His Gift

“Looks like it’s show-time, baby.” Tony grins and licks a tear from my cheek before sinking his fingers into my hair. He tugs, and my scalp screams as pain lances across it. “Now, you get to watch your boyfriend die…”

The door to the room I’m in is kicked open, and I shiver at the image of the man before me. Huge, angry, and fierce-looking. Miles… he came for me.

13

Miles

Walking into the room, I’m not sure what to expect. I’ve killed three men with my bare hands, and another ten with my gun. Tony did one thing right, he knew he’d need an army to try and stop me from getting to her.

When I find Rose tied to a chair, Tony’s hand fisted in her hair, I almost lose it. Her eyes are red and puffy, and tears cascade down her beautiful face. I’m going to kill him, but not before I break every fucking bone in his body.

How dare he touch her? Hurt her?

“You’re going to die for this,” I say through gritted teeth, raising my gun to his chest. I’m not aiming to kill, no, he is going to die slowly, feeling every single thing. Pulling the trigger on the gun, I hit his right shoulder. His features fill with shock like he wasn’t expecting me to shoot him. Stupid fucker.

A soon as he releases his hold on Rose, a scream rips from her throat. “No!” she yells, and I don’t understand why at first.

Everything happens so fast after that, I can barely keep up. I’m so consumed by making sure she’s okay, that I don’t notice anyone else coming into the room. A second shot is fired, the sound echoing through the small space, and a burning pain rips through my arm. A third shot hits Tony right between the eyes, and I watch his wide eyes go blank as life leaves his body.

Then another shot, and pain ripples through my abdomen. Tony and I hit the floor at the same time. Rose screams my name, and the pain in her voice hurts me more than the bullets I just took. I want to tell her that everything is going to be okay, but my throat won’t work. It takes all I’ve got to just continue breathing and not pass out.

Blinking my eyes open, I try to get my bearings together. I’m on the floor, looking up at the ceiling when someone steps into my view.

“Oh, how the mighty have fallen,” Drake snickers. His face is black and blue from the beating I ordered earlier. “I guess now I get the money and the girl. Seems like a good deal to me.” He smiles, but it’s distorted since his lip is so swollen on one side.

“Touch her, and I’ll kill you,” I somehow manage to say. My entire body aches, my muscles screaming as I flex my hands. Pain doesn’t matter, all that matters is Rose.

Drake starts laughing. “How are you going to do that? Looks like you’re bleeding out on the floor right now.”

“Touch her, and you’ll die. I promise you,” I hiss through my teeth, my chest heaving with each word. I reach around for my gun, realizing that I must have lost it when I went down.

Twisting my head to the side, I find it lying on the floor a few feet away from me. I move my arm to reach for it, but Drake sees what I’m doing right away.

Pulling back his leg, he kicks me in my ribs with full force.

Doubling over, I roll onto my side, gasping for air as I do.

“Please, don’t hurt him,” Rose pleads with Drake, who is smiling like the sick fuck he is. He turns his back to me and walks toward her. I tell myself not to look. Not to watch, but I can’t look away. She trembles against the restraints and flinches as he lifts a hand to her face, tracing her lips with his finger.

I will kill him. Rip out his intestines and strangle him with them.

“Maybe if you beg me real nice, I’ll take mercy on him and end it quickly.”

“No…noooo, please, please, don’t kill him,” Rose begs, anguish filling her voice.

Drake turns back around and looks down at me, “Isn’t it sweet how much she cares about you? I’m surprised, honestly. I thought for sure she’d be the first to put a bullet in your head.” He shrugs, “Guess I was wrong; the bitch actually loves you.”

Love. The word is branded into my brain in an instant. Digging deep, I push the pain down and focus on saving Rose and myself. Rolling further onto my side, I pretend to crawl toward them. Drake just tips his head back, laughing and turns back toward her, and that’s when I pull out my second gun from the hidden holster.