by Lannah Smith
He suddenly twisted and pulled a gun from the waistline of one of the men standing next to him. Then he turned and aimed at me. The air suddenly felt like it had been sucked out of the room.
“Calm down, Edward,” Lucas said in a soothing tone. “We still need her remember?”
“Don’t stop him!” I snapped, staring at my father. “I hit a bulls-eye, didn’t I? Dad?”
“Shut up,” he muttered.
“You were too weak to fight for the woman you loved. Too weak to protect her from dying." I shook my head. "You took it out on my mother and me. You forced us to suffer for your regrets in life. And you wonder why you'll always be weaker compared to Edmund Lawrence."
"Edmund Lawrence is dead!" The veins in the sides of my father’s neck stood out from the force of his bellow.
"His grandson lives."
"He’ll soon join his grandfather and father in death when I take everything he has."
My father’s opinion of himself was too warped and I snorted in disgust. "You're too weak. You'll never be able to beat him."
"You little—."
"I don't expect you to understand. You're too full of yourself when we all know you threw away your pride years ago just to gain more power. And you're insane if you believe you can get away with your sins."
He used the gun to strike me this time, backhanding me with it on the side my head, and I fell on the dirty floor. The pain was almost too intense to endure but I managed not to faint. I wished he’d just shoot me. Shoot me and end everything. It was why I was deliberately provoking his rage. And it was alright. I was going to die anyway.
Free Christopher from his shackles that had my name all over them. Pay for my sins at the same time.
And let Christopher avenge this atrocity.
I’m sorry, Dan, but I can’t keep my promise. You’ll understand right?
“You’ll never rule this city,” I mumbled, feeling the blood trickle down the side of my face. “Not now. Not ever. The Russians might have your back but Christopher has the Morettis beside him. Not to mention so many others that you’d shit in your pants and beg his forgiveness when you hear all their names.”
He raised his leg to strike me again. But a shout from the doorway stopped him cold.
“The Lawrence boss is here, sir!”
My heart felt as though it had just stopped beating.
Lucas inhaled sharply. “How the hell did he find us?”
“How many men did he bring with him?” My father shouted.
“He’s all alone,” his man reported. “He’s walking into the house like he doesn’t have a fucking care in the world.”
“Oh, he does, alright,” My father’s eyes swung back to me, victory in his sick, dark eyes. “This changes everything. But no matter. We’ll get what we want. And he’ll die as planned.”
I launched myself up to scratch his face but Lucas held me back. “You’re a coward!” I screamed. “Nothing but a fucking coward!”
“Shut up, you bitch!” Lucas said, shaking me roughly.
“I won’t shut up because I know I’m right!” I screeched at his face. “Johanna was better off without him!” I looked at my father. “You couldn’t protect her! So you got her raped and got her killed because you were nothing but a pathetic loser who couldn’t stand up for her and yourself! Johanna didn’t deserve to die for a piece of shit just like him!”
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion.
My father’s fury became uncontrollable and his bellow echoed throughout the room. Lucas shoved me back to the chair and my father aimed the gun once more to me, screaming incoherently despite Lucas’ attempts to hold him back from me and calm him down. Through all these, the door opened and I instantly knew who had joined the fray.
I heard him calling my name.
Over and over again.
Heard him fighting.
Heard him screaming for my father to put down the gun.
But I couldn’t look at him. If I did, I’d run to him. I desperately wanted to run to him but I couldn’t do that. Not because of all the men circling around me but because I’d already made up my mind.
Don’t save me.
I wanted to tell him this.
I’m not worth your death, Christopher.
In my heart I knew there was no other choice. I was the only one who could save him now. I could give him time to execute whatever his plans were.
And the thought gave me peace.
“April!”
My body jerked at the voice and my throat closed. My gaze moved beyond the gun.
“April!”
And, lips trembling, I found him.
He looked at me through the mob of people circling around me, screaming, thrashing, struggling against the binds that held him. Blood was trickling down the side of his head but aside from that, he looked well. Healthy.
Alive.
I managed to smile at him.
Managed to shed one single tear.
Goodbye, Christopher.
“April!” he bellowed when I removed my gaze away from him. “April, no!”
I resolutely looked at the person holding the gun. His hardened, cruel gaze stared down at me and I didn’t doubt his intentions to kill me.
I closed my eyes. Calm at the face of death. Imagining better days.
And said, “Do it, Dad.”
It was finally time to die.
Chapter 74
Bang!
My body lurched as I felt something whizz past my face. Then confusion filled me.
My father missed. He never misses.
My eyes flew open just as he let out a scream of agony. The gun was no longer in his hand which was bleeding profusely. He staggered backward and looked up to find the man who had shot him. I woodenly turned my head and looked up too.
It was Alec.
He was standing on the balcony, his face an expression of pure fury and hatred, his gaze locked on my father as well as his gun. Then he fired again. And the second bullet made my father jerk back with the impact, as if he was a puppet being yanked on a string.
Bellowing, Lucas drew out his gun and a hail of gunfire erupted around the room. My heart started pumping out of my chest. I closed my eyes, pushing my palms into my ears. But I still heard everything.
Gunshots.
Grunts and footsteps.
Bodies hitting the floor and shouts.
Death cries and gurgles.
Then silence.
My eyes flickered open. Through the haze of smoke, I saw him.
Christopher.
Walking as pretty as he pleased towards me, no longer bound by ropes, holding a gun in his hand.
A shiver slid over my skin. I shook my head in confusion. My head started spinning and the throbbing pain and fire that ripped through my head reminded me that I was hurt and still bleeding.
He knelt down in front of me. Tears rolled up from deep inside me. His face held no expression as his gaze roamed all over my face. His mouth was pressed tight in anger and his eyes were sharpened by a protective edge.
"How did you find me?" I whispered hoarsely.
He reached to pull something out of the pocket of my coat. I dropped my gaze. Heavier teardrops fell from my eyes. His grandfather had pushed something inside when we were attacked. It was a tracking device.
My eyes flew to his. "Your grandfather—."
"He's still alive," he whispered back, dabbing around the injury on my head gently with a piece of cloth in his other hand. "Fighting for his life. Like how I wished you'd do the same."
The look on his face told me I was about to catch hell from him for putting myself in so much danger. He heard. Every word that I said to my father. He knew that I was trying to get myself shot. He knew that I was trying to get myself killed.
I didn't regret it.
But I couldn't help but feel guilty for trying to leave him.
I opened my mouth. "Terry—."
"Is alright. Everyone's al
right, honey. Please just worry about yourself for now," he begged.
My hand shakily lifted to touch his face. "I'm sorry—."
"fucking hell, Skull, a little help here?"
Leon stared angrily at us, holding my father at gunpoint. I gaped at him.
What was he doing here?
I looked around. Bodies were strewn across the smoky room. Christopher's men were everywhere, filling the balcony and surrounding the room on all sides.
"You may show me your affection later, honey," Christopher said in a gruff tone. His hands carefully examined my body for broken bones but his worried gaze kept returning to my head injury. A low growl escaped his throat. "shit," he whispered, when his fingers came away from my neck with blood.
"Is it bad?" I whispered back.
His eyes narrowed. "You're white as a sheet."
My shoulders slumped. "That's not good."
Alec appeared next to Christopher, staring down at me. "She needs to go the hospital. An ambulance is coming—."
"No!" I screamed, throwing my arms around Christopher. "I'm fine. Just take me home."
Christopher returned the embrace, holding my trembling body with a tight force. "God, April," he groaned, burying his face into my hair.
"No, no, no." I shut my eyes and held him tighter. "I don't want to leave you."
"We need to—."
"No!" I screeched and felt another hand on my back.
"You can leave together, Miss Locke," Alec's voice spoke. "I'll take care of everything here."
My hand reached out blindly for him and he took my hand. "Come with us." I opened my eyes and sought his, pleading. "Okay? I can't leave you here too. Not with him. Not with him."
The doors suddenly slammed open and the police swarmed in. Leon gestured for them to pick my father off the floor. He was holding his bleeding hand against his chest, glaring at everyone around him. I didn't know where Lucas was. And I didn't care.
"Don't look at him," Alec ordered, putting himself in front of my father when I glanced his way. "He can't hurt you anymore."
"Yes," Christopher whispered. "It's finished and now you won't ever have to worry about him again, honey. You won't have to think of sacrificing your life ever again for me or for others."
My father's laughter carried like a cold whisper. "This isn't fucking over, Lawrence."
"Oh, it is," he answered without even looking at him with eyes devoid of light. "You're done, Edward Locke."
A flush rose on my father's face. "You—." he sputtered.
"Take him away," Leon told the police and they pushed him towards the door.
Blinking furiously, I looked at Christopher. "I'm sorry I didn't believe in you. This wouldn't have happened if I—."
"We'll talk about this later," he cut me off, gently lifting me into his arms. I closed my eyes and leaned my head on his shoulder. Then I was being moved quickly.
"Edward Locke, you are under arrest for abating in the attempted homicide of Edmund Lawrence and the murder of several others. Anything you say..."
I drowned out the rest of the police's words when pain shot through my head at being jostled. I made a low noise of agony. The pain was becoming excruciating. Then I felt myself slipping away.
"Stay with me, honey," Christopher's voice ordered, stopping, his arms squeezing me.
"I'll try," I mumbled, breathing in the cool night air.
"Don't go to sleep."
"Sorry," I sobbed. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."
Then all went black.
It took Alec's employer a long minute before he could react to April fainting in his arms. The second her head fell forward, the torment in Skull's face made Alec's chest clench tight.
Alec knew how Skull had died a thousand deaths on the way to Locke's hideout. Because he felt the same. They had both been put through hell. And Alec still found it damn difficult to take a deep breath.
"Skull," Alec put his hand on his shoulder, urging him, "We need to get her to the hospital."
Skull wouldn't move. It took him a long while to convince him that April was going to be fine and to get into the fucking car since the ambulance hadn’t arrived yet. Alec helped Skull settle April in his lap because he refused to let her go. His gaze met Alec's then and his eyes on him hurt actually and fuck, the only time Alec had ever seen pain like that was when they found April in her bedroom, looking like Death herself.
"You took so fucking long getting inside."
"I was already in," Alec argued quietly. "I wanted to kill him when he struck her the first time but it took a while before all our men could infiltrate the house. And you took your sweet time getting beat up."
Skull opened his mouth but Alec straightened and turned to gesture Leon over to the car. He wasn’t going to argue with him. He knew Skull wasn't in the right state of mind and knew that if April wasn't in his arms, he'd kill everyone in that house, fuck the police. Skull needed to get out of here and see to April.
"Is she alright?" Leon asked, leaning down to peer into the car, his worried gaze on April.
"Will you take over until I get back?" Skull asked him, his voice blank but his eyes not even close to blank. Alec winced inwardly.
There was no way he would allow Skull to return or allow him to get close to Edward Locke. In the condition that he was in right then, his twisted and demented mind might spring forth and desolate anything or anyone standing in his way.
Leon wasn't stupid. He knew Skull shouldn't come back.
"Just go," Leon said, his eyes lifting to meet his best friend's. "The police and I will take care of everything."
Skull wasn't stupid either. But April was more important than his rage so with a sharp nod, he turned to face forward. Leon straightened and closed the door.
"I'll call," Alec murmured, hurriedly sliding into the passenger's seat. Then he ordered the man behind the wheel to drive.
Leaning his head back, he closed his eyes and clenched his jaw.
"Come with us. Okay? I can't leave you here too. Not with him. Not with him."
In tears, April’s voice had been trembling when she said those words.
Not with him.
Alec opened his eyes. His chest hurt, like a burn deep inside, and he found it hard to breathe again.
"She suspects," he whispered in a voice that shook with emotion.
Skull looked at him on the rearview mirror. "About what?"
"About who I am."
Understanding dawned on Skull's face. "I told you she isn't stupid."
Squeezing his temple, he cursed low and mumbled, "Convince her otherwise. She knows her father isn’t the type to sleep with a dirty druggie like my mother when he still had Johanna Rogers in his life back then. She can easily be—."
"fuck that," Skull snarled. "She needs to know she still has family left who has a fucking heart. And after everything that has happened, she deserves to know even more."
Alec's jaw flexed as his gaze moved to the dark road.
Alec considered Skull not just his employer but a fried, no, even more than that. He treated him like a brother, a younger brother he needed to help straighten out. Alec was closer to him being privy to all his secrets and thoughts. Skull trusted him with his life and Alec, who wasn't the type of man to put trust in anyone but himself, trusted Skull with his.
Skull wouldn't deliberately hurt him. But Skull couldn't understand the guilt he was feeling right now. He never really needed protection, being deadly on his own. And Alec was his skilled right hand of the deadliest kind. The kind who had no weaknesses and had no use for weaknesses. But April needed their protection. They couldn't give it completely. She kept slipping right through their fingers. She was their weakness. And they kept on losing her to their enemies.
So he didn’t have the right to tell her he was her brother.
He didn’t have the right to claim her as his sister.
"The Morettis and Romanos have dealt with the Russians," Alec muttered, changing the subj
ect. "The only thing left to do is have the rest of Locke's remaining operations dismantled."
"Top priority," Skull mumbled, drawing in a long, deep breath.