freely down his face as he whispered, “And I’d rather have a bull’s eye on my head than your blood on my hands.”
“You’re insane,” Dom said, wiping Sergei’s tears. “I don’t want—”
Sergei cut him off with a hard kiss. He gripped the back of Dom’s neck until he knew it had to hurt, and refused to let go.
Dom’s lips softened, and he opened to Sergei. One hand appeared on Sergei’s cheek. The other arm snaked around his waist. Sighing in unison, they pulled each other closer.
When Sergei’s lips left Dom’s, his voice was thick with tears, but he managed, “There has to be another way. I’m not doing this.”
Dom exhaled, touching his forehead to Sergei’s. He didn’t argue, though. Instead, he drew Sergei in, and for the longest time, they just leaned on each other. With his head against Dom’s chest, Sergei could feel every beat of Dom’s heart, and just like each beat pushed blood through Dom’s veins, it pushed relief through Sergei’s. Dom was still alive. They were both still alive. God knew where they went from here, but the bullet was lying harmlessly on the ground, still unfired in its casing.
After a while, Dom smoothed Sergei’s hair and said, “If we can’t go through with this, then the only thing we can do is take them down with us.”
Sergei lifted his head and blinked. “You’re serious.”
“As a heart attack. We’ve got hundreds of people in indentured servitude,” he said. “We’re running narcotics all over the West Coast. The body count…” He shook his head, grimacing painfully. “I don’t want this to go on any more than you do.”
Sergei chewed his lip. “I’ve been working on that for years. But it’s not going to happen overnight. My whole plan was to have Felice take his father’s place, and then Vincente Cusimano would finish the job. But Vincente isn’t in power yet and…” He sighed. “They’ll catch up to us before that part works itself out.”
“Then maybe we need to speed things up a little.”
“What do you suggest?”
Dom shook his head. “I don’t know yet. We’ll have to come up with a plan. We’re only going to get one shot, though.”
“Yeah, I know.” Sergei paused. “Before we do this, though, there’s something I need to do.” He swallowed. “Alone.”
Dom studied him, and then nodded. “All right.” He smoothed Sergei’s hair. “Do you need to be alone now?”
“No.” Sergei drew him closer, his voice dropping to barely a whisper: “Alone is the last place I want to be right now.”
*
“Good morning, Sergei.” Brittany smiled over the desk at the nurse’s station. “Wasn’t expecting you today.”
Sergei faked the best smile he could. “Had the day off. Thought I’d come visit.”
“Well, she’ll be happy to see you.”
“I’m sure.” He started toward Mama’s room, but paused. “Do you want to me to take her pills to her?”
“Oh, now that you mention it…” She looked down at the tray she’d been preparing as she always did at this time of day, and handed one to him over the desk. “Thank you.”
“Thank you.” Sergei held that smile for another second, and continued down the hall with the paper cup. Outside Mama’s door, he paused, glancing around to make sure he was out of anyone’s sight. Certain he was alone, he slipped a couple of capsules from his pocket into the cup.