Chapter 12
1130 Words
WILL POV
Cullen pressed his gun against Hillary’s head, his smile sharp as a blade. Lucy's hand slipped from mine as she staggered forward and screamed, "Dad!” tears streaming down her cheeks, while blood continued seeping through the handkerchief I had knotted around her waist.
I fixed my eyes on Cullen, despite my heart beating fast, and I held my gun steady, "Let him go." I said in a low but audible voice.
Raymond aimed his gun at the two men on Cullen's flank. The situation was weird: Lucy was bleeding out, and Hillary was a hostage.
Cullen chuckled, his eyes sparking, “Andrea Perkins. You’re a hard man to kill. I should've finished you off with your parents.”
Lucy’s head snapped at me, her eyes wide with shock. “Will, he…he knows you?” she asked, her voice breaking, her eyes filled with betrayal. I couldn’t look at her. Not right now, when everything was out of control.
“Shut up, Cullen,” I growled. “This ends tonight.”
He pressed the gun more firmly against Hillary's head, making the old man flinch as his weight caused his cane to tremble.
"You believe you can take me? I rule this city, and it belongs to me as well as her.” He pointed at Lucy, who stood frozen as her face turned pale.
“Father, what is going on here?" She asked, her voice cracking.
Hillary's eyes filled with guilt as his eyes met hers. "Lucy, I am so sorry," he muttered. "I... I made a big mistake in my past.”
Before I could process his words, the side door creaked open, and Nic Dipson stepped in with a smug expression. Not missing. Not taken. He held a stack of papers, waving them like a trophy woman.
“You’re too late, Perkins,” he said. “These documents? They are tied to the Jones Group, to our empire. Lucy’s marriage was the final piece. We’ve already started the takeover.”
Lucy’s hand was clutching her side. “Father, is this true?” she asked, voice trembling. Hillary lifted his head to meet her.
"I had no choice," he whispered. "Nana and Cullen made me do it."
My blood boiled. Nana and Cullen manipulate him and everybody around him. I turned my gaze towards Lucy; her face was mixed with heartbreak and anger. She wasn't a pawn in the game, but she was the major key to their whole damn plans.
"Enough," I snapped. I stepped forward. "Cullen, let them go, or I swear…"
“Or what?” he cut me off, his smile fading. “You’ll kill me? Like you killed Potter Hills?”
He squinted his eyes. “Yes, I am aware of it. You are not as smart as you believe.”
Lucy’s gaze burned into me. “You killed someone?” she whispered, stepping back. The hurt in her eyes cut deeper than any bullet.
I clenched my jaw, “He was part of it, Lucy. He assisted Cullen in killing my family.”
She opened her mouth, but nothing came out, as if words were stuck in her throat. The moment she closed her mouth, tears started streaming down my face. I detested how the truth was tearing her apart.
I have always tried to prevent her from crashing in between my problems, even when I allowed her to marry that man.
A low laugh broke the tension in the room. Talia, wearing a well-designed suit, emerged from behind Nic. She gave a slow clap, her eyes gleaming with venom. "Oh, Andrea, you are so predictable." She remarked, “You thought you had been hunting us, but we have been watching your movement. Raymond’s not the only one feeding you information.”
She glanced at Raymond, whose face went pale.
“What?” I snarled, turning to him. My best friend. My brother. His gun lowered slightly, and he avoided looking into my eyes.
“Boss, I…” Raymond stammered, sweat beading on his forehead, “Many years ago, they were after my life, and there was nothing I could do at that point.”
Betrayal pierced through my heart more than any dagger. I screamed, "You sold me out?" I tightened my grip on the gun.
Lucy gently held my arm. “Will, don’t,” she pleaded, “We need to get out of here.”
Cullen laughed, enjoying the scene. “See? No one’s loyal, Perkins. Not even your own dog.”
Raymond’s eyes darted towards me, guilt and fear mixing. “Will, I’m sorry, I was trying to protect my home.”
I wanted to shoot him right in his chest so that he would feel the pains of betrayal, but Lucy’s shallow breathing kept me grounded. She was fading fast, and I had to get her to the hospital now.
“Enough games,” I said, raising my gun at Cullen. “Let Hillary go, or you’re dead.”
Cullen’s smile didn’t waver. “Once you shoot him, he dies, then her.” He pointed at Lucy, who wavered, her face ghost-white. “She will follow up, and it will be a nice funeral,” he laughed. His voice echoed throughout the hall.
My mind raced. Raymond’s betrayal. Nic’s documents. Hillary’s confession. It was all falling apart. I needed a move, fast.
Then, I caught a glimpse of movement behind Cullen, Bella, her eyes going crazy. She crept closer, and she held a little knife with her hands shaking. She’d escaped. How? It doesn't matter now. What was important was that she was here, and she was pissed.
“Cullen, drop the gun,” I mutter, stalling, praying Bella knows what she is doing. Lucy’s grip on my arm weakened, her body slumping against me.
Cullen’s eyes rolled up, sensing the shift. “Perkins, you’re out of time.”
Bella aimed her knife at Cullen's back, he turned faster than I expected, grabbed her wrist and twisted, she screamed and let go of the knife. Hillary staggered forward to help her, but Cullen shoved him down, raising his gun.
“No!” Lucy cried, lurching forward despite her wound. I caught her, my heart racing as I aimed at Cullen. Too many targets. Too many risks.
A deafening shot rang out, but it wasn’t from my gun. Or Cullen’s. Talia cried, holding her arm as blood spilled out from her left hand.
Nic dropped the papers with a shocked expression on his face. I whirled around trying to find the shooter, but I didn't until Nana Jones appeared from the dark.
With her gun still burning from the shot, she murmured, "Enough," her voice was cold as ice. "This is how it will end for me.”
- Writer
