The Aces

21 - Promise

Kai Romano

I close my eyes and see my father there, a knife dug deep down his throat and his lifeless eyes. I see my mother, giving me a hug before leaving and just like that, all my memories, good and bad turn into a jumbled up set of memories flashing before my eyes as I take my last breaths.

When I don't feel a bullet piercing through my head/heart for a considerably long time, I slowly open my eyes, and what I see infront of me shocks me to the very tips of my toes.

Lucie stood there, with a gun in her hand as she pointed it at Daisuke. Her eyes were glassy and her hands shook. I look behind her and find Elijah.

What is he doing here?

As realisation hits me I feel anger boiling inside me. He was the rat all along. The betrayer who sold out our information to The Rangers.

The anger slightly shimmers down when I watch him hiding cowardly behind Lucie— although he was failing miserably at the hiding part because Lucie wasn't even half his size.

I feel dread twist in my guts as the executives pull out their guns and aim it at Lucie.

And why are the executives so fucking quiet? I haven't heard a single sound come from any of them.

I watch her and Elijah flinch. Lucie nervously looks around before she meets my gaze and she immediately widens her eyes. I probably look like a mess with all that blood and bruises on me.

A tear finally escapes her eyes and races down her cheeks before stopping at the very bottom of her chin. I send an apologetic expression towards her as I mumble the words sorry.

She shakes her head before adverting her eyes off my own and focusing it on the shiny mask of Daisuke. "Daisuke" I call out and he looks towards me, tilting his head. "Don't." I say and he shakes his head.

"I only not hurt women when they don't try to hurt me." He says before aiming his own gun at Lucie. I watch her hands shake miserably but she keeps it aiming at Daisuke. "Don't you dare" I say again and he laughs. "I've always been a daredevil, you see." He says and loads the gun.

My eyes widen as I run towards Lucie, but don't make it on time. The gun had already been fired. There was blood— everywhere. Only thing is, it wasn't Lucie's.

I watch with pure suprise as Elijah falls to the floor with a loud thud, the bullet dug deep into his chest causing blood to splash out of him. "No!" Lucie screams, bending down and shaking Elijah. "Please don't die." Lucie says and tears start to fall out of her eyes as I take a stand behind her and put a hand on her shoulders.

"I had too." Elijah chokes out as tears start to run down his eyes too. His eyes meet mine and they immediately fill with fear. "No, no he won't hurt you. Right?" Lucie lets out before looking at me and I nod.

Another deafening gunshot rings through the basement and I watch Mark along with around twenty other men barge in. "Run." Elijah chokes out as another gun shot is heard, followed by many others. "We can't leave you like this!" Lucie exclaims.

"Run. Please." Elijah says and I sigh softly holding Lucie's elbow before pulling her off the floor. She immediately hides her face in my chest before bursting out in sobs. "Have a good sleep." I say and Elijah smiles. "You died a warrior."

I hold Lucie tightly in my arms as we run towards the nearest exit, guns firing in the background and people fighting eachother. I fall onto the floor as someone fires a gun, missing me by inches. I along with Lucie quickly hide behind a few cartons of who knows what.

"Kai!" Lucie whimpers out and I hold her face in my hands "Hey, hey it's fine. As long as I'm with you, you won't get a single scratch on you. Okay?" I say and Lucie lightly nods. "Just trust me, Luce." I say and this time she looks me in the eyes. "Okay" she mutters.

"Boss!" Mark lets out as he hides behind the carton with us. "Yo Lucie are you okay?" Mark asks and she nods. "Dude, I'll make way for you. Leave and take Lucie with you because this is gonna just get worse." Mark says throwing me a dessert eagle pistol and I nod.

"Ok. I'll go, take Lucie somewhere safe and then come back. Hold on till then" I say and he nods. "Kay. Stay safe Lucie, Boss." He says and disappears into the raging chaos. 

I look at Lucie as I tightly hold her hands in mine. "Are you ready?" I ask and she nods. I plant a kiss on her lips before standing up, with Lucie beside me.

"Let's fucking get out of
here." I say as I slip the pistol Mark gave me out of my jean pocket.

~

I let out a light groan as Lucie puts ointment on my wounds. "Kai..." Lucie starts, looking up at me with glassy eyes. "Will everything be alright?" She asks and I nod. "It will be. Don't worry, okay?" I say and she nods before hugging me.

"I'm sorry I let them take you. I didn't protect you enough." I say and Lucie shakes her head, which was still buried deep in my neck. "It's not your fault, Kai." She says and I caress her hair. "You should get some sleep." I say and she nods.

I take her to my bedroom before handing her a hoodie and pjs which are probably too big for her to wear. "Change into this and stay here till I come back." I say. "Can I just call mom? She hasn't heard from me for the past 24 hours she must be really worried." Lucie says and I nod, opening a drawer in the cabinet beneath my TV.

"This is a spare phone. You can use this" I say and she nods taking the phone from me. "Kai?" Lucie lets out and I turn around, facing her. "Yes?"

"Are you leaving?" She asks and I sigh before nodding. "I have to, you know. To put an end to this." I say and she nods, kissing me on my cheeks before hugging me. "I will be back before you wake up. Promise." I say and she sighs into my chest. "Please don't die." She whispers, before turning around and going to the washroom with the cloths I gave her.

I sigh before changing into black jeans and a white teeshirt, along with a gun holder vest on top. I take a final look in the mirror before leaving.