Page 59 of Black Wedding

Using the fancy earpiece Kellan insisted we get, I pass my instructions on to him before turning to address everyone else. “We shoot to kill. The only people in that house that do not get a bullet are Bree and Vinnie. If she says he is innocent, then I will believe that, for now. I can always kill him at a later date if he is lying to me. Understood?”

Nods of confirmation are all I need. “What about Vernon and this Jimmy guy?” asks Evan, and I look at Paddy for instructions.

“I will deal with Vernon. I think that we need to find out from Bree what she wants to do with Jimmy. He meant a lot to her, and I have no idea how she will feel after this betrayal,” he says with a heavy heart.

“She will shoot him herself,” I mumble, and everyone lightly chuckles. They all know my girl isn’t afraid of using her trigger finger if she needs to.

“Even so, it’s her decision. You go in first, Liam, then Evan and Desmond will follow you. I will stay here and make sure nobody enters or exits,” he says as he instructs the man standing next to him to guard the door. All I know is that this guy was who Paddy sent to secure the scene and set up a diversion. He doesn’t argue, just moves into position next to the door, and I honestly don’t give a shit that Paddy doesn’t have the manners to introduce his man. I just want my girl back, and an extra set of hands is always a good thing. We haven’t called for more men, it’s better to have five well-trained men breach quietly than have loads who make a scene and risk getting people killed in the crossfire.

We stand in position outside of the main door. We have already memorised our plan of attack. This is where Kellan really shines. Not only did he find us an old map of the building, so we know the entire layout. He also hacked the government satellite that can use infrared to determine how many people are alive inside and where.

Just as we are about to breach, Kellan’s voice comes over the communications devices that we all have, and everybody stands still to listen to what he has to say.

“Fuck, Liam. You need to go now. The infrared reading for Bree shows her temperature is flickering into the dangerously low zone. Plus, there is some asshole towering over here in a position that does not look appropriate,” Kellan states. I barely let him finish the sentence before I kick the door in and shout that we are breaching.

“So much for doing this methodically,” mutters Desmond as he charges in behind me. This approach was his idea to start with. Whenever I suggested that we needed to slow down and plan to ensure there were no casualties, he stopped listening. But now, I just need to get to Bree. Her temperature shouldn’t be dropping. She shouldn’t be injured. Maybe Kellan is wrong and it’s not her? I know that is fucking wishful thinking, Kellan is never wrong. But it’s easier to think he made a mistake than that my girl could be gone.

Listening to the instructions in my ear, I know that despite my little wobble a second ago, I really do trust Kellan completely. I let him guide me through the house, trusting my dad and brother to have my back. The irony of that sentence is not lost on me. Not two months ago, I had been disowned and didn’t have any family, now I have a giant, fucked up family of misfits, but they are mine. United in their love for one girl who makes it easy to love her.

I get into the room I was aiming for, and the door is already open. I do a quick sweep of the room’s perimeter to make sure I wasn’t in any danger. Movement in the corner catches my eye, I see a young boy cowering in the corner. I knew Vinnie wasn’t a threat. I had seen pictures of him when I was doing my research to kill his father. So, when Kellan distributed his photo, we all knew what he looked like and not to shoot him. Once I identified he wasn’t a threat, I cast my eyes into the middle of the room at my sweet Bree.

Bree’s lying in the middle of the room, her body looking battered and bruised. Her skin is ashen in the patches that are not covered in black or blood. Cuts and slices of all different shapes and thicknesses cover her beautiful body. She is completely naked, and a man is in between her spread legs while he fists his tiny cock in his hands.

Seeing me in the doorway, taking up some of the light, he turns to face me. Obviously, he doesn’t see me as a threat because he continues pumping that piss-poor excuse for a dick. That’s his mistake.

I see red, and rage spreads through my body so badly I can hear my heart pulsing in my head. I don’t hesitate, I pull out my gun, but then again, neither does he. As soon as he realises I’m a real threat, he picks up the knife lying by his side and plunges it into the right side of her abdomen. I scream for her, hoping that she can hear me as I make the shot. Then, aiming straight into his tiny little brain, I squeeze the trigger. It’s a shot I could make in my sleep. Even the fury and pain I feel at seeing what this guy has done to Bree isn’t enough to cause my hand to waver. Instead, it remains perfectly still as the bullet leaves the gun and hits precisely in the centre of his forehead.

He falls to the floor, but I don’t give a shit about him. All I can see is my bloodied and broken girl, her eyes shut and lying there like she won’t ever open them again.

I fall to my knees right beside Bree. I want to touch her, to cradle her so that she knows I am here, but there’s not one part of her body that doesn’t look damaged. Even her gorgeous face is swollen and bruised. A violent frenzy I have never felt before starts to build up. It’s painful, and I want to make everyone who had a hand in this hurt.

“Kellan, get that fucking ambulance in here now! She’s dying. Oh fuck...I can’t lose her! She can’t die,” I shout and then block out the responses when everyone else starts talking.

I hear footsteps heading our way, but I’m not entirely sure if the ambulance is even here yet. I curl up next to Bree. I try not to touch her too much but am desperate to pass some of my warmth to her. Anything I can do to help. Her eyelids look like they are trying to flutter open, but they don’t quite make it. Maybe she is still in there and can hear me.

I watch as her breathing becomes more shallow and more laboured. I can feel her heart rate starting to slow down. It feels like she is giving up, and I can’t let her. She has to know what she has got to live for.

“Bree, I love you. Please don’t leave me,” I whisper into her ear before pressing my lips to her cold, cracked lips.

I sit there, cradling the love of my life and watch as her breathing slows down until it’s hardly anything. I throw out a prayer to anyone who is listening and wants to take a chance on a desperate man. I would do anything to have this girl back. I need her. Please do not take away the one shred of happiness I have in my world.

I may not have known her for long, but it’s like I can’t even remember my life without her in it. It’s like I was living in black and white until she brought the colour. She brightened my world, and I would do anything to be able to keep her.

As my tears fall onto her face, I watch helplessly as her breathing slows to a stop.

Before I can even register what is happening around me, my father and brother are pulling me away from Bree. The paramedics arrive and try to work on her, but I’m in a trance, not able to let her go. Evan holds me, half for restraint but also for support. He allows me to lean on him literally while I cry for the girl I love. Even my father, who I didn’t think could care for another person, places my arm around his neck to share the burden of my weight.

Paddy is standing on the opposite corner of the room, and I watch as his legs collapse under him and he slides down the wall into a crumpled heap. We all watch as the paramedics start chest compressions on the girl we all love.

Very quickly, they are able to get her heart back into a normal rhythm, but they don’t sound confident it won’t happen again. “We need to get her to the hospital straight away. We also need to contact her next of kin, as they will probably need permission for surgery,” explains one of the paramedics.

“I’m her fiancé. Today should have been our wedding day. Can I come in the ambulance, please?” I ask respectfully, the desperation evident in my voice.

The female paramedic is standing, making notes, while the male one checks all of Bree’s vitals and replies. “Of course. I’m sorry to hear that, but unfortunately, you are not legally her next of kin. What about her parents?”

“Unfortunately, they are not available or able to give consent. I am her grandfather. I have a document proving I am her legal next of kin. I can get you it if needed,” Paddy replies calmly. I look over at him, confusion evident on my face. With a subtle shake of his head and a quick text to his on-call forger, I assume the document will no doubt make it to the hospital before we do.

Before we even know what’s happening, Bree is loaded into the ambulance. Paddy’s man is staying to cover the mess we have made. Paddy, Evan, and Desmond all make a run for the car, but as I am getting in the ambulance, I remember something. I apologise to the female paramedic who is securing Bree in the rig. Making sure all her wires are working, fluids are going in, and so much more.

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