“Not really. You're here to kill me. So just get on with it.”
I'm not going to give him the satisfaction of me asking why he's changed his mind, because he obviously has. I won't ask why he's going back on his word. I gave myself up on the understanding my brothers would be the ones to finish me. Pointing it out won't change the outcome.
“I'm not here to kill you,” What...? “I'm here about Avery.”
“What about her?” I stand a little straighter.
“I have some questions for you, and I want your honest answer. Don't tell me what you think I want to hear, I've been told on good authority that you're more of a man than that.”
I tip my head slightly. I have no idea what all of this is about, but I'll go along with it. What else do I have to do while waiting to die?
“If I let you walk out of here right now, let you live, but the only way that could happen is if you never saw Avery again, no matter what. Even if she sought you out and begged you to take her back, would you turn her away?”
I breathe deeply. I could lie to him, tell him what he wants to hear. But like he said, I'm more of a man than that. Besides, I'm not a liar. Lying won't help me now, anyway.
“If you let me walk out that door right now, the first place I would go is to see the woman I love. I wish I could tell you that I'd walk away and never think about her again, but it would be a lie, and a liar is something I'm not.
“I'd find her and tell her how much I will always love her. But I'd also tell her that she's better off without me, that she should move on and find a good man to share her life with. Only then would I walk away. Not for you, but for her. Because I love her more than anythin' else on this earth.”
“Huh.” He scratches his jaw with his thumb in thought. He's a big guy, cage fighter, undefeated. Not sure if that's because people are too scared to actually fight him properly or if he's just that good.
But I do know he lands devastating blows on his opponents. I've felt those blows first hand, trust me, he packs a punch. Good thing I'm as big as I am and can take a damn beatin' or he'd've killed me then and there.
“What if I told you that killing you would mean killing Avery also.”
My blood suddenly runs cold. I'm not a stupid man, but I don't know what he means by that. I know he'd never hurt her physically, so what's with the cryptic shit?
Fuck, where is she?!
“What are you talkin' about? Where the hell is Avery?!” I ain't playin' nice any longer, he's gonna kill me either way.
He looks at me and something in his dark, dangerous eyes tell me my Avery is no longer here, that she did something stupid in order to be with me. But that can't be right, surely I'd feel it deep within me if she was gone?
“I won't sugarcoat this for you, Ghost, and the only reason I'm telling you is that my brother wants you alive, told me you ain't all that bad.”
“Brother?” Vidal has a brother? Since when?
“Yes, my brother. Although, he's more your brother than mine.”
What the fuck is this twat talking about?
“Hammer,” He smirks.
What the fuck?!
No way!
“You look as confused as he did half an hour ago.” I'll say. “My baby brother wants you alive. Believes you love Avery. Truly love her.”
“I do.” I'm defensive, but so what?
“In my quest to keep you away from Avery, I've inadvertently hurt her beyond words. Hurt her so much she tried to take her own life tonight so she could be with you.”
My world is black. My beautiful girl, whom I did all of this for, took her own life. And the worst thing is, I didn't see it comin'. I thought she was strong enough to get through this. I was wrong.
“Is she... Is she...” I can't even say the words. Oh, God!
“No, she isn't dead. I got her to the hospital in time.”
I swallow hard. Never thought anything could hurt me in my life the way this has. My heart is pounding, breaking apart. All of my muscles feel tight. I'm shaking and I'm trying so fuckin' hard to be a man and not cry.
“She slit her wrists and hoped I wouldn't notice until it was too late.”
I scrub my hands over my face and sink down in the chair behind me.
Oh, baby. What have you done?
“Will she be okay?' I don't want to go to my grave knowing the woman I love will be anything but okay when I'm gone. I need to know Vidal will take care of her and make sure she won't do anything like this again.
“I don't know, Ghost. I honestly don't know. Will she be okay if I go through with this and kill you? Even though I ought to after what you did? No, I don't think she will be.”
I close my eyes, and for the first time in my life, I pray to whoever is up there to keep my baby safe. To heal her heart and help her move on with her life as best she can. And my god, I want her to have the best life.
“You have to help her, Draven.” Yeah, yeah, I know I'm supposed to call him “Mr. Vidal” or “Don” when addressing him, everyone is, it's a respect thing, but I have nothing left to lose. “You have to help her move on from me. Help her...”
“I am helping her. Come with me.”
I nod and follow him to my death. Each brother tips his head as I walk through the clubhouse with my head held high. I'll miss them all, even in death.
Prez and Hammer are waiting on their bikes either side of the black SUV, which some tall bodyguard opens the back door of. I climb inside, Vidal follows. I don't know where he's taking me, where my final breathing spot will be, but I say nothing.
I didn't wanna die with this fear for Avery inside of me. But I'm going to with it buried deep inside of my heart. I'm gonna die not really knowing if she'll ever be okay or not.
I don't want to leave her, I want to hold her close to me and grow old with her the way I promised we would. Fuck, I wanted to make her my wife, start a family with her. My very own family. Something that was really mine.
Yeah, I know it sounds ridiculous coming from a man like me. But I wanted it all. I wanted a wife and a child of my own. I stil
l want that for her. I want her to find somebody who will give her it all, and I don't want her to feel any guilt about it.
“You should think yourself lucky that my brother thinks so much of you. You're lucky that I love my cousin as much as I do my sister.”
I look at him, I don't know if he's rubbing my nose in something or trying to prove something.
“I'm giving you one chance and one chance only to get this right, Ghost. One chance to prove to me that you can take care of Avery the way she deserves. Now, this ain't easy for me, handing my cousin over to a biker, even if you are Italian.” By blood and name only. There ain't nothin' Italian about me.
Wait... “What are you sayin'?”
“That I'm letting you live and I'm letting you be with Avery.”
“And the famiglia will just approve that?”
He smirks. “I am the Don, Ghost. What I say goes. In the end. But let me tell you this. You make one wrong move and I swear there will be no one that will be able to save you.”
I take a shuddering breath. My heart is beating out of my chest. “I won't let you down. I love her. I'm going to marry her and give her the life she deserves. There ain't no one alive who will hurt her, because I will fuckin' murder them in the worst way. She is everything to me. Everything.”
“Then go to her. And you make her happy, Ghost.”
It's only now I notice through the tinted windows that we've pulled up outside the hospital.
“Second floor. Room fifteen.”
I don't wait for another word, don't even acknowledge Shepard and Hammer, I'm out of that car and racing toward the room where Avery is so fast, I haven't given a second thought to that fact Vidal just gave me back my life.
I swing the door to her room open, breathing heavily for a moment. She's lying in bed, eyes closed, blanket pulled up to her chest, arms outside of it, wrists wrapped in white gauze, IV in her left hand, Maria by her side. And it's only now when I glance at her do I see the resemblance. I see Hammer in her features.