Severed Ties

Shootout

Cameron

I had never moved faster in my life. In a matter of moments, I was in front of Alara, waiting for the bullet to rip through my welcoming flesh. I didn't even have to think, I just moved because I knew I couldn't live in a world without her, but I knew she could live even if I was gone. 

I saw her reach for her own gun, her soft cry as I placed myself between her and the gun, I closed my eyes and made my peace with God and I was so ready to die.

The bullet never hit.

I heard a rumbling chuckle a smooth voice that spoke a single word, "Good."

Vincent Torres lowered his gun and shoved it back into its holster, he took several strong steps forward and before I could even register what was happening, Alara was running, she was in front of me in the moments it took me to gather my breath, with her gun raised and a storm in her eyes.

"If you ever, try to hurt him again I will plant a bullet straight between your eyes," her voice was cold but still verging on unparalleled rage.

All of the guards lifted their guns in unison, training them on Alara, and she didn't even flinch, her glare never breaking from the man that was supposed to be her father.

"Lower your weapons," Vincent demanded and after a moment's hesitation he roared, "If any of you are responsible for the death of my daughter you will be wishing I gave you the mercy of killing you,"

And yet with all the bold words and claims Alara didn't even lower her own weapon, "I mean it," she bit out, "Hurt him and you just watch what becomes of you,"

He didn't care though, Vincent Torres much like his daughter did not shrink back at a fight, he raised his brow in question, "Oh how you have grown dear, a mighty woman you have become," and she cocked her head to the side studying him with deadly accuracy. 

She didn't move even when he was close enough that his head was pressed against the barrel of her gun, she hovered her finger over the trigger in defiance, "It's good to know even you would be prepared to spill the blood of your own for him, as he was prepared to sacrifice his life for you, I approve of this arrangement,"

"I don't give a shit what you approve of, " the words darted from her mouth before she finally lowered her weapon, and then with all the conviction in the world she hissed, "I don't even know you."

He laughed once more, a deep rumbling tone that somehow echoed even though there were no walls to contain the sound, "You will my dear, you will know very well who you are. Alara."

"Where's Ma, if you've done anything to her-"

He interrupted her immediately a stern look passing across his own features, "Cassandra? No, it is foolish of you to think that I care so little about your mother that I would have her killed. And that I care so little about you that I would steal from you your own mother. Cassandra and I are good friends," I saw her swallow at the word 'friends' her eyes darkening and her hands that she had pressed behind her frame had begun to fidget.

"Then where is she?" Alara pressed trying to remove the edge of desperation from her voice.

"At home, at your home," she didn't respond a blank look on her face, and this time her fists tightened, she merely nodded a small incline of her head that was barely noticeable.

"Fine, let's go then," she stormed over to me, and grabbed my hand, she squeezed it tightly and I felt her pain, she wanted to know who she was. To untangle this web of lies that had become the mesh of her life.

Her eyes swam with melancholy that tore at my heart and as I was waking I heard Vincent call out after us, "Cameron Grayson," his voice rang out loudly bursting in my ears with how poignant it was.

I stalled in my steps, and both Alara and I turned around.

"I thought you would like to know that you passed," he spoke in riddles that to me were unbecoming of a man of his stature, he should be straightforward more than anything but it seemed that the Mafia had a different way of dealing with things when compared to gangs, we always were at odds, and my dislike for Vincent was growing with every second.

"Passed what?"

He gave me a sly smile, but it could hardly be called a smile, it was a bearing of his teeth completely white and flawless, framed by blood-red lips that curved in an unnerving fashion, "The test. There is a saying in the Mafia, Mafia before love, Mafia before life, but I have never believed that to be true. You cannot fight for anything if you love nothing, and I have learnt that the hard way. You have proven you are worthy of my daughter, you didn't even hesitate before standing before her, and that is commendable. Do not forsake that part of you, for anything, for Mafia, for your gang, never forsake what you hold to be true with Alara,"

Alara turned to him and it looked like she wanted to direct more cynical words towards her father but she left with a final few words that stuck in my brain long after they had been spoken.

 "I'll decide who is worthy of me, and I don't need you to tell me how worthy Cameron is. My heart beats in sync with his, my blood will spill for him, I would raise hell for him, just for him to smile, and I do not need you father, to tell me what I have already carved into my heart."