Grim

71

Time had a funny way of feeling slowed down whenever shit hit the fan. It was as if it awaited moments when you were sad and feeling down to show it's longevity.

At least, that's how I felt the minute the bullet pierced through Devon's body. It felt as if his body had been falling in slow motion.

The air around me felt cold and lifeless, like I was in a quiet, dark freezer. I knew the temperature of the air was just a fragment of my imagination because although it was cool outside, it wasn't cold. It was the immediate hurt I felt as Devon's body continued to fall to the ground that had me internalizing shit differently.

Richard really shot him...

"Your turn," Richard grimly told me as he pointed his gun towards me.

He had already gotten rid of my father, and he had made it very clear that my mere existence was enough for him to hate my guts.

There was absolutely no way he wouldn't be pulling the trigger!

Callously, he smirked, "Tell your father I said hi!"

Without a second to spare, another shot went off, and I found myself trapped in space and time.

POW!

Another shot went off.

And then another.

But I remained frozen, unable to move, unable to feel, and unable to comprehend what was going on.

Sapphire's POV

I rushed out of my hiding spot and out into the clear where Azias could see me. His eyes connected with mine, but they seemed so distant. I rushed over to him, blood decorating his face, and held him in my arms.

"Zy, speak to me!" I begged. I had been speaking to him, as had Ace, but he wouldn't respond. He just seemed so out of it. "Zy!" I yelled, and he finally acknowledged my presence as he wrapped his arms around me.

"Richard...he...he shot m..."

I looked down at Richard's body, which I pierced with three shots, the last being a headshot for assurance that this fucker would stay down.

In an instant rush, Azias ran to the man who Richard had shot and began checking him for a pulse.

"He's alive!" Azias breathed in solace upon finding the man's pulse. Azias then examined the man's body for wounds and found one in the man's shoulder. "Dev? Can you hear me?"

"Yeah," the man weakly spoke.

Dev?

...Devon?

I was so confused. Why had Richard been holding Ace hostage and getting ready to shoot Azias if Devon was the Boss?!

"Let's get him up," Ace suggested, and he and Azias lifted Devon to his feet.

Azias then looked at me and asked, "How? I mean thank you so much, but how are you here?!"

I chuckled, "Marco unlocked his phone so that I could see the address. Then I ordered an Uber and took position in the bushes." I looked down at Richard's lifeless body and shook my head in disbelief.

"Thank you for coming!" he breathed as he pulled me in for a tight hug. "Where's Marco? How's he doing?!" Azias asked as Ace joined him in smothering me nearly to death with their tight ass hugs.

"I can't breathe!" I exhaled, and the two chuckled before letting me go. "Marco was taken to a hospital. He's undergoing surgery right now. Did you take everyone down?"

"A guard, Ricardo, and Michael got away," Azias shook his head.

I informed, "No, they didn't. I caught them trying to flee in that car right there," while pointing to one of the black SUVs parked in front the house. "I finished them off before hiding in the bushes. I didn't know if anyone else would come out."