Layla’s eyes shot to mine, and I gave a slight nod, hoping she understood I wanted her to listen to him. Fuck. This was bad. He had to know Phoenix would be coming for Annabelle, and the feds would be after Layla the second they realized she was missing.
“Now, me and my insurance policies have places to be. Story time’s been fun, but we’re at the end.”
With that, he raised his gun and fired one shot directly into my chest. The last thing I heard were the screams of Layla and Annabelle.
32
“Noooo!” I screamed at the man who just shot the love of my life.
I tried to run to Copper, but the asshole with the gun yanked me back by my hair and threw me to the ground by Annabelle’s feet.
Annabelle grabbed her stomach and bent forward moaning in pain. “Damn it,” she cursed.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Gun in my boot. Two shots. Don’t miss,” she whispered. She continued clutching her stomach and groaned loudly. “Oh, I think the babies are coming!”
I moved closer to her and reached into her boot. When my hand wrapped around the cool metal, I didn’t think about what I was doing, I just did it. I pulled the gun free, turned around, and shot Asp in the fucking face. Then, I turned and shot the bastard standing by the door.
“Get his gun,” Annabelle yelled over her shoulder. She was beside Copper holding pressure to his chest.
I picked up Asp’s gun and ran to her side. “I need you to figure out how to get him down while I hold pressure on his chest. Maybe Asp has the key in his pocket.”
The last thing I wanted to do was dig through Asp’s pockets, but I would do anything for Copper. Dropping to my knees beside what was left of Asp, I began searching for the key. Moments later, I had a set of keys in my hand as well as a cell phone.
I quickly placed a call to 9-1-1 and put it on speaker before I stood on a chair and started trying to unlock the cuffs around Copper’s wrists.
“9-1-1, what is your emergency?”
“My boyfriend has been shot in the chest. I don’t know where we are. We were kidnapped by a psycho. He needs help. Now!”
“Okay, ma’am. Is your boyfriend conscious?”
“No, he isn’t. We’re holding pressure and trying to get him down. Please hurry,” I screamed frantically.
“What’s your name?” she asked.
“Focus on the cuffs. I’ll talk,” Annabelle said. “My name is Annabelle Black. My husband is Phoenix Black. His cousin, Copper Black, is the one who was shot. We were kidnapped by the Vice President of the Disciples of Death, Asp, who is now dead. Please call my husband. Also, call Luke Johnson with the FBI. He is working on this case. And please send another ambulance. I’m pregnant with twins, and my water just broke.”
Just as Annabelle finished speaking, I unlocked the cuffs and fell to the floor with Copper. There was no way either of us could hold up his bulk, so I did my best to cushion his fall using my own body.
“I need you to hold pressure. I can’t get down there to do it,” Annabelle managed to say through panted breaths.
“Shit. Shitshitshitshitshit!” I screamed. “I don’t know what to do!”
She held her stomach and wiped the sweat from her brow. “Hold pressure on his wound and make sure he’s still breathing. Don’t worry about me. I won’t drop the babies before help gets here.”
I turned back to Copper and tried to keep him from bleeding to death right before my very eyes. He was so still and so pale. “Please, Copper. Help is on the way. Just hang on a little bit longer. I’m sorry I left. I’m sorry I doubted you. I promise I won’t ever do it again. Just, please be okay. Please,” I pleaded through my tears. “I love you, Copper. I need you.”
A commotion outside had me tensing. “Hand me that gun,” Annabelle said between pants. I did as she asked and continued to hold pressure.
“Ma’am, the police are outside the building. Is it safe for them to enter?” the woman on the phone asked.
“We don’t know. The two in the room with us are dead, but we don’t know if any others were around,” Annabelle answered.
“Okay, as soon as they have secured—” the woman was cut off when the door damn near flew off its hinges as Phoenix entered the room followed by a leather-clad army.
“Doll face! You okay, baby?” he asked Annabelle as he ran to her.