Page 33 of Trig

A single tear falls down her cheek. The blade of the knife at her side dripping with blood.

“It’s not that. I mean it is, but I don’t know how to explain to that poor boy that I killed his mother and dare expect him to ever like me.”

“You don’t tell him, ever. It doesn’t leave this room.” I grab her face. “Look at me.”

She slowly raises her eyes from Natasha’s dead body to me. “I had a one-night stand with a random girl many years ago before you and me. His mom showed up, left him with us, and took off, never to return. We didn’t know much about her. That is the story we tell.”

“But—”

“I said, that is the fucking story you’ll tell to anyone who asks. Natasha was a fucking demon and that boy deserves better. In time, he’ll be fine.”

I grab her gently by the neck and bring her into me, kissing her forehead. She nods. I look around.

“Where is he?”

“I safely got him out of the house. He’s in a car outside with one of our guys.”

“You did good, baby. I hope you know that, despite how it feels right now,” I say, wiping the blood from her bottom lip. I take the knife from her and run the blade down my clothes, cleaning it before I give it back to her.

Right then we hear several gunshots.

“Fuck! Gabriel and Carmen are still upstairs.”

We turn, and with me still limping, we both race down the long hall and up the staircase toward the sound. We’re now just entering the upper hallway when we spot a bloody, beat-up Carmen walking out, dragging Gabriel by one leg. I step in front of Nine to shield her. Gabriel looks to have several shots to his chest according to the bloodstains on his shirt. My heart sinks and my skin crawls while looking at Carmen’s dark expression. He drops Gabriel’s leg and then turns around and kicks it. Gabriel moans out in pain; just barely conscious it seems. Outside, we can hear gunshots firing off like crazy. I just hope the brothers are winning in that battle, because they are on their own.

“So, this is how it ends, Trig. One, or maybe all of us, die right here in this hallway. You shoot me, I shoot her, and maybe I shoot you too. This can be a fucking bullet party if you want it.”

I put my gun away by tucking it into my waistband, pull out a cigarette and light it up. Carmen looks at me in confusion. Nine steps to the side with her gun pointed at him. I take a long drag, blow out the smoke and stare dead at Carmen.

“Are you finished with the theatrics, Trig?”

I scoff as I take a few steps forward. I stop and take another long drawn-out drag from my cig, not even looking at Carmen. I exhale finally and then I lock eyes with the devil himself.

“Motherfucker, I haven’t even started.”

I throw the cigarette to the side, which slightly distracts him and then I run, slide in and knock him off his feet. A jolt of pain from my bad leg kicks in and I cry out. I’m stressing the shit out of that injury and if it weren’t for adrenaline, I'd be fucked. We wrestle on the floor for a while over the gun in his hand. A bullet or two fires off into the ceiling before he drops his weapon. I throw two hard punches at his jaw and deliver a few gorilla poundings to his chest before I feel the sharp sting of something in my side. This son of a bitch just stabbed me. I briefly fall flat to the floor in agony and I’m wondering why Nine hasn’t shot this motherfucker yet. I take a few deep breaths and then pull myself up on all fours. The silence in the room hits me. It’s deafening. I look over to see multiple guns pointed at Carmen who is now standing. Nine and two of the brothers who came with us are standing in a circle around him. Carmen smirks and then throws his hands up in defeat. I watch as the third brother reaches down and pulls Gabriel up, holding him around the waist.

“Wake up, Gabriel. You do not want to miss this part,” he says.

Gabriel barely opens his eyes.

He puts a gun in Gabriel’s hand. “Not yet though, bro.”

I pull myself up, sitting on my knees now, holding my side, ready to watch the final execution. “Light his ass up,” I shout.

One of Gabriel’s other men extends his hand out to me and pulls me up.

“This is a team effort. We need you.”

I steady myself. The pain is agonizing, but killing him is worth it. The brother sees me slightly sway so he grabs at my arm to keep me from falling forward. With his support, I pull my gun out.

“Down on your fucking knees!” one of the brothers yells to Carmen.

“I get down on my knees for no one. I’ll die standing.”

“As you wish,” the other brother replies, and circles his finger in the air as a green light. We all move into a side-by-side formation. One of the brothers is still holding tight to Gabriel. He whispers something into his ear and Gabriel's gun comes up just enough.

“Now!”

---