What the hell is she doing here?
“Shit!” She raised her gun and fired several shots. I looked in the direction she was shooting, and there was someone there. I had been so focused on Marion that I hadn’t felt any other presence around here. If it weren’t for Millie, I might have been shot.
She approached where I was, and someone grabbed her from behind by the neck. I stood up, but before I could step closer, she used her elbow to hit the man’s weak spot. She twisted his arm, making him fall to the ground. She stomped on his chest before shooting him twice.
I grinned at what I witnessed. Well, that’s my wife.
She walked over to where I was, but when she saw Marion Huff, she looked stunned.
“Oh, my God!” Her hand flew to her mouth, covering it.
I clenched my jaw, not pleased that she had just seen me on top of Marion after smashing his head to death on the floor.
I faced Millie. I didn’t know what to say to her, didn’t know how to talk to her. I hated it whenever she saw me doing something ruthless, something unforgiving to other people, like killing them or dirtying my hands with their blood.
I feel like she won’t accept me anymore.
But she told me she’s going to accept my demons, right? Is she still willing to accept me after witnessing this?
She’d seen me kill or shoot someone before, but never has she witnessed me doing something this brutal.
“Gio-” Her surprised expression grew even more alarmed as she saw me. She quickly approached me and examined my chest. “What happened to you? You’re bleeding!” I heard the panic in her voice.
I looked at what she was pointing at and noticed that the left side of my shoulder and chest was indeed bleeding. It was only then that I felt the pain because earlier, I hadn’t really noticed it. I wouldn’t have noticed if she hadn’t asked me.
“I’m fine. It’s not that deep,” I lied. I knew Marion had gotten me there. The wound was deep, and I hadn’t felt it earlier, but now, a lot of blood was coming out, and I could feel my body weakening. Still, it wasn’t enough to kill me, I guess.
Exhaustion from the encounter since morning up until now was somehow taking its toll on me. I could feel the fatigue and weakness because of the blood loss.
“What are you doing here?” My voice grew darker as I realized that she was here when she wasn’t supposed to be.
She huffed before speaking. “I was worried about you, s-so I followed you. Dario and some of Gia’s men are with me. I saw some of your men who were captured too. Is it over?”
She looked at Marion again over my shoulder. I noticed her gulp after seeing his lifeless body.
“I guess so,” I said, releasing a deep breath before moving closer to her. I tried to hold her with my right hand because I couldn’t properly feel or move my left hand due to my stab wounds and injury. But when I saw how bloody my hand was, I stopped midway.
I lowered my right hand, and despite the pain and discomfort, I held Millie using my cleaner hand. I gently pulled her close to me and embraced her.
“You should have stayed there. I promised you, didn’t I? I always keep my promises to you. When I say I’ll come back, I’ll come back to you alive.”
She tightened her embrace, causing her to accidentally touch my wound. It hurt a little, but I let it be. I loved it when she hugged me. I loved being close to her. I always felt calm, as if she had the power to tame my inner demons.
“Let’s get out of here. I’ve left my men here to ensure everything is clear.” I said.
She quickly pulled away from me. “We also need to treat your wound. We need to go to the hospital!”
I didn’t say anything. Millie supported me, even though I didn’t need her help. We encountered Dario, and he asked if I needed anything, but I replied with nothing. All I needed was my wife by my side.
I instructed them to make sure none of Marion’s men were left roaming around, and my men quickly followed those orders.
I closed my eyes, thinking it was over. I nuzzled into Millie’s hair, inhaling her scent. It was euphoric. I quickly forgot where I was and what situation we were in.
When I opened my eyes, I was startled when Millie pushed me away from her.
“Gio!” I heard Millie scream, as she stood in front of me as if she were trying to protect me from danger.
My eyes widened, but before I could react to what she did, she was shot.
I quickly approached her slowly falling body and caught her. I carefully held her head to prevent it from hitting the ground.
“Millie.”
Dario and the others returned to our location. They probably heard the gunshot, even though everything had been calm a moment ago. They quickly went to see who had shot Millie.
I also looked to see who it was, and anger surged through me.
I was furious, seething even.
It was always him, the man who shouldn’t have been there in the first place. The man who should never have returned to her life. He had no business being here. He should not be walking around.
Why did I even let him ruin my plan? He had ruined it multiple times in the past.
It was always this man.
“Rory!” I roared, my voice enveloped in rage.
I saw Rory Green standing not far from us, clearly shocked that he had shot Millie, as my men immediately took control of the situation.
I could see the surprise in his eyes, and it was evident that he was taken aback when Millie was hit by the bullet instead of me.
Despite my anger, I let my men handle Rory for the moment as I planned to get Millie out of there. She needed immediate medical attention.
“Millie…”
I paused in my intentions when her hand touched my cheek. I looked at her as my wife slowly began to open her eyes. She couldn’t fully open them.
“Are you… safe?” Her voice was so weak that it pained me to hear it.
“Baby, hold on, okay? I’m taking you to the hospital-”
“Are you… unhurt? Did you get s-shot?” She coughed after uttering those words.
“Stop talking! Why did you do that? You shouldn’t have protected me!” If she hadn’t done that, I would have taken the bullet, not her!
“I always wanted to protect you,” her voice was barely a whisper. “You always protect me, and no one is protecting you, Gio. I want to protect you for once…” A tear rolled down her cheek as she smiled at me. “I finally get the chance to protect you. I… love you, Gio.” Her hand, which was touching my cheek, then fell.
~*~
I immediately had our vehicle prepared to take Millie to the hospital, just by the edge of the island. I cradled her carefully, noticing the blood seeping through her clothing.
While my men dealt with Rory, I focused on my wife. I’d return to him once I was sure Millie was safe.
“Sir, any instructions for the Belleza and Huff members we captured?” A man approached me, and I shot him a lethal glare, making him bow his head. “Shoot them dead. Kill them. I don’t care! I only want Rory Green to remain alive because I’m going to be the one to kill him.”
My men quickly followed my orders, systematically eliminating the remaining Belleza and Huff members. The beautiful blue waters of the island were now tainted with blood.
We boarded the chopper, and Elliott provided me with instructions on what to do. When he touched Millie’s clothes, I immediately stopped him.
“Sir, you know I used to be one of the troupe’s medics before becoming your hitman, right? We need to assess Ma’am Millie’s condition and ensure she makes it to the hospital in time.” Elliot explained.
I clenched my jaw. As much as I disliked others touching Millie, I allowed Elliott to continue.
I closed my eyes as I saw Millie’s wound, the result of a bullet meant for me. If she hadn’t pushed me, I would have taken the bullet. Why did she do that?
“Sir, we need to get Ma’am Millie to the hospital as soon as possible. The bullet wound is deep, and we’re not even sure if an organ was hit.”
“Dario!” I shouted after hearing what Elliott said.
“I’m on it, Sir. I’ve already called the hospital.”
I turned to Elliott once again. Millie had an oxygen mask, and Elliott was doing his best to stop the bleeding from the gunshot wound.
“Can’t you do anything about this, Elliott?” For the first time, my hand felt cold, and I was breaking into a cold sweat. I felt even more distressed now than when Millie left me because this time, I knew I might lose her forever.
“I’m not a doctor, Sir. There’s not much I can do. I can’t perform surgery.”
I bit my lip harshly. I knew he was doing everything to keep Millie breathing until we reached the hospital, but I couldn’t wait any longer. Millie couldn’t wait!