47. daegan

47

DAEGAN

"Let me go, Gabe!"

Alessia's screams bring me back to life, and the adrenaline starts to pump through my veins. I push myself off the floor, and I laugh to myself. I look at the blood that is spilling out of my body, my blurred vision slowly stabilizing, and it makes me laugh harder.

Oh, what fun it will be to kill this man.

"I'm not leaving until Hannibal is lifeless!" He shouts back at her, and a loud slap rings out. She yelps and whimpers at his aggression.

Did he just fucking hit my girl?

I'm seeing red.

"You shoot me when my back is turned. What a cowardly move, Gabe." I call out over the counter. "You're dumber than I thought. You think I'm going to let you walk out of here alive? After hacking into my security system and interrupting date night with my lady?"

I went unconscious for a brief moment when I hit the door of the pantry from the devastating impact of his gun. Mother fucker has my girl in his grasp, and he's hurting her.

What I did to Frankie doesn't compare to what I'll do to Gabe if I get my hands on him.

When I'll get my hands on him.

"So Creature can talk and take off his mask. Let me see your pretty face." He taunts me as if I'll ever give in to a traitor.

"No, Daegan, don't!" Alessia begs.

"Shut the fuck up!" He does something to her again because she shrieks with agony, and I'm losing my patience.

"I still look better than you, Gabe." I shoot back. "I should have known it was you, but then I'd be giving an asshole too much credit for having the capability to fuck over Grim."

"Judge me all you want. I won't ever apologize for doing what I need to do to help fund?—"

"Spare me your sob stories." I scoff, not letting him finish. I don't give a fuck what his reason is for trying to kill me. For working with criminals and almost getting Grim and Ari killed. There is no excuse in the world that would be valid for that. "You should have stuck to being a bartender. No wonder you got out of the Navy. You have a shit aim; this is a fucking papercut." He got me good, but he fucking missed any major organs. I plugged the hole with a kitchen paper towel that dropped on me. It won't last or stop the bleeding, but it buys me some time.

"I'm taking her with me after I kill you."

"No!" Alessia yells at him again. "Do you forget why everyone calls him Creature?" Alessia hisses in pain, and I'm wondering what the fuck he's doing to her behind the counter, but if I'm going to save her, I need to wait. I need to take the opportunity and tune out everything to get him where I want.

"They call him that because he has nine lives and doesn't like to die, but I'll make sure after tonight, he's run out of chances. You're going to come with me. Smiley promised me buckets of money for you being the detective's and Admiral's daughter."

"You're not going anywhere with her," I promise him as I take the Glock that Alessia dropped from the floor. I hold it in my hands and check the chamber. It only has one bullet. Good. That's all I need to get the job done. I get my cell phone out and quickly text Graves our code of emergencies so he can get in on the fun and, at the same time, invite the police.

"I've always disliked you. And now I get to take the one thing that makes you talk…away. Say goodbye to your fuck buddy, Creature. You'll never see her again where she's going. I can come back and kill you later." He starts to move with Alessia in his arms. I can hear her fighting his hold, and I'm breathing heavily against the counters, watching the paper towel get soaked. I pull it out and wince, grinding my teeth from the pain before plugging a clean sheet of paper towels in it again.

"Let me go! Let me go, Gabe, ple—" A loud smack rings and the noises of Alessia struggling are silenced.

Motherfucker.

I hear him open the door, and I'm waiting. I tune out everything and Paint It Black plays in my head. I hum the tune while closing my eyes.

I spring upward, holding the Glock in my hand, and I only have a second to take in the sight before me, or I'm going to lose her. She's gone limp in his arms, blood trickling onto her forehead as he carries her out of the door in a chaotic manner like he knows if I catch him, he's dead. My sanity cracks when I realize he's using her limp body as a human shield.

Coward.

He's covering his head, where I desire to blow it off, and forcing me to shoot him while he's moving with her. I have to ensure I don't miss and hit the love of my life instead. I've done this many times with targets. They're moving, running, or in unimaginable positions, and I still get a headshot. This time, I'm forced to hit him somewhere else.

I raise the gun, and Gabe's eyes widen. He moves Alessia to cover his face more, and I don't hesitate a second longer. He's already out the door into the rain, giving me one chance. I take it.

I shoot, the bullet piercing his shin, forcing him to drop her, and he shouts in agony. His flesh gets cut open, spraying red everywhere, and I hum with satisfaction. My favorite color. He dropped his weapon along with Alessia's body.

I move toward him fast, and his eyes bulge because he realizes he's fucked. But the bastard gets energy from God knows where, and he sprints off of Alessia and fast limps farther outside. I manage to grab Alessia as she stirs but doesn't wake up. I pull her inside my house and hear a car door slamming with tires screeching following suit.

Gabe hopped in a getaway car, and I'm swearing every curse word under my breath as I shut the door. I lock it and pull her up to my chest as I sit against the wall, caressing her cheek. I check her pulse, and it beats slowly back. She's still alive. Gabe just knocked her out cold. Fucking bastard got away.

The sound of sirens can be heard in the distance, and my phone keeps going off, but I'm too distracted trying to wake up Alessia to notice or respond. She will wake up, and when she wakes up, I can think straight again. Right now, I'm seeing red, and all I want to do is hunt Gabe down until he's dead. Because whoever this Smiley person is won't stop. Gabe thought he could kill me and take Alessia with him, and now that he's still alive, he will always be a constant threat until he's arrested and these human traffickers are taken down.

But they just fucked over the wrong man because Graves is powerful. He'll find the ones responsible for the human trafficking rings and burn them all to the ground. I have no doubts.

I can feel myself growing cold, and I'm sitting there with Alessia in my arms, and all I see is my mother. I'm quiet, and I feel myself growing sleepy. The paper towel is soaked again, and it voluntarily falls out of my wound and onto the floor. Blood begins to fall out like a waterfall from me. I watch it run down my body. I'm going to pass out. I'm losing a lot of blood, just like that day in Iraq after I was stabbed in the back.

Everything makes sense now. Gabe used to be in the Navy and had access to a lot of things. He was the one who texted her at the shooting range, trying to pin it on me. The one who started the rumors of me being behind everything. He was the one who helped install the security system in Ari's home. The blood keeps falling out of my side.

Fuck. Did I get it all wrong? Did this motherfucker hit a major organ?

This scene is all too familiar, and I know what will happen if I don't get to a hospital within the next few minutes. I'm going to die, but at least I get to do it with my little valentine in my arms.

I look down at Alessia. The blood that ran down her forehead is clotted and dried. She looks so heavenly and peaceful, even though our situation is anything but easy. I kiss her sleepy lips as my heart rate slows down, the adrenaline that once filled my body is draining, and the aftermath of Gabe's gunshot wound reminds me of bloodcurdling pain in my side.

I press my lips softer to hers as a tear falls down my cheek.

"I love you, Alessia. I've never cared or loved anything like I do, you. I'm not sorry for falling hard, but I am sorry for breaking your boundaries. Isn't that what love is, though, Valentine? Is it love if you're not driven to the point of madness? Is it love if you're not willing to die for it?" I whisper, my voice fading with low blood pressure. I caress her cheeks, my knuckle brushing her cheek, and I no longer have control of my body. My hands fall to my side as Alessia rests her head on my lap. The sound of sirens grows louder, and I'm grateful they'll be able to care of her when I can't.

It's dark, quiet, and lonely. A memory of my mother playing the piano in our living room, teaching me how to play one of her favorite tunes, comes back, and I fall into the darkness.

Alessia doesn't answer me. She's still unconscious, and black shadows corner my vision. I just needed her to know one last time how much I love her…even if I didn't do it in the right way. My arms fall to the side, and I tilt my head back as I whisper one last sentence with a small smile on my face.

"If our game of pretending had this same outcome, I would do it again, little valentine," I smirk as I close my eyes for the last time.