Chapter 78 Gunshot
"I’ve got you," he murmured, holding her close. "I’m here now. I won’t let anything happen to you."
The fire crackled loudly behind him as part of the ceiling collapsed somewhere nearby. The warehouse groaned, as if protesting his presence, warning him to leave.
He turned and ran.
Smoke burned his eyes until tears streamed down his face, but he didn’t slow down. Every step was harder than the last. His legs screamed in pain. His lungs begged for air.
But he kept going because he couldn't stop now. Because Rebecca was in his arms and because she was barely alive. He needed to get out by all means even with his last strength.
When he finally burst out of the warehouse, fresh air hit him like a blessing. He staggered forward, coughing violently, still holding her tightly against his chest.
"Someone help!" he shouted. "I need help!"
Officers rushed toward him immediately. One of them reached out to take Rebecca from his arms.
"I’ve got her," the officer said urgently. "We need to get her to an ambulance..."
Before Derek could respond, a sharp movement caught his eye.
It was Vanessa.
She was still outside, restrained by officers, her clothes dirty, her face twisted with rage as she watched Derek holding Rebecca whom she was sure was still alive. For a moment, something flickered in her eyes, shock, and disbelief.
Then it turned into pure hatred.
'So he still saved her.' she thought, as her hands trembled not with fear, but with fury. They have already caught her, and she knew prison was inevitable at this point, so why not finish what she had started. If she was going to go to jail, then she would make sure everyone suffered too and Rebecca wouldn't live.
Her gaze dropped to the gun holstered at the side of the officer standing closest to her.
In one sudden, reckless move, Vanessa twisted sharply, slamming her elbow backward into the officer’s chest. He gasped in shock, losing his grip for a split second.
It was all she needed.
She snatched the gun from his holster and turned, her hands shaking as she raised it.
"Miss Smith" someone shouted. "Drop the weapon," but before he could finish, Vanessa fired the gun.
Derek heard the shout, and turned instinctively.
His eyes widened when he heard the gunshot. Time seemed to slow.
"No," Derek shouted.
He didn’t think, neither did he hesitate.
In a split second, he turned his body sharply, spinning so that his back faced Vanessa, shielding Rebecca completely with his own body. He wrapped his arms tighter around her, pressing her against his chest as if he could protect her from everything even death.
Derek didn’t look back, not when he heard the frantic shouts behind him, not even when he felt the bullet rip into him.
He only held Rebecca closer as if she was his only priority.
The moment the bullet struck him, his body reacted before his mind could. A sharp, burning pain exploded across the right side of his chest, stealing his breath in a violent rush. His vision blurred, the world tilting dangerously as his knees weakened.
Yet his arms tightened instinctively around Rebecca. It was his duty to protect her, he was the reason she was hurt in the first place, so even if it costs him his life, he will protect her till the end.
He turned his body fully, shielding her even as pain ripped through him.
The gunshot had barely finished echoing when everything exploded into motion. When Vanessa saw that the bullet had not touched Rebecca as she had hoped, she tried to pull the trigger again.
Before Vanessa could pull the trigger again, two officers reacted at the same time. Another sharp crack split the air, this one precise, controlled.
Vanessa screamed as the bullet tore through her hand. The gun flew from her grip, clattering loudly against the concrete as she dropped to her knees instantly, clutching her bleeding hand, her face twisted in shock, pain, and fury.
"Down! Get her down now!" an officer shouted.
Two policemen rushed her at once, forcing her flat against the ground. She fought, screaming and thrashing, but it was useless. Handcuffs snapped shut around her wrists as blood dripped onto the floor beneath her.
"Vanessa Smith, you are under arrest for kidnapping, attempted murder, and arson, you are eligible for a lawyer but the court will provide for you if you have none." The officer said, just then laughter broke through her sobs, wild, broken, unhinged.
"You’re too late," she spat. "Even if she survives, none of you wins because he'd not survive." She said, her tone filled with hate as she lay flat on the ground with her hand cuffed behind her.
Having taken her down, all eyes turned to Derek and for a moment, they all felt a wave of terror pass through them.
"Mr. Hemsworth," someone shouted.
He stumbled back a step, then another, before finally collapsing to his knees. Blood soaked through his shirt, warm and fresh. His breathing becoming shallow and strained.
But his eyes were still locked on Rebecca.
She lay limp in his arms, her head resting against his shoulder, her face pale, streaked with dirt and dried blood. She didn’t move. Didn’t stir.
"No… no, please," Derek whispered hoarsely, resting his cheeks against her warm own. "Stay with me."
Officers rushed forward.
"He’s been hit," one said.
"The ambulance is here," another replied as some medical staff rushed over with a first aid box and two stretchers.
"Sir, don’t move."
"I’m fine," he forced out, his voice strained. "Check her first… please… she’s pregnant."
That single word sent urgency rippling through everyone nearby.
"Careful, lay her down gently."
They eased Rebecca from Derek’s arms, laying her carefully on a stretcher. She was still unconscious, her breathing shallow but steady. Derek’s eyes never left her face as medics worked quickly around them, trying to see if they can stabilize Rebecca and Derek.
While all this was going on, Vanessa was dragged to her feet by the police officer that had been holding her to her ground, she was still thrashing and screaming.
"You think this ends here?" she yelled, her voice cracking. "You think prison scares me?"
As officers hauled her and her cohorts toward a police vehicle, someone else watched quietly from the shadows.
A man stood near the edge of the chaos, partially hidden by smoke and flashing lights. He had arrived moments earlier, drawn by the sirens, only to be met with a scene he never imagined he’d witness.
His eyes found Vanessa, his daughter.
Bleeding, cuffed, and being dragged away like a criminal.
His chest tightened painfully. "No…" he breathed.
His fists clenched so tightly his nails bit into his palms. Rage, humiliation, and helplessness churned violently inside him as he watched her being shoved into the police car.
His eyes moved from her to the man, being carried on a stretcher like a king, the architect of everything.
Derek, the reason his daughter was being taken away in chains.
"You did this," he whispered darkly. "You destroyed her."
His jaw hardened, eyes burning with promise.
"You took my daughter from me," he murmured under his breath. "You sent her to prison and I will make sure to take everything from you."
With that he disappeared into the bush before anyone noticed him.