The Hidden Rose(Book One In The Rose Pedal Series) /✔

Chapter Fifty-Four

i held the gun up, pressing the back of my hand to my cheek as i gazed out the window, in between the bars. Luke's dad lazily lifted the microphone to his mouth and pressed the button before speaking into it.

"surrender now, and you'll be tried fairly. if you don't surrender, i will send in my men to capture you all, killing if necessary."

gritting my teeth, i reached over and grabbed a walkie talkie, tuning it until i could hear the police scanner. most common radios won't pick up the police scanner, but i had a hacker tamper with a few of the ones we had so it would.

"this is Rose. i want to talk to chief Murphey. Over." i spoke into it. i waited a minute, watching out the window as one of the cops sitting near a car with the radio built in shouted and waved over Luke's dad. he jogged over to the car and lifted up the radio, stretching out the cord.

"this is Murphey." he spoke into the radio, gazing at the warehouse.

"i believe you have underestimated my men's numbers. i have you outnumbered, ten to one."

"i know who you are." he said.

"oh really? really the only people i know who doesn't know who i am is my army."

"your army?" he asked, his voice rising.

"oh yes. i think of my men as soldiers and my army. i train them. and some of these men, i own."

"don't make me call your mother." he threatened. i laughed.

"Murphey, my mom is, and always has been a part of this. she's in deeper than you ever thought."

"i'll say it once more, and once more only. surrender now, and i will make sure to put in a good word for you at your hearing."

"why don't i come out there and speak about this with you personally?" i suggested. i saw him hesitate out the window. he finally frowned and answered.

"sure, why not." he tossed the radio into the car and started barking orders to his men. i switched channels on my radio to the channel the hackers had made, hiding it from the world where only we could get on. it was like the police channel, but more hidden.

"snipers listen up."

"copy." i heard.

"I'm going out there to talk to Murphey. if they tackle me, start shooting. but nobody shoots Murphey. when i hold up a peace sign, turn on your lasers, pointing them at the cops. over."

"copy Rose. orders understood. snipers are ready. over." i nodded before leaving my radio on the table along with the gun i had in my hand and stepping out the door into the fading sunlight. dusk was upon us and the sky started to turn oranges and pinks, fading into sunset.

all the cop pointed their weapons at me as i stepped out and looked at them calmly. i stepped into the middle of the clearing where the snipers could see me clearly. Luke's dad stepped over, standing about three feet away from me.

"surrender now." Murphey hissed. i shook my head and laughed.

"you still don't get it do you?" i narrowed my eyes at him, staring at him in the fading light. "i will not surrender and you will not win."

"oh i think i will win. i think your 'army'," he made quotation marks with his fingers as he said 'army'. "is just a few men who are big and buff so you think your safe."

"stupid!" i barked out, laughing. "underestimating me will get you nowhere you want to be. it will only dig you further into the hole of shit you've dug yourself into."

"well then show me!" he shouted, extending his arms out. "show me your big bad army."

i held up my peace sign and the little red dots appeared on the chests on every single cop standing in the lot. a few of the cops had two or three dots.

"look at your chest. then look at everyone else's." i said coolly. he looked down at his rounded belly to find the little red dot hovering on his chest, just over his heart. his eyes widened before he turned to look at everyone else who had all the little dots on them. he turned back to me, his gaze doubtful.

"so you have a few snipers. big deal."

"i have men covering every single door and window of this building. i have them all partnered into groups of five. so there are five men guarding every single window and door, and i still have dealers all over town along with the farmers. tell me how that isn't an army." i said, tilting my head.

his eyes widened and he gulped. then his eyes narrowed at me in a death glare.

"you will go down. i am unwilling to allow you to win."

"unwilling, maybe. stubborn, definitely. hard-headed? sure." i shrugged. "but a winner, is one thing your not."

he clenched his jaw and i could practically hear his teeth grind as he glared at me.

"Ashlyn, you are a cold hearted bitch who is on the wrong side of the law."

"i am cold hearted. to everyone who isn't trusted or loved by me. with me, i either love or hate you. there is no in between. and it's not my fault i was born into this."

"what do you mean?" he asked, pressing his eyebrows together, causing the wrinkles on his forehead to get bigger and pop out more. 

"oh I'm sure you'll find out in heaven." i winked. he narrowed his eyes and i saw the quick decision flash through his eyes. I'm not entirely sure what he had made a choice for, but he did.

"if I'm going to die, I'm going to die doing something. I'm going to protect my son from a heartless, merciless, bitch like you."

everything slowed down as time seemed to stop completely. i felt my heart thumping as it pumped blood through my body with each throb in my chest. he lifted his gun from his belt and switched off the safety, cocking it and pointing it at me. i had no time to move as he pulled the trigger and i saw red. i had no fear of dying, just the fear of Flora being without me.

but i felt no pain.

my ears rang slightly from the loud shot of the gun going off, but my stomach and chest were both in tact. there was no blood flowering through the cloth of my shirt. but when i looked down at my feet, there was a pool of blood. i followed the trickle from where the blood was coming from with my eyes.

my eyes widened as my heart nearly stopped in my chest from fear. there, on the ground was a body. a bleeding, pale dying body. but it was terrifying.

because the body laying there was Luke.

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hey y'all!!! cliff hanger!!! I'm not entirely sure if i'll get to update tomorrow or not, but i will not be updating Saturday.

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<3 sillylovebug432