Vegas & Pete - The reason why I love you

II - 23 Forever

Vegas

The sounds around me sounded muffled and distant. I had the feeling of being in an abstract world, like a dream, and I wished I could kick myself to get into reality.

I reached our house. I had no idea what was going on inside, I just wanted to be sure that Pete and Venice were okay.

As soon as I walked in, some men grabbed me and, after a search, led me by the arms upstairs.

They let me go in by myself. The room was dark. My eyes gradually became accustomed to the darkness and desperately looked for Pete. I was hearing distant sobs and I realized it was Venice who was crying.

- Pete? Pete are you okay?

A shadow walked slowly toward me. It was him! I recognized him by his walk. Pete was still alive !

I took a look around me to appreciate the current situation. There were at least four people in this room plus the men who had welcomed me outside. Things were looking bad. However, the feeling of danger all around seemed to be nothing compared to the relief of this shadow moving towards me. He was alive and nothing else mattered to me. When he came in front of me, I could see his face in tears.

- Vegas, why did you come? Pete sobbed.

- You really have a low opinion of me if you thought I would leave you here alone?

Hearing my voice, Venice began to scream, shouting over and over again

-Dadada!

- Venice sweetie ! Daddy is here, don't cry. Don't cry. It's okay.

The soft laughter of the one I hated so much in my heart, so much I knew she had stirred up hatred between my father and me while he was still alive, sounded from the back of the room.

- Dear son-in-law I am so glad I got to see you again. I really missed you ! I so enjoyed watching you get beaten down all day long, it was the only pleasure I had when I lived with your jerk of a father.

- I'm not giving you back the favor, I was so happy to see you six feet under.

- Let's see who will be the first to be eaten by worms ! she shouted in a whistling voice and she added :

- Pete you know what you have to do !

Pete stared at me in tears, his arms dangling over his body and in the palm of his hand I noticed a chromed gun glowing in the dark.

- My poor Vegas, look at your lover, he's all confused. Do you know what his dilemma is? He must kill you or Venice will suffer. What a tragedy for him, to kill the one he loves or let his beloved baby die. Do you think he loves you enough to let an innocent child die? Could he ever forgive himself?

- Shut up! Pete cried as he clutched the gun in his hands.

- Vegas why did you come here like this? You know she hates you! You should have brought backup!

- And risk hurting you or Venice? I didn't even think about that for a second Pete, don't you know yet that I love you more than my own life? Everything I went through before you was worse than death! Do you think I'm sad? No, I'm just happy that I can give my life to save yours! I only regret that we didn't have more time to love each other, but from the beginning I couldn't see myself ending up any other way than this. Happiness, a quiet life, is not for me. We are like Romeo and Juliet, our love was lost in advance, everything was against us. Come on, shoot and don't blame yourself, it's not your fault, it's just that we had bad karma.

- But what are you talking about! How can you say that! You think it's easier to be on the other side of the gun? You think that what you feel is stronger than my own feelings! I can't imagine living without you for a second!

Nora interrupted us by shouting hysterically:

- That's enough, you two! Pete if you don't kill him now, I'm going to make the kid suffer.

- And who says you get to decide? And turning to me:

- Not everything in life is written in Vegas. You don't have to believe that you have lost in advance, I forgave you a long time ago but now you have to forgive yourself and move on.

Turning to Nora he added:

- I've already made up my mind before Vegas arrived, I won't let you win even if everything is ruined for us.

He looked at me with his most tender look and said:

- I love you Vegas. Protect Venice.

And he raises the gun to his temple.

- Noooo! Nora and I cry out at the same time. I lunge at Pete and pull on his arm just as the gun goes off and hits him in the chest.

Pete collapses in my arms, his white shirt covered in blood.

- Pete, Pete! Please talk to me! His body weighs against mine. I try to lift his chin but his head falls back inert. There is movement around me but I see nothing, I hear nothing, I feel nothing but the intense pain that tears my body to pieces. I hold him tightly against me, resting his head in the hollow of my neck.