“I loved you, Gabriella.”
“The only one you ever loved, Vincent, was yourself. I hope you rot in hell for an eternity.” She drops the gun and we are stunned as we watch the life fade out of him.
Ms. Jade reaches behind her back and pulls out a gun, aiming it at my wife! “Well, that’s one less person I have to deal with. Did you really think I would have let him live or even rot in a tiny cell for the rest of his life? He was just a means to an end; a dead man the day I met him. Raven, my brother dedicated his life to you. He took you in and made sure you were safe. He loved you, and how did you repay him? You skewed his way of thinking. You got him mixed up in things that he never would have. You should have tried to get him to go home, to make amends with his family.”
Raven has a grip on my arm and I can feel her trembling. I try to pull her behind me but Ms. Jade points her gun at Raven’s chest, making me freeze. Raven tries to calm her down. “Don’t you think I tried? I loved Marco like a brother. I even offered to go home with him, but he said his parents disowned him. If he was such a loving brother then why did he never mention you? You have some twisted idea in your head that I’m somehow responsible for Marco’s death. You have no clue what he did to me. He lied to and betrayed me, pretending to be my friend. He used me, had me kidnapped twice. He hit me, and then claimed to love me. He knew I had a brother and withheld that information from me. He kept your existence hidden away because he knew how twisted he really was. You have these dreams of the type of brother you wanted. They are the same dreams I had about the friend I wanted. Those where just that—dreams. Dreams that Marco could never live up to. Don’t become like him. Put the gun down. Please think of what you’re doing.”
I see Max in the corner of my eye inching his way toward her, but she sees it too. “Take another step, Mr. Fleming, and I will shoot her.” He freezes as she’s waving the fucking gun around like a mad woman.
“Raven, you may have gotten your daughter out of here safely, but I can guarantee you that your husband will not make it out of here alive. You will know what it feels like to suffer great loss.”
As she lifts the gun toward me, police storm the roof, but she doesn’t flinch. I look at her eyes; they take upon a darkness that is unexplainable. Just as I pull Raven behind me, Max tries to go for her gun . . . she pulls the trigger. It’s at that moment that Rose steps in front of me, taking the bullet that is meant for me. The police shoot and Ms. Jade is dead.
Raven drops to her knees and is screaming over and over again. “Mommy, please, please don’t leave me again. Please don’t die. I only just got you back. Help! Please, someone help her! God, no please . . . no.”
I drop to my knees and apply pressure to her wound to try to stop the bleeding. “Rose, why? Why did you do this?”
“I’ve known great love, my daughter and granddaughter need to know that, too. I know you will love them with all that you’ve got.” She takes Raven’s hand. “I love you. I’m so proud of who you’ve become, my Cara.”
The hospital staff finally gets to us. They are trying to start her heart again as they are rushing her down to emergency. Raven is screaming she wants to go with her, but the police are trying to ask her fucking questions now. I grab her hand and we run toward the exit, trying to keep up with the doctors.
The police try to stop us. “Get the fuck out of our way, so help me if you don’t—.” They get the hell out of the way. We make it to the emergency room and they are still trying to restart her heart. I stare at my hands covered in blood . . . blood that was shed to save me. I watch the seconds on the clock tick away. The wait seems like an eternity. I finally see the doctor coming and the look on his face is grim. I pull Raven into my arms; she needs me to be her rock right now. I only hope I can.
“I’m sorry, we did all we could. The nurse will come and get you so you can have a few minutes alone with her before we have to move her.”
I hold her tight and we fall apart. I don’t think I will ever be the same again. Someone gave up their life for mine. How can I live with that?
I TRY TO EXPLAIN to the police as best as I can the events that unfolded here tonight. Jackie is sitting on the floor next to Sammy’s body, crying. He always said that he would protect her at all cost. He paid so dearly, giving his life to protect my wife.
“Jackie, you need to let the police do their job. Please come with me.” She’s shaking and crying uncontrollable.
“I can’t leave him, Max. Please, I need to stay with him.”
“You can’t and right now, Raven really needs you. Rose is fighting for her life.
Jackie, please, we need to find Raven.” I finally get through to her. We head downstairs to find out Rose’s status.
Jax is very quiet, probably still in shock, as we all are. Knowing that someone took a bullet for you and might not survive is overwhelming. We find Raven sitting in Jax’s lap, crying and rocking back and forth. I don’t need to ask the question, I already know the answer. An answer I’m dreading.
Jax looks up at me. “She didn’t make it,” he whispers.
Time stands still for all of us.
A nurse comes out and escorts us back to say our goodbyes. If only it were that easy. How do you say goodbye to someone who, in such a short time, has done so much for you? How was that even possible? We thought we were saving her, yet she saved each one of us when no one else could. Hell, Junior wouldn’t be getting the early treatment if it wasn’t for her insistence. She helped Jackie get over her fear of having a child. She saved An when she had a heart attack. She helped me through the realization that my father, quite possibly, had a hand in killing his grandson and daughter in-law. She saved my brother by taking a bullet meant for him. I can only hope if there is a God, he has reunited her with Antonio. I reach down and brush my fingers along her cheek. “Fly with the angels, Rose.”
Jackie bows her head, reciting some sort of prayer in Japanese. I have no clue what she is saying, but it sounds almost musical. She buries her face in my chest and sobs.
“Raven, Jackie and I are going to step out and give you some privacy.” I don’t even know if she heard me. I look back and Raven crawls into the bed, curls into Rose, and loses it. I know none of us will ever be the same again.
My phone buzzes, it’s Mick. I need to get him updated on everything. “Hey, Max, what’s going on? The pilot radioed and said something big went down. The heliport is full of police.”
“Vincent made it to the roof with Ms. Jade. He shot Sammy. Rose tried to help him but he didn’t make it.”
“Oh, I’m sorry—.”
“There’s more. Ms. Jade was not a hostage as first thought; she pulled a gun on Raven.” I hear him gasp. “There was a heated confrontation. She had every intention of shooting Jax. I tried to get to the gun before she could shoot him, but Rose jumped in front of her. Rose didn’t make it, Mick. She’s gone.”
“R-rose, is gone? Oh my God, no, she was so much to so many. Never asking for anything in return and now she’s g-gone.”
“Mick, I need you more now than ever before. You need to get the family to Gerhard’s compound and whatever you do, don’t let them watch the news. Tell them that we have some stuff to follow up with and then we will be there in a couple of days. I don’t want Mum to hear any of this right now. I know the stress is taking a toll on her. Junior can’t find out either, he needs to focus on his treatment.”
“Max, you can’t keep everyone in the dark for too long. Within a couple of hours this is going to hit the press. You know Raven and Jackie are not leaving there without Rose and Sammy. Shit that can take weeks and tons of red tape. I have an idea, let me call Gerhard and have him arrange to have a doctor at the house, just in case. You know An and I are pretty close, I promise I will be with her and support her through all of this.”
“Mick, thank you, I’m proud and honored to call you my friend.”
“Let everyone know that they are in my prayers and if they need me to do anything
else, let me know.”
“I will. Check in when you get to the compound.”
I hang up just as Hage comes rushing in. I don’t think I can deal with another thing right now. I know if Jax sees him, he will unload on him.
“Hage, why are you here?”
“Why wouldn’t I be here? What the fuck went down?”
“I’m sure by now you know, so again, why the fuck are you here?”
“You know, Max, I’m not the bad guy here. I’m sorry for your loss, but you should have told me that Gabriella was alive. I might have been able to protect her.”
“Don’t go there, Hage. You really need to shut the fuck up right now.”
Every man has a breaking point. We always think we can take just a tad more, but then it happens, that point when your mind snaps. I try everything I know to get myself past that point. I slowly count down from ten, trying to block out his irritating voice.
“Maybe if I knew she would still be—.”
Oh bloody hell no. I snap. I’m done. One swift move and he’s down on all fours. “I fucking told you not to go there, now shut the fuck up! If you have any questions contact my attorney. Now, I suggest you get out of here before Jax and Raven get back.”
“You just assaulted a federal prosecutor. You can’t order me around. I can have you arrested. I’ll leave when I have all the answers and, if need be, I will detain you.”
“Good luck with that.” I take Jackie’s hand and we head in search of Jax and Raven.
MY WIFE IS CURLED up next to her mum, begging her to come back to life. I can’t stop staring at my hands that are covered in blood . . . Rose’s blood. How do I go through this life and not feel her blood on my hands every day? I close my eyes and all I see is Rose, leaping out in front of me. Everything happened so fast, yet it seems like slow motion. I stand over the sink and try to wash the blood off; it will never truly be gone. Nothing ever is. I need to snap out of this and tend to my wife. “Raven, we need to let the staff take care of your mum now.” I don’t even know if she hears me. I try to lift her up in my arms, but she is fighting me.
“No, I’m not going without my mom . . . please.” Her arms are clutched around her mum and she is begging me to help her.
“Sweetheart, the sooner we let them do their job, the sooner we can bring her home. Our daughter needs you, too, Raven.” Finally, she puts her arms around me and lets me carry her out of the room. Max and Jackie are waiting for us, and I notice Hage is down the hall barking at someone.
“Give me an update, Max. Where is the family? How soon can we get out of here?”
I put Raven down and Jackie pulls her into her arms. “Come on, Raven, let’s go wash up.”
I watch them leave and realize they both have blood all over them.
“I called Mick and told him everything. I had them leave without us. I’m not sure how long this is going to take, and I know Raven and Jackie will not leave here without Rose and Sammy. Mick is going to have a doctor at Gerhard’s when he tells mum. I think we should be the ones to tell Junior.” I’m looking down at my hands and I keep wringing them, hoping to will the image of all that blood out of my head. I focus my attention back to the problems at hand.
“I agree. What the fuck is Hage doing here?”
“I lost it on him. He really said the wrong thing. I reached my breaking point and knocked him out, so he threatened to detain me. I already put a call into Matthew.”
“Don’t worry; you did what I’ve been wanting to do.” He is mindlessly rubbing his knuckles, no doubt sore from punching Hage.
“What happened to the other helicopter?”
“By the time they got back, everything was over. The pilots dropped off the few remaining guards to take care of us until we get to Switzerland.”
“How long do you think this is going to take? I think getting Raven back with Antonia, would be best for everyone.”
“Matthew is working on it now. We have to wait for the coroner to finish an autopsy and issue a cause of death.”
“Oh bloody hell, we know they were both shot.” I’m about ready to punch the wall but he grabs my arm, stopping me.
“Standard procedure they have to follow. Rose really loved the estate in Scotland and I was thinking, if it’s okay with Raven, we could have something built there in her honor.”
“Do we even know what her wishes were?”
“Actually, I do. When I had myself removed as her guardian, she came to me and asked me to be the executor of her estate. She wanted all of her assets dissolved and given to certain charities. She made all her own arrangements. She told me when her parents died, she had no one to turn to. She had to make all the arrangements herself and she never wanted Raven to go through that. She kept it simple, requesting to be cremated and have her ashes scattered in the ocean. She named a beach in North Carolina, where Antonio asked her to marry him, called Topsail Island.” I’m feeling anxious without Raven, and I begin to pace.
“Okay, let me know if you need me to help you with any of it. I’m not surprised that she made all her arrangements. She never wanted to burden anyone. Thank you for handling everything so quickly. I know it must be hard on you too.” I stop pacing and pat his back. Acknowledging that I’m grateful for all he has done.
“Do we have someplace to stay for the next few days?”
The girls come back looking a little bit better. “Yeah, come on, I got us a couple of rooms downtown while we wait.”
We go out the back, taking the few remaining guards with us. Unfortunately, the press has gotten wind of what happened. Max and I take off our jackets and use them to shield Raven and Jackie. I get it, better than anyone, that everything that went down here is newsworthy but for Christ’s sake, give people a chance to grieve.
When we pull up to the hotel, there is a crowd waiting out front. We try the back entrance and it’s just as bad. “Max, get us to the nearest helipad. We can easily fly to the rooftop of our New York penthouses. We will hold up there until we can make arrangements to leave the country.”
Within minutes, he has everything lined up for us.
I HANG UP THE phone and the realization that she’s gone begins to sink in. How could this possibly have happened? I was able to get everyone safely from the heliport to the plane, but I can’t stop now to grieve. I need to get everyone safely to Switzerland and keep them from seeing the news. I step out of the onboard office and find An waiting for me. “Hey, is everything okay?”
“You tell me, and don’t say ‘nothing.’ I’m strong, Mick, please tell me my children are okay.” I take her hand and squeeze it up to my lips.
“They are fine, we, however, need to get to Switzerland, so please get into your seat and buckle up. I’m going to meet with the captain.” She cocks her head and glares at me. Before she can say anything more, I guide her back to one of the chairs. I head into the flight deck and give the captain the go ahead to take off. I also have him disable the Wi-Fi and television. I strap into the additional jump seat in the flight deck. I know that the crew is more than capable to do their job, but it gives me some sense of peace being in there. It’s the one place I can totally relax, letting the world go by. The captain, informing me that Mr. Gerhard is on the line, interrupts my few moments of bliss. I know I need to bring him up to speed and I’ve been dreading it. I’ve never even met the man and now I have to greet him with this type of news. “I will take it in the office, and thanks again for letting me in here for takeoff.” I head to the office, avoiding An’s stare.
“Hello, sir, I’m not sure how much you know but I will start by telling you your daughter is safe.”
“Who the hell are you?! Where is my daughter and Max? Why is Sammy not taking any of my calls?”
“Sir, my name is Mick and I’m one of the guards. I’m sorry, sir, Sammy was shot while protecting Jackie . . . he didn’t make it . . . neither did Rose, Raven’s mom. We are on our way to you, however, Jackie, Max, Raven, and Jax are still in the State
s. They are waiting for the bodies to be released and then they will be on their way. I have not told anyone yet what happened. I was hoping to hold out until we got to you. Is it possible to have a doctor on hand when I do tell them? I’m afraid An’s health is frail and the shock might be to much for her, not to mention Michael Jr.”
“Of course. How is my daughter and Raven? When can I speak to them?”
“The only thing I know is that they are safe. I’ve only spoken to Max, but I’m sure you will hear from them today. We should be to you in about seven hours. I will keep you posted, if I hear anything else.”
“Thank you. I will have everything ready for your arrival,” he states before ending the call. I hang up and pray that I can make it through the next seven hours. I hear the tap on the door and I know it’s An. My hopes of avoiding telling her anything have just been squashed. I open the door expecting An but it’s Mrs. Osla.
“Mrs. Osla, is everything okay?”
“Yes, Mick, everyone is asleep so I figured now would be a good time for you to tell me what you’re trying to hide. This family has been through so much, I don’t know if they could take anything else. I know you care deeply for An; she is my best friend. If there is a problem, I want to be there for her . . . to help in any way possible.”
“Please, ma’am, have a seat. I really don’t know where to start? So much has happened.”
“Did something happen to Maxwell? Is that what you’re afraid to tell u-us?”
For the first time since I met this woman, I see a look of dread and fear come over her. “Oh no, Maxwell is safe. There was a confrontation on the roof of the hospital after we evacuated. Sammy and Rose were shot, neither of them made it.”
She gasps, “Oh God, no.” I rush to give her a glass of water but she pushes it away.
“I spoke with Mr. Gerhard and he will have a doctor at the house. I would rather wait to tell An until we get there, if that’s possible.”
Shattered Lies Page 23