Page 74 of Not Your Hero

Everything happened so fucking quickly. The pain in my head became overwhelming, and I lost it. I passed out right there in front of Emerson. I don’t know what happened after that because now I’m hanging from a fucking tree with Gary shooting arrows into me and Emerson standing in front of me. I’m still dizzy and can barely see straight, but I can see it’s her. My fucking Emerson.

“Leave her alone, Gary!” I roar this time. He just chuckles as she slowly walks closer to us. I wish she would run. I wish she never came out here but here she is.

“No. I’m finishing what we started,” he growls.

“You don’t have to do that. She didn’t see anything,” I remind him.

“You’re lying to me, Gannix. And I hate liars. She’s it. She’s the last one because, after tonight, you’re both dead.” Gary keeps his eyes on Emerson and my chest clenches. I can’t lose her. I don’t want to. I tug at the chains, holding my arms in place, but it’s fucking useless. I’m not going anywhere.

“It’s me you wanted. Let Gannix go.”

“That would be the easy thing to do, wouldn’t it? Let my brother live.”

“He’s your family. He’s all you have. Let him go.” Emerson keeps her eyes glued to his.

“All I have. You know, I thought that too but then he did this shit. He took you from the hunt and ran with you. Do you know how stupid I looked out there hunting the bitches who did him wrong while he was running with one?” He laughs darkly.

“I told you, not her!”

“And I told you I didn’t give a shit. This is who we are, Nix. You think you can escape that just because you’re with her? You’re wrong! There’s no way to escape any of this,” he screams as he turns back to me. That’s when I see Emerson move. She pulls a gun from under her shirt, and my heart speeds up. Gary starts toward me once more, but before he can get to me, she fires. It misses and he quickly turns to laugh in her face.

“You don’t know how to shoot,” he sneers.

“She doesn’t, but I do.” I jerk my head around to see Ren walking toward us from behind with his gun aimed at Gary.

“What the fuck?” Gary curses under his breath. My men were here, I didn’t know why, but I didn’t know Ren was here.

“What the fuck is right,” Ren tells him. He steps around so he’s standing next to Emerson, both of them aiming their guns.

“Are you going to do it? Are you going to kill your best friend’s brother?” Gary taunts him. Ren moves his eyes to me and back to Gary before pulling the trigger. Gary’s body drops to the ground, and Ren moves toward him to make sure he’s dead. Tears stream down Emerson’s cheeks, but she never lowers the gun.

Ren moves to get the cuffs off me and lowers me to the ground before pulling the arrows out of my legs. I growl low in my throat, but I keep myself held together so I don’tstartle Emerson. Then I nod toward her so Ren knows what’s happening.

“Shit. She’s in shock,” he says.

“I see that. Help me up,” I tell him. Ren helps me up, and even though my fucking legs and body are killing me, I stumble toward her.

“Em?” She doesn’t move, doesn’t blink, or lower the gun still. “Emerson?” I call her name once more. The tears keep falling as I step up next to her. I reach out and rest my hand on her arm, and she jolts, screaming at the top of her lungs when Ren snatches the gun out of her hand. I grab her and pull her into my arms, holding her as tightly as I can.

“It’s okay, Emerson. It’s all going to be okay now.”

“You were dead.”

“You saved me.”

“I’m not your hero, Gannix. I …”

“It’s okay, baby. Everything is okay now. He’s gone.”

“I thought you were gone,” she tells me as sobs shake her body.

“You can’t get rid of me that easily,” I remind her. She clings to me as Ren makes some phone calls, and then he’s by my side, helping us both back into the house.

Emerson never pulls away from me as we make our way back to our room.

“I’m going to pass out, Ren,” I tell him as my head spins. I know what happens when I get like this.

“I know. I have a doctor on the way.”

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