I wait for the pain but it doesn't come. Only my shoulder continues to pulse from my wound that was already there. Did Father miss?

I open my eyes again, jerking at the sight of his body on the floor beside mine and bleeding out. Confusion immobilizes next for a few moments but just as quick it is replaced with sinking dread.

"Father?" His eyes are open, soulless. My heart pounds faster. "Father? Father!"

No answer. A thin line of blood trickles from his mouth. My eyes run all over him in panic until I spot the source of a wound. A bullet to the chest sitting neatly between his lungs. It is the skill of a true marksman and I know of no one in this gang beside myself that could take such a shot.

"He broke the blood law." A deep voice calls for my attention and I look to the right, at a man with a rifle strapped to his chest. He's leaning out the window of a car, absentmindedly chewing a toothpick. "That was our shot to take. Been wanting to kill the bastard for far too long."

"Where did you come from?" I demand. I struggle to get to my feet, grunting at the pain that shoots up my arm when I stand. Blood continues to seep out of me and I know I need help. "How did you know to be here? Who are you?"

His lips pull back in a sneer. "We heard rumours that you left your gang, Raze. Thought I'd keep an eye on your old man and see what he would do next. That's the difference between the two of you—Abram always acted on violence alone. You? You're a smart motherfucker. Absolutely lethal and crazy intelligent. It's why no one fucks with you. Abram was always the easier target."

"I don't need a fucking bedtime story and pat on the back," I spit. "You killed my father. You better have some fucking answers for me."

"Your father is a messy leader," He shrugs, continuing to chew his toothpick and casually leaning outside his window. "South Bloods haven't been doing so hot since you left and every street gang knew it. They were too excited to witness the downfall but I wanted a hand in it."

"Why?"

He grins. "Because I want to be on top now. The Asesinos deserve to be the best."

"You're their leader," I finish for him, catching on. I shake my head and fight the urge to pass out. I'm no doctor but I've been in enough fights to know when I've lost too much blood. I need to get help and I need to know if my family is still alive. "I'm out of here."

"We didn't know about the deal our men cut with Lloyd," He calls when I start to turn around. "The ambush—we didn't know. You were betrayed my your man and we were betrayed by ours. Think what you want about the Asesinos but I'm a good leader and I wouldn't pull shit like that."

I glare. "You killed my father!"

"He was about to kill you and you know it!" He shouts back. "You're lucky Ive been following him around and knew this was going down today. I saved your life."

"Out of the goodness of your own heart, right?"

"Fuck that, Raze. I'm a good leader because I do good business. You're in my debt now. If the Asesinos ever need help from South Bloods, your gang better step up."

"Nice," I mutter. But he is right and we both know it. I'd be dead if he didn't intercept in time.

I look at Father's body with a tight throat. I hated him until the very end but I never wanted to witness his death like this.

I quickly look away and pull out my phone, cursing at its state. There's cracks everywhere but it still works and when I get it open, my stomach sinks at the number of missed calls from Mitch. I call him up with shaky hands, dread making it hard to breathe. Relief like I've never known it slams into me when he picks up. "Mitch."

"Where the fuck have you been!" He shouts. "Laura—"

"What happened? Where's my girl? Tell me she's alive, Mitch." I beg.

"Alive?" He sounds floored. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

What? I'm so goddamn confused. "I thought when you went home—"

"We didn't make it to my place. Laura started getting really bad contractions so I turned around and went to the hospital. She's fucking crowning. The baby is coming."

I'm grateful for the sturdy pile of crates behind me that catch me when my body goes limp. Holy shit. Holy fucking shit. They never made it home. The bomb never went off. They're alive.

"Hello? What the fuck is going on? Get your ass here now! Your daughter is about to be here any minute! We're at the hospital on 3rd."

"Be right there," I croak.

I end the call and an incredulous laugh escapes me, followed by a wave of tears. My family is still alive. By some miracle, none of us made it home to that bomb. Good fucking riddance.

I push off the crates and start for my car, fighting the agonizing pain shooting up my arm. I can't fucking drive like this.

"Need a ride?" Fucker chews on his toothpick expectantly, brows raised. I scowl but fuck, I don't have a choice here.

"Fine."

I get in, crying out without meaning to when my weight shifts. Something doesn't feel right. My shoulder feels detached or something.

"Needs to be popped back in," He confirms. He throws his rifle in the backseat and faces me, grabbing hold of my arm. I hold my breath in anticipation and the fucker smirks like he's enjoying this. "Big girl panties, Raze."

"Just do it before I blow your head off," I snap. "Deal or not, you'll always be my father's killer. Stop trying to play nice."

That sobers him up. He nods and without another word, pops my shoulder back in place. I bite down on the collar of my bloodied shirt to muffle my scream, a fresh wave of dizziness slamming into me.

"Raze? Shit."

Blackness dots my vision and I try to blink it away but it's a fight I lose. I feel my consciousness slipping away, and part of me is relieved. Part of me feels at peace. So I let myself go.

***

The sound of a gunshot sends a bolt of electricity up my spine and I jerk, gasping as I come to.

I immediately groan when another burst of pain shoots out at my shoulder, making my arm feels like it weighs a ton. I sink back into the bed and look around with groggy eyes. At first I look for the shooter but then I remember I was dreaming about Father being shot. The reminder brings back a flood of memories, specifically one. Laura. Emily.

I sit up again and this time I ignore the pain. Shit. I need to go see them. I need to go hold my girls, damn it.

I stagger to my feet, softly wheezing through the enormous pain pulsing everywhere. I feel like I was fucking body checked by a bus. It's hard to catch my breath and I pant as I yank away the wires attached to me. At that moment a nurse walks in and gasps, abandoning her clipboard and rushing over to me.

"Mr. Resnick, stop! You're still recovering from surgery! Please lie back down before you make your injuries worse."

"Get off," I mumble when she grabs my arm. "I'm serious, let me go. I need to go."

"Calm down," She tries again. "What is it that you need? I'll get it for you."

"My family!" I snap, chest heaving with panic. "I need my family! I...I had a baby girl. I think. I don't know where they are. Fuck. Please let me go."

"Sir, please." The nurse holds her hands up. "You don't need to go anywhere. You were admitted in the same hospital as your partner. Umm...Layla?"

"Laura," I correct, hope flaring.

The nurse nods enthusiastically. "That's her. She delivered the baby a few hours ago. Just please lie down and I'll go get them. You woke up sooner than you should have and fought off the dosages given to you. You're going to have to relax or you won't recover."

"Just please get them." I lie down on the bed again and the strains in my muscles go away. The nurse quickly attaches my IV before trotting off.

The seconds feel like fucking hours as I stare up at the ceiling. Anxiety like I've never known it slams into me from all corners. Usually a father has time to process when he's become one but I didn't. One second Laura was pregnant and just like that the baby was here. I just became a dad and I had no idea. The nurse said Emily was delivered a few hours ago and I had no idea. Already I'm the shittiest fucking father. The urge to just scream in frustration is overwhelming.

There's an irritating squeaking sound and I glance at the door just as Laura is wheeled inside my room. She has a bundle in her arms and my chest twists at the sight of both of them. They both look okay from what I can see. I try to sit up but that damned nurse is beside me lightening quick, ushering me to stay in bed. I reluctantly listen but only because my eyes meet Laura's and the silent way she gestures for me to stay put.

"Hi darlin'," I whisper when Mitch parks her wheelchair next to the bed, putting the stopper on. He sighs heavily and watches me with a grim and tired expression, offering the faintest smile. I nod back in acknowledgement and thanks.

"Are you okay?" Laura asks softly, eyes grazing over me. Her eyes are watery. "God, I thought I lost you. I was so scared."

"I thought I lost you," I croak back. Laura leans forward and presses her mouth to mine gently. I kiss her back, the relief I feel making it hard to breathe.

When we pull away I can't help glancing down and my breath catches at the sight of her. My daughter. She is as gorgeous as her mother and I am enthralled, unable to look away from those blue eyes and the way they watch me. I hesitantly life a finger and let it rest on her cheek. My throat locks up when her nose does that little twitch like Laura's.

"Meet Emily," Laura whispers with a grin. The nurse helps me sit up against the pillows and Laura hands our daughter to me. I panic at first. She's so small and I am afraid that I'll hurt her somehow. But then Laura takes a seat beside me, helping me figure out how to hold her. Emily continues to stare at me with eyes just like her mother's. Laura strokes her head. "That's your daddy, baby. Say hi."

I'm grateful that the nurse and Mitch have left the room to give us privacy because a wave of emotion hits me suddenly. It might be the first time in my life I've cried and shudders wrack through me from the intensity of it all. No matter how hard I try I can't calm down.

"Love?" Laura asks worriedly when I gasp for air between sobs. Her arms go around my neck and she pulls my head down to bury it in hers. I cry into the crook of her shoulder uncontrollably. "Hey, hey. What's wrong? Shh. It's okay, baby."

"It's not," I barely manage to say. "I ruined everything. I-I wasn't there for you. I missed her birth. You did this all by yourself. It was all my fault."

"What?" Laura hugs me tighter. "Baby, what are you blaming yourself for? Don't say that."

"I should have been there for both of you. You-you deserve so much better. Fuck. I'm so sorry."

Laura crushes me to her even harder if possible and when she speaks, her voice sounds thick with emotion. "You listen to me right now, Greg. You are exactly what Emily and I deserve. You flipped your entire world upside for us. You left your whole life behind for us. You sacrificed everything for us. If there's one thing you've always been, it's there for us. You might not have been there for the birth but you were fighting to save us both. You are the reason we're alive."

"But I'm also the reason you are always in danger. What kind of father am I? I'm just like my own and look at where that's gotten him."

"Where?" Laura asks with obvious confusion.

Another wave of sadness slams into me. I didn't realize how much I am actually grieving for him. "He's dead. He tried to kill me and then...then he got shot. Look at what he did to himself, Laura. I lost my father long before he died. What if I do the same thing to Emily?"

"Your father died?" Laura gasps. "Oh my God. I'm so sorry, Greg."

"Me too," I whisper and it's the truth.

"Greg, listen to me. You have never been like Abram a day in your life. Even when you were working for him and following his commands, your heart always knew what was right. You make good choices. You made our beautiful daughter and she's proof of that goodness. We are so lucky to have you and we choose you, baby. You're always going to be the one I choose."

My eyes fall shut. How is it that she can love me like this even after everything I have put her through? I look at Emily again, who is sleeping soundly with a little smile on her face, and hug her closer. Hug Laura closer. Because when you've lost everything, you should hold the people that remind you what it's like to be alive.

"This time we're free. This time I mean it. I'm never going to let my past ruin your life again," I promise.

Laura shakes her head at me. "Everybody has a past. And your past made you who you are today, even the bad parts. You might hate what your life once was but I don't because it brought you to me. That's all that matters."

Hell. I kiss her again, and when she smiles against my mouth I know I'm going to be okay. That we are going to be okay. Because that's what Laura does—she saves me.

"I love you," I nip her mouth before pulling away.

Her grin widens. "Flying in love with you, babe."

I chuckle under my breath, holding Emily against my chest and sighing in relief. "I flew first."

_________________________

A/N

Up until now I didn't cry but of course it can't be a TFB book until you're bawling your eyes out.

One more chapter! I'm going to miss this story so much. How is it already over?

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Happy Reading :)