Ace was right behind her and remained unscathed. More and more bullets were flying, as well as blood splattering into the air like some morbid art project.
“Almost there, baby,” Ace said.
He was sweating profusely but appeared confident and hopeful. Emma tried to grab hold of that feeling.
“One … two …”
Just as Ace was about to burst forward, Emma spotted a Lombardi henchmen whip around the corner of the van. Ace’s back was still to him, so he had no chance of detecting any enemies that were close.
“Ace!”
Emma tried to throw herself in front of the bullets before they found their way into Ace’s body. But his resolve was ruthless. He pushed her backward to the floor, continuing to use himself as a shield to protect her.
The machine gun riddled his body with bullets as they both collapsed to the warehouse floor. Emma squeezed her eyes shut, believing that it was her time to go as well as Ace’s. She didn’t want to be without him … no, she simply would refuse to be.
But Ace hadn’t been lying when he said his body was far more resistant than any human. Despite being pummeled with ten to fifteen bullets, none of them went through his back and into Emma.
His large body fell on top of her as the henchmen reloaded the magazine. As he did, a Fontana boy that Emma recognized fired directly at the henchman’s skull, killing him instantly.
Ace was still breathing, but he was fading fast. He was heavy on top of Emma. She tried to lift him. All that she managed to move was his head, and she looked at his gorgeous face as blood poured from his mouth.
“Ace, baby. Ace, stay with me,” she cried.
His eyes had glazed over, but there was something peaceful about the way he was looking at her. More gunfire went off around them, but Emma barely noticed.
“Emma,” he huffed. “Emma, I love you. I love you so much.”
His head came to her chest as she tried to hold him up, crying and pleading for him not to go, to stay with her.
“Please, Ace, no, baby, no!”
She rocked his head back and forth as she imagined the days in the sun they never had. The dreams she had curated for them in her mind were long gone and forgotten.
Chapter24
Ace
The last thing Ace remembered before falling into the dark was the look on Emma’s face. She was grieving, broken, torn apart. He never wanted to see that look on her face ever again.
Ace recognized the room as soon as he woke up. He had been in the mob doctor’s room a few times before, having some wounds fixed without any official authority knowing about it.
As he woke up, he felt a weight on his side. He gazed over, dozy and in pain, to see a billow of beautiful brown hair pooling on top of his right arm.
Ace smiled as much as it hurt.
“Emma,” he whispered.
She got up, eyes dazzling like it was the first time she’d heard her name spoken.
“Ace,” she said, lower lip trembling. “You’re alive. You’re okay!”
His love for her was growing already. When he was finally able to admit to himself his feelings for her, something more blossomed inside him. It spread beyond their physical attraction, which was fiery and palpable, into their souls and minds.
He envisioned it like a strong tree maturing from a little sprout. Its branches spread out with a neon glow, an unconditional essence of their love.
“Of course, I’m okay,” he said, voice raspy. “I told you I would never leave you …”
Something gravelly moved up his throat, and he coughed harshly. The wounds in his back pulsed from the strain, making it harder to clear up whatever tickle aggravated his gullet.