Page 73 of Blazing Desires
That one word is the only warning I get as she pulls the pin on the grenade.
My legs are pumping as I navigate the destroyed house. It’s empty save for the fires that are raging. I’d pinged everymember of staff with a warning to leave before we confronted Anthony and so far, there’s no sign that they stuck around. Every impact of my feet as they hit the ground rattles my broken heart in my chest.
I broke her, I ruined her, I’ve left her to die.
I can hear others, some chasing me through the ruins and more fleeing the flames. Fleeing the woman with the gun and grenade who’d had enough of the men around her.
Smart move.
I twist and jump over obstacles, dodging the odd bullet that flies my way. I get to a hallway that’s untouched in the middle, but there’s no way out. The end is completely blocked off and there are no windows or doors to escape through. So I turn around, flick the safety off my gun, and aim.
Those chasing me step into view in a formation of three, like an arrow, but I know there are four of them and I bet my life that the person hiding behind the others is that coward Noel. I smile at the thought, that taking his life might be enough to ease the pain I’m feeling inside.
“I know you’re hiding behind there, Noel. Why don’t you come out and face me man to man?”
A soft curse comes from behind the big burly man in the middle of the formation and then he steps aside, Noel reluctantly moves forward but not far enough that he can’t duck back behind him.
Chicken shit.
“Well, isn’t this an interesting turn of events, Blaze? I’d hate to say I told you so but…”
I chuckle but there’s no humour in it.
“Yeah, I guess you did.”
My agreement shocks him. I watch as he opens and closes his mouth like a fish out of water that I haven’t denied theaccusation. He composes himself and it’s comical. He thinks he’s the shit but he’s just a dumbass trying to play mob boss.
“That was quite the show you to put on in there. It was entertaining to watch it crumble to dust though. To watchhercrumble at your betrayal. I only wish I’d had some popcorn with me!”
He snorts and it turns into a cough.
So fucking gross.
He turns to the others, expecting them to join in, but they don’t. Unfortunately for me, it doesn’t stop him from carrying on—he’s enjoying his five minutes in the limelight. My mind wanders back to the other half of me, standing against a wall of roses and ready to destroy everything she’s ever known.
“Are you even listening to me?”
Noel’s nasally screech cuts through my thoughts and brings me back to this moment. I just want it over with so I can get back to her and get her out of here. Even though this fuckwit deserves a slow and painful death, I have more important things to do.
I never should have left her. I’m such a fuckup. I’ve got to go back for her, prove that I’m not like everyone else who has ever left her alone when she needs someone the most.
She can hate me, kick me, scream at me. Even hurt me if she wants, but I don’t care as long as she’s far from here, safe and alive where nobody can ever hurt her again.
“I’m bored of this.”
It’s the only warning before I put a bullet between his eyes. His body drops to the ground in a heap as his blood oozes into the carpet. The others mutter a ‘thank fuck for that’ or ‘I was going to do it if you took any longer’ as they stare at his body.
That’s the thing with ego. It blinds you to what others are capable of, and Mr. Elodie and Noel are victims of it. I had planted my men over the course of years to get to this momentand they had been so caught up in unravelling how I got here that they ignored the bigger picture.
I held no guilt at ending Noel’s life—he was a man with a dirty secret, a sick fuck who would never be able to hurt those most vulnerable again. I did the world a favour. I tell the guys to get out of there before the authorities show up, thanking them for getting rid of Preston’s body from the spare bathroom all those days ago and making it easy for us to escape.
Their records were already wiped from Mr. Elodie’s employment system like they never existed. They were never high enough in the hierarchy to be around for half the shit he did and that meant they were overlooked. If they had been, they would have stepped in and snatched Davina away if they’d witnessed one of the beatings.
I saw it cross their faces that night of the dinner, a tick of the jaw and a twitch of the arms. Nothing obvious to give them away but I’d caught the sign and things would have ended dramatically if I hadn’t got her out of there when I did.
I head back the way I came, trusting that the other guys I’d planted would be convincing others to abandon ship or taking them out if they caused trouble before they dipped. I run as fast as I can, the tether connecting us pulling me toward my girl. I don’t encounter any other guards, so I sprint, hoping I’m not too late. I can see the doors to the sunroom, now closed at the end of the hall. I pump my legs faster as my lungs scream at me.
Before I can reach the doors to yank them open and grab the love of my life, they are ripped off the hinges toward me, slamming into my body.I roll with them and instantly get back on my feet, running towards the devastation. Glass rains down and smoke billows from the hole in the wall, giving the full effect of a snow globe. Her name tears from my lips as I scream it, with all the air I have.
