Page 104 of Rematch
When I faced the front again, I was met with a harsh fist to the face. The surprise, and force from the impact, sent me to the ground.
I gritted my teeth as the pain in my shoulder roared from the collision with the ground. Looking up, I saw Elias’ smug grin.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” he said, shaking his head. “Such a shame it had to come to this.”
I shot up, ready to slam my gun against this motherfucker’s head.
He put one foot on my chest, pushing me back down, and used the other to kick the gun out of my hands. “All you had to do was send back the fucking kid. But no, you had to play brother of the year.”
I grabbed his leg and yanked it forward.
Elias lost his balance and fell backwards.
Without hesitation, I climbed on top of him and punched him over and over and over again. “Fuck. You. Fucking. Bastard.” I cursed with every hit. Hearing his bone crunch underneath my knuckles felt good. I hoped I broke something. Whatever pain he felt didn’t amount to what he’s put Jayden through. But, I wasn’t worried. He’d reap everything he sowed soon enough.
Two pairs of arms restrained mine and pulled me off of Elias. They tossed me on the ground like a bag of trash.
My collision with the concrete barely hurt compared to all of the merciless punches and kicks mercilessly that followed. At least two of them aimed for my ribs, kicking and stomping with such strength that I thought they were trying to break the bones. The others focused on my head, simultaneously punching my face in and kicking my head back and forth like a goddamn soccer ball. Within seconds, stars spun behind my eyes, and my vision blurred with black spots.
A yelp of pain escaped my lips as one of the sneakers stomped on my ribs so hard that I felt something crack. My stomach exploded in a fiery blaze, sending blood up my throat. In my position on my back, I nearly choked on all of the metal-tasting liquid in my mouth. I coughed helplessly, trying to catch a breath amidst all the chaos.
At the sound, their hits ceased. Through my blurry vision, I could see the figures move aside, making room for three swirling Elias’s.
He tsked his teeth as he pulled his gun out of his waistband. “Your father will never forgive me for this,” he mused, cocking it. He aimed the gun at my chest. “But, examples must be made. And you, Guerra, will be one of my biggest.”
Bang. Bang. Bang.
The shots echoed through my ears, followed by the deafening noise of silence.
My vision swirled as an agonizing sensation spread around my body like wildfire. My muscles went numb as ripples of heat licked up every inch of my bones, burning everything in its path. The fire raging in my bones, once my friend, was now a traitor, devouring me from the inside out its torturous flames.
Gasping, my arms went to my chest, trying to douse the fire with my bare hands.
“Leave the body here,” Elias commanded. “Let them search for this one.”
“And the other boy?” Another man asked, though his voice was miles away.
“We’ll drop him on his mother’s doorstep.”
Rage swirled through me at his words, but my body was paralyzed by pain.
Elias knew it too. His malicious smile stared me down, peeking out through the dark spots consuming my vision, engraving itself as one of the last things I may ever see.
Chapter 43
Audrey
Deja vu is terrifying.
The events of the night were so eerily familiar. Papa waking me up in the middle of the night, urgency and pain laced in his voice. Hearing Max’s name mixed with bad news. The plummeting of my heart into my stomach.
The only difference was that I was home this time. I was able to wrap my arms around Tatianna’s trembling body. Feel her tears on my shoulder.
I was able to climb into the car with her, Papa, and Dad and ride to the hospital.
I was able to do all of the things I couldn’t before.
And while I wished I could’ve done them all the first time, I didn’t know if I could’ve handled it back then. Hell, I could barely handle it now.
