Chapter 219: AN ASSASSIN IN THE CROWD
Author’s POV
The moment Keisha’s knees gave out, Nadia lunged forward and caught her before she could completely collapse onto the floor. "Keisha!" she cried, wrapping both arms around her as she tried to keep her upright, but Keisha’s head had already fallen against her shoulder and her body had gone frighteningly limp.
The sight immediately drew the attention of everyone nearby. The guards who had been searching the hall for the source of the gunshot turned toward them, several people began shouting for the doctor, and the crowd that had been gathered around Orin suddenly shifted toward Keisha instead.
Nadia looked terrified as she held onto her, repeatedly calling her name while trying to get some response from her. "Keisha, wake up. Please, wake up," she pleaded, brushing her fingers against Keisha’s cheek, but there was no response.
Her eyes dropped to Keisha’s stomach and her fear increased when she remembered the babies. "Someone get the doctor now!"
Callum was already moving before anyone could react.
He had been standing only a short distance away when the shot rang out, and the moment he saw Keisha collapse, every other thought disappeared from his mind.
He pushed through the people surrounding her and immediately crouched beside Nadia. "Give her to me," he ordered, his voice tense as he carefully lifted Keisha into his arms.
Nadia stood up quickly and followed him, still visibly shaken. Callum barely spared a glance at the guards rushing around the hall. "Get more men outside. And find that person!"
Dane had already seen the direction the shot came from.
While everyone else had been distracted by Keisha, he had noticed movement near one of the upper windows at the back of the hall just before the assassin disappeared from sight.
He didn’t waste time explaining what he had seen. The moment Callum gave the order, Dane turned and ran, pushing through the nearest doorway and taking the shortest route toward the side of the estate.
Callum carried Keisha out of the hall and Nadia hurried behind him, her face pale. "Is she okay?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Dad, is she going to be okay? What about the babies?"
"I don’t know yet," Callum admitted, though he clearly hated saying it. He adjusted Keisha carefully in his arms and quickened his pace toward the clinic. "That’s why we’re taking her there. The doctor will check her, and we’ll know exactly what’s happening."
"But she fainted and—"
"She’ll be fine. She has to be."
Nadia swallowed hard and tried to keep herself together as she followed him. She had never seen Callum look so frightened. He was usually the person everyone else turned to when things went wrong, the one who remained calm while everyone around him panicked, but now his jaw was tense and his eyes kept dropping toward Keisha as though he needed to make sure she was still breathing.
When they reached the clinic, the doctor and two assistants immediately rushed forward.
Callum lowered Keisha onto one of the beds while the doctor began checking her. "She collapsed after the shooting," he explained quickly. "She just fainted."
The doctor nodded and immediately began examining Keisha. "We’ll take care of her. Please step back."
Callum didn’t move.
"Alpha." The doctor pressed.
"I want to stay."
"You can stay nearby, but you need to give me room to work."
Callum reluctantly stepped back, but he didn’t leave. Nadia remained beside him, staring anxiously at the doctor as she worked. "She’s going to be okay, right?" she asked.
The doctor didn’t answer immediately because she was focused on Keisha.
Callum noticed and placed a hand on his daughter’s shoulder. "Nadia, breathe."
She looked at him, her eyes already beginning to fill with tears. "Dad, she just collapsed. She was standing there one second and then she wasn’t. What if something happened to the her and her babies?"
Callum’s expression softened despite the panic showing across his face. "The doctor is checking them. Don’t worry."
Nadia nodded, but she didn’t look convinced.
Orin had been seconds away from revealing the organization behind everything. He had finally decided to speak, and then someone had killed him before he could finish the sentence.
Callum couldn’t stop wondering whether the assassin had been there specifically to silence Orin or whether there had been another reason for the attack.
He clenched his jaw as he waited for the doctor to finish.
Outside the clinic, Dane was already deep into the pursuit.
The assassin had moved quickly after firing the shot, disappearing through a side passage before Dane could get close enough to grab him.
Dane followed without slowing down, hearing footsteps somewhere ahead of him. He turned a corner and caught a glimpse of dark clothing disappearing through another doorway.
"Stop!" Dane shouted.
The figure didn’t listen and Dane increased his pace.
The chase continued through several corridors and eventually out toward the rear grounds of the estate.
The assassin tried to use the surrounding buildings and trees to lose him, moving between them whenever Dane got too close.
Dane nearly caught him twice, but each time the man managed to slip away before disappearing behind another structure.
Dane refused to give up as he slowed briefly and listened.
Nothing.
He looked around, searching the area carefully. Dane knew the assassin couldn’t have gone far. He checked the nearest structures before spotting a small movement behind one of them.
Dane moved around the side and finally caught him.
The assassin barely had time to react before Dane grabbed him and forced him backward. "Who sent you?"
The man struggled but didn’t answer.
Dane tightened his grip. "Who sent you to kill Orin? Was it the organization?"
He tried to pull the man’s hood back, but the assassin suddenly reached for something concealed beneath his clothing and Dane reacted immediately.
He grabbed the man’s wrist just as he brought the weapon up, but the struggle caused the gun to discharge.
Dane jerked sideways and felt a sharp pain strike his shoulder. He staggered for half a second before forcing himself back into the struggle.
The assassin tried to turn the weapon toward himself.
Dane caught his arm before he could do anything else and wrestled the weapon away. "Don’t!" he snapped, shoving it out of reach before forcing the man down. "You’re going to answer my questions."
The assassin continued struggling, but Dane held him firmly until several guards arrived after hearing the commotion.
"Take him," Dane ordered, breathing heavily as he pressed a hand against his injured shoulder. "He’s the shooter."
The guards immediately restrained the assassin and dragged him away.
Dane watched them go for a moment before another guard noticed the blood on his shoulder. "Beta, you’re hurt."
"I’ll deal with it later." He grunted.
"You need the doctor."
Dane glanced toward the clinic building in the distance and his expression tightened. "I need to find out what’s happening with Keisha first."
Back inside the clinic, the doctor finally stepped away from Keisha and Callum immediately approached her. "How is she?"
The doctor looked at him calmly. "She’s unconscious, but she’s stable. The babies appear to be fine as well. The collapse seems to have been brought on by the shock and stress of what happened."
Nadia released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding and Callum nodded once, but his eyes remained fixed on Keisha.
"She needs to rest," the doctor continued. "Nobody should disturb her while she remains unconscious. Let her body recover."
Callum barely seemed to hear the last part.
As soon as the doctor stepped aside, he walked straight to Keisha’s bedside.
"Alpha—" The doctor started.
"I won’t disturb her." He sat beside the bed and carefully took her hand.
Keisha didn’t move and Callum stared at her for several seconds before leaning forward and pressing a gentle kiss against her forehead. His thumb moved slowly over the back of her hand as he watched her face. "You scared me," he murmured quietly.
Nadia stood at the doorway, watching him as Callum’s attention eventually moved to Keisha’s stomach.
He rested his hand gently against it, almost afraid to apply any pressure. A few seconds passed before he felt movement beneath his palm.
"They’re moving," he whispered.
Nadia came closer, looking down at Keisha before glancing at her father. "Really?"
Callum nodded. He kept his hand there for a moment longer, feeling another small movement beneath his palm. "They’re okay," he whispered. "They’re all fine."
Nadia wiped her eyes and nodded.
Callum looked back at Keisha and kissed her forehead again before settling into the chair beside her bed, his mind going back to Orin.
Someone had gone to great lengths to make sure Orin never finished that sentence.