Page 90 of The Lies That Shatter
“You need to think very carefully about if you’re willing to die for this woman. All three of us are willing to shoot, and if weget shot in the crossfire, that’s okay with us. We just want this monster off the streets. Are you willing to take a bullet for her?”
The two men look at each other, then over at the woman standing behind them. The fear on Mel’s face grows as she watches the men’s expressions change. Their professionalism has gone, and now it’s just two men looking at her like she’s dog shit on the bottom of their shoe.
“I’m not willing to die for her. If we surrender, can we walk away unharmed?” the man to Mel’s left asks, as the other man agrees.
“I will pay you a million pounds to protect me,” Mel shouts, her voice rough and hoarse from her tears, as she trembles in fear.
“There’s no fucking money in the world that will save you, Mel. It will just get them killed alongside you,” Bree replies.
Kian addresses the guards. “If you hand over your weapons, and agree to be tied up until this is over, we will let you live.”
“You have a deal,” the guard replies.
As both guards start to lower their weapons, Mel panics. Her eyes flick around the room frantically as she tries to think of a back-up plan, but it’s too late.
Kian steps forward to take the guns from the security guards.
BANG!
Red takes everyone by surprise by pulling the trigger. The bullet flies out of Bree’s gun and it seems to move in slow motion, though it’s over in less than a second. The bullet hits Mel directly between her eyes, bursts through her skull, and flies out the back of her head. Mel drops to the floor instantly as blood spurts from the wound.
“Fucking hell, Boss Lady. You couldn’t have waited until I was out of the splash zone,” Kian yells, as he dramatically wipes his hand over his blood-soaked clothes.
Bree chuckles as she reaches over and wipes some of the blood off Kian’s face. He chunters under his breath as he ties up the security guards, who are both covered in blood, too. They look a little pale and nauseous, as their eyes flick from us over to the body laying beside them.
Blood flows from her head like a river, dying her platinum-blonde hair crimson. It spreads around her head like a deadly halo, and I can’t help but stare. Mel’s eyes are still wide open, as though the fear of the situation froze them that way.
I kneel beside her, and despite knowing she doesn’t deserve any level of kindness, I pull her lids shut. She may be a monster, and Mia knows she did the right thing, but that doesn’t change the fact she was still her mum. I see it as an act of kindness, not for Mel, but for a young Mia who didn’t know the monster her mother really was.
Once the guards are secured, I turn to Bree and Kian. “Can we go and find Mac now?”
As we rush out of the room, Kian activates his communications device and asks Kellan for the fastest route to get to McKenna. When Kellan begins calling out directions for us, we set off into a run.
It doesn’t take long until we reach our destination. The door to the room is blocked by Liam, but there’s a large window to the side that allows me to see into the room. My eyes are drawn straight away to the bed in the middle, and as soon as I see her, I feel like my legs are about to give way beneath me.
Grabbing hold of the wall, I focus my gaze on her chest, and I let out a sigh when I see she’s breathing. From here, she looks like a corpse. Pale skin covered in cuts and bruises, blood flowing over her body so much, she’s almost completely red.
I try to gloss over the fact she’s naked, and that her limbs are tied to the bed in a way that exposes her in the most degrading way. My heart fractures and it’s like someone just stabbed me in the chest.
Why the fuck is everyone just standing around? Why is nobody helping her?
That’s when I see the glisten metal against her neck. Mortimer Whitlock is sitting beside McKenna, holding a bloody knife against her throat.
Without thinking, I push Liam aside and barge into the room with my gun raised. Liam grabs hold of me and pulls me back as Shane snatches the gun out of my hand. “What the fuck are you doing?” I yell at my brother, before I turn my anger on Mortimer. “Put the fucking knife down and let her go, or you will regret it.”
Mortimer chuckles, like he’s not the one about to die. There’s a gleam in his eyes that tells me I’m missing something. That’s when I properly assess the situation as a whole, leaving McKenna out of the situation.
Shane, Liam, and Evan all look just as confused as we are, and it’s clear they know nothing more about the situation than we do. But something must have made them freeze. This is a shoot first, ask questions later, kinda situation. Or, at least, I thought it was. They could shoot him before he has a chance to cut Mac’s throat, so I know it’s not the threat that’s holding them back—there’s something more going on.
“Why is this prick not dead?” Kian asks, voicing the question I’m sure we’re all thinking.
“They can’t kill me. I have something that belongs to you, and I’m willing to negotiate,” Mortimer says.
Before anyone can reply, McKenna starts choking on the blood that is dribbling into her mouth, which pushes his bladefurther into her throat. As fresh blood trickles down her neck, Mac cries out in pain, and I jolt forward.
Bree places her hand on my arm as Liam pulls me back. Mac’s beautiful chocolate eyes lock with mine and I can tell she’s pleading with me to stay safe. I will do anything to save her, but she doesn’t want me to put myself in danger. I give her as much of a smile as I can manage, letting her know she’s safe now I’m here.
“You seem very confident that we won’t kill you, so whatever you have must be a pretty big bargaining chip. If that’s the case, you don’t need to hold McKenna hostage any more. Let her go.
