Respect

Chapter 51: Respect

Athena's POV
....The loudest gunshot I had ever heard, accompanied by a loud wale of his name. I stopped. This was different. For a second, I felt that bullet hit me.

I hesitated to turn, scared of what I'd see. I turned slowly, and everything seemed to stop, as another bullet hit him again, and again.

"DANIEL!" I screamed, as he fell to his knees, in what seemed like slow motion, still shooting, still at war.

I wanted to run to him, when I felt someone grab me. It was Lucas.

"Athena stay here. It's too dangerous!" he shouted as I struggled out of his grip.

Pushing and crying, I got free and ran to him as fast as I could. Bullets flying, people falling to the ground, either dead or hurt, Daniel was all I saw.

"Daniel, Daniel!" I said, frantically pacing as I assessed his wounds. "You're going to be fine okay, don't close your eyes, Daniel please!" I said, as my words, only breathless whispers, faded away in my cries and sniffles.

He stared at me and smiled-- his signature grin. His eyes still holding their sharp silver spark, I soon realised it wasn't because he was happy, but rather his tears threatening to fall.

I held him in my arms, with his head gently placed on my thigh, speaking to him, keeping him awake.

"Hold on to me okay. Take my hand Daniel, hold it tight, and don't let go, I beg you. We're going to get out of this okay" I said, trying to sound reassuring, but barely believing a word I said.

"I-I..." he tried to speak

"Hush, don't strain yourself" I cry. "We need to get him out of here, NOW!" I shouted, helplessly holding onto hope, crying for any of them to take him to a hospital.

"Athena get up, we really have to go!" Claudius said

"Let go of me!" I shouted

I wasn't going to leave him, not again.

"Athena they will call for backup, we need to go before more of them get here!" Claudius said

I looked at Daniel, so frail and in pain but barely showing it. I caressed his cheek as his grip started to loosen.

"I love you" I said, as my tears cascaded down my face like a waterfall. "I love you so much Daniel" I cry, only whispers they were.

He smiled at those words, probably been dying to hear them. I watched as his tears rolled down his cheeks and took in that small smirk on his face. I felt his grip on my hand loosen, as he turned his head away from me, and I watched as my one true love, breathed his last.

Screams of terror filled my ears, shaking him, and calling out to him, I couldn't believe he was gone. I couldn't believe he had left me.

I soon felt two men grab me by the arm. I was in shock, as I looked at him laying there, lifeless, in his own pool of blood. I struggled to stay with him, but they only pulled me further away from him.

They were dragging me away, when I saw some men in black suits approaching his body.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HIM?!" I shouted in tears as they put me in a black bus. Banging and kicking on the doors for them to let me out, I screamed even more.

"ATHENA! it's very important that no one finds the Boss here. If they do, they'll know he was into dirty business and we can't let that happen. These men are specialised in cleaning up such scenes. They'll take care of him, trust me" Claudius said.

He nodded, gesturing to the driver to drive away, as he closed the door. I watched through the tinted window as they picked him up and placed him in a bus. They were picking up all the bodies and loading them up in vans.

I stared at the car which had Daniel in it, and felt so weak.

He was gone
Daniel was gone.

I never got to save him from that world, and in the end, it took him away from me. I never got to love him like he truly deserved. Now, only regrets and memories, heartbroken, I couldn't even begin to describe what I was feeling.

________

BREAKING NEWS
"*FAMOUS ITALIAN BUSINESS TYCOON SHOT DEAD IN HIS SUMMER VACATION HOUSE THIS MORNING*.
MR. DANIEL TERRANOVA WAS FOUND IN HIS STUDY AND IS SAID TO HAVE SUSTAINED FOUR FATAL GUNSHOT WOUNDS, THAT SADLY, TOOK HIS LIFE. THE CRIME HAS SINCE BEEN TAKEN AS AN ACT OF ROBBERY AS MANY PRECIOUS ITEMS WERE FOUND MISSING. AN ANONYMOUS DISTRESS CALL WAS MADE TO THE DISPATCHER OF HAVING HEARD GUNSHOTS IN THE EARLY HOURS OF THE MORNING. DETAILS IN THIS REPORT"

"Is that your idea of cleaning up?.... Staging his death?" I snarled over the phone.

"It's not easy Athena, I understand that, but this is very crucial. It's better if people believe he was killed for money than for him to start facing criminal charges and further investigations on his death, if they find out what he really did for a living" Claudius said. "Athena, I'm really very sorry" he said, hanging up.

"Are you alright Athena?" Heather asked

"He wasn't killed at his house" I snarled, frustrated with about everything

"What do you mean?" Brady asked

"He was murdered, by people in the mob. I was there.... He died in my arms" I said, feeling so breathless

"Then why go to this trouble?" Heather asked

"He's the leader of the Mafia stupid, obviously to avoid police investigation" Brady said

I went to my room and lay in my bed, still unable to accept the fact that.... He was gone.

I heard a knock at my door.

"Hey" he said
"You wanna talk?"

"You know Brady...." I said, sitting up. "....All he ever did was love me.... He never hurt me, he never once laid a hand on me" I said sniffling. "He always said he loved me. He always put his life on the line to keep me safe.... but me, what did I ever do for him. I couldn't even get him out of that life! I never even told him how much I really loved him. Oh! he should have heard it a thousand times over! But I never said it, and he never complained. He always settled for less. I insulted him, defamed him, hurt him in more ways than one, but he never stopped loving me! I had to wait for him to be on his dying breath before I told him how my heart beat for him! HOW HORRIBLE AM I BRADY?!"

"Calm down Athena" he said, taking me into his arms. "None of this is your fault. Daniel loved you. It was hard for me to believe it too, but he really did love you, and that's what kept him going. He's resting now Athena. And at least, he got to hear that you love him just as much as he loved you, and that doesn't make you a horrible person"

I cried in his lap that day, as he and Heather comforted me.

The man who lived two lives, two different worlds, orchestrated in perfect sync. What he did may have been bad, or, illegal to say the least, but he excelled at it. I had grown to love him for who he was, for all his flaws. I did want justice for his murder, but the more I thought about justice, the more I was constantly taken back to Claudius' words. It WAS best to let him rest with his dignity and Respect. I never wanted people to look down on him, or.... Fear him in his death.... as I once did. NO.

I wasn't sure how life would be after that day, but I knew this for sure ~ my love for Daniel would never falter. My one true love would never fade from my heart, and I would forever love my one and only Mobster.

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THE END