Page 45 of Fractured Heart

“Yes,” she answers without hesitation. Taylan’s face falls.

“What about me, sister?” She snaps her gaze to the other side to watch as her brother stalks toward her, paying Brett and William no mind as he passes them.

“You shoot him and I will kill your families while you watch!” Taylan vows when Brett shifts his finger on the trigger. Wave raises her hand, halting her guys as Knox comes to a stop a couple of feet away from her. The dead look in her eyes tells me everything I need to know, this is a set up.

“Knox, move!” I roar as I try to reach him but I’m too late, she pulls her gun on him.

Doxy

I press the barrel of my gun into the center of his chest, loving the dumbfounded look on his face at my move. This fucker really thought I would be happy to see him.

“What are you doing?”

“Did you really think that me coming back here was to reconnect with you, Knox?” I don’t give him a chance to reply. “I brought you here to the place where my life ended and yours began so I could take it all away from you.”

“You’ve changed,” he whispers.

“A lot has changed me.”

“If you want to kill me, then do it but I won’t lift a finger against you, I would never hurt you Wave.”

“Don’t call me that!” I growl.

“What the fuck should I call you then? Doxy Da Luca?” He scoffs before continuing. “You were never and will never be a Da Luca. You are a fucking Bronson through and through. Don’t ever forget where you came from.”

“Forget where I came from?” I taunt. “You mean like how you forgot about me and moved on with your life like I was nothing but a bad dream?”

“I never forgot about you!” he shouts. Fuck this. I shift my gun and shoot him in the shoulder. He cries out and stumbles back a few steps. Taylan and Xander are held back by my men. Knox’s guys rush forward but freeze when I point my gun at his head. “Any of you make a move and I’ll shoot him,” I warn. Taylan raises his hand and orders them back.

“Don’t do this, baby, you don’t want to kill him,” Xander tries to reason.

“Doxy, he’s your blood,” Trey pushes.

I snort. “I told you before, Trevante, my tampon has blood on it every month and I still throw that shit away, he’s no different than a used tampon.”

“I take offense to that.” I stiffen at the sound of her voice. My men swivel around and shout for her to stop.

“If they shoot her, Waverly, I’ll kill them all!” Knox screams as he pushes to his feet. “Put your fucking guns down now!” Knox roars.

“Wave?” I close my eyes and fight back the emotions her voice has rising inside me. “That tampon with the bullet in his shoulder is my husband, your brother and the father of my sons.” I snap my eyes and flick my gaze to Knox. Worry lines mar his face as he darts his gaze around at my guns, clearly panicked that Lake somehow managed to get here without him knowing.

“Stand down!” I shout.

“Doxy—”

“I said stand the fuck down, Nano!”

“You heard her, stand down now,” Nano orders. My breaths are erratic as I try to gain control over myself but I’m failing.

“Lakeland, get the fuck out of here now!” Knox barks. “Marco, get my wife and take her home now.”

“Shut up, Knox,” Lake snaps back. When the guy I assume to be Marco moves to pass by Xander and the others, I shift my sights on him.

“Touch her and I’ll kill you,” I declare. Marco looks to Knox for confirmation. I look to Knox to find his gaze already on me. “I may want to kill you but that bloodlust doesn’t extend to her.” He searches my eyes for a second, trying to decipher if I am lying.

“Kill me but don’t touch her, Waverly, please don’t hurt her,” he pleads.

“I saved her life and sacrificed my own fourteen years ago,” I snarl before spinning around to face the girl I could never bring myself to hate. How could I hate her when I chose her a long time ago. She loves Knox but he isn’t her soulmate, I am. Lake is leaning against the railing that has flowers and a stupid cross attached to it, gazing out over the river. I slowly make my way toward her and rest my arms on the barrier, the same barrier I fell through over a decade ago. We stand here silently staring out at the river that is lit up by the moon in the sky.

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