Chapter 41 Tyson
FORTY-ONE
TYSON
We’re trapped.
With our access to the safe room cut off, and the weapons stock seriously diminished, we’re nothing but target practice for whoever is leading this ambush.
If they’re here to kill us, we’ve made it easy as pie.
If they’re here to capture us, we might as well wave the white flag.
My head is spinning, thinking about how close we were to our happily ever after, as well as who could possibly be after us, and the reason why our fathers took away our safe room.
They created it for this exact reason, and to not let us know that we can’t use it anymore truly has me baffled, afraid that this is another elaborate ruse for them to get one over on us, just like when they tried to take Carter.
Massi is scrambling, his head so far in his closet that I’m worried he dug a tunnel in there, but finally he emerges, his hands full, and his mind alive with ideas.
Both him and Carter stare at me as I’m trying to process everything that happened in the last ten minutes, but they’re waiting for my answer, pleading with their eyes to agree with their plan.
Carter is right, we don’t have another option that isn’t capture or death, so I weakly nod, allowing them both to spring into action.
“Ty, help me move the bed frame!” Massi yells, my body moving on auto pilot as we lay it to the side, creating a shield for us to hide behind.
Similarly, we move the desk, and although it’s nothing but cheap wood, it’ll protect us for at least a few moments while Massi literally throws out our Hail Mary.
Lined on the floor are three low-power grenades, designed to cause chaos and throw the enemy off while we catch our bearings.
Two are smoke flashers, nothing but distractions, and the third is a real explosive, one that’ll likely put a hole in the floors and walls, but powerful enough to fend off a couple of men depending on how close they are to the blast.
“Are you sure about this?” Carter rubs my arm, bringing me back to reality, and I offer a weak smile, thankful for her slight distraction as the footsteps outside the room grow closer.
“No, but I can’t bear the thought of losing you, either.”
“It’s us or them, Tyson. I’m choosing us,” she says, squeezing my hand for reassurance, and although I’m not comfortable with what we’re about to do, there isn’t another option.
“They’re coming. Get ready,” Massi says, perching his pistol above the bed frame, aiming straight at the door, while Carter and I follow suit.
Inhaling a deep breath, I remind myself that this is survival, but the seconds pass like hours as we wait for the door to be breached, or for shots to come through the walls, and I’m wondering what the hell they’re waiting for.
Suddenly, a loud, repetitive noise booms over the house, like a plane that’s flying too low, and the three of us exchange a glance, unsure of what it means.
If I had a guess, I’d say it’s a helicopter, or a small charter plane, but there’s no way our roof is big enough for any aircraft to safely land.
The added sounds make our ability to hear incoming footsteps nearly impossible, but when the door swings open, Massi immediately starts firing, laying down cover as Carter rips the pin, and throws the first flash grenade.
It lands in the hallway, her aim spot on again, and the smoke billows through the corridor, stealing a clear line of vision from every person in this small vicinity.
“Hold,” Massi orders, his controlling tendencies on the battlefield slightly annoying, but he has impeccable reads, and usually gets us out of trouble with little to no damage.
I steal a glance at Carter, who is stone-faced, completely locked in on the attack happening right in front of us, proving yet again that she’s the badass girl we met all those months ago, and doesn’t need anyone to save her.
Over time, she began to accept that we will fight alongside her, and that’s exactly what’s happening right now, the three of us facing battle as a single unit.
“Now, Jasper,” she whispers, and he lays down another round of shots, while she throws the second flash bang, leaving us with one grenade left.
“Fire!” Massi yells, reloading his ammo while Carter immediately locks in, one of her shots hitting a man, his body dropping to the floor beneath the smoke.
Emptying my clip, I’m unsure if I hit anything, but laying down cover fire while Massi expertly fires his shots, striking someone else as we’re able to see them being dragged out of the line of fire through the clearing smoke.
“Two down.” Carter reloads her pistol in record speed, while Massi leads us to the barrier behind the desk, the three of us moving swiftly as we work to gain a slight upper hand.
“Give me the grenade,” Massi whispers, but Carter shakes her head, not handing it over.
“No fucking way, Jasper. I’ve been perfect with my last two tosses, and this one is our money shot.”
“Carter. Don’t fucking fight with me right now. Give me the damn grenade,” he orders, a no-bullshit tone in his voice, but she only shakes her head, her pinky finger looped into the pin.
“No. I’m not letting you get any closer than this,” she argues, reading his mind and pushing back on the plan formulating in his head.
A few seconds is all they need to read each other’s mind, and even in the heat of battle, that is no different.
“Lay down fire, and I’ll use the door as cover. We can’t throw that from here, or else we’re dead, too,” he says, tilting her chin until she looks into his eyes, but her stubborn demeanor is on full display.
“Baby girl, trust him. He’s saved my life plenty of times,” I chime in, hoping to break their standoff and get this going before we’re caught slacking by the men regrouping to take us out.
Their gazes are locked, the silent argument still happening in their minds, but finally, she sighs and hands over the grenade, carefully removing her little finger from the pin.
“I promise, I will be right back, Principessina.” He kisses her nose gently, leaving his pistol and waiting while she adjusts to holding two, only moving once she nods that she’s ready.
“Be careful, brother,” I say, watching as he stealthily moves across the room, sliding behind the door and into position.
“He’s going to be fine. He has to be fine,” Carter says, not even blinking as her eyes stay laser focused on the door, and I can’t tell if she’s reassuring me, or herself, but either way, I choose to believe her words.
The second we see the flash of a muzzle, Carter fires, and I follow suit, our shots and theirs mixing to create a loud distraction.
In a quick second, Massi’s arm comes from around the door, and my gaze is locked as the silver pin falls to the floor, but it feels like time has slowed down while we wait for the explosion.
Just as I’m about to expose myself, to check on Massi, the bangs go off, while Carter and I are blown backward, my body landing harshly on the bed frame.
My ears are ringing, the room spinning like a tilt-a-whirl, but even though everything inside of me hurts, I force myself onto my elbows, searching for Carter amidst the smoke and ashes.
“Carter!” I scream, barely able to hear my own voice, my heart racing as I scan the area for any signs of her dark hair, tanned skin, or even her smart mouth.
There’s nothing, no movement or sounds, and just as I begin to fear the worst, a tiny hand latches onto my arm, and I quickly turn to see her crawling toward me.
“Oh fuck, baby girl. Come here,” I say, my voice barely audible over the chaos, but she slides until her body is flush with mine, and I’m able to wrap my arms around her shaking frame. “I’ve got you.”
“Tyson! Carter!” Massi screams, jumping behind the desk, his movements frantic as he tosses random things to the side, searching high and low.
“Over here,” I choke out, coughing from the smoke intake, and he pounces across the room, taking her face in his hands once he’s in front of us.
“Are you hurt? Are you hit?” He asks, his eyes searching both of ours, but I’m only able to shake my head, everything fucking spinning as I find it a struggle just to take a single breath.
“I’m okay, we’re okay.” Carter pulls him close, but something still doesn’t feel right as I begin to see black spots blinding my vision, and I can’t stop the ringing in my ears.
“I … think I’m hit,” I cough, my arms dropping from Carter’s body to search my own, looking for any signs of blood.
Hands are on my skin, the poking and prodding feeling like thousand pound weights, but finally it stops, and Carter brushes her fingers along my face, garnering my full attention.
“You’re not, Ty. You’re fine, just banged up from the impact. Listen, we need to go see if there are any survivors. Can you stay here?” Massi props me against the bed frame, placing a gun in my hands, and I nod, relief immediately flooding my body as I sit upright.
“We’ll be right back, okay? Don’t you dare move.” Carter kisses my cheek, following Massi’s lead as they crouch low, maneuvering around the obstacles until they’re out of my sight.
Instantly, the panic creeps in, not being able to keep my eyes on them, and every moment they’re gone is agonizing, a pain so strong it throbs in my chest and steals my ability to breathe, again.
Suddenly, gun shots ring out, the back and forth fire resuming, and I scramble to get a better view, but even from this vantage point, Carter and Massi are nowhere to be found.
As the shots ring out from every direction, I scream out in pain, my body begging me to stop as I get to my feet, running through the room without cover, searching for them in every nook and cranny I can find.
Maybe they made it out safely, at least to the hallway, but suddenly, everything goes dark, and I feel three distinct burns ripping through my skin, the impact feeling like flames as I collapse to my knees.
A pool of blood is already forming as I kneel to the ground, inhaling sharp but short breaths, keeping my strength for the battle I’m about to endure.
I’ve been shot once before, but I can already feel the loss of blood hollowing my body, sucking the life from my veins as it drips onto the floor. I hear footsteps, and I try to take cover behind the desk, hoping that if I play dead, they’ll leave me to die in peace.
“Jasper! Jasper, oh my god, it’s Tyson! Jasper!” Carter screams, dropping to her knees beside me, her blood-stained hands reaching for mine.
“Pressure,” I rasp, flattening her palms with mine, holding it over one of the wounds in my stomach.
“There’s too much blood, I can’t see anything! Jasper, please!” She cries, tears slipping down her cheeks while she presses into my flesh, the pain causing my vision to go black.
Carter Ruby Cassina is the last thing I lay my eyes on, and even amidst the blood and battle scars, she’s still the most beautiful thing I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing.
She’s been everything I never knew I needed and then some, proving that even the worst of men are given grace, allowed to feel great, transcending love.
I may not have a lifetime with Carter like I envisioned, but the time we did share was undoubtedly the best moments of my life, and because of that, I can die happily, a sense of peace washing over me at the thought.
Another voice moves closer, and I’d recognize it anywhere, belonging to the one man I’m proud to have called my brother. I know he’s going to be sad, probably a little lost without me, maybe even embarking on a bloody revenge tour, but he has her, and that alone reminds me that he’ll be okay.
The urge to speak is so strong, overwhelming even, and I use every bit of strength I possess to choke out the words on the tip of my tongue.
With my dying breath, I make him promise me something, the one thing he can do to repay me for this untimely ending, but only when I hear him agree do I finally feel free.
“Take care of our girl.”