Page 58 of Fatal Vengeance

“Creed, get off of me! We have to help him,” I beg with tears streaming down my face while the fight rages on.

Creed grunts out a firm no, rising up from me a few inches and looking around. He meets my gaze with a smug smile, and I swear to god, I could punch him. What the fuck is he smiling for?

“I told you it would all be okay,” he drawls, but before he can explain what the literal hell he's talking about, a bullet ricochets off the stone altar right behind us, whizzing by our heads, and I whimper from how close it came.

Creed goes stiff above me, growling like an animal. He looks down at me, searching my eyes before pressing the sweetest kiss to my forehead. “Stay right here, Prudence,” he breathes against my skin. I frown at him, shaking my head, but he just adds, “Stay here. Do not move. I’m going to get a weapon and then I’ll be right back for you. We're gonna be fine, baby, I promise.”

He doesn’t give me time to respond or argue. He’s just on his feet and charging into the fray seconds later like death riding in for battle.

"Wait, Creed!" I call out, but he's lost to the horde of assholes, and I can't find him. Another bullet goes flying by too goddamn close, making me gasp in alarm. Fuck this. I need to get Griffin free of his ropes and then we'll drag Creed out of here by his fucking balls if need be. With a grunt of pain from my pounding head, I push myself up into a crouch, my head spinning from that damn pistol whip. I stay low to the ground as I sweep my eyes to my left, where Griffin is tied up and beyond him where Asher’s… where his body is lying.

Griffin's crystal blue eyes are locked on me, his face set in a mask of determination. He grits his teeth and shakes his head at me when I start to crawl closer. "Little flame," he rasps, his voice breaking. "Baby, don't. Forget about me, just get out of here. Nobody's looking, they'd never know you slipped away."

I stare at him like he's spouted two extra heads. "Absolutely fucking not, Griffin," I hiss, ducking down when more shots ring out throughout the room. It seems as if every bullet is aimed this way, so as much as I hate it, I drop to my belly and wait it out. Getting myself shot won't help Griffin. Instead, I'm stuck only feet away while I stare at him and pray to gods I don't believe in that he survives. "I'm not running like some coward while the men I love die. I'd sooner carve my own heart out of my chest with a rusty spoon. We'll get out of here together. You, me, and Creed, and we'll c-carry Asher's body with us w-when we go too."

He sniffles broken heartedly, his eyes shining with tears. "I love you so much. Thank you for barging into our lives, for making us better men. Not a single one of us deserved you."

I shake my head angrily, frowning at one of the pieces of my soul. "Why does that sound like a goodbye? This isn't the end."

He licks his split lip and smiles sadly, giving a weak tug of his wrists. "It is, though, Prudence. I'm stuck here, Asher's gone… Creed is out there fighting for you, to keep you safe, and I have faith in him, but you need to run while you can. Creed will find you, baby, and he'll protect you for the rest of your days, okay? He'll hold you together, and he'll tell you stupid stories about Asher and I, and he'll make sure you never forget us."

The tears swimming in his eyes finally break free, and the sight has my own emotions rearing up against my will. I reach for him, but I'm too far away and the bullets are still flying over my head. I can't get to him, and my heart cleaves itself in two at that knowledge. "I could never forget you. Either of you," I promise fiercely.

Griffin huffs out a sad laugh, nodding as if that's enough for him. That's all he needed to hear. He rolls his shoulders back and steels his spine, glancing around the room. I follow his gaze and find Creed in the middle of the shit show, pulling a gun from a dead FBI agent, and even though I can’t hear him, the way he tosses his head back and laughs, I just know it’s a chilling sound that his enemies should be running from.

Creed looks at me in triumph, grinning when he sees I'm still safe. He starts heading back to me, to us, and I have a second of hope that with Creed's help, we can untie Griffin and get the fuck out of here, but Creed only makes it a few steps before some Celestial asshole throws a sucker punch into his temple and knocks him to the ground.

I scream and Griffin bites out a furious curse as we watch Creed struggle to fight off the guy pinning him down with his hands around his throat. No! No, this isn't happening! I’m about to stand up and make a run for him, hell to the bullets whizzing through the air, but then Griffin sucks in a ragged, terrified breath right as an arm bands around my waist and my feet are swept off the floor. I shout in alarm, kicking behind me, scratching at any skin I can reach, while my lungs seize.

"Prudence!" Griffin roars in desperation, and I fight even harder at the broken sound in his voice.

“Calm down, daughter, I just want to chat.”

A chill shakes me to my core at that voice, and I shudder against my father. “Let me go, you sick fuck,” I snarl, dragging my nails down his arm until I’m sure I’ve drawn blood.

He chuckles darkly and tsks at me. "I don't think so. Come with me, hmm?"

Despite my best efforts at trying to fight free, he drags me across the room and down one of the pathways that leads away from everyone. Away from Creed and Griffin. My throat tightens with panic, but I force a scream out anyway, hoping Creed is somewhere nearby and will hear me. Hoping he's still alive and can help.

My father grunts in effort as he carries my flailing body down the hallway. He slaps his hand over my mouth when I start screaming again, holding his sweaty palm over my nose as well, so I can’t take in any air. I close my eyes against the urge to puke. Out of fear and agony and rage. It’s all roiling deep in my gut and wanting to come out, but I swallow the bile down and focus.

I go limp in my father’s arms, becoming dead weight, and when he falters and readjusts his hold on me, I snap my head back against his nose. The wail of pain he releases has me smiling like a madwoman.

He releases my mouth and nose, allowing me to suck in a huge gulp of air, and the second my lungs are filled again, I let loose a scream that practically tears my throat open with how loud it is.

Come on, Creed, hear me. Come for me.

My father turns us as he fumbles with his broken nose, and that was his mistake. I’m only a foot from the wall, and with a snarl of rage, I lift my feet, plant them against the stone, and push with every last ounce of strength I have. He tips back, losing his footing and taking me with him, but he lets me go to catch his fall. I land hard with a cry of pain, but I don’t give myself a second to dwell on the way my knees scraped the rough floor or my chin smacked on collision. I just shake off the daze and move.

I try to stand, but I guess the fall fucked my knee up worse than I thought, because I buckle under my weight and whimper when the joint throbs in protest.

“Little Prudence Cate,” my father pants, using a hand to push himself up. He snares me in his gaze and I freeze like a damn deer caught in headlights, but the second he gets situated on his knees and reaches for my ankle, I snap into motion.

I frantically crawl away from the man who helped put me on this planet, ignoring the constant ache in my left knee. But I’m not fast enough to get away. He locks a hand around my calf and digs his blunt nails in as he yanks me back to him, and I just know this is my death.

My father is going to murder me, and for all I know, all three of my guys are dead in the room beyond. None of us are making it out. The Celestials win.

“Prudence!” Creed roars from the altar room, and my battered heart kicks into a pounding rhythm.

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