“I almost lost you,” he croaked, heartbreak laced in his tone. “Gabriela…”
Words were insignificant for what had transpired.
“Hunter?” I mumbled. “I want you to close your eyes for me. Just for a moment.” I licked my bloodied lip and tasted a metallic tang. “Please?”
Confused, he did as I asked.
With his gaze shuttered, I glanced over at Tom.
He was alive, even with a bloodied face, weak body, and broken spirit.
Hunter wasn’t like me, born into a world of violence, death, and bloodshed. Regardless of the fact that he wholeheartedly meant it when he said he’d kill Tom, I couldn’t let him live with this burden. I didn’t even want to gauge what it would do to his mental health down the line, knowing he took a life, even if it was in my defense.
And I also meant it when I said I’d kill Tom Prescott myself.
So taking the gun Hunter had abandoned, I brought the barrel to Tom’s temple with a shaking hand and made sure to look him in the eye.
There was no silencer.
The bullet pierced loudly in the atmosphere.
Hunter’s body straightened at the sound and his eyes flew open.
Surprise, disbelief, and finally understanding dawned on him.
He cursed and tugged me deeper into his chest.
I melted into his embrace, listening to his heart rapidly pumping beneath my ear.
It was over.
It was finally over.
A second later, my world turned pitch black.
CHAPTER 51
A Shell Without Her
Hunter
Despair like I’d never known before coursed through my veins as Gabriela collapsed in my arms.
My world went as grey as the sky above and my sanity crashed to the ground.
“Gabriela!” I panicked, palming her head and gently tilting her back. She was slack in my hold. “No, no, no. Open your eyes.Please.”
Raindrops dotted her porcelain skin. Once flawless, it was marred with a bruise on her cheek and a small vertical split on her bottom lip that caused another surge of fury within me.
“Please.” Cradling her cold body against mine, I begged her. God. The universe. Anyone who would listen to me. My own tears mixed with the rain, falling on her forehead. “You can’t leave me.”
If you leave me, Gabriela, I’ll wither without you. A shell of a man with no purpose, roaming the earth endlessly in hopes of being reunited with you again. I love you. I love you. I love you. You’re my other half. I just found you. Don’t leave me lonely.
With a shaky hand, I pressed my fingers over her pulse, feeling it thrum faintly.
An iota of relief bled through.She’s alive. She just fainted. She needs medical help.
I lifted her into my arms and stood up on legs that felt like cement. Tom deserved to die a thousand deaths for what he did to my Gabriela. I didn’t know what motivated him to do all of this. Thewhysandhowswould remain unknown until she woke up. And God forbid, if she didn’t…
