•Previously•
"You don't have to, we're gonna be fine. Let's not pretend that I don't know about the guards you placed outside in that blacked-out van."
"That's not me."
"Really?"
"Fine, that was my men. I had to know you're safe here."
"What was he doing here?"
"He was worried and wanted to make sure we're fine. He's also my boyfriend."
"I know he is. He asked for my permission before asking you to be his girlfriend. Just please be careful around him. I don't trust the boy, but I trust you dear."
"Nik, somebody's following me, did you assign your guard?"
"No, I told them to take the day off for today since I'll be fetching you."
"Nik, I'm scared."
"Baby, I'm going to find you ok? Hold on for me please."
"Going somewhere?"
"If it isn't the infamous Velix."
"You will let her go if you want to live."
"I'm so tired of seeing you everywhere I fucking go."
"I can fix that. Any last words?"
"Rest in peace Mrs. Key."
"No! Mom..."
·•♪°•·♪°•·♪°•·♪°•·♪°•·♪°•·♪°•·♪°•·♪°•·
•Now•
°Nik's POV°
She cried silently the whole ride to her house, bouncing her feet up and down restlessly. Looking out the window at the cars, trees, houses we passed by.
I killed him without thinking twice.
Without listening to what he had to say and that was my fault solely.
I sped down the road and in the blink of an eye we reached the house.
I got out and she beat me opening the passenger door herself.
She got out of the car swiftly and walked towards the house in dread.
Her body was shivering from the cold weather and fear of what she could possibly witness once we step inside the house.
She was scared, hell anyone would be if they were in her shoes.
"I can check if you want?" I told her softly.
She tilted her head up at me, staring at me with her glossy eyes. "No, I can do it myself." She ended the conversation with a little frown on her face.
Slowly but steadily she twisted the doorknob. The door creaked as she pushed it open. The atmosphere was eerie.
We stepped inside warily, it was silent. Not a single movement was detected in the house.
Suddenly a gust of strong wind blew in through the opened window, causing the curtains to flitter.
Laine continued walking down the hall, grazing her fingers through the wall as she walked.
"Mama?" She called out. Her voice echoed.
Laine peeked her head inside the living room, kitchen. Nothing.
"Try calling her phone." I suggested.
She fished out her phone and dialed the number.
An unfamiliar ringtone belonged to a phone rang upstairs. Laine ended the phone call and slowly crept up the stairs with me following close behind.
"Mama?" She called again, this time louder.
We stopped in front of a door. My guess is her mother's bedroom.
She knocked on the door three times. "Mama? I'm coming in." She inhaled sharply before twisting the doorknob open.
When she pushed it open I smelled a familiar stench of blood.
"No." Laine whimpered.
I stepped beside her to see what she was seeing, her mother was lying on the bed with her eyes opened, limbs sprawled out, half of the bedsheet she laid on drenched in blood.
Laine ran to her mother to check her pulse.
She stayed still and shook her pale, lifeless body repeatedly. "Mama please don't leave me. Mama!" She cried and cried for her mother to come back to her, but to no avail.
Life is weird, one second a person is there, and the next, they're not.
"Mama please, you promised remember? You said you'll be here with me always." Laine sat on the bloody bedsheet beside her mother and sobbed.
I stood there, not knowing what to do. I had never been in this situation and the feeling I was feeling at the moment was something unusual, it was strange.
I took small steps toward them. When my foot hit the side of the bed, I sat with Laine on the stained bedsheet. I placed my hand on her shoulder and rubbed it with my thumb.
"I'm sorry." I worked out. My voice laced with guilt.
"Sorry doesn't fix anything." She replied with anger and faced her mother. She traced Clara's face with her fingers. "It's too late for everything." She breathed out. "It's too late for love, for joy, for memories." A single sad tear glided down her rosy cheek, down to her chin, then fell to the bed. "She is so beautiful." She praised, brushing Clara's hair out of her face. "So kind." She bent down to kiss Clara's forehead. "She's an amazing mother." She stopped. "Was." The realization hit her like a truck as she inhaled. Laine stared down at 'the body'. "She was the best mother." She kissed Clara's cheek tenderly. "She made everything better and now..." Laine put her palm over Clara's eyes and weakly slide it down to cover her hollow eyes. "She's gone." She stared down blankly.
"We should call the ambulance." I unlocked my phone.
"Don't." She stopped me.
I looked at her questioningly. "What?"
"Don't call the ambulance. Call Josh. He, he can save her. There's still time, right?" She stood up and snatched the phone from my hand. She focused on searching for Josh's number. She brought the phone to her ear and waited for Josh to pick up the call.
She listened carefully to what Josh said on the other line. Laine told him the address of the house and the condition of her mom and waited for his instruction. "Ok, I will." Laine hung up the call and handed the phone back to me. "He told me to stop her bleeding." She walked to the bed and observed the body, got up and took a piece of clothing from the wardrobe, and pressed in on Clara's chest wound.
"Please stay with me, mama." She whispered.
We waited for Josh to arrive, it feels like an eternity. I just stood there not knowing where and when she needed me.
After a few minutes had passed, Josh and his nurse assistant came in through the front door with bags in their hands, probably containing medical equipment.
They went over to the body and the nurse checked her pulse. "Her pulse is faint."
"Alright, I need you both out of this room." Josh unzipped his bag and took out the things he needed.
"Come on Laine." I extended my hand to grab hers but she flinched and walked out of the room. I followed suit behind her. "Laine" I called out as she entered her bedroom and sat on her bed.
"Don't." She said tiredly.
I stopped in my track outside her room. I was not going to let myself in, it's clear as day she didn't want me here but I just couldn't leave her alone. "Sorry." I apologized for the umpteenth time today. It was the most time I apologized to anyone in my whole life and I didn't mind that. We both knew that no matter I ended up shooting Velix or not, it was going to be too late to save Clara from being shot. Velix already had ordered his man beforehand, she knew that. However, it still felt like I caused this to happen. I would be lying if I said this all happened not because of me because it did. Because of my job, they suffered, she suffered the consequences of what I am. And I thought about ways I could keep them safe, any way possible. Maybe I should let her go.
"Please close the door on your way out." She harshly said, fiddling with her fingers.
"Call me when you need me, Laine." I said before closing the door and descending the stairs.
I heard the sound of a door opening and closing upstairs, a second later another door opened. Muffled talkings were heard and suddenly a scream erupted, "NO!! You're lying! You're fucking lying! Bring her back!!" I ran upstairs, Laine was kneeling on the floor, Josh was squatting holding her sobbing body.
"Don't touch her." I coldly said and swatted his hands away.
"Get out! All of you get out!!" She yelled loudly.
"You heard her." I eyed Josh and the nurse. They nodded and went away. "I'll be outside." I turned around and walked down the stairs while pulling one cigarette stick from my pocket and lighting it up.
"What do we do with the body? She doesn't want us to move it." Josh piqued from beside me.
"Let her be. I'll deal with it." Josh nodded and drove away.
I took out my phone and texted Darius to bring Rin with him when he's on his way here.
A few moments later the sobbing quieted down and it was starting to get dark outside.
Darius turned off the engine of the motorcycle and took off his helmet, Rin did the same thing, handing the helmet to him.
"Where do you need me, Don?" Rin asked walking towards me.
"Upstairs, go check on Madelaine and convince her to stay with you in your house." I commanded and she got inside. "Don't hurt her."
"I won't" Rin closed the door softly.
"Darius, find Veronica and bring her to me, alive or dead."
"You might want to consider this Don. She asked for help from the American gangs and somehow they agreed to help her."
"I don't care. Find her or you'll bear the consequences. Understand?" I kept calm and inhaled more smoke from my tenth cigar. Darius gave me a firm nod.
"Don, she fainted." Rin came out the door and said.
"What did you tell her?" I furrowed my eyebrows at her, putting out the cigar.
"Nothing, she just fainted."
"Get the car ready. And Darius, remember what I said." After giving out orders I searched for Laine, she was passed out cold on the floor next to Clara's bed.
"Laine, can you hear me?" I called out but got no response. I picked her up bridal style and brought her outside to the car. "Darius, call the men to clean the house and make it look like nobody has ever been there before and bring the body to the morgue. She might want to see her mother again." Rin opened the car door and I carefully put Laine inside and got in next. We drove to her house and she checked on her after I placed Laine on the bed. She was a doctor, so she knew what to do.
"She needs the rest she can get, she was tiring herself out, give her time."
"Update me on her condition every 3 hours, I'll be expecting texts from you. Don't forget." I decided to drive to the beach to get some air.
The beach was isolated since it was midnight and nobody seemed to be awake at this time. The waves crashed with each other creating a peaceful sound around the beach. The moonlight shone so brightly in the sky.
I sat down, feeling the sand in my hands and feet. It was cold.
I don't know how to fix this, I just need her, nothing more. Just her, but somehow she managed to get out of my grasps. I let her slip.
"I'll get you back amore, I promise."