Pain exploded through my skull again as Cormac’s boot connected. Blood dripped from my split lip, each drop hitting the floor with a sickening plop. My body shook from exhaustion and pain, but I refused to give Cormac the satisfaction of breaking. He sneered as he delivered another punch to my bruised ribs.
“Where’s your precious Marcus now?” he spat, pulling me up by my hair. Tears pricked my eyes, but I blinked them back, determined to remain defiant. “No one is coming to save you, little girl.”
“Fuck you,” I hissed, spitting blood into his face. He recoiled, wiping the crimson smear from his cheek with disgust before slamming his fist into my stomach, forcing what little air I had left out of me.
“Pathetic,” Brynn drawled from her perch on a nearby chair, smirking as she watched my torment unfold. Hatred for her burned brighter than the pain coursing through my body. She’d betrayed us all – Marcus, me, everyone who ever trusted her. And for what? Money? Power? It didn’t matter. One thing was certain: Marcus would find me, and when he did, there’d be hell to pay.
As my vision blurred, black spots danced at the edges of my sight. I fought to stay conscious, knowing that if I passed out, it might be the end. And then, just as I felt myself slipping away, maybe forever this time, I heard it – the sound of splintering wood as the door upstairs was violently thrown open.
“Olivia!” Marcus’s voice boomed down the stairs, filled with fury and desperation. It echoed through the room like thunder, shaking the very foundation of the house.
“Marcus!” I tried to scream, but it came out as a choked sob. My heart raced as I braced myself for what was about to happen. We were in the eye of the storm, and hell was coming for us all.
Cormac released me, stepping back as Marcus barreled down the stairs, his footsteps heavy and determined. His eyes met mine for a brief second, filled with equal parts rage and relief, before he aimed the gun in his hand at Cormac’s chest.
“Get away from her,” Marcus said with a snarl, pressing the trigger without hesitation. Once. Twice. Again and again. The sound of gunfire rang out like a symphony of death, each overlapping echo of a shot filling the room. In the span of a heartbeat, Cormac crumpled to the floor, his body riddled with bullets.
A surge of strength rushed through me at the sight of Marcus, and I forced myself to sit up. My fingers wiped away the blood that clouded my vision, and I fought back the bile rising in my throat.
“Marcus,” I croaked, reaching out to him with a trembling hand.
He was by my side in an instant, his strong arms wrapping around me and pulling me close. I could feel the tension radiating off him like heat, and it was both terrifying and comforting. His lips pressed gently against my bruised and bloody mouth, a tender contrast to the violence that had unfolded just moments before.
“Baby, I’m so sorry I took so long to get here,” he whispered, his voice tight with emotion.
I tried to smile reassuringly, but it came out as more of a grimace. “It’s okay. You’re here now.”
At that moment, Brynn’s laughter cut through the air like a knife, shattering any semblance of relief. She stood above us, her once immaculate appearance now marred by a sinister grin. In her hand, she held a gun of her own, aimed squarely at us.
“Get behind me,” Marcus ordered, placing himself between me and Brynn.
“Tell me, Brynn,” he seethed, his eyes filled with anger and betrayal, “why the fuck did you do all of this? If you wanted money, power, a bigger role in my business, I would have given it to you.”
Brynn sneered at him, her eyes cold and calculating. “You still don’t get it, do you, Marcus? This was never about money or power. It was about teaching you a lesson. You think you’re untouchable, but look at you now – running in like a hero to protect your precious little Olivia. But you’re not a hero. You’re nothing. And there’s barely any of her left to protect. ”
My heart pounded in my chest as I watched, cowering behind Marcus, trying to fight the wave of gray washing over my vision, struggling to keep from surrendering to the pain. The air was thick with tension, and I knew that something had to give – soon.
“Tell me one thing,” Marcus growled, his voice barely above a whisper. “Was it worth it? Was it worth betraying the people who trusted you, who cared about you?”
“Of course it was,” Brynn spat, her eyes narrowing. “And I’d do it again in a heartbeat. You think I care about trust? Friends? No. All I care about is getting what I want. Any other concerns are beneath me.”
Brynn’s laugh was cruel and dismissive, sending a shiver down my spine.
“You were always gutter trash, Marcus,” she sneered, her voice dripping with disdain. “Just like Olivia. You both think you’re so much better than everyone else, but all you ever did was treat me like shit. You never appreciated my intellect, my ideas. You never listened to me like an equal. But her… this nothing girl, barely more than a child, her you let in. Let her know you. Gave her the keys to your kingdom. Pathetic.”
“Is that what this is about?” Marcus spat, his anger barely contained. “Respect? You think betraying us –” he gestured towards me – “and doing this to Olivia will earn you respect?”
“Damn right I do,” Brynn boasted, her eyes wild with delusion. “I brought down the great Marcus Moore. The rest of the city will respect what I’ve done and how well I did it. My name will be legend.”
“Respect isn’t earned through betrayal and violence,” I managed to croak out, my voice raw from fear and pain.
Brynn shrieked, “Shut up, Olivia! You are no one!”
Marcus held me a bit tighter. “Brynn, this is insane. All of this for my empire?”
“You’re a stupid street thug,” she replied. “I don’t want what you have. I want you to have nothing.” Her finger twitched on the trigger, and I could almost practically anticipate the bullet tearing through me, ending this once and for all.
At that moment, the tension broke. Marcus lunged forward, his fist connecting with Brynn’s face in a sickening crunch, knocking her to the ground. The gun flew from her hand, skidding across the floor. Marcus scooped it up, pointing it directly at her now-swollen cheek.
“Marcus, don’t kill her,” I pleaded, my heart hammering in my chest. I knew what it meant if he pulled the trigger, and despite everything, I didn’t want that for him.
“Olivia,” Marcus intoned, never taking his eyes off Brynn, “do you know what they would’ve done to you if I hadn’t gotten here?”
“I do,” I whispered, feeling tears prick at the corners of my eyes. “But it doesn’t matter.”
“Last time I showed mercy on your request, it almost got us both killed,” he reminded me, his voice laced with bitterness.
“That’s true,” I admitted, my throat tightening. “Please,” I whispered, my eyes locked with Marcus’ as we shared an unspoken understanding of what this meant for both of us.
“Not this time, Olivia. No mercy here in this hellhole. I’m standing in a puddle of your blood. Brynn dies here and now. Turn away if you can’t stand to see it.” His voice was strained with emotion. His grip tightened on the gun, shaking ever so slightly.
“No,” I said firmly, my gaze unwavering as it met his. “If you’re going to kill her, then do it right here with me watching.”
“Can you handle that?” he asked, his eyes searching mine for any hint of hesitation. “Watch me end someone’s life?”
“I guess we’ll both find out soon,” I replied, swallowing hard as I steeled myself for what was about to happen. The air around us was thick with tension, almost suffocating in its intensity.
In truth, I realized I needed to see it. Wanted it to be over for sure. To know that I wouldn’t have to spend the rest of my days looking over my shoulder for Brynn. And in a dark part of my mind, I wanted to watch her die.
Brynn’s eyes darted between Marcus and me, realizing her fate was sealed. Slowly, she sat up, making no attempt to escape or retaliate. Her once-haughty expression was now replaced with fear, but there was still a glimmer of arrogance shining in her eyes.
The sound of the gunshot echoed through the room like a thunderclap. I felt the impact reverberate through my body as Brynn’s head snapped back, blood and gore splattering the wall behind her. The sudden brutality and finality of it all left me breathless.
A long silence followed, punctuated only by the ringing in my ears from the blast. My heart pounded in my chest, a mixture of relief and horror washing over me.
“Marcus,” I whispered, struggling to find my voice, “help me stand up.”
He hesitated, looking truly nervous for the first time since I had known him. His eyes were filled with concern, betraying the fear that perhaps he had crossed a line from which we could never return. With gentle hands, he lifted me to my feet, still waiting for my reaction to what he had just done.
“Let’s go home,” I said resolutely, allowing the complexity of our emotions to hang in the air around us. The weight of what had transpired settled heavily on our shoulders, but there was no turning back now. Together, we stepped over Brynn’s lifeless body and left that dark place, climbing the stairs together to return to the world, forever changed.