Bruise Me Twice (Twice #3)

Chapter 25

                                                                                      Vaughn 

The moment she left I was alone with James, the biggest worry was lifted off my chest as she left hesitantly. I looked my opponent square in the eyes, my gaze never lifting as I saw through him.

"You didn't win yet Medina" James spat

"I won the moment I came here, you wouldn't want to end up like him"

"Useless piece of shit" He muttered as he looked at Ryan with distaste

"You'll regret what you did to her"

"You have no right to interfere with my business, we had a contract"

"That contract broke the moment you laid hands on her" I replied coldly

"You weren't supposed to be involved with her"

From the side of the room, Ryan stirred in his pool of blood. The fucker wasn't dead yet. I took my gun, turning to him and shot him as the little bit of energy was gone as he fell back to the ground. Just as I was about to turn around with my gun about to fire when a gunshot split through my ears, not fired from my gun this time. As instinct, I ducked, the bullet barely hitting me in the chest. A sharp pain stung on my shoulder as the bullet fell to the ground with the clang of metal. I was lucky it only grazed my shoulder instead of piercing through my heart as I ignored the sharp pain. As I turned back to him, my gun switching the hand I could move without it sending a jolt of pain up my shoulder. As I had the gun out, footsteps came down the stairs. To my surprise, it was Brooklyn, holding a gun out towards James.

"Vaughn get the bomb, I'll handle this" She said panicking as she kept the gun to James' forehead.

Taking the time she bought me, I ran to where they placed the bomb, I had to get rid of the red wire with only a minute on the clock before this place was blown to

Dust with us. I took my gun, slamming it into the glass as the shards clattered down. I snatched a piece and tried cutting the wire. 30 seconds. I hurried it, ignoring my hands that were shaking with the pressure.

"Come on" I muttered out of frustration as I put as much pressure to the glass, enough to let my blood trickling down the piece of glass.

It finally snapped in half as the ticking stopped. Brooklyn's scream echoed as she was pinned to the wall by James, her gun kicked to the side. She frantically tried to pull his hands off. As fast as I could, I picked up my gun to shoot him. To my infortune, nothing came as I pulled the trigger. I was running out of time. I ran to James, pulling him off of her as his grip detached and Brooklyn fell to the floor, gasping for air. James threw a punch at my face as I returned the favor.

Jolene came down, tossing the gun to me as I caught it.

"Three seconds to say your last words" I snarled as I held the gun to his mouth

"You're going to regret this" He coughed weakly

"Never" I said smugly as I pulled the trigger

Just as I pulled the trigger, He had a gun with him, holding it to me and pulling the trigger. His shot missed me completely as I expected the bullet to fall on the ground as the shot from my gun echoed through the walls. Yet that wasn't the only sound that pierced through the air. A scream of pain wailed through the air as I turned around to see Brooklyn bent over Jolene, holding her hand and sobbing.

"Mama" She pleaded as my heart broke for her

The ticking around coming from the other side of the room reminded me I hadn't got rid of all the bombs in the room. Just the one that was the fastest to go off.

"Brooklyn we need to leave" I said, panicking

"No" She said

"Leave, I'm fine here" Jolene said weakly

"If we don't leave soon, we won't make it either" I rushed

"I don't care" Brooklyn protested

"Take care of her" Her dying mother told me as I nodded my head and pulled Brooklyn off

"Let go of me" She said as I slung her over my shoulder, bits of my heart eroding as she flailed and screamed for her mother

I carried her out as fast as I could, going outside where my car was waiting in the desolated park. The building blew behind us as she screamed.

"Please" She begged as I set her down in my car and stepped on the pedal, away from the burning chaos behind us and racing as fast as the car could go.

I never saw her as broken as I did as we rode back to London to the house I wished to show her as a return gift under different circumstances. The house was a spread of white, tress growing on the side as it stretched out far.

I stepped out of the car, slowly pulling her out of the car into my arms as I alerted my men to take care of the mess we left. Placing her down on the couch, I took her into my arms, letting her sob on my bloodstained shirt. I was never good with comforting a person, I just held her and let the silence blanket us, letting her last words and the promise I made to her flow into my mind. I would keep her from any more pain that comes her way so I would never have to see a tear falling off her perfectly sculpted face.

"It's ok, everything is fine now, you're safe now and she's safe now" I whispered as I planted a kiss on her head. "Let's get you clean"

I took her to the bathroom, closing the door behind us as I slipped off her dress and placed it on the table along with my clothes and gently led her to the shower. The water let the blood on my body flow down, washing away in the drain as I held her comfortingly. I felt a drop of hot water trickling down my chest, from her eyes as I held her closer to me. I washed her blond hair, dried her and slipped her into my hoodie as I let her fall to my bed, her eyes empty. I slipped in, wrapping an arm around her as she didn't meet my eyes

"Why does it hurt so much" She asked quietly after a while

I pondered for a second, searching for an answer. I cried over Marlene out of guilt, guilt because I took the life of an innocent girl and an unborn child because of my job, guilt because I never shared the feelings she did for me. I made an oath for Brooklyn to never end up the same as her.

"Because you cared" I answered truthfully

I pulled her closer to my chest, to know she was here with me; safe. I wouldn't lose her and she wouldn't lose me. She was real, and she was mine. I'd hold her until my body decays and I don't have strength to hold her, even then, I'd hold her and comfort her. I'd hold her even if I was being stabbed and she was the blade that dug into me, shoving it in deeper. Even if it hurt me.

"You know something?" I said remembering an old memory

"I never bought that necklace, it was Jolene's, her lover gave it to her and she wanted me to give it to you" I explained as she clung onto the little dove on her necklace

"It's the best gift you could have given me" She said softly, a tear shedding from her eyes, once a fast-flowing river that filled with color, now drained.

A part of me wanted to break apart as well, for pulling Brooklyn off and carrying her away from her dying mother as she screamed in protest, letting her mother die. What else would I have done? If I had tried to save Jolene then Brooklyn might die along with her. But had I been there sooner, I would have saved them both, Brooklyn wouldn't have to hurt this much.

"I'm so sorry" I pleaded, my voice cracking

"No, thank you for saving me" She whispered as I held her closer to me "You saved my life, and so did she, I won't let her sacrifice be in vain"