The Bad Boy's Weakness

19- For Better Or For Worse

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr

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We stand there for what felt like hours. Rick paces back and forth trying to figure out if he should shoot us both, or to torture us then set us free. This is an ultimatum that makes me cringe in fear. I don't want to die, but I'd rather die a quick death than to be tortured. The hair on my body stands still when I recognize how messed up he is. I can see how much blood pumping through his veins from how piss he is. I swallow the lump that forms in my throat when I hear Ethan speak.

"You need to think this through Rick." Ethan says, trying to talk Rick out of doing something stupid. So that's his name, Rick. "I understand your-..."

"YOU UNDERSTAND NOTHING!" Ricks yells angrily, making his voice echo in the distance. "Don't ever give me that crap that you understand! 12 years you and your whore of a mother stole from me! 12 freaking years!" He continues, fuming in rage and anger.

"Now I'm gonna take back every thing that you stole from me." Rick says revengeful, as he makes his way over to me. "Starting with her." He says, pointing his gun towards me.

I steady my breath trying to calm my panic. I open my mouth trying to talk this man down, but terror sucks the very last breathe from my mouth. I can hear my heart throbbing loud and irregular in my ear as my entire body engulfs in fear.

"Kill me." Ethan says, making me focus my attention on him. "Kill me, but promise me that you will set her free." He adds and I suddenly find the voice to speak.

"Ethan no." I say and he looks at me, my heart cries when I see the sorrow in his eyes. "I'd rather die with you than to live without you."

Rick starts to laugh pitiful at the sound of my words, "Now isn't this a romantic tragedy." He says mocking us, as he laughs harder and harder.

"Look mister." I say in defeat, making him focus his gaze at me, still pointing the gun in my direction. "I can't say that I understand what you went through, I can't imagine how you must have felt to spend 12 years in prison, but killing or torturing us will only send you back where you're coming from."

Rick braces himself, intrigued about what I have to say. "We can give you whatever you want to start over; money, our car, you name it." I watch as Ethan takes small steps forward, miming to me to continue speaking.

"My mom has some cash stash away for emergency and Ethan's family is rich. Please, we can get you enough to live comfortably, if you let us go." I mutter that last line, and quickly glance over to Ethan to see him slowly crouching down to take hold of a rock.

Ethan is about six meters from Rick, facing his back and I am in front of him. I could see Ethan, but Rick can't see him. Dumb ass! He deserves everything that's coming to him. I quickly focus my gaze back to Rick so he doesn't suspect anything.

"Nice try princess." Rick says, taking small steps towards me. "I'm sorry you get caught up in this, but since you obviously worth something to that junk, I'm gonna kill you and make him watch, then end him last."

"You're delusional and sick, and not making any sense." I mutter, feeling pity for him.

"I don't have to make sense. I just need to get everything done and nobody is going to stop me." He chuckles, as he pulls down the hummer on the gun.

"You sure about that." I say, and he turns around to see Ethan right behind him. Ethan swings the rock in his hand as hard as he can, which collides in his head and he calapses to the ground. Rick growls in contempt as he tries to recover.