by KC Kean
Oscar, where the fuck is Oscar?
A bang from behind catches my attention, and I spin around to find Oscar using his baseball bat to repeatedly beat down another one of Featherstone’s men.
Behind him, a door opens, and I ready my body to attack and defend, only to see Wren step out, blood smeared all over her face. My eyes catch on the silver barrel as she slowly walks down the hall, past Oscar, raising a gun. How the fuck did she sneak one in too?
It could be trained on anyone, but I refuse to let her pull the trigger and hurt my family. Crouching low, I charge at her, lifting her off the ground at her waist, but it’s not enough as I hear the sound of the bullet leave the barrel. Spinning with her in my arms, I carelessly drop her to the floor behind me as I frantically search in the direction she shot. She drops the gun when she falls, and I blindly kick it out of her reach.
Fear coats my skin, as I track everyone. Kai’s head spins in my direction, as well as Parker’s, clearly both okay, forcing me to find Luna. Her back is pushed against the wall, her eyes wide in shock.
No.
Moving around the bodies on the floor, I rush to her side, but she isn’t looking at me, she’s looking at Taylor who is pressed up against her. Luna turns Taylor’s body around, and I catch Taylor as Luna lowers her to the floor. Luna brushes the bloodied brown hair from Taylor’s face while assessing her wound.
“Taylor, can you hear me? Stay with me, okay?” Luna shouts down at her.
“What a fucking hobo,” she struggles to breathe out, her eyes flickering to Wren in disgust.
Confused, I try to process what’s going on. Luna pulls her long-sleeved shirt over her head, leaving her in just a sports bra and presses the cloth on Taylor’s stomach.
“Roman, help me. She took the bullet,” she rushes out desperately, focusing on the dying girl before us. “She threw herself in front of me, Rome. She saved my life.” Luna finally looks into my eyes, and I nod in understanding.
Looking over me, her frantic eyes suddenly freeze, fire burning in her pupils as she focuses on something.
“Take care of her, Rome,” she murmurs, cupping my cheek, her fingertips smearing blood on my face, but I don’t care. “She’s going to pay for this.” Luna stands up straight, determination clear in her eyes, as she steps over Taylor, who looks up, pleading with me to save her life.
I continue to apply pressure as I track Luna’s movements. She’s heading straight for Wren, who is leaning against the wall, a dazed look in her eyes as she rubs her head gingerly. Blood touches her fingertips, likely from the way I dropped her carelessly before.
Parker looks to me for guidance, trying to figure out where he can help. Right now, standing amongst the blood, gore, and death, I don’t even know myself.
CHAPTER TWENTY
(Luna)
Leaving Roman to help Taylor, I stalk towards Wren. This bitch is done. Taylor was still in a state of shock from watching me slit the guy’s throat in front of her, but the appreciation and respect had been evident in her eyes. I think that may be why she threw herself in front of me as she screamed to look out, clearly seeing Wren raise the gun before I did. She won’t die for blindly protecting me in return, not at the hands of Wren Dietrichson or Featherstone.
Stepping over lifeless bodies that scatter the blood covered floor, I use my arm to swipe at my face, trying to remove some of the blood and sweat so I can see better. Wren looks disoriented as I near her, and I’m not usually one to kick a bitch when she’s down, but there’s no getting up for her. I’ll make sure of it.
Grabbing the collar of her peach top, I drag her to her feet. Releasing some of my rage, I throw Wren through the open door to my left, opposite to where I came out with the guys. The sound of a table crashing fills my ears, the music not as loud in here. I step into the room behind her, leaving the door open. She’s quicker than I expect, jumping to her feet in a crouched stance, sneering at me, but I just grin. Thinking about everything this girl has done in the past three months fuels my anger, and I’m happy to let my rage takeover finally. There is no tutor here to stop me.
Looking down at myself, my blade and gun are in clear view now that I don’t have a top on, but I don’t care. My sticks are somewhere on the ground, currently of no use to me at all.
“You should have fucking listened, whore,” Wren growls, and I laugh, standing still, faking calm and carefree, but ready to react at any second. “You’re fucking with everything! This is bigger than you, but you walk into Featherstone, thinking you’re some queen. All because the other heirs of The Ring, Roman, Parker, Kai, and Oscar, worship the ground you walk on!” Her voice carries over the bass of the music, and I can hear the slight tremble in her words.
“I can smell your fear from here, Wren,” I murmur, before running at her. The longer we stand, the more time she has to come up with a plan, and I refuse to let that happen. She lifts her arms to block the swing of my fist, but I still manage to connect with her cheek, her head snaps to the side with the impact.
Falling to her back, she surprises me, kicking her leg round, catching me right at the back of my knees and knocking me forward. What the fuck? My hands break my fall as I drop to my knees beside her. Bitch. Swinging my fist to the side, I hit the side of her head, making her grunt before she can overpower me.
Throwing my leg over her waist, her fists come up to hit me. I grapple with her to stop the attack, pinning her legs down with mine, as I fight to stay above her. Her fingers wrap in my hair, and I’m furious at the fact she’s fighting dirty, trying to pull my hair like we’re children.
Still hovering above her on the ground, I lift my fist and punch her in the stomach, causing the wind to rush out of her, as she tries to curl up in a ball. It reminds me of the time I was attacked by Wren and her friends, forcing me to curl into the same fetal position. All while they rained blows down on my body, over and over again. Payback’s a real bitch, bitch.
Leaning over her, I continue to hit her face, blow after blow. Until she manages to land a fist in my side, weakening my grip, and allowing her to push me off. Rolling to my feet, I’m ready as she crouches low. Extending my leg, I watch as she pulls a knife from her hip, and just as my combat boot smashes into her face, she manages to slice my calf.
I feel the pinch, but the adrenaline coursing through my veins masks the extent of the injury.
Watching Wren’s body fly back from the impact of my boot doesn’t offer me enough satisfaction. Although, the blood covering her face as she holds her cheek in pain makes me smile. The fact that she manages to still stand though, fucking infuriates me. She quickly runs for the door behind her, running from me, but I’m not put off by a little chase.
Before I can follow after her, a television flickers on in the room, grabbing my attention as the music completely shuts off. I wipe my hair from my face, making the most of the calm before the storm, as I watch Juliana’s frantic face fill the screen.
“Luna? Kai? Roman? Anyone!” She steps to the left, and I catch a glimpse of a wall filled with security cameras. It’s as if she’s searching for us on there. “Where the fuck are you, Luna? Totem is in there!” She yells in frustration, her eyes looking back to the camera.
Wait… what? Totem?
My heart rate picks up, and I feel my eyes glaze over, my defensive senses kicking in as I stand ready to fight. Of course, that motherfucker shows up here when we’re at our weakest.
“Luna! Luna!” I hear Oscar yell from the hallway, but my eyes are fixed on the screen. Behind Juliana, I can see Rafe pinning Rico to the wall, his hands around his throat. The look on his red face is one I’ve never seen before, his eyes burn with anger, and his jaw is so tight he could cut glass. I watch as he pulls his gun from his back pocket, pressing the barrel into Rico’s head, right in between his eyes.
Too much is happening all at once, but I can’t take my eyes off the screen. Some of Rico’s men go to charge Rafe, but it’s too late. I watch in slow motion as Rafe pulls t
he trigger, the smirk on Rico’s face instantly falling, along with his lifeless body as he drops to the floor. Swiping Rico’s blood from his face, he glances down at his shirt, seeing even more of it, and he shrugs.
My heart pounds in my chest, watching my Dad kill someone with vengeance in his eyes. We’ll never know what role Rico played in everything, but he deserved to die. I just wish I’d been able to do it, for everything he did to Parker. I hope he rots in hell.
“Luna! Fuck! I’ve been screaming your name,” Oscar rushes out as he steps into the room, wrapping me in his arms.
“Did you hear Juliana?” I ask, and I feel him nod against me.
“I didn’t see a monitor, but her voice was coming through the speakers. I heard a gunshot too.” Leaning back, he cups my cheek, his eyes scanning over me. “We need to get you out of here, baby girl.”
A boom rings in my ears, an explosion knocking us to the floor. What the fuck is happening?
My vision is blurred as I try to focus, but I can’t gain my balance to even bring myself to sit up on the floor. My mind screams for Oscar, for Roman, Kai, and Parker, but I can’t get the words to pass my lips, only a whimper, as my body deals with the impact of what is going on around us.
Helplessly, I manage to prop myself up on my hands and knees, the ground rattling around me. Why is it suddenly so bright? Forcing deep breaths, I push through the throbbing pain that’s coursing through my body.
A hand squeezes mine, and I try to open my eyes again, just focusing on what is right in front of me. Oscar’s hand holds mine, and I slowly trail my eyes up his arm, my vision staying clear enough to see his face. He looks as though he’s reacting just as badly as me, concern in the crinkle of his eyes, but we need to find the others.
Oscar manages to gain enough balance to stand, letting me crawl up his body to stand beside him. Lacing his fingers with mine, we stumble towards the door where the others were. Using the walls to guide us, I see Parker and Roman to our right, coughing with the smoke that surrounds us, helping each other to their feet. It’s the flickers of red and orange reflecting off the walls that draw my attention to the other end of the hall.
Glancing in the other direction, my heart drops as flames burn brightly, consuming everything in its path. Looking back into the room, I see the door Wren left through, and it looks like the safest option right now.
Still unable to find my words, I pat Oscar’s arm to gain his attention and point to where we need to go. Nodding in agreement, we make our way as quickly as we can to Roman and Parker, but where’s Kai?
Roman scans me from head to toe, watching us approach, relief evident on his face as he takes me in. I glance between the two of them, Parker checks me over too, but he must see the question in my eyes. Parker points further down the corridor to another door where Kai must be, thankfully, in the opposite direction of the fire.
Dropping my hand from Oscar’s, I steady myself against the wall, slowly making my way down the hallway, hopefully, to find Kai. My fingers wrap around the door frame, pulling me into view, and when my eyes fall on Kai, my heart sinks.
Sound finally fills my ears, but only to hear a man screaming. “Kill him! I said fucking kill him, Wren!” He seethes. “An eye for an eye, or it’s your mother I’ll take as repayment for the death of Veronica!” He spits out, but Wren remains frozen in place.
Kai lays injured on the floor, blood pouring from his right shoulder, as I realize someone has already shot him. I can see his fingers slowly moving towards his gun, but with their gazes on him, he’s going to have to be quick. That’s going to be difficult when it’s his shooting arm that’s injured.
“I said, do it, Wren! No daughter of mine should fucking hesitate like this!”
My brain tries to process what they’re saying, or who this motherfucker even is, and slowly it pieces together in my jumbled mind.
Totem.
Wren is the heir.
It should have been obvious, but my brain can’t focus on that when Kai’s life hangs in the balance. Clearly done with waiting, he goes to rip the gun from her hand, and I react on instinct.
Pulling my gun from my underarm holster, the safety already off before I have my target in sight. I aim and shoot without question, but in my rattled state I’m not as accurate as usual. The bullet sails through the air, followed quickly by another as my finger continues to pull the trigger.
As if in slow motion, Wren turns towards me at the sound of the gun going off, the bullet hitting her in the thigh, followed by the second in her back. As she tumbles to the floor, the third bullet lodges into the wall at the other end of the room. The fourth bullet making contact with Totem, not enough to cause serious damage, but it’s a clean shot in his arm he’s holding his gun in.
He sneers as his eyes widen with fury. “Soon, you’ll be mine, little moon.”
Glancing behind me for a moment, he suddenly scurries from the room, and I drop to the floor. Out of rounds, and lacking energy, I try to crawl towards Kai, as he frantically tries to get to me as well. He feels too far, I need to lie down, just for a minute, my head is throbbing, the adrenaline starting to wear off.
The strength in my arms goes, but someone catches me before my face smashes into the floor, turning me to lay on my back.
Blinking up at the person who caught my fall, I know I must be dead, but at least I’ll die with a smile on my face as I peer into the same green eyes as my own.
If my eyes weren’t brimming with tears, I’d scream right now, but I’ll take peace instead. The peace you get from seeing a loved one again, after your heart is broken, never truly healing.
My tongue is dry in my mouth, but I manage to speak a single word before darkness seeps in.
“Dad.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
(Roman)
My head jerks in the direction of the door Luna stepped out of, struggling to swallow past the rock stuck in my throat, fear consuming me. The hairs on my arms stand on end as I glance down at Taylor. She’s still breathing, but I need to get to Luna. She’s my priority right now.
I catch sight of Parker and Oscar following behind me, but I come to an abrupt stop as I enter the room, taking in the scene before me.
The door at the other end of the room slams shut, clearly someone running away, but with Kai rushing to Luna’s side, that’s where my focus stays. Luna. Her body is held from dropping to the floor by a man, but before I can charge at him to get him off her, I hear the word she breathes before passing out.
“Dad.”
Dashing to her side, I watch as her eyes close, slipping into an unconscious state. Cupping the back of her head, I look to the man hovering over her, and my eyes widen in surprise.
“Bryce,” I murmur, instinctively touching his arm to feel he’s really here. He smiles at me, tears in his eyes, as he looks back down at his daughter, my beautiful wife.
“We need to get out of here before the whole place explodes.” He glances towards Kai, “Are you okay to move?” Kai nods in response, also at a loss for words.
I slip my hand under Luna’s legs, but Bryce squeezes my shoulder. “Roman, you’re still disorientated from the explosion. Let me carry her, okay?” Looking deep into his eyes, I know it’s the right choice, but I’m scared to let her out of my sight.
“You don’t go anywhere without me. Where she goes, I go,” I grunt, accepting his help, but before he can lift her, shouts sound from the hallway. I instantly know who’s coming, and I don’t think I’m ready for this, and the gulp Bryce takes tells me his emotions are coming all at once too.
“Luna? Luna! The explosion destroyed the camera feed!” I hear someone call out, fear in his voice. “Where the fuck is my…” Rafe’s voice trails off as he steps into the room, his eyes falling to Luna, limp between Bryce and me, before his eyes finally take in who is beside me.
If Luna hadn’t melted my black heart, I would never have appreciated the love before me, instead turning a blind eye to what matters mo
st in this world. We are literally in a burning building, the sound of wood splintering, and floors collapsing around us. Yet it’s the sight of his love, Bryce, that brings Rafe to his knees. Literally, his legs give out from under him, knocking him to the floor.
Bryce stalls beside me, not wanting to release Luna, but needing to go to him. I nudge his shoulder, pushing him to go as I hold her. Oscar quickly fills his spot as Bryce drops to his knees in front of Rafe.
I know this is their moment, intimacy, and vulnerability wrapping around them, but I can’t look away as they cry freely. Tears coating their cheeks as Bryce rests his forehead against Rafe’s. If Luna were awake right now she’d cry at their display of love too. I just know it.
Parker stands awkwardly at the door, glancing over his shoulder, before taking a deep breath and interrupting. “I’m really, really sorry, but could we do the whole reunited thing when we have Luna safe? We’re about to burn to death.”
His words kick everyone into action. Bryce lifts Luna from my arms and heads out of the opposite door. We follow behind them, making sure to keep up as smoke fills the rooms, blocking our view, and filling our lungs.
Rafe steps in front, throwing a door open to let everyone out. The light that fills the room burns my eyes as we step outside. It takes me a minute to understand where we are. I expected us to still be in the warehouse, but the door led us straight to the forest.
“Straight down this path, there’s an SUV waiting which will take us to the jet,” Bryce calls out. Taking off down a makeshift path, barely noticeable amongst the trees and foliage. A boom sounds from behind us, as fire burns from the windows of the warehouse, black smoke darkening the sky.
“Rome, come on!” Oscar shouts, as he keeps up with the others, and I jog to catch up.
Walking beside Kai, I try to check his wound. He’s losing quite a bit of blood, and he looks pale.
“Hopefully not too far now, man,” I say, and he nods.