When Gideon realizes that Matt is dead, he stands.
“Gideon!” I shout, but I doubt he can hear me. It’s so loud in here.
From where I’m standing, I can see one of Gideon’s men is about to stab the guard who saved me. “No! Not him,” I scream. “He saved me.”
Both men look at me like I’m insane, but it works. Instead of death, Roman’s friend’s hands end up tied together.
Death might still find him, but at least I tried.
I’m about to say more when I see the dark shadow of a man approach Gideon. Gideon still hasn’t seen him.
It’s Dima.
The man I now know is my uncle.
The man who admitted to killing my parents. To orchestrating the death of my brother. It doesn’t matter who pulled the trigger. My brother was dead already. And now Dima is lifting his arm, about to fire at the man I love. I won’t let him. Shuffling to my feet, I scurry across the space.
When I’m only a few feet away, I’m able to hear them.
“You made it really easy for me,” my uncle says, his gun trained on Gideon. “At first, I only wanted the money, but now I get to take out the competitionandget the money. It’s a shame you killed Matt. The boy worked hard for his prize. But that’s okay. I’ll just sell her. A pretty little thing like that, I bet she brings in almost as much money as her bastard brother stole.”
I can feel my heart racing faster and faster as I move closer.
“That will never happen.” Gideon lunges forward and hits my uncle’s body so hard that his head snaps back.
A shot rings through the air, but I can’t see what’s happening. Who was shot? Their bodies are too close together as they grapple for control.
There’s blood everywhere. A crimson puddle forms on the cement as they wrestle each other to the ground.
Gideon’s fist flies, but it misses its mark. Dima jumps on top of him. His arms reach out to choke the man I love.
No. I won’t lose him, too.
I lift the heavy metal in my hands, take aim, and fire.
My body ricochets back from the force.
I don’t know if I hit my mark. I don’t know anything.
My ears ring, and the smell of smoke bursts through my nostrils.
I blink away, tears dripping down my face, and then my vision comes into focus. My uncle is down on the ground, but so is Gideon.
My heart pounds as I sprint across the small space that separates us. I can feel the hard concrete press against my feet. A shower of dust swirls up with each step. The moonlight shines through a broken window, casting eerie shadows around me.
When I reach them, I see Gideon lying there. He’s still and silent. My mind floods with terror that he’s gone. I rush to his side and kneel, my hands shaking as I reach out to touch him. His skin is cold and pale like marble, but I feel a faint heartbeat when I press my hand against his chest.
He’s alive.
I look at him, his beautiful face illuminated by the sliver of light, and my heart swells with so much emotion it feels like it’s going to burst. I take his hand in mine.
“Please, wake up.” I trace my fingers along his arm as if I’m trying to will life back into him. “I’m so sorry. I should have trusted you. I should have let you explain. I know everything. I know what you did for Roman. Please, wake up. Please,” I cry. “I love you. Please, don’t leave me, too. I need you.”
He coughs, and I freeze.
“I’m not dead, firefly, only wounded. My ego more than anything. You had to save me, and that’s not how I saw this going down.”
Looking down at him, I see a small smirk on his face.