Chapter 28 #2
I don’t know why he does it. Instinct? Panic? Either way, it leaves him completely exposed. My eyes flicker to Aragon. I press my trigger at the same time he presses his. Mine misses its mark.
His does not.
I turn to look at Benjamin as his body jerks back. Red blooms across his stomach. Jerking forward, I grab him before he can hit the ground out in the open, dragging him safely behind the crate as gunfire kicks back up again.
“Don’t worry, Yak. I’ll take good care of her,” Aragon calls out as his voice grows more distant.
He’s taking cover like the coward he is. He has the upper hand, though. I was focused before, but I’m about to become reckless.
Fuck. I need to go after her, but I can’t let her dad die right here.
“We got to stop this bleeding,” I say harshly as I press down on it.
Benjamin coughs. “It was Ray. My second-in-command. He brought her here. I saw him behind Aragon. I trusted him.”
“I’m sorry.”
I mean the words, even. I know what it feels like to be betrayed. Even if I could see Ray was a rat, I’m sure he wasn’t always that way.
He coughs again, and it sounds slightly wet. “Do you really love her?”
“I love her more than life itself,” I tell him as I shove QuickClot from my pocket into his wound. It won’t save him, but hopefully it will stop the bleeding.
Benjamin grabs onto my wrist. “Look at me.” When I do, he continues. “Then go save her. I’m a lost cause. Let me cover you while you get her out of here.”
“Benjamin, if I leave you, she will kill me,” I say, shaking my head.
“I’m already a dead man, Yak. Her life is more precious than mine. Just promise me you’ll get her out of here, and I’ll do whatever damage I can to do here until you do.”
I want to go to her, but I also want to save him. In the end, the paleness of his skin decides for me.
We are too far for paramedics to make it here even if we did make the call. He will die here, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.
“Okay,” I say, the words tasting like ash.
He reaches for his gun that he dropped, so I grab it and hand it to him. He stands on shaky legs and uses the crate as a support.
“Go,” he demands. “I’ll cover you and call in a firefight. You’ll need to get your men out of here as soon as possible. You’ll be questioned later, but they won’t have proof you were involved. Especially if you strip the defectors of their cut.”
I nod, getting ready to run toward where the man took Julie.
I pause for a split second. “I’ll treat her right. I’ll never cheat on her. Never lie. I’ll do my best to give her a happy life.”
Jaw clenching, he nods as he fires off a shot. “You have my approval, son. Tell her I love her, and I will always be with her.”
With that, I dart off to the side, toward where the stairs are that lead to the upper level.
As I step on the third step from the bottom, I scan the crowd.
I see that Yooper is still holding strong, taking out guys.
Poutine and Sap are doing the same, working in tandem together.
My eyes dart to Benjamin, and I watch as he takes down Ray, the man he trusted to have his six.
A bullet whizzes by me, and I look for the culprit. When I spot the straggly-looking man, I shoot, hitting him right in the skull. I don’t wait for anyone to notice and dash up the stairs. As quietly as possible, I make my way down the hall where I hear scuffling.
“Let me go,” my girl demands, making my heart sing.
She’s alive. Alive and fighting.
I check my gun to make sure one is still in the chamber as I approach. When they come into view, I pause.
“Let her go,” I demand.
The man turns toward me, eyes wide. “You can’t have her.”
He looks like a child, maybe eighteen. When he starts to raise a gun to point it at her, though, I don’t hesitate. I pull the trigger. For the third time, I watch as my girl is sprayed with someone else’s blood because of me.
Her eyes fall shut, and she starts to waver. Rushing forward, I pull her into my arms.
“Are you okay?” I demand.
“Y-you came for me,” she says quietly.
“Of course, I came for you. Did you really think I wouldn’t?”
She looks up at me with nothing but love. “I knew you were. I knew I just had to buy myself time.”
“I’m proud of you, baby.”
Her eyes dart over my shoulder. “We need to go. He’s going to come for you. I’m surprised he hasn’t already.”
She’s right.
I look around and realize that there is a fire escape on the side of the building. The only problem is we have to walk back across the mezzanine to get to it, leaving us completely open to the fight below.
Fuck. It’s our only option.
“I need you to stay as close to the wall as possible and rush. Whatever you do, don’t look down. Do you understand?”
“Okay.” She nods.
Taking her hand in mine, we rush forward. Right when it opens up, though, I feel her stagger.
“Dad. My dad,” she gasps.
I look down and watch as he takes another shot, one to the shoulder, and staggers back, covered in blood.
“Daddy!” Julie screams.
My eyes dart back to the man in question, and I watch as his body lies motionless on the ground.
“She’s mine,” I hear Aragon roar.
I don’t have time to get her out. I push Julie behind me, pulling my gun and shooting off four shots.
I only have two left as I duck us behind a pole.
“I’ll kill you,” Aragon screams.
I peek around the pole and see him moving toward the stairs.
I pop out, aim my gun, and shoot.
At the same time, a figure grabs him from behind.
My heart drops.
Yooper slits his throat at the same time my bullet enters his forehead.
Fuck me.
They both fall to the ground. I can’t even tear my eyes away.
I’m vaguely aware that the shooting has stopped, but the ringing in my ears has me dazed.
“Yak, we have to go check on him. Now,” Julie pleads with me.
Shaking it off, I pull her down the stairs. When I stop above Yooper, I’m relieved when he groans and pushes Aragon’s body off of his.
“Bennett, you scared the fuck out of me,” I tell him, pulling him in for a hug.
“You fucking shot me, Jameson,” he hisses, touching his cheek.
He’s got brain matter all over him, but thankfully the bullet just grazed him.
Julie’s hand in mine is pulling.
“Get the cuts and cut off any KOA markings. Pops called the cops. We need to get out of here,” I tell him.
He nods and starts delegating as I let Julie pull me to her father. He’s still alive, but barely.
“Daddy, we are going to get you fixed up.”
He shakes his head. “You’re going to leave with Yak. Baby, I’m not going to make it. I’ve lost too much blood.”
“No,” she cries out, her hands trying to press on his wound.
“Yes. I need to try to stay conscious for the cops. To clear your man, so you need to go with him and know that I love you more than anything in this world. Tell Liz I love her too. You be good to each other. Take care of each other.” He coughs, blood coming from his lips.
“He’s a good man. I’m happy you found someone to love you the way I loved your mother. ”
Julie cries, leaning over to hug her dad. I let her, giving her a minute to say goodbye.
“Yak, get her out of here. That’s an order.”
I give him a sad look, nodding. “Yes, sir.”
Picking up Julie, she strains against me.
“No, Daddy. Don’t go. I love you. Please.”
“I love you, baby. Go with him. Please. Live a good life,” Benjamin calls out as I pull her away.
Yooper is waiting at the door, looking back at the chief with a questioning look.
I shake my head. He nods, a somber look on his face as Julie wails in my arms.
It wasn’t supposed to end like this. A good man wasn’t supposed to die, but he did.
Julie loses all of her fight as we make it to her car. I get her inside and seat-belted in. When I climb into the driver’s seat, I look over at her. She is still crying but has fallen silent.
Closing my eyes, I take a deep, shaky breath.
I don’t know if she will ever be able to forgive me for this. For taking her father from her because of my club’s bullshit.
Shaking my head, I follow Yooper and the guys as they ride their bikes around the car, escorting us away from town and farther out into the vast nothingness out here.
It’s over.
It’s finally over, and I’ll never let a day pass where I don’t think about his sacrifice.
Not as long as I have her.