Twisted Veil of Devotion

Part 13

Ryan POV:

I was driving like a madman through the city, my hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly that my knuckles had turned white. 

I couldn't breathe, couldn't think of anything except Stella. 

Please be safe. Please. 

I had been away from her for too long, and now it was too late.

The call had come in about the attack, casualties mounting, the estate under siege. My stomach twisted at the thought of what I would find when I got there. 

Zane. 

He was here. 

And I had left her alone. The guilt was suffocating, clawing at my chest. I should've been there. I should've protected her.

When I finally pulled up to the estate, it was worse than I could've imagined. Dead bodies littered the ground, the once-beautiful garden now a battlefield drenched in blood. 

My guards.....men I had known for years......lay motionless, their bodies riddled with bullet holes. It was a war zone, and Zane's men were still moving through, armed to the teeth, finishing off the remaining resistance.

I got out of the car and immediately ducked behind a stone pillar, scanning the grounds. Where was Stella? Was she still alive? Or had they already taken her?

A scream tore through the air, cutting through the chaos. 

Stella.

My heart leapt into my throat. I moved toward the sound, keeping low, darting between statues and bushes, avoiding the gaze of Zane's men. My pulse pounded in my ears, drowning out everything except the sound of her scream. I had to get to her. I had to save her.

And then I saw him. Zane. He was on top of Stella, pinning her down in the clearing. Her face was twisted in pain and terror as she struggled beneath him.

"NO!" I shouted, unable to hold back. My voice rang out across the battlefield, and Zane's men immediately opened fire in my direction. I dove behind another statue as bullets rained down around me, the stone chipping away under the barrage. I felt a sharp sting in my thigh, one of the bullets had caught me, but I couldn't stop. I couldn't let her down again.

"Let's go," I heard Zane's cold voice over the gunfire.

My stomach dropped as I saw the helicopter lowering toward them. Zane had planned this all along, this was his escape. 

And he was taking Stella with him.

I fired a shot, aiming straight for Zane's head, but his men were relentless, their fire forcing me to duck back behind the statue. I felt another bullet graze my shoulder, but the pain was nothing compared to the sight in front of me.

Zane lifted Stella into his arms, carrying her as she screamed and thrashed, trying desperately to get free. But she was no match for him. Her screams tore at my heart, each one ripping me apart, piece by piece.

I limped out from behind the statue, trying to take another shot, but Zane's men were everywhere, their bullets forcing me back. I couldn't get a clear shot. I couldn't do anything.

"Stella!" I yelled, my voice raw, desperate.

Her wide eyes locked onto mine, filled with terror and helplessness. "Ryan!" she screamed, her voice breaking.

And then she was gone. The helicopter lifted off, carrying Zane and my Stella with it. The whir of the blades drowned out the chaos below, the sound of gunfire becoming distant as they rose into the sky. She was being taken from me, right in front of my eyes, and I was powerless to stop it.