Page 92 of Shadow

“Not so tough now, are you cunt?” He grinned in my face.

“JOAN!” I heard Hope scream my name.

I wanted so much to tell her everything was going to be okay.

I wanted to tell them all that, but as my eyes drifted from Keys’ eyes down to my stomach. I saw his hand on the handle of the machete, with the blade sticking out of my right side. I could feel blood gushing down my side as it pooled at my feet. Slowly looking up, he smiled. “That was for Jinx, bitch.”

I blinked as my legs gave out.

Hitting the floor on my knees, I looked up at him as he smiled down at me when I heard a loud pop, right before a hole opened up in his forehead. I watched as the life in Keys’ eyes faded and his body fell to the floor next to me. Looking up, I saw Shadow standing next to several club brothers, with a gun in his hand.

In the next instant, I was on my side in his arms as I smiled up at him. “Hope was right.”

“What,baby?”

“You came.”

“I’ll always come for you, angel,” he whispered, tears rushing down his face. “Don’t leave me, angel. I don’t want to live this life anymore without you.”

“I can’t feel my legs, Zeke.” I muttered, as I tasted something metallic in my mouth.

I knew that taste.

It was blood.

“Ambulance is on the way, brother,” someone shouted.

“Cops are here!”

Holding me in his arms, he never looked away.

I knew it was bad. I could see it on his face.

I’d been hurt enough in my life to know I wasn’t going to walk away from this. Reaching up with my right hand, I lightly touched his face and whispered, “I love you Ezekiel,” as I closed my eyes.

“NO!” I roared, holding her close to me as I rocked her back and forth, refusing to believe she was gone.

She wouldn’t leave me.

Not now.

Not after everything she and I have been through.

“Come on,baby,” I cried into her hair. “Come back to me.”

Closing my eyes, I prayed, begged, pleaded with God to give her back to me as voices laughed at me in my head. I didn’t want to live this life without her. I couldn’t. The voices would win. I knew they would.

They were back.

All of them.

All laughing and pointing at me and my misery.

I tried to fight them back, but they were too strong this time.

This time, I wasn’t going to stop them.

“Zeke,” I heard Balthazar, as he kneeled next to me. “The paramedics are here. You need to let them have her.”

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