Chapter 79: Don't panic

💠 Chapter 79 💠

Ryan's POV

Just like Brianna suggested, we took some guards with us and left the rest at home to protect Helen at home.

After driving for a few minutes, we arrived at the cartel and I told the guards not to do anything unless we are in danger.

Brianna and I walked inside the cartel holding hands, with smiles on our faces. Surprisingly, Justin was seated in my seat when we got in.

"What is going on here?" I asked the members that were seated also

"Y...you are alive? The new mafia boss told us that you died" one of the members said

They all stared at me with shocks on their faces and stood up while I also stood there, unable to understand what they were saying.

"What are you saying? Ryan died? Did you confirm it yourself? You believed him in my absence even though I removed him from his position?" Brianna asked in disbelief

"We had no choice. He was holding the token that can only be passed when a mafia boss is dead so we thought it was true" another member said

"Really? I've seen fools but I don't think I've seen anyone as dumb as you are. Ryan is beyond popular so do you think he will pass away and there will be no news about it? He was holding the token? Does it matter who holds the f**king token? I warned you about him but you still went ahead to support him as the new mafia boss. Do you know he was the one that tried to kill Ryan? He even tried to kill me too" Brianna said

"Is it true that you tried to kill him?" they asked and faced Ryan

"I know you will believe Brianna's words over my own but I'll still say the truth. Ever since Ryan met Brianna, he has changed so much and doesn't even care about the cartel anymore. When he passed the token to me, he said he was going to die in the next twenty minutes at most and I had no choice but to accept the token.

When I got here, over twenty minutes had passed already so I concluded he was dead. If he was alive, why didn't he send Brianna to the cartel to tell us that he didn't die? The person standing before you is not Ryan Santiago but an imposter that Brianna brought with her so that she can take over the cartel" Justin said with a smirk

"I'm an imposter? You are telling me that I'm an imposter in my own cartel? Brianna warned me about you from the first time she came here but I didn't listen.

I saw you as my brother and decided to trust you over the person I love but who knew I was going to get this in return? You are even calling me an imposter even though you know quite well that I'm Ryan Santiago. It's okay since everything is my fault.

You want to kill me right? Just get it done with quickly but let Brianna leave. She has nothing to do with this and she will live quietly from now on" I said

"I can't do that. A member of the cartel can never leave unless he dies so it's either she becomes one of us or she dies" he smiled

"Was there anytime you treated me genuinely? If there was, can you please spare Brianna for that reason?" I asked

"Stop dreaming and just go to hell already" he said and collected a gun

He pulled the trigger immediately but a member of the cartel stood in front of me and took the bullet in my place.

"I know doing this will not be able to repay your kindness to me but I'm glad I was able to do something for you at least. You have to survive no matter what, that's my last request" he said and went cold

"How dare you kill a member of my cartel?" I gritted in rage

"Stop claiming this cartel as yours, you are only an imposter" Justin said

"We will follow you to the end of the world boss!" some men said and came over to my side

"I told you he's an imposter but you still went to him? Don't blame me for being merciless" Justin threatened

"You are already merciless and even if he's an imposter, we don't care about that. When you killed one of us just now, you weren't remorseful. Only our boss will feel remorseful and grief over the death of any member so we don't believe he's an imposter" those men said

I almost got emotional and wanted to burst into tears but remembering that I have things to do, I pulled myself together. The men that joined me were just few and I'm guessing Justin bought the rest of them already.

The bloody fight started between the two groups and some of the men led me out of the cartel. They wanted to pass the main gate but I stopped them. My guards are outside and they don't know anything about me being a mafia boss. Besides, the police or someone might hear the gunshot and I don't want to ruin my reputation. Even if I happen to die, I should at least leave a good name.

"Let's go through the forest behind the cartel so as not to attract the police" I said and held Brianna's hands

"Ryan you need to pull yourself together no matter what. Justin betrayed you already so don't you dare think of him as a brother if both of you happen to point guns at each other" Brianna said

"I already accepted that fact. He's now my sworn enemy so don't worry about that. I will make sure to get rid of him with my own hands if I have to" I assured

As we ran in the forest, we arrived at a dead end. There was a thick bush before us and we couldn't go in. Right behind us were Justin and his men. We were greatly outnumbered so I new it wasn't going to be easy to defeat them but I was willing to try my best.

I will do anything at all to protect Brianna even if it means laying down my life. After all, she was the one that brought meaning into my life once again.

"Don't panic Ryan, I'm right here. Justin and his men might outnumber us but everyone of them except Justin is no match for us. Just think of this as a way to train your body" Brianna said

What? Shouldn't I be the one saying that to her right now? How can she still be so brave and fearless in this situation?

"Alright everyone! We have nothing to lose so let's put in our best and make sure to defeat Justin and his men. There has never been a time when evil prevailed over good so just trust and follow Ryan and I" Brianna said again

I was left speechless as I didn't know what to say anymore. She's always a step ahead of me and I feel safe with her around.

Just as Brianna and I charged towards Justin and his men, we heard a gunshot and stopped in our tracks.

TBC......

© Tricia