“What?” Lawson gives his son a confused stare.
“I’m sorry.” Hudson sighs.
“Hudson, how could you…” Lawson looks like he’s been emotionally stunned.
“See, this was all a misunderstanding.” Mr. Diaz smiles. “I propose we all admit we made some mistakes here today and walk away—alive.”
“The only way you’re walking away from this is if you let her go.” I motion to Kiana.
“If you want to make that deal…” Mr. Diaz nods. “I let her go and we all walk away.”
I don’t want to spare his life. Not after everything he’s done. I just don’t think I have a choice right now. Lawson might as well have gotten knocked on his ass by Hudson’s confession—he’s falling apart.
“Fine.” I hold up my hands. “We have a deal.”
“Excellent.” Mr. Diaz smiles. “I know you’re a man of your word.”
He’s right. I hate it, but he’s right. It’s too dangerous for me to reach for the gun in front of me—it’s too dangerous for me to grab the .45 ACP in the waistband of my pants. I’m not going to start firing shots with Kiana and Hudson standing between me and my target. This will be the last deal I make with Mr. Diaz, but I don’t have a choice right now.
“Now, if the two of you will do me one favor…” Mr. Diaz releases Kiana and she rushes towards me.
“What’s that?” I take her in my arms and stare Mr. Diaz down.
“It’s simple really.” He shrugs. “Just fucking die…”
Mr. Diaz raises his gun. He isn’t keeping his deal. I throw Kiana to the ground and reach for my .45 ACP. Then something catches the corner of my eye. It’s the thug that approached me in the garage. He is coming up behind Lawson with a knife drawn.
“Lawson, watch out!” I get my gun drawn and try to aim.
Lawson would never allow someone to sneak up on him if we were in the desert. I wouldn’t have let someone get the drop on us. Lawson is stunned by what Hudson told him. I actually trusted Mr. Diaz long enough to lose my situational awareness. I was too focused on making sure Kiana was safe.
“Dad!” Hudson rushes towards his father.
It’s too late. The thug drives his knife into Lawson’s ribs and his eyes roll back in his head. I fire a shot that catches the thug in the chest—then two more than finish him off. I see Mr. Diaz squeezing the trigger. Instinct kicks in. I kick a table up and duck behind it just in time to see the wood splinter.
“Kiana, come here!” I reach for her.
“Oh my god!” She ignores me and scrambles to her father’s side.
I glance over the table and see Mr. Diaz moving his gun towards Hudson and Kiana. I fire a shot that causes him to duck, then he takes aim again. They’re so distraught they aren’t even trying to take cover.
Mr. Diaz’s finger squeezes the trigger with his gun aimed at Kiana. I push off the table and leap into the air, firing shots before I land in front of her.
I see one of them catch Mr. Diaz in the neck before a searing pain shoots through my abdomen. I’ve been hit.
Fuck.
“Bram!” Kiana turns as I stumble into her.
This isn’t how it was supposed to go. We were going to storm this place and save Kiana. Now we’re both on the ground and this club may become our tomb.
Adrenaline allowed me to push through the pain from earlier, but now I’m losing blood. This isn’t good. My vision is blurry. I look over at Lawson and see him sputtering before looking up at the most beautiful face in the world—a face that is covered in tears.
“You’re okay…” I reach out and squeeze her hand. “That’s all that matters. I love you, Kiana.”
At least there will be one person that cries at my funeral.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Kiana
“Bram, don’t die on me. Please!” I squeeze his hand as his eyes close.
“Kiana, dad’s in really bad shape.” Hudson draws my attention away from Bram for a moment. “I’m calling 911.”
“I think they’re already here…” I look towards the door and finally process the fact that the noise I’ve been hearing is the wail of a siren.
This is an absolute nightmare. My father dying on one side of me. The man I love dying on the other. Both of them may have given their lives to save me. I don’t want to live in a world without either of them. My father treated me like shit my whole life, but I can’t help but love him. Bram—he’s the reason my heart is beating right now.
“Miss, you need to come with us.” A police officer puts his hands on my shoulder.
“I’m not leaving them!” I pull away.
“Please, the paramedics need to get in here.” He looks towards Hudson. “Sir, I need you to come with us as well.”
“We have to go, Kiana.” Hudson moves towards me.
I fight against Hudson’s grasp, but ultimately relent. He’s right. I can’t do anything to save my father or Bram. The paramedics are the only ones that have a shot. The police start firing questions as soon as we’re outside, but I don’t have any answers for them. I should hate my brother for everything he’s done, but all I can do is hug him.
It feels like an eternity passes as we stand on the sidewalk.
“They’re bringing them out.” Hudson motions towards the entrance of the club.
Neither one of them are being brought out in the body bag and they don’t have a sheet over their faces. That give me some degree of hope. I watch as Bram is loaded in one ambulance and my father is loaded into another. I pull away from Hudson’s embrace.
“I’ll go with dad. You go with Bram.” Hudson nods to me.
I’m glad I didn’t have to make that choice. I know I would have chosen Bram, but I would have felt guilty about it. Hudson moves towards one ambulance and I move towards the other. The paramedics make room and help me up.
“How is he?” I look towards the paramedic that is tending to Bram.
“He’s stable, but we need to get him to the hospital before we’ll know for sure.” He moves Bram’s shirt to the side, and I see where the bullet tore into his flesh.
Bram took that bullet for me. I was so dazed—distraught over what happened to my father. Mr. Diaz intended to kill us all. Bram was the only one who managed to keep a level head and that kept us all alive. For now. I don’t know if we’re going to be able to count all of those blessings just yet.
It’s obvious Bram is hurting. He seems to be slightly delirious. I don’t have a medical degree, but that doesn’t seem like a good sign. The paramedics give him something for the pain that dazes him enough for his eyes to close. I pray they aren’t closing for the last time and tears flood my face.
“We’re going to need to rush him into the ER when we get there.” The paramedic looks towards me. “You stay in the ambulance and go to the waiting room once we have him inside. The doctor will come talk to you.”
“Okay.” I respond with a nod.
I have to leave this in the hands of the medical professionals and the man upstairs. My thoughts immediately flash to my father. Are they telling Hudson the exact same thing? What if he doesn’t make it and Bram does? Will I feel guilty for choosing this ambulance instead of the other one?
I try to shake off the emotional toil everything has taken to me. I can’t be a wreck right now. I need my strength for what is ahead—whatever it is. I don’t want to think about the awful turn this could take.
I’m not ready to lose either of them.
A chaotic scene erupts when the ambulance comes to a stop in front of the hospital. I press myself against the wall of the vehicle and try to stay out of the way while they work on Bram. I squeeze his hand one last time before the paramedics pull him away from me.
Once they are clear, I slide to the ground and look for the entrance to the waiting room. I see Hudson standing on the sidewalk, looking as dazed as I do.
I have conflicted emotions right now regarding my brother. I want to hate him. All of this is his fault.
The things he did are even worse than my father’s many sins. I’m just not sure I have any room for hate in my heart right now. I feel like I’ve done enough lashing out against those I love for a lifetime—but forgiveness is something entirely different. Maybe it’ll come in time, but he’s a son that may be grieving the loss of his father soon, no matter what role he played in it all.
“How is he?” I walk up to Hudson.
“He’s…” My brother sighs. “He’s lost a lot of blood.”
“We need to call mom. I don’t have my phone…” I look down for a moment.
“I’ll do it. God knows what I’m going to say to her, but I’ll do it.” Hudson nods and walks away.
I walk inside the waiting room. A sea of sick and injured people mixed with others like me—others that are waiting on news that could change their lives. I find a seat in the corner to wait.
I never thought I would witness the kind of carnage I saw today. Bram and my father served together. They fought together. It probably wasn’t any different for them today than it was in the desert, but I saw a glimpse of war, and I never want to see it again.
“Mom’s on her way.” Hudson sits down beside me.
“How do we even explain this to her?” I look at him.
“You can blame me.” I see tears form in the corner of Hudson’s eyes. “I’m the one that fucked up.”
There was a time when I would have done anything to erase the pain on my brother’s face, but my feelings towards him are so numb now.
“I’m going to get a coffee. Do you want one?” I lean forward and begin to stand.
“Nah, I’m okay.” He shakes his head.
Hudson did things that are unforgiveable. I’ll never be able to look at him the same way again. If Bram or my father die today—I don’t even know what I’ll do. He’ll wear a crown of shame that is heavier than the agony I’ll feel, but it’s the least he deserves.
I get a coffee from the break room and walk back into the waiting room. Hudson is no longer sitting where I left him. I scan the room, wondering if a doctor came to talk to him, but I don’t see any sign of him. Surely he would have waited for me. I walk to my seat and see a napkin laying in it—a napkin with something scrawled on it.
I have to go. I’m sorry. -H
“Coward…” I ball the napkin up and throw it at the wall. “Fucking coward.”
I told him I didn’t want to see him again, but that was said in the heat of the moment—it was said before I knew I might lose two people I care about.
Hudson took the coward’s way out just like he’s always done.
“Miss Brooks?” A police officer startles me. “I was hoping I could get that statement from you now.”
“I…” I look at him in confusion. “I don’t think I can.”
“Please, Miss Brooks. I know this is a difficult time, but we need some answers.” He leans forward. “Do I need to take you down to the station?”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I feel anger surge through my body. “My father is in the ER—the man I love is in surgery. You’re threatening to…”
“Kiana!” My mother’s voice interrupts us before I get a chance to finish.
“Mom…” I stand up and she hugs me so tight I think she’s going to put me in the emergency room if she squeezes any harder.
“Excuse me.” She turns to the officer. “Can you give us some space? I need to talk to my daughter.”
“Ma’am, I need some answers. Your daughter is a witness.” His face shifts to a look of irritation.
“I don’t give a damn what my daughter is to you.” She looks at his badge for a second and then glares at him. “Officer Bartholomew, Badge 192. I’ll remember that when I file a complaint with your Lieutenant.”
“I’m sorry.” He nods. “You’re right—I’ll give you two some space and come back for a statement later.”
I’ve never seen my mom go full-on mother hen, but she sure as hell put the officer in his place. He walks away and my mother hugs me again.
“Kiana, what happened? Hudson said it had something to do with his gambling debts…” She sits down beside me.
Coward. Damn it, Hudson. It’s probably better than he’s gone.
I’m not going to lie to my mother. She needs to know the truth. I just let it all spill out, and keep going, even when I see the most horrified expression ever on her face. As soon as I tell her what Hudson did, tears start to roll down her cheeks. I shouldn’t be the one that shatters her, but Hudson left me to do it, and his lies have caused so much damage.
“The last thing I said to your father was that I wanted a divorce…” The color drains out of her face.
“Our family is all kinds of fucked up, mom.” I squeeze her hand and try to smile.
I don’t know how we’ll pick up the pieces, but two critical pieces are fighting for their lives right now. That’s all I can focus on. My mother and I stay in the waiting room for a couple of hours before I doctor finally walks out and calls my name. I don’t know if it’s because of Bram or my father, but we both rush to where he is standing.
“I’m Kiana Brooks.” I try to prepare myself for the worst. “This is my mother.”
“Ah, excellent. Mr. Brooks is going to be okay. He’s out of surgery and…” The doctor explains it all, but I don’t hear anything after he says he’ll be okay.
“Thank you, doctor.” My mother wipes away a couple of tears. “When can we see him?”
“He’s resting right now, but we should have him set up in a room in a few hours. I’ll have one of the nurses let you know.” He nods.
“There’s another patient that was brought in with my husband. Bram Ward. He’s a family friend. Do you know anything about him?” My mother glances at me and I squeeze her hand in appreciation.
“I’m afraid not.” The doctor grimaces. “I’ll see if his doctor is available.”
“Thank you.” I nod.
One piece of good news. One major lingering concern. I don’t even know if it’s a good sign that they were able to fix my father up and could still be working on Bram—or if we’re going to get the worst news in the world when the doctor finally comes to see us.
“Does Bram have any family we should call?” I look over at my mother once we’re seated again.
“I’m not sure.” She sighs. “Your father would know…”
Another hour of mental agony ensues before a doctor finally walks out and calls my name for the second time. I feel my stomach twist into a knot. I was so anxious for any news at all when the first doctor came out—now I know I’m about to find out if my entire world is going to continue crashing down around me or if the healing process can truly begin.
“Come on, let’s go talk to him.” My mother helps me up.
My legs are so wobbly. Finding out that my father is okay allowed my body to begin cycling out some of the adrenaline. I’m terrified of what the doctor is going to say. I saw Bram’s wound—the bullet he took for me. If I’m the reason he’s gone…
“Are you Kiana Brooks?” The doctor looks to my mother first.
“No, I am.” I take a step forward.
“Mr. Ward said we should let you know that he’s okay.” The doctor smiles. “He was extremely lucky. The bullet didn’t hit any of his major organs…”
Once again, I can’t process the rest. I heard what I needed to hear. Bram is the one who told the doctor to come talk to me. That means he’s awake—he’s conscious—he’s telling them what he wants. That’s the best sign in the world.
“Can I see him? Please?” I’m trembling so hard I can barely get words out.
“Yeah, that should be okay. He’s in recovery now. Tough guy, that one. He wouldn’t even let us give him anything for the pain after he woke up.” The doctor motions to the door.
“I’ll wait here.” My mother squeezes my hand. “Hopefully, I’ll get to see your father soon.”
I follow the doctor to a drawn curtain and when he opens it, I see Bra
m’s face. He looks like he’s in a lot of pain, but his entire demeanor shifts when he sees me. He lifts his arms and I practically topple the doctor over as I rush to Bram’s side. Tears begin to fall, but they’re happy tears—not the agonizing ones that have stained my face.
“You’re okay! Thank god!” I give him a hug—carefully.
“Yeah, I think I’m going to make it.” He grimaces. “How’s your dad? I asked, but they wouldn’t tell me anything.”
“He’s okay. He’s out of surgery now, but we can’t see him until they move him to a room.” I force myself to smile through the tears.
“Thank goodness.” Bram’s head leans back against the pillow.
“You’re hurting. You need to let them give you something for the pain.” I sit down beside him and hold his hand.
“I know, I just didn’t want to be out of it until I saw you and found out how your dad was doing.” He nods and I see him wince.
We talk for a few minutes before the doctor returns. I finally convince Bram to let the doctor give him something and promise I’ll be there whenever he wakes up. We share one tender kiss before I finally take a step back so the nurse can put the needle into his IV. I watch his eyes close with a smile on my face—knowing that they will open again, and all will be right with the world when they do.
We survived the impossible.
Nothing will ever come between us again.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Bram
I’d lay in this bed and suffer for the rest of my life if it meant Kiana never felt an ounce of it. When I realized Mr. Diaz was about to pull the trigger, the only thing I could think of was getting between that bullet and her. In that moment, I didn’t care if I lived or died, I just wanted Kiana to survive.
Two shots.
Mr. Diaz’s hit me. Mine hit him. That was the end of it. It was a blur after that. I swore I saw the light at the end of the tunnel—so white and warm—but the angel that came for me had Kiana’s face. That’s when I knew it wasn’t my time. I was going to see her again. I’ve never believed much in destiny or fate, but something brought me back to her. Something decided we needed more sweet, precious time.
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