Page 59 of Memento Mori
The commotion around me had become more subdued. Every so often, a gunshot would ring out as Abasi, his men, and mine eliminated Grasso’s men. All that was left to do was kill Salvatore, then get the hell out of here.
“Don’t know,” he groaned.
I inserted my finger into one of his gunshot wounds, causing him to scream. “Tell me where Grasso is, and I’ll end your life. No torture. No pain.”
I removed my finger from the wound. He was struggling to breathe, his breaths heavy and difficult. Either way he wouldn’t have that much more time to live.
“Up... upstairs. Room at the end... of hall. Safe room.”
“Code?”
“54...2378.”
I released my grip on his shirt, and he dropped to the floor. I pointed my gun at his face, and his eyes widened as I fired.
I hurried up the grand staircase, gripping the black iron railings. When I reached the top, there was a hallway that sat in the very center. However, there were also possible paths to the left or right that seemed to lead to different sections of the house.
Without too much time to decide which was the correct way, I rushed down the hallway in the center to the end. I thought there would be a door. To the naked eye, it appeared to be just a wall. The only way I knew it was a room was because of the dead guard.
I searched the drywall for any concealed keypad and eventually found it. There was a pin prick-sized red glow shining through the scone. I tugged on it, and it revealed a keypad when it opened. Without wasting any time, I keyed in the numbers the guard gave me and the door clicked.
I inhaled deeply before gradually opening it. The sound of gunshots filled the air. The pain was immediate, but I was still able to get some shots off as I made my way into the room. My head felt light, and my body swayed but there was no way I was leaving this house or this world until I saw this through.
The old man scowled at me from his chair. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
The safe room was a room that was neither too big nor too small. It had all the amenities anyone could want. He lounged in his chair, seemingly at ease, but his comfort was about to end.
Stepping over the bodies of the two men who had opened fire on me, I could see their blood pooling onto the rug that adorned the room’s center.
“You should have.”
I gritted my teeth, feeling the intense pain surge through my body, but I refused to let it stop me from doing what I needed to do. I had to end this for Aaliyah. Even if I didn’t make it, she’d never be able to live in peace if this man didn’t die.
“All your loved ones will die for what was done to my son,” he seethed. “You will pay for the sins of your father.”
Gripping the gun tightly, I pointed it directly at him, feeling the slight vibrations of the black polymer in my hand.
I lifted my shoulders in a shrug. “Maybe. Maybe not. But either way, you will die today.”
I squeezed the trigger, and the deafening sound of gunfire filled the air. His head snapped backward, and crimson blood streamed down his face from the deep wound to his head.
I fell to my knees, releasing a groan of pain. “Fuck!” I let out a loud yell, my hand pressing against one of the painful wounds on my body. The pain told me that I had been shot multiple times, although I couldn’t say exactly how many.
I was losing a shit ton of blood. As the room spun around me, I felt my life slipping away. The only regret I had was that I wouldn’t be able to grow old and gray with Aaliyah, our dreams of a lifetime together shattered.
Memories of our life flooded my mind. We had to fight to be together, but it wasn’t all bad. I would do it all over again just to see her face one more time.
As fatigue set in, my eyelids became increasingly difficult to hold open until they gave in and closed. I wasn’t sure if I’d wake up from this but if I didn’t, I hoped beyond anything that she’d forgive me for leaving her.
Chapter Twenty-Four
HE COULD BE DEAD
Aaliyah
I paced the living room, anxiously waiting to hear any news from Antonio. It hadn’t been too long since he’d left but I was on pins and needles waiting to hear something. I hated to be kept in the dark. I should be by his side not waiting at home to see if he lived or died. I couldn’t believe he did this without me. Did he not trust me to have his back?
“I can hear your thoughts way over here, Nzuri.”
