Chapter 100 EVEN IN ANOTHER

Chapter 100 EVEN IN ANOTHER
Leah

My heart stuttered as I turned so fast the chair scraped loudly against the floor.

"What?"

"He's been here the whole time."

"You're lying."

She chuckled as she turned, and I followed her gaze to one of the men dragging a large sack into the space.

It moved, and a muffled sound came from inside.

No. No. No. I chanted, already lurching to my feet.

"Mmm— mummy—"

Freya's hand slammed into my shoulder, forcing me back into the chair the moment I made to move.

I struggled, panic flooding through my body as I kept screaming for Roman.

And as if responding to me, the sack twisted again, making my chest tighten so hard it hurt to breathe.

"Please!" I chocked, turning to her, my vision blurring with tears. "Please, Freya... Just let him go. He has nothing to do with this. Please—"

"Of course he does!" she snapped, her voice suddenly sharp and furious. "If he didn't exist, if both of you didn't exist, Aiden wouldn't have abandoned me again. No. He wouldn'thave abandoned me in the first place!" 

"We were doing so well," she continued, her voice shaking. "Everything was finally back to just us. Then you showed up again... and he forgot I ever existed again."

She let us a broken laugh.

"Do you have any idea what I did for him?" She dragged her fingers through her hair, laughing under her breath as she paced like a madwoman.

"I killed my own father," she confessed. "Made it look like an accident just so he would pity me."

My stomach turned as I stared horrified at the maniac standing before me.

"I made it look like Julian was abusing me, had that stupid girl even when I didn't want to... all for him. And you?" Her voice rose again. "You just show up, spread your legs once, and suddenly you are all that mattered to him. He even fought Julian for you! Something he swear he would never do for me."

"What is it about you? What do you have that I don't?!"

"A heart," I replied quietly. "You don't have a fucking heart, Freya."

There was silence as she just stared at me.

"It's funny," I scoffed, "you called someone pathetic... when you are the most pathetic person in this room."

The slap came fast snapping my head to the side. Pain spread hot across my cheek and before I could recover, her hand were already fisted in my hair. 

Then came the next slap, followed by another and another and another, each slap sharper than the last. My ears rang, blood filled my mouth, but I sat there taking it all because I couldn't fight back. Not with a gun pointed at my son.

When she finally stopped,  I gasped, spitting blood onto the floor.

"You're right," she chuckled. "You're damn right, Leah!"

She turned slowly and walked toward the sack. 

My hands clenched into fists as I watched her crouch beside it, her fingers brushing over the fabric that crazy smile she wore earlier curving her lips.

"I should have killed him the moment I realised he would never be mine." 

"But it's okay," she added as she straightened, her voice turning dangerously calm. "It's not too late to correct my mistakes, right?"

I saw the sack move again from the corner or my eyes and my gaze snapped to it. I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood as I watched it then tried to stand but Storm shook his head quietly at me. I blinked back tears but they kept falling.

My baby...

Suddenly we heard a gunshot that made my heart jump violently followed by more gunshot, men shouting and grunting.

My head snapped toward the open side of the building as my heart raced.

Aiden.

"How the fuck did he get here so fast?" Freya snapped as she rushed to the window opening and looked down. 

More gunfire echoed below.

She spun back toward Storm and demanded, "Did you tell him?"

"No," came his reply but it sounded like a lie and I bet she knew it too.

"Damn it!" 

She tugged at her hair and let out a piercing scream then calmed down almost immediately.

"That doesn't change anything," she muttered to herself as she chewed on her finger. "That bastard is still going to die." 

"And Aiden won't hurt me. He promised Daddy." She had a sick smile on her face as she tucked her hair behind her ears.

"Take it away," she said to the man standing beside the sack.

"No—"

I shot to my feet, but the deafening crack of a gun that went off exploding above me tore a scream from my throat as fragments of concrete rained down. I threw my hands over my head quickly, and by the time I forced my eyes open, the man was gone with Roman.

Hurried footsteps thudded up the stairs seconds later and Aiden appeared like death itself had arrived, breathing hard, blood smeared across his knucles and shirt, something dark and terrifying burning in his eyes.

His gaze first landed on Freya. Then Storm, who couldn't even meet it, then me. 

The anger in his eyes shifted to relief for a split second then his jaw clenched as he took in my tear streaked face and my split lip. 

"Who touched you?" 

The low, deadly quiet in his voice was all it took for me to break.

"Aiden..." my voice cracked as tears spilt over. "Roman... she has Roman... she's going to hurt him..."

He didn't let me finish before his gun came up and fired at Freya. Her scream echoed in the space as the bullet tore into her shoulder, throwing her  to the ground.

"You shot me?" She gasped, clutching her arm as she stared up at him in disbelief.

"Where is he?" He asked coldly.

She struggled upright, tears mixing with a twisted smile.

"If you want to know..." she rasped. "Kill her first."

She cried out in pain as the second bullet hit her thigh.

"Where is he?!" Aiden roared the vein in his forehead straining.

She let out a sick loud laugh. "The more time you waste... the closer he gets to his death."

"Aiden, stop!" I cried, grabbing his arm as he aimed again. "She is going to kill him!"

Her laughter grew louder. "You can only save one person Aiden!" She taunted. "And believe me the kid doesn't have much time left."

My hands shook as I turned his gun toward myself.

"Shoot me!" I sobbed. "Just do it, Aiden. Please."

"How can you ask me to shoot you?"

"I can't live without him!" I screamed. "I can't... Aiden. I'd rather die than lose him, so just do it!"

His free hand came up to hold my face.

"So what about me?" His voice broke as his thumb brushed my tears away. "Do you think I can live in a world without you?"

"But we can't let Roman die, Aiden."

We can't sacrifice our son to be with each other.

"I'll find him. I swear—"

Behind him I saw Freya raise her gun and I screamed, "Aiden!"

He was quick to move, pulling me into him and turning his body to shield mine just as the shot rang.

Time seem to stop as I stood there listening to his heart pounding.

Slowly, I pulled back, my breath trembling as I looked up at him.

My tears stopped as I whispered, "Aiden."

"Yes," he breathed.

"No," I chocked. "No, no, no."

My hands fisted in his shirt as they shook violently. "Why? Why did you do that?" I cried, hitting his chest weakly. "Why do you keep doing this? Do you enjoy tormenting me with your death?!"

"Leah—"

"Why would you take a bullet for me again you bastard?!"

His hand cupped my face as he said, "Look at me, Leah."

I shook my head, crying harder.

"I'm okay."

"No you are not."

"I wasn't hit."

I froze then slowly opened my eyes to see him smiling at me. "I said I'm okay."

My hands moved frantically over him, searching his chest and sides but there was no injury or blood that was his.

"If you weren't shot... then who was?"

We both turned to find Freya lying on her side, blood pooling beneath her and spreading fast.

In front of her stood a frozen Storm his gun trembling in his hand. Colour drained from his face as the horror of what he did settled in and he stumbled back.

Silence fell in the room as we all watched as the life slowly drained from her eyes.

A wet gurgle escaped her lips as she said, "You... will... never... find... him." 

Then she went still.