Shot

Aiden’s pov
I froze, my blood running cold.
What the fuck is she on about?
Husband and wife?
Ashton squirms in my hold, perhaps sensing my tension, or the tension in the room entirely.
I needed to find a way to protect him from her and get him out of here. But there was no way out for both him and me.
I hugged him, pressing my mouth to his head. “I promise I’ll protect you son. With everything in my body.”
As soon as those words came out of my mouth, the door open.
I turn slightly to see who entered.
The older woman.
She had the chance to run away. Yet she came back?
Perhaps she knew there was no escape.
She turned slightly to stare at whoever was approaching.
Fuck.
Suddenly Ryland is pushed inside the room roughly.
He grunts. “Fucking bastard.” He fired at whoever pushed him
in.
I took a step towards him. ” Ryland.” Only to stop when a gun aimed at him.
Ryland lifted his hands in the air.
“Daddy, did you bring us another visitor?” Lillian giggled, her heels breaking the glass shards beneath her weight.
“I figured Aiden wouldn’t come alone. So I stayed at the cafe to see who he’d bring along. It was kind of obvious there was someone in the car when he turned back around to speak.” Mr.
Muralo grumbled, a tight smirk on his lips as he stepped inside.
Another man followed after him, someone with a suit and a briefcase in his hold. The man had a pudgy belly and looked to be in his late fifties. The terrified emotions playing in his eyes told me that the man was here against his will.
Mr. Muralo cocked his gun at Ryland. “Wrong place at the wrong time.”
His cold dark eyes then sweep over to the older woman who squirmed under his intense gaze. “You, take the boy from Aiden’s hold.”
I held Ashton tighter.
“To hell with you Muralo. I’m not passing my son over to any-one.” I sneered.
Lillian giggles, looking at me. I was convinced this girl was far too gone to be saved now.
” Don’t get father upset sweet, he’s not so patient as me. Pass the boy over to the woman.
The woman scurried over to me, her eyes pleading with me to give Ashton to her. I ignored her plea.
“Please sir.” She whispered in fright. When I make no move to give Ashton to the woman, Lillian said tightly. “Aiden. I think you’d do what’s best to save that pig and Ashton. Do as my father has told you. Time is ticking.’
She shows me her phone, her brother’s name flashing as her finger hovers over the call button.
“What will you do?” She tilts her head, a bema on her face.
She was making me choose again.
My heart weighs heavily.
Now that Ryland was here, it was hard for me to know if the cops got Sophie or not. Sure someone else may notify me, but none have yet to. Which makes me think that the cops had yet to save my woman.
That leaves me to ponder on what to do now.
Muralo could easily shoot anyone in the room if we defy him.
There was no telling if Lillian had a weapon here herself.
There was no way she’d be so crazy to come here unprotected.
They were crazy enough to have orchestrated this entire thing.
So I made a decision.
I gave Ashton to the older woman, whispering to her that she protect my son. She nods, her eyes telling that she would.
Muralo smirked and looked at his daughter.
“What news do you have about the whore?” He asked his daughter.
I clenched my fists, knowing they were referring to Sophie.
Lillian giggles and walked towards the table, her heels breaking more glass under her weight. “Turns out, she’s actually preg nant. Thought she lied to keep Aiden.
Muralo snorted.
“So the whore earned herself nine more months-
“I don’t get it.” I get in harshly as I glared at both father and daughter.
Muralo cocked a brow and gave me his attention. “What don’t you get son?”
I shook my head, my teeth gritting. “I don’t get why you’re helping her forcefully trying to get in a relationship with me.
Aren’t you and your son fucking her? Wouldn’t you want her all to yourself?” I sneered.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Lillian flinch. “Aiden baby.
You got it wrong. Dad and Christopher only sort for pleasure.
It’s a family thing. You can participate too-
“Over my dead body!” I hissed at her in disgust.
The more I’m in the fucking presence of that sick family, the more I actually feel sick to my stomach.
“Well you won’t have a choice in the matter anyway.” Muralo snorted and gripped the older man’s shoulder and pushed him to the front.
“One of the best lawyers I could find. Today, you and Lillian will sign your marriage certificate. Today you’ll be family.” He smirked.
The older man looked like he’d want to be anywhere but here.
Sweat bid on his red face, and his mustache wiggled. Perhaps a nervous habit.
He makes his way over to Lillian and sets his briefcase on the table. He opens it and takes out a few papers and a pen. Cold sweat dripped down my neck.
I glanced at my phone, praying that it would ring. Give me a fucking sign that they got Sophie.
Fuck.
Lillian clapped, bouncing on her heels.
That bitch was excited, I didn’t share the same expression.
Muralo cocked his hun my way, and motioned for me to join the two at the table.
Knowing I had no choice, I do.
The older man speaks, but I don’t listen. He passes an elated Lillian the pen where she signs her name at the bottom of the paper.
When it was my turn, all I could do was stare at the paper blankly.
There had to be a way to get out of this without anyone getting hurt. There had to be a way I could save my son and Sophie without signing my life away to that bitch.
I looked at Ryland whose eyes were deep with panic too. We didn’t know what to do now. We were in a circle, surrounding by fucking maniacs.
Until we heard the sharp sounds of the police sirens.
Relief didn’t really come to me like I had hoped, because we were not really in the clear yet. Those cops still had to come to the highest level in the building to get here.
A lot could happen before they do.
And I was right.
A lot did happen.
One second I was standing beside the table, the next I was running to protect my son from the bullet that was about to hit him.
Muralo must’ve known that it was too late for them to escape, so he put his anger onto my son. He wanted me to pay.
And in a way he did.
The bullet hit me right under my chest. It was painful I’ll admit that.
I fall to my knees, my shaky fingers touching where I was shot.
“Aiden!” Lillian screamed.
Ryland took Muralo’s sudden attention on me to rush over to him and knock the gun out of his hold before he could aim again for Ashton.
There was a lot of tossing and throwing punches until Ryland managed to knock him out.
And then….
Bang.
Lillian had a gun, aiming at Ryland. Fortunately she missed but managed to scrap his ear.
And fortunately the pudgy old man had some fight in him.
With his briefcase in his hold, he smacks the gun out of Lillian’s hold. Ryland run over to her.
No matter how much she scratched and yelled, calling out my name like I would be her savior, they didn’t let her go.
“My son. Let me see my son.” I coughed out blood, my heart racing.
The woman quickly walks around me. I lift my head and smiled. At least, I managed to save him.
“Shit Aiden man. Stay with us!” Ryland yelled as he held a kicking and screaming Lillian down.
His voice fade into a slight ringing sound.
I only had time to lift a thumbs up for him before I heard the cops barge in. Seconds later, black dots filled my vision completely as my entire body fall to the floor.