Chapter Thirty-Two
Jayden
Heavy footsteps pounded over the ground as Sergio rushed in our direction. Jaxson saved my life.
Shit.
It wouldn’t matter now. Any moment he’d discover us lying on the forest floor. We had to think and move fast.
I glanced at my comrade for only a split second, and he gave off a quick nod.
He had the same idea.
We had to split up.
“I’ll find her. You take care of him,” Jaxson seethed.
He wasn’t the least bit quiet. Did he not know how to whisper?
Did we want to give up our location to Sergio? I sure as hell didn’t want him to locate us.
I took in a deep breath.
It was now or never. Jaxson had crawled away on the ground, low to the shrubs and branches, out of sight, before I spotted him leaping to his feet and running for Ariella.
Had he spotted her?
I couldn’t see anything but Sergio coming right for me.
I reached for my gun only to find the trigger jammed.
Great. Jaxson had given me a weapon that was useless.
I dropped the gun and used my fists to push the shotgun farther from me as he aimed it at my chest. I spun the weapon around, hearing the snap of his trigger finger.
Sergio dropped the gun and lunged for me. His hands fell around my neck. His grip tight, making it hard to breathe.
I kneed him in the crotch as we rolled around on the hard surface, sticks and broken branches stabbing at us.
“You fucking bastard!” I spit as I spoke and used my thumbs to jab Sergio in the eyes.
He screamed and momentarily released his hold on my throat, long enough that I could take in a deep breath and drink in the air.
It didn’t last long. He grabbed my gun that had been jammed and pulled the trigger outward, not pointing it at me.
“I’m the bastard?” he scoffed. “You come into my home and take one of my girls. Then proceed to fight me?”
Was he trying to shoot Jaxson? Had he found Ariella yet?
I couldn’t see them. My focus was entirely on my own survival and stopping Sergio.
“I paid for her, fair and square.” It sickened me even to think about the fact that we’d practically funded the mob by giving them money.
What other choice did we have?
At that moment, it had been the right course of action to save Hazel. If only I had been able to do the same for Ariella, we wouldn’t be out here at night, wrestling for our lives.
Sergio hadn’t used his dominant hand. I’d made sure to break that finger, but he held the gun in his opposite hand, continually put pressure on the gun and trigger until it finally fired.