Chapter 90


    Hoping for a miracle Max jerked my hand, throwing me out of the back of the van. I fell to the ground,


    ripping the skirt of my dress and tearing the skin on my knee. Inded right next to Damian’s bloodied


    corpse and instantly felt sick. The fury that boiled the blood in my veins mixed with the helplessness I felt


    made me want to scream, but I knew that I couldn’t provoke that mad bastard threatening me. “Get up!”


    he yelled, pointing his gun at me. “Get on your feet, bitch, and move to the front!” He walked closer,


    stepping his feet right in front of my head. I clenched my teeth and pulled myself up. He smirked as I got


    up, kneeling before him. I lifted my head and red at him as he put his gun against my forehead. “As


    much as I like you on your knees, we have no time for that.” He chuckled, motioning with his gun to force


    me to move.


    Cursing him inwardly, I stood up and started walking to the front seat of the car. I could feel the cold


    metal touching the back of my head, making me feel as if every step brought me closer to my execution.


    I kept thinking about how to escape him, but I quickly figured out that each of my ideas could have easily


    ended up causing my death. This guy killed two trained professionals before they even blinked. Did I


    even have a single chance against him? All I could do was stall for time… “Move faster, or I’ll have you


    killed here and now!” Max thundered, poking me with his gun. I clenched my teeth and kept walking as


    slowly as I could, knowing that every heartbeat could be myst. I could only do this much. A few


    secondster, I was standing by the door on the driver’s side.


    Suddenly, I heard the click of an armed guning from behind. “Put down your weapon.” Aren’s calm


    voice barely hid the waves of anger that wereing from him. He was sending a clear message of


    danger to the person he was pointing his gun at.


    Max chuckled, and, a secondter, he spun me around to face Aren as he stood behind me. His one arm


    was wrapped around my waist, pulling my back against him. His other hand still held a gun, aiming at the


    temple of my head. I could see Aren’s eyes widen, but then quickly narrow, his irises soaked in fury.


    “Let her go,” he hissed.


    Max chuckled coldly, the disgustful touch of his hand on my stomach. “Finders keepers,” he said, leaning


    over my ear while looking at Aren. Aren’s fingers curled on the trigger as he aimed at Max’s head. “Let


    her go or I’ll blow your fucking head off.”


    Max scoffed daringly, pressing the barrel harder against my temple. “Go ahead, let’s see whose head


    blows up first, mine or hers…”.


    I stood there, petrified and infuriated by my own helplessness. Aren clenched his jaw, his fingers


    restlessly shifting on the trigger, but I knew he wouldn’t risk my life just to get Max.


    nity for a


    tacie


    Besides, I knew that Aren would rather capture him alive. Finally, he cursed under his breath and


    lowered his gun


    “No…” I mumbled in panic, watching Aren give up on our only leverage.


    “I will put down the gun. Just don’t hurt her,” he said, his eyes on Max as he slowly bent to put his gun on


    the floor.


    +


    “Excellent!” Max giggled as Aren raised his hands in surrender. “Now, kick the gun away,” he ordered,


    shifting his weapon onto Aren.


    Suddenly, Max removed his grip from my waist, wrapping his arm around my neck instead while pointing


    his gun at my husband. I knew that I needed to stay focused and wait for any chance to free myself. My


    chance came, as his attention turned to the gun that Aren kicked. I knew what I could do-I had practiced


    it with Aren before…


    I turned my head away from Max’s elbow, grabbed his wrist, slipped under his arm, and jumped away


    from him. I did it in a panic, praying that he wouldn’t shoot me first. As my desperate move freed me from


    his grip, I saw him shift his weapon toward me. Max grinned devilishly as his fingers pulled the trigger. I


    closed my eyes as the shot came… “I’m alive…” I murmured under my breath a secondter, feeling no


    pain. As my eyes opened, I saw Max’s gun lying on the ground, and Aren ramming into the bastard who


    nearly shot me. Aren knocked him down, his fists flying andnding a series of blows, but Max wasn’t


    about to submit to Aren’s power. I stumbled back as Max somehow kicked Aren, pushing him away. They


    both got back on their feet, their eyes searching for the nearest gun. Oney a few feet away from them.


    Max lurched forward, his hand stretched to be the first to grab it, but Aren kicked it under the van with a


    fast slide. They shed again, sending each other hard blows and kicks. I stood there terrified, knowing


    that I could only look for the gun… but I couldn’t find that other one.


    Aren’s and Max’s moves were almost too fast to register, and what scared me the most was the fact that


    I was uncertain who would win this fight. I wept watching my husband receive another blow, even if he


    responded immediately, grabbing Max’s throat and punching his sr plexus. That move knocked Max


    down, making him fall to the ground while heavily bleeding, but he refused to surrender even then. He


    was getting up to his feet when Chris finally showed up, heavily panting. “Don’t move!” he shouted,


    stepping closer and pointing his gun at Max’s head. I heaved an audible sigh of relief, rushing to Aren


    and throwing my arms around him. He was bleeding from cuts on his brow arch, his jaw, and the torn


    skin on his knuckles, but he was alive-we were alive, and that’s all that mattered. Aren chuckled softly,


    his arms sliding around my waist as if they belonged there. “I was so scared,” I whispered, climbing on


    my toes and kissing whatever inch of his skin I could find. He pulled up my chin and kissed my lips. “I


    know… but you did great, sunshine.” I let out a frustration-soaked huff. “I didn’t do anything… You could


    have died, and I…” My voice cracked.


    ? ? ? ??? -acle


    “The danger was there with or without you,” Aren said coldly, but then his lips curved into a teasing smirk.


    “And yet, you managed to slow him down; you distracted him. You are like a perfect bait to catch


    psychopaths.” “That’s not funny!” I frowned and smacked his arm, making him groan in pain as I hit one


    of the painful spots on his body. I gasped and tried gently rubbing that aching ce instead. “I… I didn’t


    mean to! I’m sorry…” He smiled at me and kissed the crown of my head. “I should be the one to


    apologize. I showed up toote…” Our conversation took away Chris’s focus, and Max used it to scoop


    up some dirt and throw it in Chris’s eyes. Chris growled, closing his eyes and lowering his gun.


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    “Shit! He’s getting away!” Aren shouted, charging at him at a dead run. “Aren!” I yelled, but they both


    disappeared behind one of the warehouses.


    Chris followed Aren as soon as he wiped the dirt off his face enough to see. Without thinking, I chose to


    run after them. Struggling to keep my breath steady, I ran, led by only glimpses of Aren’s movements that


    I could register, until I found myself heading straight to the harbor. I stopped, panting heavily, my eyes


    desperate to find Aren. Finally, I saw him lurching at Max at the edge of the port. Chris and I ran toward


    them when suddenly both of them fell into the water. I darted to the ce where they fell, copsed onto


    my knees, and looked down. “Aren!” I screamed, begging every higher power to allow him to resurface.


    Chris joined me, standing next to me as I frantically waited for any sign of life from my husband. After a


    minute, the water kept showing us nothing but its dark mirror slightly disturbed by light waves.