“What the hell are you doing? Come on!” Jimmie gripped my shoulder and lifted me from my chair, pulling me out of my daze and bringing me back to reality.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. My heart pounded against my fucking chest with every step I took. It went with the rhythm of the sound of guns firing.
As we reached the door to the basement, we caught sight of Lou, who was running down the hall. I had a decision to make. Follow him or go see if Mia was alright. “Go! I’ll check on Mia.” Jimmie shouted over the sound of gunfire. I hesitated. “Go! All of this will be worth nothing if Lou gets away!” He shoved my shoulder. Nodding the moment that I realized he was right, one foot moved in front of the other as I went after Lou.
Everything was happening so fast, but it felt as if I were playing a movie in my head in slow fucking motion. It wasn’t happening fast enough.
Once I reached the parking lot, I spotted him by the far end, where a hidden street led behind a group of brick buildings. Picking up the pace, I sprinted towards him. The closer I got to him, the more the adrenaline pumped through me. Reaching for the gun that was pressed against my back, I pulled it out and aimed it at him as I continued running after him. Once I was close behind him, he looked back as he heard footsteps approaching. The moment he locked eyes with mine, he laughed and stopped. He turned around and pointed his gun at me. Breathing out heavily, he said, “You were responsible for all of this, Marky?” His faced was filled with amusement.
With a steady aim on him, I stopped running but continued in a rapid stride toward him. “No, but once I was asked if I wanted to be a part of bringing you down, I didn’t have a second thought.”
He saw I wasn’t stopping, so he cocked back his gun, but before he could pull the trigger, I shot at his hand. His gun, along with a few bloody fingers, fell to the floor. He shrieked as he gripped his wrist in shock. “You fuckin’ cock. FUCK!” He huddled over, wincing in pain. I continued running with the gun still aimed at him. Laughing, he stood slanted, squeezing his arm, trying to hold back the rapid bleeding. “You know,” he grimaced through clenched teeth as he spat, “I’m glad I pulled that fuckin’ trigger on your girl. Now she can fuckin’ join that two-faced brother of hers.” He spat at the ground and laughed at me as he weakly stumbled back.
Everything around me went red. All I could see was the fuckin’ cocky smirk on his face. One foot in front of the other, I charged at him with every quick step I took. I knew I was closer, but it wasn’t fast enough. My legs quickened and I sprinted at him. The moment I was close enough, I tightened a fist, cranked my arm back and swung it directly at his face. There was a loud crack as my knuckle smashed against his nose. Lou’s head jerked back at the contact, forcing him to stumble a few steps.
With his eyes wide, he snapped his head forward. He glared at me with intense and vicious eyes at the unexpected blow. Blood gushed out of his nose. His jaw tensed, and the veins on his neck popped out in rage. His body shook with adrenaline. “You’re a fuckin’ dead man, Marky. Dead!” He came after me, but I didn’t give him a chance as I smashed my fist against his face again. Crack.
And again.
Crack.
And again.
Crack.
With each blow, he was forced back until he was against the brick wall.
I gripped his neck with one hand, squeezing it tightly, forcing every fucking breath he had out of him. His eyes bulged out of their sockets; he let out a desperate gasp for air. Gripping the sides of his face with both hands, even with the gun I held pressed against the side of his cheek, I began slamming his head against the brick wall. “You’re the fuckin’ dead man, Lou!” I spat as I cracked his head against the concrete wall. “You’ll never see another fuckin’ day.”
Crack! I grunted as I did it again. Hatred for this man was drilled into every fiber of my being. I wanted nothing more than to suck the life out of him.
His eyes fluttered with each blow of the head, but it didn’t deter him from chuckling one last time. “I saw her gasp for air as she took her last breath.”
Reaching my boiling point, I lifted my other hand, placed the barrel of the pistol against his lips, and shoved it down his throat, causing his teeth to shatter from the force. “I want to see your fuckin’ brain splattered against the fuckin’ wall, your blood drenched against my fuckin’ skin, and your dead body on the fuckin’ ground right along with the scum where you belong. Soon no one will know who the fuck Lou Sorrento ever was!” My finger steadied against the trigger, I breathed out a lopsided smirk, and that was the last image he saw. Without a second thought, I yanked at the trigger.
BANG!
Just like that, the last I saw of Lou Sorrento were his eyes bulging wide open as the bullet pierced his brain and the residue splattered against the wall. His body dropped to the ground the moment I let go of the hold I had on him.
Looking at his lifeless body lying on the ground, I spat on him. All of the rage and disgust I felt for him was displayed in that one final gesture. Turning my back on him, the meaning of his words finally sank in. I ran fast. I ran hard—back to the woman I loved. There was no way she was fucking gone.
As I entered the room, my blood was still pumping with adrenaline from what just happened. I blinked a few times as the cloud of smoke from the gunfire filled the room. My eyes searched for the one person I feared for the most. It was a rampage and guns continued to fire. I quickly ran around searching but could not find that familiar face.
My heart picked up its pace as I hovered over lifeless bodies and held a tight grip on the gun in my hand, ready for anyone who got in the way. As I continued my search, I finally spotted Jimmie. He was kneeling on the ground, hovering over someone. My throat closed, and my entire body stilled as I saw the person before him. For a mere second I grew faint but managed to force my trembling legs toward them.
Jimmie quickly turned and aimed his gun at my approach. His mouth dropped opened in relief at the sight of me. Tears swelled in his bloodshot eyes, and breathing heavily, he stared at me, ready to break. “I’m so sorry. I tried, but I . . . Fuck! I fuckin’ tried . . .” Immediately, he turned his attention back to the person before him. “Come on, don’t do this to me.” With bloody hands, he pressed against the wound as he grunted. My body shuddered, terrified as I leaned over his shoulder to have a closer look.
My heart was ripped out of my chest as I gasped. My mind was screaming and yelling, but I stood mute. I collapsed beside Jimmie, and the gun I held dropped onto the cement floor, making a distant clinking noise. Forcing Jimmie aside, I looked down and witnessed the one person that I loved more than anything in the world covered in blood. I couldn’t breathe as my beloved was gasping for a last breath. I watched as the face of my truelove turned slightly blue while she continued to gulp for air, and then her eyes locked with mine before her lids shut closed and her jaw spread open.