Page 39 of Blood Ties

“As I can be.” I had slipped into my zone. It had taken a lot, but I was able to put Nivea in a safe place in my mind. My emotions were locked down tight, and I was sharp. “Looks like you have everything set?”

“Yeah. It helps that Gabriel has some high-tech security here. He must’ve had a serious badass install it,” Facet replied with a smirk. He had installed the majority of it and updated a lot that was already here. The property was surrounded by eight-foot wrought iron fencing that had sensors that would set off a silent alarm if anyone touched it. The cameras would lock onto whichever zone was tripped and we’d see if it was an animal or human.

God help them if it was a human.

The hunter had become the hunted and I didn’t like that shit one bit. I sure as hell wasn’t going to sit around and hide.

“And now we wait,” Squirrel chimed in as he gave me a confident grin. “The motherfucker won’t know what hit him.”

It took four and a half days.

Finally, as I was sitting out on the patio, overlooking the lake, with the umbrella blocking my head from the only open direction for a good shot. I was counting on him taking a shot at my right shoulder or arm in the hopes that would fall and he’d have a head or heart shot.

As I lifted my coffee to my lips, there was a zip sound and my cup fell from my hand as blood splattered on the table from my arm.

“Fuck!” I gritted, fighting my instinct to drop the umbrella as a visual shield like I had at the restaurant that day. He needed to think he’d wounded me enough that he could move in and finish the job. My arm hurt like a bitch and I held my hand over the wound. Red seeped between my fingers and my head swam as a chill shook me.

Agony ripped through me as another bullet pierced through my back and exited my chest. I couldn’t breathe. Each sound was wet and gasping.

Glancing down, I saw I was losing a lot of blood.

Still, I held my ground.

The seconds ticked by. Right as black started to creep into the edges of my vision, Angel rushed up to me, cutting my shirt off to expose the bullet holes. Squirrel seemed to just… appear next to the table, making me think I was losing my mind.

“You… got… him?” I choked out when I saw the crimson staining Squirrel’s hand and arm.

He nodded and relief hit me. Then the black closed in and I face planted on the table.

“Summertime Sadness”—Lana Del Rey

“Niv?” My mom peeked her head in my childhood room, and I listlessly lifted my gaze to her face. The worry in her golden eyes made me feel guilty for moping. I just couldn’t help it. My heart was ripped apart and I was bleeding out on the inside.

“Your dad wanted to talk to you,” she said when I didn’t speak.

A sigh slipped from my lips, and I slowly sat up.

I didn’t bother trying to smooth my hair or straighten my clothes. Instead, I got to my feet and shuffled behind my mom as we went to my dad’s office. When Mom held the door open, I went in. As I passed, she ran a loving hand from my crown, down the back of my head, to my back before her hand fell away.

Dad sat behind his massive desk, seeming larger than life.

“Yeah?” I asked without emotion as I stopped in front of him.

“Facet called me.”

Facet? Not Alessio?

At the thought of his name, my heart flutters then takes off. I hate that he has the power to affect me this way. I hate that I gave him that power by letting him fool me. It’s not fair.

My father pauses and a look of pain briefly passes over his features. With that look, I knew, but I had to know for sure.

“Alessio?” I whispered.

“He was shot.”

The softly spoken words pull a keening wail from my throat and I drop to my knees. My chest caves and a burning follows. My dad is kneeling next to me, cupping my face as my throat aches and tears pour over his fingers.

“Is he?” I couldn’t say the word.

---