Still Waters (Lover's Lake)

“Let me fucking kill them. I’ll shoot their dicks off,” I raved.

All I could see was red, I would have even taken Malik down to get to my girl. My Tatum. My Fio. Those assholes had what belonged to me, someone I cared for and I was going to make them bleed for even thinking they could fuck with her.

“I’m a better shot,” Malik said carefully and with measure. “Make your way over there, keep your head on straight. I’ll cover you.”

I nodded and Malik got off me. I rolled on my back and looked up at the sky squinting. I signed the cross over myself, not really sure why I did it, I stopped believing a long time ago. Maybe it was a habit, maybe it was a hail mary.

I started making my way toward Tatum, then I heard a gunshot and a second later I saw one of Gabrielli men’s heads explode.

I ran, crouching in the brush, needing to get to Tatum before they realized what was happening.

Malik shot again, another guy fell into a heap on the ground. My brother was a hitman and you could see it in his shot. I heard Malik behind me catching up and I was so incredibly grateful for my brother and his skill that my heart swelled like a balloon in my chest.

We were going to get my girl. She was going to be safe.

The third guy started shooting wildly toward us, a bullet just missed my head mere inches, but it didn’t even faze me. I’d rather die than let anything happen to Tatum, because the truth was, without her, I might as well have been dead.

The stupid gangster wasn’t even watching me or Fio, he was too busy pretending that he could actually nail Malik. Yeah right. I knew better, my brother was the best shot there was, would have been long gone by now if he wasn’t. He didn't even see me sneaking up, until I pounced, grabbed the fucker, and started pounding into him. He held up his gun but I shot it out of his hand and when I reached him, I began to pummel him with the barrel of my gun. He didn’t even deserve my fists, and I didn’t care that I was about to kill a man.

Malik stood by, I smashed the gun over and over again. I didn’t want to stop, wanted the fucker dead for ever thinking that he could touch my girl, hurt my girl. Soon there was a crack and I think we all heard it. I stood and stepped back as a pool of blood and grey matter leaked from his head.

“Rafa, please, help me up,” I heard Tatum’s voice, pulling me out of my murderous rage.

I turned to her sweet voice, dropped the gun, kicked the fucker in the ribs and stared over to her.

“Did they touch you, Tate? I’ll kill them all,” I heaved, as my eyes searched Tatum for any sign of injury.

“Hate to cut this reunion short, but I’m heading back. I left Trudy alone at the house and I’m not comfortable with that,” Malik interrupted.

“Nice work, brother,” I said, slapping Malik on the shoulder. “Hopefully, when Gabrielli hears, he’ll hesitate to send more.”

Tatum looked between the two of us, concern marred her brow.

“Gabrielli’s here himself, Malik. They picked me up from the cabin drive and Gabrielli was in the car,” she told us, her eyes wild with fear.

That was all Malik needed to hear. He began to run toward Trudy and I shouted that we’d follow as soon as we could.

I took out my knife and began to saw the ropes that bound her to the tree.

I wiped sweat from my brow with the back of my hand and my chest nearly collapsed when I saw how she was looking at me. Her eyes spoke legions.

“Did they hurt you, Fio?” I asked her. I was afraid to hear her answer, but I knew I had to face the truth.

She shook her head ‘no.’ I broke into a smile out of relief.

“The syndicate thinks were all hackers, you, me, Malik and Trudy. They didn’t know that your brother was hired to take them out, so I went along with it. He thought I was deleting all of the information that I’d stolen, but I was really just taking more info and sending it straight to the authorities. Last night, I think they figured that, for the time being, my mind was more valuable than my body. Nobody touched me. They even gave me Red Bull with ice when I asked nicely.”

Tears streamed down my cheeks as I mutilated the rope. I brushed them away and sniffed. I’d never before been so overcome with emotion.

“I thought I’d fucked up. Thought I’d never get to tell you how I felt,” I said as I sawed through the last few.