More Than Friends

Heart shatter

Chris

We never know who could be the real threat.

Sometimes you can be certain of who you're supposed to be more afraid of. But in a single moment you can blink and find out that you were wrong all along.

I was sure that I needed to be more afraid of Alec, he threatened to kill Bell after all. And Richard looked seconds away from shifting his pants when I threatened him yesterday. But right now that I see Alec on the floor in a pool of his own blood, I know he wasn't the real threat. He just wanted to get under my skin and keep me away from Bell.

I know all the threats he made on Bell's life were just empty words. I don't forgive Alec for what he did, but I am grateful. I could see he was worried Richard would kill her when she started yelling at him every single thing that would earn her a bullet between the eyes. I was about to push her behind me when Alec spoke up, taking Bell out of Richard's mind and focusing the gun on him. He was about to kill Richard for her.

He was never going to kill her, he was dangerous to Bell because he wanted her and he would've done anything to have her. But in the end he protected her from him.

But Richard... he did kill someone. And he looks ready to kill someone else. I don't know if he had taken a life before or if Alec was the first one. But I can see the blood lust in his eyes. He looks down at Alec like he's in a trance, like every human thing about him just left his body and left something primal and hungry for more.

No one makes any moves, all of us in shock for what we just witnessed.

All I want is to take Bell's hand and take her to a safe place.

One moment we are standing looking down at Alec's body and the next I'm pulling Bell to the floor and covering her with my body as more gunshots fire through the air.

Screams go on around us for what feels like forever. When everything stops and we look up the blood from my body drains. Richard stands in the center with a gunshot in his left shoulder and Aaron's men are on the floor, some hurt and others...

A sob escapes Bell lips and I pull her up and bring her head against my chest again.

I was so mad at her for putting herself between me and that gun earlier, she wouldn't let me move her behind me. But after what he just did here and the fact that he didn't think twice to shoot everyone else, she's not going to be able to fight me on this, I'm keeping her safe. If that means I take a bullet, then so be it.

"It looks like you're safe now."

I look up at Richard. His smile drops when he sees Bell wrapped around my arms.

"Let go of my woman."

My yaw ticks and every muscle in my body tightens.

She's not your woman motherfucker. She 's mine. Mine.

Bell fists my shirt and brings me closer to her, trying to hide herself from Richard. The massage is clear. She's not his and he doesn't like that.

Richard lets out a laugh, it's disturbing. The hairs on the back of my neck stand when he starts to wave the gun around like it couldn't go off easily.

"And she still chooses him. What's it going to take Bell?" He pointed the gun at her and I pushed her behind me ignoring her protest. "I did all of this for you! I got you away from Chris, I was there for you, I killed Alec. All of this so we could be together. And you still choose him."

The gun is pointed at my head now and I can see from the corner of my eye Dylan and Aaron are going around him. The paramedics are moving Jeremy carefully to the other side of the ambulance to shield him from harm, and others are going to tend on Aaron's man without being seen.