Page 13 of Potent Desire 5

“Fuck you,” Maddox spits. “You think you are hot shit, don’t you, old man?”

Maddox moves a little, pressing himself onto the elbow of his uninjured arm. The strain is evident on his face, and he winces with every motion.

“It could’ve been easy, Maddox. I really wish it was,” Oswald’s aim returns to Maddox. He even sounds a little sad while he speaks. “But you had to make it hard. You always had to make everything hard.”

“Yeah, well, you reap what you sow,” Maddox responds.

There’s the slightest sound of shuffling from behind, before a labored groan escapes Benjamin’s lips. I can’t see what’s happening, but Oswald lets out an exasperated noise and then we both tumble to the ground.

“You son of a bitch,” Benjamin says, arms wrapped around Oswald’s neck, the same way Oswald had held me.

Oswald releases me, and I roll off the two of them. Choking noises escape Oswald, as he fights Benjamin’s grip. But the gun’s out of his hands. I jump towards it, clutch it tightly, and turn back towards Oswald.

He elbows Benjamin right in the midsection where the bullet hit. That second is enough to break Benjamin’s grip around Oswald, who spins around at an incredible speed. I train my aim on his back, as his first strike connects with Benjamin’s jaw.

“Hey, Oswald,” I say, just as he pulls a pistol out and presses it against Benjamin’s head. He turns to me over his shoulder. The murderous rage in his eyes is quickly replaced by utter fear.

I fire the first shot. The bullet hits him somewhere in the shoulder, propelling him forward and off of Benjamin. Scared yips leave his lips and he is forced to look at me with wide eyes.

“Don’t do this. Wait, stop, please.” His begging begins, but it falls on deaf ears. Muted words come through in small waves, between the heavy thumping of blood in my ears.

The second bullet hits him square between the eyes and his body collapses limply at Benjamin’s side. Oswald is dead.

I drop the gun and fall to my knees. What have I just done? I killed a man. I look at my hands, now soaked in bad blood. My breathing gets heavy, staggered and I try and reason my actions – but how can I?

It all happened so fast. It all…

Before I lose myself to the horrors of my actions, Maddox is at my side, wrapping his good arm around my shoulder. He presses his lips against my forehead, pulling me in tight. “You’re going to be okay, Isabella. Everything is going to be okay. Just breathe, Isabella.”

“What have I done?” I can’t stop the question from leaving my lips.

He pulls me in even more tightly, even though I can see the pain on his face from the bullet he took. “You saved me.”

I curl up into a little ball. His strong embrace comforts me while he shields my eyes from Oswald’s body with his hand. And right now? I wouldn’t be anywhere else. I’ve dreamed about his comforting grip for days, and I finally have it.

I feel safe, once more, knowing that Maddox is at my side, and that he’d conquer mountains to save me.

The tears are spilling freely now, although I can’t tell precisely for what. Fear? Murder? Perhaps. But in reality, I know, it’s because Maddox is alive and well. That the man I love hasn’t died because of my stupid actions.