Beauty & The Beast (Book 1)

62. Protect You

Heather couldn't find Darius. She's been looking everywhere. Calling. And calling. Finally, she asked the bartender if he's seen him and he says he saw him down the hall.

She hurries through the crowd, calling his name when she gets to the hallway. She hears noises inside one if the backrooms and opens the door. Her eyes widening. "Darius?!"
A man was busy hitting Darius repeatedly in the face. "Darius!" Darius is thrown down against the back wall. "What are you doing?!"

"Get out of here!" Darius yells.

"Leave him alone!" A hand comes around to her mouth to silence her, she gasps and grabs at the arm.

Heather and Darius as both dragged outside into the back alley. The man who had his arm around Heather pushes her forward roughly.
"My sister's a cop!" she yells.

"Shut up!" He slaps her and she stumbles back.

"Heather shh!" Darius tries to get her to keep quiet.

"Look, if you guys try to - " A third man hits Heather across the cheek with his gun and she falls down onto the ground, knocked out.

"Hey!" Darius goes to help her but he's pulled back, gun pointed at him. "Listen I've said it man I told you I'll pay you back! I've got a big club night going on tomorrow night okay! VIP! Big money! I'm good for it!" He was doing his best to keep their attention on him instead of Heather.

"What about her? She tells her sister, the cops are lookin' at us." He stands away from Heather's body and shakes a finger. "We're not gonna let that happen."

"What are you going to do?"

"Not us. You." Darius looks at the mobster in fear, walking towards him, hands in his pickets. "You brought her in. She's your problem."

The bouncer holding the gun presses it into Darius's hand and holds the gun up. Darius is crying. He's made mistakes. He's been gambling. Now he has to kill the girl he likes because she saw them. She can't die like this. She was a good person. His lip trembles.

"She's gonna talk about us. It's all gonna come back to you. Your hero brother's gonna find out what a real loser you are," the mobster taunts. "It's your finger on the trigger," he looks down the alley then takes out his own gun, pointing it at Darius.

Darius shook his head, breathing in shaky breaths. All he ever wanted to do was make Joe proud. And his parents. He pretended to have a life he didn't. He was the perfect little brother... He chokes the tears back, tightening his hold on the gun and his finger moving to the trigger.

I am so sorry Heather, he thinks, blinking at her unconscious body.

*

Vincent jumps down from the club roof, landing between Darius, the men surrounding him and Heather. She was still breathing but she was out cold. He roars and pushes Darius back with his claw, half grabbing half pushing to get him away. Darius hits the side of the trash bin and hears a loud crack. He falls down onto the ground, not moving.

Vincent goes after the two men, fighting the one shooting off bullets trying to hit him, the leader running in the opposite direction.

Vincent tosses the man to the side, hitting his head against the trash bin and then he stands over him. The man's head is cracked and he is dead. Vincent calms himself down, not seeing anything dangerous anymore. He breathes heavily, gasping and then he remembers Heather.

He turns and rushes to check on her.
"Heather?" He holds a finger to her neck and she starts to move her head.
His mind goes to Darius next. He'd pushed him out of the way. He looks up and see the young man on his side on the ground. He runs over and rolls him. Darius has no pulse. His neck lolls loosely and the horrible truth hits Vincent. He's killed him. By accident. He broke his neck.