K. Lynn - Reciprocity

“Don’t fucking touch her!” Nathan yelled from a few feet away.

Whoever stood over me turned toward him, leaving me on the ground and heading to Nathan. I squinted and saw that the men who’d been kicking Nathan were laying at his feet. In the next moment, Nathan hit the one who attacked me and sent him to the ground, blood gushing from his nose.

I stood, my legs shaking and my head still spinning. The guy in the hat also got up and picked up his fallen gun, raising it in the air.

“No!” I jumped onto him, the force enough that the bullet missed Nathan and fired off into the distance.

He grunted, cursing as he pulled me off. I stumbled back, but before I could right myself, something hard collided with the side of my head, sending me down to the ground. Pain exploded through me, my vision blurring, ears ringing.

“Stupid bitch.”

I turned over and tried to get up, but I was weak. I tried again, but it was too late.

The asshole pushed on my back and I lurched forward. One of his other guys had his gun on me, and Vincent stepped forward for the first time.

Vincent stared at me with an eerily happy smile—it was intense. “Hello again, Mrs. Thorne.”

He stood in front of me and motioned for his men to stand me up. I turned to look for Nathan as they hauled me up, and he was being held by two men, blood dripping from a large split in his lip. He pulled against them, still fighting. One of them punched him in the stomach until he stopped.

Vincent turned to Nathan, his wide smile becoming even more malicious. “I really wanted to kill you. I killed your wife and son, and at the time I thought that the life you had left was punishment enough. Then, all of the sudden after so long, you’re happy, and they tell me you re-married.” He sneered at Nathan. “All the while, my daughter is miserable in jail. I cannot allow you to be happy when she is in such a state.” His nostrils flared, and his arms opened wide. “So, here we are again. I’ll kill your wife in front of your eyes and watch the misery take hold of you again, making me very happy. Restoring the balance back to the way things should always be.”

There was only an instant that passed—a click followed by a loud bang that bounced around the metal walls of the warehouse. Something pushed my shoulder back, hard. Nathan howled behind me, but it took a second to register why.

Searing pain ripped through me, time delayed by a few heartbeats as my brain received the signal. My face scrunched up as a scream exploded. My mouth hung open, whimpering, shrill gasps coming through.

As the shock settled, I looked down. Thick, dark red liquid was coloring my shirt and seeping from the open wound. My left arm was cold, hanging limp at my side. I didn’t even want to try and move it, afraid of the pain it would cause.

My knees gave out, and I fell to the ground.

“Oh, I missed.” Vincent’s malicious smile told me it was intended. Torture me to make Nathan suffer more. “Aren’t you going to beg for your life? Or to kill you and spare him?”

“No.” My voice was steady despite the fear and pain I was in.

“No?” he asked. He seemed a bit shocked by my response. “And why is that?”

“Because even if you don’t kill both of us, whoever survives will kill themselves.”

Stunned, Vincent’s eyes widened, and he stepped back from my kneeling form. My shoulder was throbbing, sticky blood seeping out.

“I will ask, though, if you are going to kill us both, kill him first.”

“Oh, but I want him to watch you die. I want him to suffer more.”

“But for him to suffer, you would need him alive. And if you leave him alive, he’ll just kill himself before dawn breaks.”

Vincent continued to stare down at me, and then his gaze flickered between Nathan and me.

“Lila, baby, please,” Nathan begged from behind me, struggling hard against his bindings and the men holding him.

I smiled up at Vincent. “Death can’t stop us. We’ll be together on the other side, because we were born for each other. So do it. Kill me. End this nightmare.”

Nathan begged for me to stop, but there was no stopping. Not now. We were at the end of the line. I couldn’t live without Nathan, and I knew he couldn’t live without me.

Vincent raised his gun and pressed the still-warm steel to my forehead. Nathan thrashed behind me. It was violent—fighting with all his might. The sound was breaking my heart, but it would only be until the trigger was pulled. A tear escaped and ran down my cheek.

“I love you, Nathan,” I whispered, his wailing filling my ears.

“A pity to kill a woman such as you, Delilah,” Vincent said as he cocked his gun.

I closed my eyes and waited for the last sound I would ever hear. My muscles unconsciously tensed in anticipation, my thumb twirling my wedding bands on my finger as I counted the seconds.

Then the shot rang out, along with Nathan’s screams.

I felt no pain.

My eyes were still sealed tight, waiting for the pain, waiting for the nothingness to consume me. The concussive sound of the gun firing exploded in my ears. Warm droplets landed on my skin.

I waited.

One heartbeat…

Two heartbeats…

The beating continued on.

The ringing grew louder, making me cringe, then was gone, replaced by the thud of something heavy dropping to the ground in front of me.

My breath was ragged as my heart raced, still waiting for the bullet to hit me. I forced my eyes to open, half expecting to see the nothingness of death or the shiny leather shoes of my killer splattered with my blood.

I saw neither.

Vincent Marconi’s body lay sprawled out in front of me, his eyes open, the light fading from them. Blood seeped out of his chest, pooling beneath him. I wiped my hand against my forehead and found no hole, but thick, sticky, dark red blood instead.

It wasn’t mine.

Everything was silent, or seemed to be. I began to shake, my body trembling and convulsing. Pain radiated from my shoulder as I slumped to the ground, my head falling onto the packed dirt floor. Nathan called out to me.

“Drop your weapons!” someone yelled.

Men stormed into the barn, filtering in and disarming Vincent’s men. Shots fired off again, echoing in my ears.

Everything moved in slow motion, the sound muted by a tunnel. I saw the vision of a terrified Nathan sliding to the ground in front of me, then nothing.

My eyes flew open, and millions of blinding lights assaulted me.

Warm, large hands brushed over my forehead and then drifted through my hair, calming me. “Shh, it’s okay, baby.”

I groaned, my brow furrowed as my brain tried to wake from its groggy state. Where was I? The florescent light above me was familiar, and not in a good way. My heart raced, confusion and fear moving through me. I needed to run, flee…didn’t I?

“Nate?” Was he okay? What was going on?

My teeth clenched, and I hissed as a throbbing pain in my shoulder zinged into a sharp one. I blinked, my eyes straining to adjust and focus. Tiny caresses to the back of my head drew my attention and fuzzy mind.

I turned my head and found Nathan’s blue eyes staring at me. He was a mess.

“Hi.” His swollen and split lip twitched up into a smile. Added to that, there were bruises on his face, and it was also puffy.

The anxiety running rampant through me began to calm—he was all right. “Hi.” There was a twinge in my jaw as I tried to stretch it out.

“How do you feel?”

I frowned, still trying to remember how I landed in the fashionable blue hospital gown I was sporting. “I hurt. What’s going on?”

He pursed his lips. “Do you remember what happened? You’ve been out for almost twelve hours…I’ve been freaking out that you weren’t coming back to me.”

My shoulder hurt. It hurt a lot. “We made it out? How?”

His lips moved into a thin line, and I gathered he didn’t like my response. “Well, I have some news.”

I froze, unable to read from his expression if it was good or bad. “What?”

“For once in a very long time, it has a happy edge to it.” His thumb stroked the back of my hand. “Vincent Marconi is dead…I’m finally free.”

My eyes popped open wide. “Free? As in, he’s gone for good?”

He smiled and let out a relieved sigh. “Yes, gone. Never to return.”

“How?” I was still reeling.

“Noah. He shot him…just in time.” His jaw clenched and tears welled in his eyes. “Fuck, baby, for a split second I thought I’d lost you. I owe him everything.”

Noah? There was a vague memory of him standing in front of me, worried and knuckles white as he held a gun, but most of it was a blur after Vincent put the gun to my head.

“What happened after that? I mean, he’s dead, but what about the rest of them?”

He blew out a breath and tightened his grip. “Vincent was the one with the vendetta, and he was the leader. Between him being dead and the legal actions against his organization, I’m the least of their worries. The fighting over who becomes the new head will ensue and become the focus.”

I wasn’t sure I believed him or his bravado. It seemed sincere, the relief evident in his body language, and he wasn’t lying or putting on a front. My gaze moved around the room, and I noticed a cop standing outside the door. “Then why do we have an armed guard?”

“Noah did it just in case, but I’m not worried. One of Marconi’s guys got into a shoot-out and lost, and the other two are in custody.”

“Was it the one that followed us? Mack?”

He nodded. “Yes. He was Vincent’s favorite. They also caught Vincent’s son, Giovani, in a third car. Both had warrants out for their arrest and are in custody. Which is another reason I know we’re free.”

“Really?” Could it be true?

“You passed out from shock before that all went down. Paramedics came. It was a mess.” He let out a chuckle. “You missed all the bullshit of explaining what happened.”

“I’ll still have to.”

“Yeah.”

We were silent for a moment, simple comforting touches and light kisses.

“I’m tired of seeing you in a hospital bed.” Nathan’s voice was hoarse and he sighed.

“I’m tired of waking up in them.”

His lip twitched, and he placed a kiss on my hand. “I only want to come back here when you’re having my babies.”

I smiled. It hurt, but not as much as the pain from wanting to be in his arms. “How about we start now?”

He let out a scratchy laugh. “God, baby.” He leaned over and kissed my forehead.

“Get me out of here. I just want to be with you—only you.” I kissed my way down his jaw. I didn’t know if it was the meds or the situation, but I needed him.

His eyes lit up, and he hugged me, but very gently. “We have to wait until they release you.” The thick emotions in his voice seeped through, and he sounded on the edge of tears.

I wanted to squeeze him hard to my chest, but my arm was weak.

“I want to go home. Now.” I released him and looked into his eyes. “I want to be snuggled in bed with you, safe and warm.”

He stroked my cheek and gave me an empathetic look. “Me too. I want that so much.”

“Then let’s go.” I tried to sit up, but he placed a hand on my chest, stopping me.

“Not just yet. The doctor wants to keep you for the day.”

I let out a whine and shook my head, not liking his response. My bed filled with my office god was calling me, and I wanted the hell out. “Why? I’m fine.”

He cupped his hand under my chin, lifting my head up to look in his eyes. “I know you think you are, but my Honeybear is not the expert on this. They just want to make sure they know the extent of your injuries. We were tossed around in the car, then chased down and beaten. Your body’s not meant to be pounded that way.”

I smiled. “And you would know all about what kind of pounding my body can take.”

“Stop it.” He smirked and shook his head. “Rain check until we get you out of here.”

“It’ll be enough for now. A cock a few feet away from me and a man that loves and wants me, even when I look like shit.”

He laughed. “Doesn’t matter what you look like, because you’re mine and I’ll fuck you whenever I want to.”

I sighed, closed my eyes, and muttered, “I wish it was now.”

Nathan’s lips formed a hard line and his fingers flexed. All I wanted was to be surrounded by him. We both needed it, were desperate for it. My skin itched to touch his, to be reminded he was real and we were all right.