Page 72 of Forever Filthy

“You can’t!” Alex shouts back.

“He fucking hurt my girl and he’ll fucking pay for that shit.” Archer fights harder against Alex’s hold. I turn to Ex and Hayze.

“Please, I need Thomas alive or all of this is for nothing. I am begging you, please, trust me.” Both of them look at me for a long moment before turning to each other. I hold my breath, praying they listen to me. When they both dart forward to pull Archer back and subdue him I finally exhale. But then the sound of sirens in the distance has the tension in the room ramping up.

“You have one minute! On your knees and live, or we take you all out. Decide now!” Alex roars so loud I flinch at the raw hatred in his tone. When he’s spoken to me he’s always been calm and soft but this is the side of him people fear and I can finally see why.

“We have to get out of here,” Ezekiel grits out. Archer seems to finally calm down at the sight of a lot of the men around dropping to their knees. Drew drops to his knees beside Thomas, earning a glare from the former lord, but his eyes are fixed on the lifeless body of his partner.

“You fucking fools!” Thomas shouts. “We outnumber them.”

“No, you don’t. Your men in the little room are locked inside, I have the entire building surrounded. You will not make it out of here a free man.” Alex continues barking orders as my guys all kneel down around me. I reach out and touch each of them feeling overcome by my emotions.

“I love you,” I blurt out, making all three of them still in surprise. “I’m so sorry I pushed you all away and I swear I won’t do it again. I love you guys so fucking much,” I choke out as a lump forms in my throat. Hayze cups my cheek and I melt into his touch.

“We love you too, Vivi baby.” His words have my chest constricting.

“We need to get you out of here so we can yell at you,” Ez says as he reaches forward to lift me but I jerk back.

“Vivian, now isn’t the time we need to get out of here, the cops are almost?—”

“I know,” I say, cutting Archer off.

“Then shut up so we can get out of here,” Ez snarls in warning.

“She can’t leave,” Alex says. All three of them turn their heads and stare up at him. I spot Thomas still standing and it grates on my nerves. He should be kneeling and pleading for his worthless life.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Archer fires back.

Alex flicks his gaze to me and nods encouragingly. I take a deep breath, knowing my time is nearly up and touch each of them, drawing their confused stares back to me. I force a smileto my face to try and ease some of their uncertainty but I can see they aren’t buying it.

“You have to go and leave me behind,” I say quietly.

All three of them just stare at me like I’m a strange being they have just discovered. “No, you just said you won’t push us away anymore?—”

I grab Hayze’s hand silencing him. “And I meant it, but this is the final piece of the plan.” The sound of the sirens grows closer. “To end the Saints for good I made a deal?—”

“What fucking deal?” Ezekiel shouts, I can hear the hint of fear in his voice and that shit kills me.

“I want to explain everything but I can’t. There isn’t enough time but I need you three to trust me, I know what I’m doing. Please, I am begging you to leave now.”

“No.”

“We aren’t leaving you.”

“You made a deal with the feds,” the three of them fire off at the same time.

“Go, or else everything she has done is for nothing,” Alex snaps.

“Please,” I say as I reach for Ez and Archer clutching their arms and imploring them with my eyes. “I need you to go.”

“Vivian, no I am not leaving you,” Archer snaps.

I flick my gaze to Alex. “Please.” He sighs then nods to his men who all rush forward and grab my guys. The three of them fight against the four guys who are pulling them away. Hayze manages to elbow the guy dragging him backward and gets free for a second until the guy tases him. “Don’t hurt them!” I scream as Hayze begins convulsing on the ground. I sob at the sight of him jerking on the ground in front of me.

“Vivian, I’ll kill them all for this!” Archer roars.

“Don’t fucking do this,” Ezekiel begs as they are dragged from the room. Hayze is lifted and tossed over the guy's shoulderlike he weighs nothing and the sight of him passed out has me crying harder. Just as the guys slip out the door Thomas tries to make a run for it but Alex moves swiftly like a panther, and fires a single shot that pierces Thomas’s leg. He screams out in pain as he drops to the ground. Alex turns back to me and holds his gun out to me.

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