Page 69 of Always Meant To Be

Her head swings to the side, her whole body tilting before she falls. I watch in horror as she bangs her temple on the corner of my desk before her body hits the floor, her head bouncing off it. I drop the bat out of shock, completely forgetting about Damian, my gaze on my sister's opened eyes, her body still, blood pooling around her hair, turning it darker.

I-I, oh God, I killed her, I killed my sister….

I take a step back, bile rising, before I feel someone behind me. I quickly turn and come face to face with Damian's dark, angry eyes before he swings the bat, hitting me hard in the head.

Everything goes black before I even hit the floor.

Twenty-Four

Romeo

I landthe helicopter in the field beside the school before jumping out and running to the door closet to El's room, my heart in my throat.

My family and hers run in behind me as I slam through the door, the sounds of pleading hitting our ears.

"Please don't hurt me, please," a voice I know well begs repeatedly, and I sneer.

If he hurt my wife, I'm going to fucking kill him.

I round the corner and enter my wife's classroom, only to pause at the scene. Horror fills me at the carnage.

My wife lies unconscious on her side, a soaked tissue pressed against her head, Liliya lying near her in a pool of her own blood, her eyes open, dead, while Aldo beats the shit out of Damian, the fucker who wanted my wife.

"Oh, fuck me," Mikhail gasps, seeing his daughters, but I ignore him and run over to El, kneeling beside her.

I cup her cheek, removing the tissue, wincing at the gash on her head. With a lump in my throat, I quickly reach up and grab several more tissues, placing them back over the wound.

I murmur, "Farfalla, wake up for me, baby, open your violet eyes, let me see them…."

She doesn't move, her chest barely rising, and my breathing picks up with worry as I place my hand on her belly, gently lifting her shirt.

I notice the bruise on her side instantly, and I swallow hard, cupping her bump.

I wait for a few seconds, ignoring the shouting behind me, Mikhail and Maxim raging, before I feel a slight movement beneath my hand, making me sigh.

Even though the baby was conceived through manipulation, I know losing it will kill her.

Keeping hold of her bump and cheek, I look over toward the shouting. Mikhail is being held back by Leonardo, while Maxim is being held back by Antonio, both knowing if this fucker hurt my wife, then the kill is mine.

I snap, "Aldo!" and he stops hitting the fucker instantly. My eyes go over Damian's form as he groans in pain, his face bloody, and I can't even be mad at my capo because he loves El like a sister, and this happened on his watch.

This is something he's going to beat himself up over for months to come.

"Explain!" I command.

He breathes heavily, running his bloodied hands over his head, and rasps, "I got the panic call just as I was walking through the doors to try and convince her to leave early." My heart thunders at his words. "I ran, and I heard Liliya screaming and shouting but couldn't make out what she was saying." He scrunches his eyes tightly, gasping, "I got here too fucking late, the fucker had just swung the bat at Elena's head. I shoved himoutta the way to catch her, but she'd already hit the ground on her fucking stomach." He grips his hair, crouching, shouting, "Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

Pain etches his features, and I stand, walking over to Damian. Leaning down, I grip his shirt, grab the knife out of Aldo's boot, and rasp, "See you in hell motherfucker…."

His bloodied eyes widen, and he panics, "Please do?—"

I slice his throat. He brings his hands up to stop the bleeding but it’s no use. He chokes on his blood while I wipe the knife clean on the fucker’s pants, then I force the knife into his fist.

"Antonio, call our guy and report this. Ensure the story is the fucker killed Liliya and attacked El. He killed himself, realizing he had no way out," I command and go back to my wife, not willing to lift her and risk further injury.

I cup her cheek, my other hand going back to our baby, and I whisper, "Please stay with me, baby. Hang in there…."

I can feel my eyes tear up, but I sniff, ignoring everyone around me. My eyes are on El, watching her gentle breaths grow shallow.