Several couples near us turned around and gave us dirty looks. I rolled my eyes at them before pulling out my gun and passing it back in forth in my hands. I might not want to kill anyone but I sure was close to shooting the couples that were glaring at us like we didn't belong there, which they couldn't have been more accurate. Roman and I were not going to back off yet, even though these people really gave off dangerous and powerful vibes.

 Roman brushed a hand through his hair nervously, before he gave the still-glaring couples a tight smile before grabbing my arm and leading me further into the ballroom. 

" Roman! Slow down!", I yelled as I tripped over my dress, because of how fast he was pulling me. He slowed down slightly to the point where I could walk alongside him instead of being dragged along to wherever my brother was heading. Once we made it to a corner, Roman let go of me and looked me directly in the eyes. " We have to get the children out of here before this ballroom turns into a battlefield ". I nodded agreeing with him. And after he gave me directions, we both split up. 

To be honest, I wasn't even scared anymore, my instincts kicked in and they were telling me to get the children the hell out of here before they get in the middle of a blood bath between all 14 gangs, and well my brother and I. Looking around I noticed that a tall, broad-shouldered gang member was watching me like a predator would its prey. I shivered under the intensity of his stare, which made me feel like I was about to die slowly at the hands of this man. 

I turned and walked away slowly and confidently as I belonged there just as much as he did. I knew I was playing a dangerous game, but I had to keep up the act for Roman, the two dead spies, and for the young innocent children. Taking a deep breath I strode towards a male waiter, that was carrying a tray of alcoholic drinks, took one from the tray, and gave him a smile of thanks before walking away from him as more people came up to him to get their drinks. 

Not watching where I was going I bumped into someone, who was built like hell. His shoulders were broad. Just as I finished checking the back of him out, he turned around and winked at me making me gasp in shock. No! It wouldn't be! Alexander Cian Shaw was standing right in front of me. My heart was thumping hard in my chest knowing that I was probably going to die. Alexander smirked as he watched my emotions surface on my face. 

Yep, he definitely remembered me from the club. " Well hello, Princess", he drawled in his Russian accent making me glare at him. " Don't call me that!", I snarled my hands turning into fists, as I was very tempted to punch him until he begged me for mercy. Shaking my head, I got rid of my violent thoughts and paid attention to the situation that I was in. 

Alexander's hand brushed my cheek, gently making me shiver and not in a good way. I continued to glare at him, hating him for the pain he had inflicted on me by shooting me at the club after I basically told him all about my life. My breathing started to get heavier as he continued to stroke my cheek softly like a man would do to his lover. But he was not my lover, he was a cold-blooded killer.

That's when I snapped, and I threw an uppercut at his unprotected face making him stumble back slightly. He looked me in the eyes and shook his head as if he was trying to tell me that I shouldn't have done that. I knew that, now I was royally f*cked if he shot me again or did anything to cause me pain. 

" Ты только что совершила самую большую ошибку в своей жизни, принцесса".

( Translation: You just made the biggest mistake of your fucking life princess)

I didn't know what he said but I know whatever, he said it wasn't good. I slowly backed away from him trying not to agitate him even further than he already was. He glared at me as I continued to back away from him and further into the crowd of dancing and talking couples. I needed to find somewhere to hide and fast. It was life or death, for me. As I ran through the crowd I hoped to god that Roman had got the kids out, and was coming back soon to shut this ball down before Alexander found me and finished me for good.

I must have tripped about a dozen times within the time span of four minutes and 15 seconds. Things were not looking good for me right now. At this rate, I would probably be killed by Alexander within just a couple of moments as I knew that he was searching for me at this moment. My stomach started to hurt right where I had been shot a few months back, and I pressed my hand to it and my hand came away bloody. I had torn the stitches open by sprinting, and the doctor warned me not to overdo it as it was going to take a while to fully heal. 

Why didn't I just listen to him! I continued to slowly walk trying to buy myself some more time before I was found and shot on the spot. My eyes were filling up with tears from how intense the pain was. I needed to find somewhere safe to hide and not be in the open. Oh Roman hurry please, I thought inside my head, as I stumbled upon a staircase, and started to crawl up it on my hands and knees. 

Each step, I crawled up I felt fainter and fainter, due to the blood loss, I had experienced within just a few minutes. I was bleeding out and fast. There was nothing I could do but hope and pray that I wasn't going to die today. I had so many things I still wanted to do. I wanted to experience love, get engaged, married, and have a family of my own. But luck wasn't on my side this time, just like any other time when I got myself into trouble. 

It's like whenever something goes right in my life, the devil decides to ruin it and make my life miserable. I finally conquered the staircase and made it to the top. What I failed to notice was that there was a gang-up here, a full gang, not just a couple of members. At least 60 men and women were stationed around the 2nd floor making it basically next to impossible to get past them, without them finding out. I was doomed either way. I only had three options; 1. Go back downstairs and get killed by Alexander, 2. Face these gang members hoping they would help me, or 3. die alone. 

With a sigh, I decided to do option two, as I was still holding onto the hope that was the only thing keeping me alive at the moment. I let out a sharp cry alerting one of the gang members. I gasped it was the woman from the club that had saved me.

But what was she doing here?

That's when everything went black.

*****************************************

ARTEMIS'S POV:

I was hanging out with 6 of my brother's gang members when suddenly I heard a sharp pained cry come from the nearby staircase. I silently got up and gestured for them to stay put, and to not follow me. With slow and quiet steps, I found the owner of the cry. What the hell, it was the same girl from the club that I had saved!

This time she looked way worse like she was on the brink of death. She looked up and only made eye contact with me for a few seconds before she passed out from something. I slowly and carefully picked her up and hurried past the lounge where the 6 gang members were still sitting, and towards the room that I was given to stay in for a few days.

 I laid her down on the bed and looked at her body trying to find out what had caused her to pass out so abruptly as she did. With a sinking feeling, I grabbed my pocket knife from the dresser and slit the dress on the left side of her stomach where she was wounded, by a bullet, a few months earlier. 

My eyes widened when I saw that the stitches had ripped and blood was rapidly gushing from the wound. Then I noticed it wasn't just blood, but infection too. This was bad, very bad! I ran out of the room and into the bathroom that had a first aid kit that, I could try to use to reduce the bleeding and infection. 

I quickly got to work, flushing the wound with peroxide, trying to draw the infection out while the medicine killed whatever infection that didn't come out. I waited for the sign of the peroxide bubbling telling me that it was killing any infection before I left to go dispose of the plastic gloves I was using and washed my hands before slipping on a clean pair of plastic gloves. When I got back to the room, my eyes widened when I saw that she had woken up and was crying in agony at the pain of her infected month-old gunshot wound. 

" Artemis! What the fuck is this!"

I jumped and turned around facing one of my three older brothers, was River the 2nd oldest of the six of us. I quickly thanked God that it was River because he had medical training, and knew exactly how to treat infected gunshot wounds and a lot more. He did assist our mother when she had given birth to Jace, Arabella, and me. 

" I don't know where she came from River! I just found her unconscious at the top of the staircase!", I recalled sternly letting him know that I wasn't lying to him. He stared at me for a moment, before springing into action. " Artemis, go get me my medical bag, it's on the nightstand!"

My brother was already filling up a shot of pain medicine that would stop her from feeling any pain and it would also knock her out for a few hours.

" WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!", River yelled at me.

I jumped off of the nearby chair and sprinted out of the room, knowing that every moment that passed could mean life or certain death for the young woman. I walked into my brother's room, found the bag, and sprinted out of his room down the hallway, and into the bedroom that I was staying in. When I handed the bag to River, I also took a minute to look at the young woman's face which wasn't as pale as before. She looked like she was alive and not a dead corpse. 

Thank gosh! Mom and dad would shoot all of us in the ass if anyone especially a stranger died in our hands. Well everyone except Arabella and Gage who were still pure and not tainted by the gang life. 

" How is she doing?", I asked.

" Her breathing is somewhat stable, the wound is not infected anymore, and I stitched it closed tightly they won't tare now", River explained as he finished cutting off the excess sutures.