“Stop the car, Hudson.”
“What? No. Have you lost your goddamn mind?”
“Apparently, when I agreed to marry a fucking pussy.’’
A laugh slips from me, and for a moment, Noelle gets back in the car, sitting properly, and grinning at me. I shake my head, then take a deep breath. Her face gets serious, too, and she glances back again.
“We need to deal with them before they reach that house.’’
I nod. “I know. Are you ready?”
“Ready.’’
I park the car, unbuckling my belt, and preparing my guns. Noelle pulls the glove compartment open, and all of her favorite knives flood the floor of the car. She picks up a few, then snatches a few of my guns, holding onto them.
Her hand reaches for the handle, but before she can open the door, I cup her face and bring her lips to mine. Noelle kisses me back immediately, and given that we’ve lacked any sort of intimacy these past few months, the kiss feels like fire to the fuel I’ve been suppressing.
My wife has always been my kryptonite, her kisses tasting like the sweetest addiction imaginable. The source of all good, of all light in my life.
She pulls back, breathless, and softly kisses my cheek.
“I love you.’’
“I love you more, baby. Let’s get this over with.’’
Noelle nods, then exits the vehicle. I follow suit, holding the gun safely in my hands. The four cars stop, and from a distance, I can spot another two getting closer. Men leave their vehicles, all dressed in pitch-black clothes, with black masks covering their faces.
That’s quite alright. A mask has never stopped me from unraveling someone.
As always, Noelle goes headfirst into the war zone. A few words of choice leave my lips in a hushed hiss, but my feet are moving forward on their own accord, following my dear wife intothe mass of bullets.
I don’t even look where I’m shooting, my eyes glued on Noelle, and trying to make sure not a single bastard manages to lay their hands on her. Because I’m not the one to forgive if anyone dares to touch what’s mine.
Noelle takes two men down, then switches from a gun to her knife. A wide smile is on her lips, a clear tell of how excited she is to be back in the game. She’s been sitting out many missions lately to focus on helping find Blair and, by extent, Luna. But tonight? She’s back to the same woman I fell in love with over two decades ago.
She’s getting prettier with each year we spend together, and I love her more each day.
For a brief second, I take my eyes off her.
Two men approach me on each side. I have to give it to them; they’re fucking fast. I pull the trigger, then switch out the magazine, ready for another round. One of them — a very bold man, might I add — tries to hit me with the back of his gun.
Quickly, I duck out of the way, my elbow connecting with his stomach. A low growl comes from him, and I can’t help but chuckle. Before he can react, I knee him in the groin, and he doubles over in pain. A part of me winces, knowing how fucking terrible it is to get hit in that area, but the bigger part is quite satisfied with the pain I inflicted upon him.
Once he’s down, I turn my attention to the other men, and they’re equally as eager. I don’t have the time to fistfight them, although that would’ve been the highlight of my fucking year at this point, and instead, I settle for killing them.
It’s hard navigating through so many bullets, being careful not to get shot or killed where I stand. With a deep breath, I steel myself and start running, shooting down the men as I go. A bullet grazes through my shirt, the stinging sensation almost causing me to falter. It’s just a graze, but it still fucking hurts.
I shake it off, taking down the man who fired the shot. There’s no time to focus on me or my wound; we still have to end all these people here and then go help our son. My movements are quick, precise, and determined.
However, those four minutes I spent looking away from Noelle came back to ruin me almost immediately.
Noelle stops, breathing heavily, panting. She’s too far gone to notice a man firing a shot at her, and before I can register what’s happening, I scream out her name as loud as my lungs would allow.
However, I’m a second too late.
Noelle turns to look at me, her smile faltering as she stumbles backward. The white shirt starts turning red, and I immediately aim my gun toward the bastard. He falls down, limp, dead, but it’s too late.
Noelle glances down, half-confused, half-shocked. The bullet hit her chest, and I’m fucking scared. My feet carry me as fast as possible, just in time to catch her as she slumps down. I lay her on my knees, my fingers trembling as I tug on her shirt.
