Page 198 of Bleeding Hearts Duet

“Where are your keys and phone?” Alfredo asked.

It took me a minute and Ryland squeezing my hand to realize he was talking to me.

I dug the keys out of my pocket and held them out while clinging to Ryland’s body. “The phone’s in the car.”

He turned to one of his men and gave him instructions in Italian. When he walked out the door, Alfredo and his friend stepped forward.

“Alright.” Alfredo pulled his gun from the holster and waved it around casually. “Enough of the chit chat. How do you want to do this? You can all go together… real quick, bang bang bang… or one by one. Your choice.”

Oh, God. I was going to be sick.

“Please,” I sobbed. “Please don’t…”

Ryland stood and pulled me up with him. And then he gave Brayden some kind of silent signal before he pulled me into his arms, stroking my face in his palms.

“When Brayden tells you to run,” he whispered in my ear. “You fucking run, Brighton. I mean it. Don’t look back.”

I shook my head and clung to his body in disbelief. He made it sound like he didn’t plan on leaving with me. I had no idea what was happening, what they had planned, but I wasn’t leaving without either of them.

“I love you, baby girl.” His voice was hoarse, and there was finality in his words. “So fucking much.”

It took me a moment to realize what he was doing. He was shielding my body with his. I clung to his shirt and shook my head frantically. “No! It doesn’t end like this. It can’t end like this.”

I tried to look across the room, to see what Brayden was doing, but Ryland pulled my gaze back to him. “Just look at me,” he whispered. “Stay with me, just a moment longer. Never forget how much I love you.”

I didn’t understand his words. I didn’t understand what was happening.

“Now,” he barked.

I heard a pop, and then Ryland slumped against me before we both collapsed to the ground. There was something warm and sticky coming from his back, and I knew it was blood. I screamed, and I heard more popping, and then scuffling. Angry grunts and curses filled the room. Alfredo sounded surprised and pissed off, but I couldn’t see what was happening.

Brayden said something, but I couldn’t hear it. Alfredo started talking in Italian. Blood rushed through my ears as I clutched Ryland, trying desperately to feel his heartbeat. I couldn’t move him, he was so heavy against me. His body was protecting me from whatever was happening around us, but I was too hysterical to understand.

I finally managed to get my head out from beneath him, just enough to see Alfredo’s companion lying dead in a pool of blood on the floor. Alfredo was wrestling with Brayden, and he was bleeding all over the place.

“Brighton, run!” Brayden yelled. “Run now and don’t look back.”

I was frozen in horror. I couldn’t have run if I wanted to. But then Alfredo reached for his gun, pressing it directly to Brayden’s head. I screamed and pleaded, but he didn’t listen. Brayden’s eyes found mine from across the room, and he whispered something so softly, I could barely make it out.

“I’m so sorry. I was supposed to get you out of here. I failed. I’m so sorry, Brighton.”

And that was when I saw it. The gun laying on the floor next to the other man’s body. I didn’t know how to handle a gun- I’d never handled one in my life. But I lunged for it and pointed it at Alfredo, desperately hoping it would go off when I pulled the trigger.

The door burst open behind me, and I was so certain it was the third man coming to finish us off. I didn’t look. I just closed my eyes and squeezed the trigger. And I kept squeezing until every bullet had emptied from the chamber and there was nothing but the sound of empty clicking.

“Brighton.”

I felt a hand on my shoulder and a voice that was calm and familiar. Everything was blurry when I opened my eyes, but it was Mick’s face that I saw.

“Shhh…” He gently pulled the gun from my hands. “It’s okay. Everything’s going to be okay.”

I looked across the room and saw Brayden struggling to sit up as he kicked Alfredo’s body away. And then my gaze swung to Ryland. I squeezed my eyes shut and begged for it to end. Begged to wake up from this nightmare.

I crawled towards him with heaving sobs and cradled his head in my lap.

“Help him,” I pleaded. “Help Ryland. You have to help him!”

I held onto Ryland and stroked his hair in my fingers, telling him how much I loved him. Telling him that everything was okay because we were together, and it was the only thing I could do.

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