On The Border - Marry Him Or Die

2.101

Lucas’s POV

It didn’t take very long for Alex to distract the man with words enough to let me sneak behind him without raising his awareness, twist the hand he was threatening my mother’s life with, and shoot him in the head with a clean shot all at the same time. He died before he even hit the ground.

Had it been a few months ago, I would have never killed him so easily just like that. No, I would have spent hours making him pay viciously for the thirty minutes of terror he caused my family to go through, for laying his filthy hands on any of them, for hurting my angel. I would have made him beg me to kill him and I would have eventually granted him that wish in the most painful way possible.

But I didn’t have time to do any of that now. And frankly, for the first time, ever, my mind was at rest about that. The mind that craved pain, screams, and blood of all those who dared to cross my path in the wrong way, was urging me to let things go and save the only person that matters more than revenge, Angelina.

I dropped my gun and raced like a mad man to where I saw her body drop before the shooting started.

She was laying on the ground, on her front, her hands tied behind her back.

I removed my long sleeves shirt, lifted her body to face me, and pressed my shirt against her wound to keep her from bleeding any further. I didn’t bother to check her pulse. She is alive, she’s not dead. My heart, my mind, and my soul refused to even consider that as a possibility. It was a certainty, she is alive. And she will remain that way for a very long time. I won’t accept it any other way.

“Someone find the fucking key to her handcuffs” I ordered angrily.

This was the second time I’ve seen her tied up since I saw her for the first time. It felt like a life time ago. While it bothered me the first time, seeing her bound like no girl should ever be against her will, this time it fucking destroyed me, flayed my soul to see her beaten and abused like that.

The side of her lip was split and bleeding. There was a red angry bruise on her cheek. But the gruesome of it all, was the stab wound.

“Lucas, she needs to go to the nearest hospital around. She’s bled too much” I heard mom say frantically behind me before she came into my view, kneeling in front of me and putting her fingers on the side of her neck to check her pulse.

Thankfully, someone found the keys and began to open the handcuffs. As soon as she was free of them, I lifted her up in my arms and started heading for the door.

I spared Dean a look before I left though, and ordered him strictly “They were recording everything with a camera phone. Find me the damn phone and bring it to me as soon as you find it”

He nodded tightly and moved out of my way at once.

I wanted to see who was the asshole that dared to do all this to my angel. Find out who it is, who is behind him, and make anyone related to this; who’s still alive, pay a thousand times for it.

I was out of the factory in seconds with her still passed out in my arms, and thankfully, someone thought about bringing our cars over so I don’t have to walk five minutes to it, wasting precious time we might not be able to afford wasting.

I got into the backseat with her resting in my lap, her head laying against my chest.

Alex climbed next to me carrying Jenny in his arms. Unlike Angelina, she was still conscious, but looked pretty weak and tired.

Mom got in the passenger seat as one of our men took the wheel and started driving fast towards Tok’s hospital. It was a smaller town than ours and I hoped they were equipped and experienced to handle something serious like Angelina’s condition. If she wasn’t in a critical condition, I would have urged them to take us back to Snow where I know for sure that she will be taken care of, but I didn’t have that choice unfortunately. She needs medical intervention right away.

“It’s okay, I’m fine Alex” Jenny said softly to him as she shakily touched his cheek.

“I’m glad that you are, but we’re so going to have a serious talk about the stupid, reckless move you pulled later” he said tightly.

She gave him a weak smile “It was the only way and you know it. Would you rather I did nothing and you never found us in time?” she argued stubbornly.

“What are you two talking about? And how did you find us?” my mom asked warily.

Alex and Jenny had a brief staring contest with each other, sticking to their own arguments about who was right in this situation before Alex exhaled heavily, closed his eyes, and rested his forehead against Jenny’s while tightening his hold on her affectionately.

“You did great baby, you’re right. You saved everyone’s lives” he said softly in her ear.

“Lucas”

A heavenly, tired whisper came from Angelina.

I looked down into her gem like blue eyes and saw her looking at me with so much relief.

“Angel” I whispered her name like a plea.

“Stay with me, don’t you close your eyes now. We’re almost there. You’re going to be okay” I said emotionally.

A shallow tear slipped past her eyelids disappearing into her wild hair and she whispered in a pained tone “I’m not… so sure about.. That. But listen… I have to… tell you… something…”

I cut her off fiercely “Don’t you dare, Angel. Don’t say anything right now. You can tell me whatever you want after we get you all healed up”

“No, listen….”

“No!” I spoke tightly, my eyes tearing up as I carried on frantically “You’re going to be okay, I promise. I’m not going to lose you Angelina, and we’re not having a goodbye, I love you, you’re going to be fine without me speech crap ok? Just don’t do this to me please!”

She gave me a weak smile and said more intensely “Lucas Snow….shut up and let me get this out without…. Interrupting me.. Every two seconds, will you?”

She didn’t let me speak as she blurted out in a rush “I love you so much, I know… it’s a cliché last minute, crappy goodbye, but…I want you to know… that I don’t regret my decision for sticking around and… giving us a chance at this, it was the best decision I took in my entire life. You gave me everything, the whole world in the… span of a few months…and…if I knew then that…I would end up here….and….be the only one who dies from this…”

“Angel” I said in devastation, my tears scorching my skin as they fell down my face.

“I would have still, chose you, every… single… time” she finished with a tired sigh and a small smile on her tired lips.

I held on to her tightly and said through gritted teeth with a tone heavy with emotion “You’re not dying on me, you hear me? I won’t lose you dammit! I promised you I won’t let anything happen to you, I promised you I will always keep you safe. Don’t make me break my promise Angelina! I’m begging you, just…don’t do this to me please!”

“You didn’t break it, Lucas. You came, and… you saved me…I’m the one who…did this to myself…and I’m okay with it because it kept… everyone else… safe. I’m sorry, but it was… the only way… I had to…” her eyes started to close and her words got jumbled together.

I touched her cheek and urged her frantically “Angel, no! Don’t close your eyes… keep… just keep talking to me… don’t leave me, stay here with me!”

She barely kept her eyes open, and tried so hard to keep them that way, I could see it in her eyes, how much she was struggling to keep herself awake, just for my sake, she was fighting for her life, not for herself, but to keep me from losing her, I could read it all clear as day in her eyes.

“Kiss me” she whispered ever so softly “Please”

I brushed my lips against hers slowly, deepening the kiss, savoring her taste like I’ve never savored anything before.

I put everything into that kiss. I kissed her with my burning, screaming heart. I kissed her with my soul. I kissed her with my gnawing, unbearable fear and terror. I kissed her with my deepest pleads to stay with me, to not leave me, to not kill me.

But her heart stopped beating at that moment… despite everything.