Declan

Chapter Forty

Lexi ~

She lost count of the number of shots that rang out, but it sounded like they were getting closer which pumped some spirit into her. She shifted and wiggled her painful body under the tarp, trying to expose enough of herself to be seen.

The door of the boat house flew open as Asher and a bullet-riddled Hector exploded into the small structure. Asher discarded Hector on the floor in front of her as he paced frantically around the room.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Asher was panicked and rightly so, knowing many of not most of the bullets flying outside had his name on them.

The sheer panic in his voice was music to Lexi's ears, but her small moment of joy was short lived as she watched Hector drag his bloodied body toward her. Deep red blood trailed down his chin as he attempted to communicate with her but couldn't force words past the gurgle of blood in his mouth. Using every ounce of strength he had left he forced his hand toward hers and grabbed hold of it before his chest rose and fell for the last time.

She gripped his hand hard as she watched him collapse in front of her. At first she thought he was crawling to her for comfort. After hearing his confession, it was plausible to think that he found comfort in the woman who reminded him of his late wife, but the tight grip of his hand on hers told a different story and concealed something far more precious. Cool metal pressed against her palm and her pulse quickened at the sensation.

The handcuff key.

Moving nothing but her eyes toward Asher, she cautiously shifted her gaze to see if he'd noticed the exchange. To her relief he was still talking to himself, pacing back and forth in a frenzy and paying absolutely no attention to her.

Her eyes were locked on him, as she slid the key into the lock and twisted, feeling the instant release of the cuffs and the sudden quickening of her pulse. Her hands balled and flexed as she tried to chase away the numbness as she prepared her body to move.

Remaining focused and unblinking, she tracked Asher's chaotic steps waiting for him to create enough space between them so that she could make a mad dash for the door.

As soon as he had disappeared from her peripheral vision she made a break for it. Relying mostly on adrenaline she forced herself to her feet, commanding her unsteady legs and damaged body to move toward the door.

A mixture of fear and hope fueled her and she felt it override her common sense. She knew she was in no shape to fight off another attack from Asher and that there were flying bullets outside the door in front of her, but she had to do something. She couldn't just lay down and die knowing Declan's team was right outside.

Every motion that her body produced was slow and uncoordinated, but somehow her heavy, defective legs had carried her to the door.

The bright light from outside assaulted her eyes causing her to shield them as she stumbled out the door and forcing her to lean against the structure while her eyes adjusted.

Forcing them open she desperately tried to focus through the chaos that was unfolding at the cabin. Dark figures cloaked in weapons and black tactical gear lined one of the cabins and moved in unison with their backs to her.

She screamed, but her voice was too weak to cover the distance between them.

Please turn around, please see me!

They were moving further away from her with every step. She had to act and she had to act now.

Her unsteady body bobbed and weaved through the pain as she took slow uncontrolled steps down the dock but the loud crack of a gun thwarted her forward motion.

Her ears were ringing from the sound that had shocked her system enough to distract her from the bullet hole in her calf. Taking one step on her newly injured leg sent her plummeting to the ground as the excruciating burn made itself known and she processed what had just happened.

Someone shot me in the leg. Asher shot me in the leg.

The familiar sensation of Asher's hand around her ankle registered in her mind as she barely clung to consciousness. Her body lurched backwards as he yanked and pulled her relentlessly down the dock and further away from the tactical team at the cabins.

As the team of men started entering one of the cabins the profile of one man caught Lexis attention. The white skull was prominent on the side of his helmet and she knew she had seen it before. It was the same helmet from the picture that Estrada had shoved in her face so many times that evening.

Hope exploded from her chest and erupted from her mouth as she gathered all of the strength she had left inside her to scream his name.

"Pierce!"

The gut wrenching scream carried itself across the dock and up the hill to where the men stood.

As if in slow motion his head turned toward her followed by the rest of his body as he reached forward and touched the shoulder of the man in front of him.

Thank God. Someone had seen her and was coming for her.

Relief coursed through her veins and she found it difficult to care that Asher was binding her wrists again, this time to a metal chair. The pain from her back, arms and leg didn't matter. Asher didn't matter. Declan's team - her friends were running toward them ready to save her.

Asher pulled the gun from his waistband as Declan's team approached and the feeble weapon made Lexi chuckle as she compared it to the team of warriors that were closing in on him.

"Something funny to you?" He barked down at her.

Still tightly bound to the chair Lexi lifted her head to get a better look at the fear in his eyes.

"You're outnumbered." She tried to muster a smile that reflected the satisfaction she felt, but she couldn't be sure it was showing on her face. All of the muscles in her body were betraying her at the moment, ignoring her every command and rendering themselves useless.

"The more people to witness your death," he whispered into her ear as he pressed his gun to her temple and stood up straight with his chest puffed out confidently.

"Tell Declan I said hi." His hateful voice hissed just before he pulled the trigger.

*************************

Don't forget to vote and comment! Tell me all of your opinions! I love reading them!