Chapter 41 #3
Carlos chuckles. “Come on, Max, don’t tell me you haven’t thought of Annette in bed?
Mmm. Damn, I’ve had her plenty of times.
I tested her out for you. You don’t know what you’re missing out on.
This bitch right here will hold you back.
I’ve already tried ending her a couple of times for you.
Paid to have her pushed at the warehouse.
So close. Then the fire. She’s like a pestering fly.
Won’t die.” He licks his greasy lips. “Annette, on the other hand, will do anything you say. She will spread those legs for you and give you the heirs that will create a legacy of Canos. Marry Annette, Max.”
From my line of vision, Xander scrunches his nose. If I weren’t frozen in place, I’d do the same. Carlos slept with Annette? What a disgusting slut. Although it doesn’t surprise me. He’s been so close to her.
“I have a wife. I’m not interested in your whore. Watch it, the bitch might have her other arm broken.”
“Had!” Carlos’s gun clicks, the metallic sound sharp and final in the tense silence, like a key turning in a lock.
Nobody moves. The gun remains on me. Max is fighting the men holding him.
The room is completely still. My life flashes before my eyes.
Something moved at the edge of my vision.
Fast. Too fast to understand. A hard body pushes me sideways.
I hear the shot before I understand what had happened. Then I’m on Xander.
Where’s Leo? What happened to Leo…?
The thunder and desperation in Max’s cry pierce my ears.
“Leo!” he roars, shaking the men off him.
My breathing is heavy, trying to get off my knees to see his line of vision.
Once I’m up, I see the pool of blood. My heart gasps and shatters in one.
“Leo!” I drop to my knees beside him. “No, Leo, please, no.” Taking off my cardigan, I apply pressure to his chest with it.
“Call an ambulance,” Xander roars.
Drake’s voice thunders, screaming for help.
Max rushes to us. “Come on, brother, stay with us.”
Leo’s lips curl into a smile. Even now. Even bleeding on a ballroom floor. “You’re my brother?” Like he needs to hear himself say it.
Tears swim in my vision.
“Yeah, through and through, you’re my brother. I love you, man. You’re going to make it.” Max’s eyes find mine. “Are you okay, baby? Are you hurt?” His voice trembles.
Leo saved me. He took the bullet aimed at me. “No…no.” I shake my head violently. “I’m not hurt.” My voice trembles.
“S…Sol,” Leo says in a painful breath.
“Shhh, honey. Don’t talk. You stay awake. You’re going to be fine.” I look to Max. “Do you think we can carry him out? It will be faster if we take him.”
“We can try.”
Leo moves his head slowly from side to side. “I…I’m going to miss you.” He looks at me, then at Max.
“Don’t talk like that. You’re not going anywhere.
” I choke on my sobs. I refuse to lose him.
He has so much to live for. Leo is young and energetic.
He became my best friend. “I love you.” With the back of my hand, I wipe the tears.
“The twins need their uncle.” My cardigan is soaked with blood.
No matter how hard I try to apply pressure, it won’t stop. “Stay with me.”
“The ambulance is on its way,” Drake shouts, kneeling next to us, lifting Leo’s head to prevent him from choking.
He’s fading. His skin has gone pale, and his breathing comes in shallow gasps that barely stir the air. The pulse in his wrist flutters weakly against my fingertips like a moth trapped behind glass. Dammit, we need to get him to a hospital.
Max tries to lift him, but Leo grunts and shakes his head.
“I love you too, S…Sol.”
“Hang in there, little bro. Don’t you leave us. We need you. Who will I argue with?” Xander grits his teeth, fighting the tears threatening to free themselves.
“Max…thank you for being there for me…when I needed you. You gave me a… friendship. Take care of Sol…she’s my fri…end.” Leo squeezes my hand. It’s a gentle one. “Tell her…I loved her. We could never be.”
Beth, he’s talking about my baby sister. He loved her, and when I asked if he would date her, he said no. He always felt he didn’t have a future.
“You can tell her when you see her.”
His eyes flutter.
“Come on, buddy. The ambulance is close. Can you hear it?” Max runs his hand on his cheek.
“I’m not…going to make it. It’s okay, because I saved Sol and the twins. It was supposed to happen this way.” His voice is a whisper, not one of pain, but a goodbye.
My heart is shattering.
Max’s jaw tightens. He shakes his head but doesn’t argue. “Thank you, brother.” His voice trembles. “I love you, man. Find your family,” he whispers, then pauses for a second. “I’ll see you on the other side.”
Two, three, four, five, six breaths, and he’s gone.
Max swallows hard, closing his eyes. Anger, pain, and sorrow rip into my soul.
A bone-deep pain shatters in my chest. Something I hadn’t felt since I lost my parents.
My sobs fill the vast room. I hold on to Leo’s head, bringing his warmth to my cheek.
An angry roar comes from Max. One minute, he’s next to me, and the next, he grabs a gun from one of the men’s holsters.