Page 58 of Defy

“I love you,” I finally tell her for the first time. I’m about to commit another murder and there’s always a possibility my dad or one of their guards will get lucky and land one of their bullets. So, in case my heart stops beating today, I need her to hear it from my lips.

“I love you too.” She’s crying but I can tell she’s trying not to by how strained her voice sounds. Those words are air to my lungs.

“Now, I need you to go with the guard behind you into the safe room.” Turning to Mateo I ask, “I assume you have one?”

Before he can answer, Libby fires back, “No, Dom. Doyouremember what I told you? I won’t hide while you risk your life for me.”

Fuck. Now is not the time for her to be stubborn. I look to Mateo for help. The old bastard just shrugs. “She’s a Santos, what can I say?”

“Then at least give her a weapon for God’s sake.” I turn my back to Libby. “So much for doing what I say,” I mumble under my breath and the guard next to me lets out a chuckle. He stifles it quickly when he sees my eyes. Libby’s safety is non-fucking negotiable and there are too many wild cards here.

He nods at another guard who unstraps his ankle holster and gives her a small pistol the size of a box of matches.

“Fuck, no. If she needs to defend herself, she needs a real weapon. Give her the one strapped to your back.”

He reluctantly swings his AR-15 around to the front and slips the sling over his head, holding the gun out for her. Her eyes widen a fraction at its size.

I click the safety off, set it to semi, and pull the slide. She’s ready to roll. Handing it back to her, I place one of her hands on the barrel cage, and one hand on grip. “Finger off the trigger until you’re ready to take a life. This gun is sensitive and unforgiving. Do you understand?”

She swallows but doesn’t blink as she nods her head.

Mateo says something to my parents before closing the front door as the guards and I leave Luis, Irina, and Diego and head to the back of the house. From where they’re standing, they can’t see through the living room and into the kitchen.

I find myself having déjà-vu as I creep with armed men around a property wielding a pistol trying to keep this woman safe.

We pick up two more guards for a total of five plus myself and quietly circle the house in opposite directions after quickly discussing the plan of attack.

Kill Omar, Luis, and the guards and get Libby to safety. I leave my mother out of the planned body count, unable to stop the nagging in my chest that I’ve been wrong about her all along.

Once I have a clear line of sight around the corner of the house, I motion to the guards that my father’s life belongs to me.

This was always the plan. The closure I need. The vengeance I’ve sought for years.

The promise I made to Adriana.

I assign each of Mateo’s guards one of Omar’s guards even though we’re outnumbered. Once everyone knows their primary target, I say a prayer and walk out from the side of the house and face my father. Crouched down, with my shoulders hunched, trying to make myself a smaller target, I have my weapon pulled close and I talk to him even as I line him up in my sights.

In true, war-zone fashion, it all goes to shit fast despite having a plan. There’s gunfire from inside the house before I pull the trigger on my father which immediately distracts me and my team. All the guards are out here with me which means Luis was left unattended.

And Libby’s in that house.

I can’t turn my back on Omar now so I yell at Mateo to get Libby to cover.

“It ends here, Omar. I hope it was all worth it.”

His gun is trained on me just like mine is on him. His guards’ weapons are all pointing either at me or the men with me and I can’t take my eyes off my father to know how many barrels have my name on them. This shot may be the last one I take but it’ll be worth it.

“I promised her I’d come back and end you, you know. She didn’t deserve what you did to her.” My speech is probably too long already so I cut it off, pulling the trigger as the last sentence leaves my mouth, taking advantage of his hesitation. “I’ll see you in hell.”

His finger moves for his own trigger as soon as he realizes I’m not backing down.

But he’s too late.

A barrage of bullets rains down on me as soon as Omar’s body hits the ground and the guys behind me can’t seem to keep up in returning fire. I haul ass to find cover around the corner of the house. Making it back unscathed to find that two of Mateo’s guards have been killed. This leaves me even more severely outnumbered. My mother is on Mateo’s doorstep shielding herself from the spray of bullets which thankfully aren’t aimed in her direction until I see her reach for my father’s gun.

Mateo’s last guard takes aim at my mother’s back.

“No!” I shout, tackling him to the ground. Just as I do, my mother spins and turns the gun on her own guards before they can take aim at me again. “That’s my son!” Realizing they’re under attack, they don’t hold back and I watch as my mother’s body hits the ground amidst a spray of red.

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