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Chapter Fourteen

Porter

Opening the door, Ifanned out my arm for Emery to go in first. Stopping for a second, I looked back at the woods where we had just been and smiled.

I'll never look at trees the same again.

There was this moment of peace, a feeling like nothing bad could ever happen to us. That would never be true, and I knew that. But right then, all of that; my past, the uncertainty of our future, it didn't matter.

Because I was happy.

“Porter!”

Her scream sent my heart into my throat, making me react without thinking. Running into the house, I saw a man holding Emery around the neck with a gun to her temple.

At first I couldn't see his face or any distinguishing features. I saw the gun, I saw the fear in Emery's eyes, I saw my blood as it boiled and turned everything around me red.

“Long time no see.”

I knew this man, and the realization killed me inside. I had drinks with him and dinner at his home, we had shared a few dirty laughs and once considered each other family. Dean Finch, a guy who was just like me. Or should I say, who I used to be like?

He was an assassin, a lethal set of hands with only one job; to kill.

That was all we had to do. We were given orders, we were never told why anyone had to die, and we never asked questions.

Now he was here, holding a gun to my woman's head, his eyes black as tar with death in his pupils. I felt the rage twist my insides, making my heart slam inside my chest like a trapped raven, ready to escape and claw his eyes out of his fucking head.

How dare you put a hand on my girl!

My eyes met Emery's and she looked so terrified. I wanted to rush over to her and take her in my arms, whispering to her that everything would be alright.

And it killed me that I couldn't do that. With my hands up, palms facing out, I started to side step to my right. Like a fucking idiot, I had left my gun upstairs. I was completely defenseless, like child on their own.

I'm not thinking straight, I'm not using my fucking head. . .

I fucked up again.

This woman had my head in knots, tied up so tight that I had forgotten the one weapon I never left home without.

Dean smiled at me, shoving the gun harder into Emery's temple. “Don't try a fucking thing or I'll blow her brains out right here.”

“Why? She has nothing to do with this, just let her go.” My heart ached to see her like that. Her eyes frozen on my face, begging and pleading for me to take charge, to be the alpha on top.

But I couldn't do a damn thing. He had the upper hand, and it tore my insides into shreds. I was suppose to protect her, I was suppose to keep her safe.

Laughing, he tilted his head into her hair and inhaled a long breath. “Tell me you don't actually believe what you're saying. You have your head in the fucking clouds man? You haven't been gone that long to forget how this works. Leave no witnesses, not a single fucking one. . .” Pausing, he smirked, eye's glistening like he was enjoying everything about this. “Oh wait, you can't do that because you have no fucking balls. Should I check her purse? Is that where you left them?”