Page 176 of Lessons In Grey

Louis blocked my blow, quickly disarming me, but only because I let him. I wasn’t going to shoot him, it’d be too quick. I wanted him to suffer like Emily suffered.

I slammed my fist into the side of his head, picking him up and throwing him towards the cross that hung on the back wall.

He hit it with a sickening crack but managed to keep himself standing as the sound of gunfire slowed.

I ran up to him, grabbing his collar and slamming him back against the wall. “You went after my fucking girl,” I snarled.

He laughed, blood coating his teeth. “And it was such fun. Getting you to go out on a goose chase just to end up here, in the states, less than eight hours from her pretty little loft.”

I roared, picking him up, turning him back towards the church, and throwing him again.

It wasn’t easy. He had to have weighed over 300 pounds, but that was the funny thing about rage, I supposed, it gave you a strength you never knew you had.

Louis flew towards the pews, landing on top of them as Azrael finished off another woman.

I walked down the aisle as Louis struggled to untangle himself from the splinters, grunting and groaning, blood pouring from the cuts and gashes across his skin. “You mess with one of us, you hurt us all,” I told him evenly.

“I only wanted you,” he grunted, forcing himself to an uneven stand. He was holding his arm to his chest, blood pouring from a head wound. I had broken his wrist, his cheekbone, and I was sure his bones were bruised from landing on the pews.

“Why?”

“Because you tried to kill me. Tried and failed,” he stated. “Clearly.”

“I won’t fucking fail this time,” I spat, stepping forward.

Another gunshot went off, and I felt the bullet pass through me.

I didn’t let it stop me. I lunged, another gunshot rang through the room, this one from the doorway of the church, before I was able to rip the gun out of his good hand. A stupid,rookiemistake, but it was fine. I was fine.

The barrel seared into my skin just before I flipped it around and pressed it against his temple, my other hand wrapping around his thick, ugly neck.

Louis cried out as the smell of burning flesh dusted the air. His or mine, I wasn’t sure. I couldn’t have cared less.

“You fucking lose,” I spat.

“Did I?” he panted, tears burning his eyes. “I kept you away for months. You forget, Greyson, I don’t need tokill youin order to ruin your fucking life. Everything has to end sometime.”

“Not us. Never us.” I pulled the trigger, the bullet exploding out the other side, his body going rigid before going limp.

I dropped him, panting, my heart pounding, the pain slowly making its way towards my brain.

I dropped the gun and slid my hand over my stomach, feeling the warmth of the blood coat it thoroughly. That wasn’t a flesh wound.

My knees buckled, the world growing cold.

An arm slid around me, catching me before I hit the ground. “Your weakness, brother, is that you never pay attention to your surroundings.”

47

Emily

April 9th, 2022

I‘m trying my best not to worry, but it was day eight, and I was pacing the room, and I couldn’t breathe.

Matthew and Jeremy were checking their phones, Matthew standing on the balcony, the doors open, constantly checking to see if anyone was coming in.

The last time Malachi had visited had been 13 days ago.