Sunbeam

53)

Kezia stops suddenly staring intensely at a shadow, causing the other two women to look back at her, "Kez?"

"You've got a good eye for danger, Chi Shugra," Ramon Cawley speaks, stepping out of the shadows with his brother and some of their cousins, gesturing to the knife, "seems like somebody else got to you before we did."

"We know what you did," Iain states, "you thought you could pull one over on us? Lie to us for years and think we wouldn't find out? You fucked up."

"Shit," Kez mumbles, rubbing the bridge of her nose, as Bea and Tess turn to look at her distressed.

"You two needn't look so worried," Ramon chuckles, "just be on your way and we won't have a problem."

"No," Bes states, reaching for Kez's hand, holding it tight.

"Go," Kezia replies, looking down at her, then at their intertwined hands.

"No," Bea says, "I'm not leaving you."

"Look, you either leave or we deal with you quickly before moving onto her," Iain threatens, pulling his gun out and cocking it.

"They're leaving," Kez says, "please, Bea, please go."

"She's right, Kez, we're not leaving," Teresa states, and Kezia turns to her, "you need to find Tommy."

Tess looks down the street, before looking back to Kez, "he'd understand."

Bea takes Kez's face in her hands, "I'm sorry, but I am staying, I know you think I'm... weak and that's why you shut me away earlier, but I am not leaving you alone right now."

"I didn't do it because I think you're weak," Kez whispers, shocked by Bea's sudden affection, "I did it because you're the most valuable thing in my fucking life and I did not want you getting hurt, so please just go. You don't want to see this."

"Oh will you hurry up before I start shooting," Iain groans, firing his pistol into the air, causing Beatrice to flinch's

"This is your last warning," Ramon states.

"Okay," Kezia says, "I'm really sorry, I don't know how to tie my laces, could they just do it before they leave?"

"Sure," Ramon scoffs.

Tess had seemed to catch onto Kez's plan, and knelt down pretending to do her boot up but reaching for the gun strapped to her ankle, tucking it into her jacket as she stood up.

"I'll see you later," Kez says, hugging Bea, whose arms go beneath Kez's jacket, grabbing the gun in the back of her waistband, concealing it as she pulls away.

"We're going," Bea says, quickly leaning up to kiss Kez, "I love you."

If things went horribly wrong, she did not want Kez dying without reminding her that she loved her. This night had brought out a new sense of courage in Bea, she was ready for the world to know she loves Kezia Shelby.

"I-" Kez starts, but is cut off by Bea kissing her again, pulling away, "don't, tell me after."

Kezia gulps, but nods. She was in tremendous pain already, she still had a knife stabbed into her torso, and she'd lost quite a lot of blood from the other open wound, she was beginning to feel dizzy. She wasn't one to give up, but she was a realist, and looking around at the men all wanting and willing to kill her, she knew the odds were heavily against her.

Bea and Tess leave the circle of men, sneaking into a side alley, clutching the guns in their hands.

"19," Ramon states.

"Pardon?" Kezia responds, finding it hard to stop herself from grimacing and swaying as she stood.

"There were 19 pieces of him that we found before we had his body to burn, you cut him into 19 pieces and left him around our camp," Ramon says.

"Look-"

"Saying you're sorry isn't going to help you," Iain sneers.

"I wasn't going to apologise," Kez scoffs, "I was going to tell you to look harder, because I counted 22, are you missing some toes? Fingers? An ear?"

"You fucking tramp," Iain scoffs, his hand shaking with rage.

"Not the worst thing I've ever been called," Kezia breathes out, her head spinning. Her eyes felt heavy, and the Cawleys looked confused as she collapses to the floor.

"Well this is going to be less fun than I anticipated," Ramon says, walking over to Kezia, removing the knife from her torso, watching as her unconscious body slightly twitches.

"We need to be quick, Ramon, those women could be quick to go get her family," one of his cousins states.

"Iain," Ramon calls over his younger brother.

Iain smirks, aiming his gun down at Kez, shooting each of her hands.

"No!" Bea wails, running out from the alleyway, and Ramon didn't think twice before shooting at her, as Iain plucks the knife from his hands, plunging it through Kez's chest, laughing maniacally as her eyes open wide, gasping as blood trails from her mouth.

"Let's go," Ramon says, "Bartley has been avenged, brother."

The family walk away, leaving Kez's lifeless body to bleed out and stain the cobblestones, Bea was optimistically crawling towards her, one hand clutching her stomach where she'd been shot. She'd told Tess to go to Tommy.

She reaches Kezia, and there is nothing, her body was still warm, but she wasn't moving and her lifeless eyes were just staring up at Bea who was sobbing and cradling her body, finding it difficult to breathe through the pain of being shot. She should probably get help. But in all honesty, she would rather die by Kez's side than live another minute without her.

"I love you," Bea cries, kissing her forehead, before laying to rest on the cobblestones beside her, their hands entwined and Bea's head on Kez's shoulder.