"You two little pricks owe me a lot of money!"

Suit dude points at Devon and Carter who are cowered in the corner of the room, their backs pressed up against the make shift bar. The tension in the air is impalpable. All I want is to make it to the door that's being guarded, to get out of here and make sure that Spencer and Grayson are alright. But the men with guns pointed at all occupants in the room, look as though they wouldn't hesitate to use them.

Drayton doesn't relax his stance, his broad shoulders remain strong, his breathing steady as he stands in front of me, using his arm to wrap behind him and hold my own, which trembles uncontrollably.

"We told you, we're working on it, Edmund." Carter's voice no longer holds the arrogance or confidence that it had earlier. He trembles in fear, his eyes remaining on the gun pointed directly at him.

"Let me see what you've got then." Edmund shrugs his shoulder, a look of challenge curls his lips upwards, his hands still in his slim fitted pant pockets.

"It's uh, it's not here," Devon pipes up. The two of them share a very brief but knowing look, it's almost as if they're in on some secret and if they're playing games, I really wish they fucking wouldn't.

"That's bullshit!" Edmund snaps. "This is your production room and I fucking know it. Joe"- he gestures at one of the men, giving him a slight nod - "find it."

The man known as Joe gives a brief nod before he barrels his way towards the makeshift bar with a vengeful walk, a walk that would have me cowering if it was advancing on me. He pushes Carter and Devon out of the way before he begins kicking the front of the bar, the wood crumbling under his iron-like foot. After only a few moments, he rips the remaining wood away and three large bags of white powder, fall out of the hidden space.

"Three?" Edmund sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "That's it? You owe me seven hundred thousand dollars and that's all you've managed to produce in the last month. I knew it was a mistake to recruit you two fucking children. You're all play and no work!"

Edmund paces back and forth across the plush grey carpet, his strides long and purposeful as he watches the teenagers with a dark unwavering stare.

"We'll finish it! We'll get all the money!" Carter pleads, sweat beads forming on his forehead. Devon stays silent, a stone-cold expression marked on his face. His eyes remain distant as if he's not totally with us anymore, like he's succumbed to an inevitable punishment.

"You'll get the money for me right fucking now!" Edmund barks, coming to a standstill. "I know Daddy has money, this resort isn't a cheap stay. Make it happen."

"He'll never give me seven hundred grand!" Carter stands to his feet, his hands raised in surrender when the gun follows his movements. "Please just give me a little more time. I'll get the money!"

"You're out of time you little prick!" Edmund shouts and time seems to slow down when his cold and calculated glare, hones in on me. "You! Come here!"

"Like hell!" Drayton growls, moving me further out of sight. "We have nothing to do with whatever the fuck is happening here. We don't even know them. Just let us go before you kill them so that we don't have to witness anything."

If I wasn't so terrified I'd be stunned at how casually he talks about this entire scenario. As if getting caught in crossfire is a common occurrence for him. As if the prospect of those two boys being murdered isn't totally terrifying.

"Give me the fucking girl!" Edmund orders again, the sleeve of his shirt revealing a Rolex when he outstretches his arm.

Why the girl. Why do they always use the girl. Do I have leverage written across my forehead or something.

"Over my dead fucking body!" Drayton snarls.

"Very well then. Joe!" Edmund waves the end of his finger in our direction and within seconds a gun is being pointed at my boyfriend's forehead. A strangled squeal fills the room, it's coming from me.

Blinded by fear and distress, I walk around in front of Drayton and put myself between him and the thug that's threatening the man that means more to me than life itself.

"I'll do what you say, just please don't kill him!" I hadn't realised that tears were streaming down my cheeks until I heard my voice, quivering with sobs that I attempt - but fail - to control.

"No Dallas!" Drayton snatches my arm as I slowly walk towards Edmund. He yanks me back but I retract my wrist and fix him with a pleading glare.

"I'm okay," I whimper when I meet his pained expression. The fear in his eyes almost knocks me over; his whole body vibrates, struggling to keep in place. His fists curl into balls and I can see how badly he wants to get us out this. It's breaking him, I can see that.

"Heroic. Both of you." Edmund laughs when I reach his side. He grips my waist and stands me directly in front of him. The sting of a cold sharp object scratches my throat, the firm hold on my wrist leads me to believe that I'll have bruises forming immediately and when my eyes meet Drayton's, he's watching with an anger so fierce that it terrifies me.

"You two are going to call Daddy, get my cash or I'll slit this girl's throat. Got it?"

"She doesn't mean anything to them!" Drayton shouts, barely able to stop his body from inching forward. "They don't even know her. They don't care if she dies."

"She has nothing to do with this Edmund," Carter pleads, also looking afraid but not nearly as manic as Drayton. "Let them go."

"If you don't do what I say, not only will I kill this girl and frame you for it. I'll make sure that your time in prison is more than accommodating."

How did girls night get to this? How did we get to this at all? How does stuff like this even happen? If I'd had any inkling that we'd get caught up in a drug domestic, I would have stayed safely tucked in the arms of my man, in our hotel room. Now I have to consider that I might not ever see him again. I could die. He could. We all could. And for literally nothing. It's so painful to consider, to feel so weak and vulnerable that I can't help the tears that continue to roll down my cheeks. God I want to survive this. But I might not.

Every pulse point in my body is throbbing. My wrists, my chest, my ears. The vein in my neck pulsates so strongly that I feel my skin rhythmically pressing against the cold blade that's being held against my throat. I feel utterly out of control, even my senses have evaded me, my vision blurred and hearing impaired as I fight the overwhelming fear.

"Call your fucking Dad!" Drayton shouts so loudly that it startles me and my body jolts. A warm trickle starts to slip down the length of my neck, the metallic scent invading my nostrils. "You cut her! You fucking prick!" Drayton steps forward, a thunderous fury raging behind his eyes but he's soon bought to a halt by Joe who shoves the handgun against his chest.

"I'd stay where you are," Edmund warns with a steady tone, his face becoming flush with mine as he presses his lips against the apple of my cheek. "That's a little knick. If you come any further I'll slice her fucking jugular open."

"He's not answering!" Carter panics. The second thug pulls the phone away from Carter's ear, not allowing him to touch it in case he calls for help.

"Smash it Jake."

The thug follows Edmund's direct orders and throws the phone against the wall with a force so strong that it leaves a large dent. Panic rises bile in my throat. If they can't get their money, I'm dead. They'll kill me. And I doubt that they'll leave Drayton alive to tell the truth.

"I'll give you fifty grand!" Drayton bargains, I angle my head a little to the left, seeing his sagging defeated body staring at Edmund in the hopes of reaching some sort of arrangement. "I can't pay their debts but I'll give you fifty grand if you let her go. We don't owe you anything. But I'll give you that. Please."

"Her life is worth fifty thousand dollars?" Edmund sounds as though he's smirking. A shiver runs down my spine when his hand releases my wrist and slowly travels upwards, caressing me in a far too intimate fashion. "She must be special."

"Her life is priceless. She's worth everything to me!" Drayton growls, regaining some of his strength. "But fifty grand is all I have. Please."

Edmund must be considering the offer because Drayton's eyes remain fixed on the face behind me, an unwavering hateful scowl etched on his beautiful face. It infuriates me that he wants to spend fifty grand on me, just for my freedom which should never have been compromised in the first place. This is all wrong. All of it.

"Okay," Edmund finally replies with a sleazy voice. "Fifty grand for the girl."

"And then you let us go?"

"Of course."

Drayton begins to walk forward, having been granted permission from Joe who lowers his gun and with that action I feel a slight sense of relief.

"Get the knife away from her neck!" Drayton barks, now only standing half a meter away from me, he stretches out his tatted arm and laces our fingers together, not removing his glare from the bastard behind me.

"Do you think I'm stupid?" A hollow laugh leaves his lips and I shudder at how evil it sounds. "When I see the transfer, you'll get your girl, safe and sound."

Drayton pulls out his phone, but before he can unlock it, it's ripped from his hand and joins the cellular graveyard by the far right wall. The shattering remnants scatter on the floor and Drayton exhales through his nose, fury visible in his eyes.

"What the fuck asshole?!" he snaps. "How am I supposed to transfer the money now?!"

"Joe will lend you his phone, I have a variety of different bank apps, just look through and pick."

Drayton takes the up to date apple iPhone from Joe's hand, scowling at him through narrow eyes before he turns his attention to the mobile and his thumbs start flying across the screen. A few moments of silence pass. My attention momentarily flitters to Devon and Carter who are still being held at gunpoint by Jake. Their heads are hung low, cheeks drenched in tears and my stomach lurches at the fact that without me as leverage, there's a very good possibility that they won't be leaving this room alive. It seems as though they understand that too. I feel sick. Sick to the point where I start heaving; my body tries to curl over as I aggressively dry reach.

"Baby," Drayton's soothing voice comes through the haze, his hand caressing my cheek. "Baby, it'll be okay. Calm down."

"Get a grip girl," Edmund snarls, pulling me tighter against his body so that I can't fold in half and succumb to the nausea.

"Hey, go fucking easy cunt!" Drayton shouts, but his hand still soothes me with a tender touch. "She's scared!"

"Just get on with the transfer!"

Drayton's eyes meet mine with an intense but fierce fire within them. I can see the internal battle that he's fighting, the struggle that he's feeling within himself at the sight of my fear. His finger grazes my bottom lip and he mouths 'I love you' before he continues his task.

"Done," he announces with a clipped tone, shoving the phone back into Joe's hand. "Let her go. Now!"

"Joe, check the account," Edmund orders, refusing to release me. Dray runs a hand through his hair, his bicep tensing as he tugs on the handful of dirty blonde locks with frustration.

"It'll take a few hours!" Drayton speaks through a clenched jaw. "It's a fifty grand transfer."

"Then we'll wait."

"It's not there boss." Joe holds the phone above my head, showing Edmund the phone to prove his point. Drayton shows a mere moment of panic, it's brief and fleeting. But he quickly masks it with a harsh scowl.

"Fine, we'll wait," he snaps and steps forward, his dark green gaze flickers above my head and he pauses for a moment. "I'm just giving her a kiss." He cups either side of my face and leans down, pressing his lips against mine.

The kiss feels like a farewell, as much as I don't want it too. I can't help but feel as though there's some sort of final meaning behind it and I begin to panic when he drags his mouth along the side of my face, trailing up towards my ear.

"Run."

I almost don't hear the whispered word but at the immediate moment that it registers, the knife that had been pressed against my throat is forced away, a grunt coming from Edmund as Dray overpowers his arm, his hand redirecting the blade so that it's aimed straight at Edmund's throat before Drayton drives it backwards and it pierces Edmund's neck, the sound of flesh being sliced and a gurgled cry sounding out through the room.

"Run Dallas!" Drayton shouts at the same time he rips the knife out of Edmund's throat and pushes his fading body away. Lightning fast the knife is flung across the room and pierces Jake through the chest. All the while Drayton continues to scream at me to run, but I can't move my legs, I can't move at all. All I can do is watch the chaos unfolding in front of me; it happens so damn fast, every moment of it happens at a speed that I can't register, so I stay in place, unable to kick into flight mode.

Devon leaps forward and snatches the gun from Jake, aiming it at Joe, who has his weapon directed straight at me.

"No!" Drayton shouts and before I can react, his body is throwing mine to the ground, completely encasing me beneath his quivering frame as two shots simultaneously ring through the air.

Dray's body seizes, he rolls away and clutches his side, his eyes shut tight as he clenches and groans through a tight jaw. There is blood everywhere, his entire back is soaked in splatters of fine red dots but when I peer over at Joe, I realise that it's not all coming from Dray. A bullet wound straight between the thug's eyes is the cause of it.

However, Drayton is doing a fair amount of bleeding of his own.

"Call an ambulance!" I shriek at Devon and Carter who are on their feet, heavily breathing and taking in the horrific scene before them. My command sets them in motion and they fumble about, looking for a phone while I clutch Drayton's shoulders on either side, staring down at his pain-ridden features.

"Dray!" I whimper, tears falling down my face and landing on his black shirt. "Dray, baby, I'm sorry! I'm sorry."

"It's okay!" he huffs, breathing heavily while he attempts to pry his eyes open. "Are you alright. Are you hurt?"

Somehow, he manages to look relieved when I shake my head, chewing on my lip to stop it from quivering at the sight of all the blood that trickles through the gaps in his fingers where he holds his side.

"You've been shot!" I cry loudly, holding my hand over his own, hoping that the extra pressure will slow the bleeding. "Don't die. Dammit, please don't die! I love you. I should have run, I'm sorry."

"I'm not gonna die," he grunts, taking another series of fast, rapid breaths. "This isn't your fault. I love you. Okay. I fought back, this is my fault. I love you."

At some point, the door had been thrown open and a huge group of onlookers had gathered. I didn't pay total attention, my focus stayed on Drayton while I talked to him, keeping him semi-awake. Somewhere in the distance I was aware of voices shouting to make way for the paramedics. The fact that there were dead bodies surrounding me, dozens of people staring at my boyfriend and me, looking like a total mess with blood showered over both of us, hadn't escaped me. But I didn't care, nothing mattered except making sure that he'd be alright. I took his responsiveness as a good sign, feeling somewhat assured that maybe he'd be okay.

Maybe we both would.

• • •

"Mom, it was just a flesh wound. I'm fine."

For the hundredth time, Drayton attempts to convince his mother that he'd be quite alright. Her expression still looks broken as she stares at his large frame laying in the hospital bed, covered in sterile white linen and monitors connected to his body.

The bullet had wedged itself in his side, missing all of his organs and only needing minor surgery to remove it. The doctors assured us that he'd make a full recovery within a month at the most.

An angel had been watching over him, that's for damn sure.

After we'd been brought to the hospital and he was taken to surgery, I'd let Gray and Spence know what had happened, but asked that they come in the morning once they were sober. It had taken some convincing to get Gray to hang back until he'd sobered up, but he realised that was what was best for Drayton. His Mom and Dad were phoned immediately and had taken the next plane in, arriving six hours after the entire ordeal took place.

I haven't been back to the hotel to change, but lord knows I need to. I'm almost certain that the stench of terrified perspire has clung to me and there's a decent layer of dried blood covering my arms and legs.

The police took my statement not too long after Drayton had been brought in and when he'd woken up, they'd taken his too. Drayton wouldn't be charged with Edmund's death, it was self-defence and Jake hadn't been killed by the chest wound that he'd acquired, but he would spend a long time in jail. As will Devon and Carter for their involvement in the drug ring. They'd confirmed that Dray and I being present was just an awful coincidence.

"You could have been seriously hurt!" Ellie sobs, her dainty hand lifting Drayton's. "Well you were seriously hurt. You could have been killed!"

"I'm fine," he repeats. I don't know how fine he truly is. I think both of us will need some therapy. He took a man's life. With his bare hands and while the adrenaline of the situation had driven his actions, that still has to leave some sort of mark. He'll need to talk about it and I hope he knows there's no shame in that.

"I couldn't bear to lose another child," Ellie whispers and I see pain contort Drayton's features as he stares up the ceiling.

Leroy, who hasn't said much, but instead stares at the palm trees outside of the window, narrows his dark eyes, giving away a little of the pain that he obviously carries over the loss of his daughter. He reminds me of the Drayton that I'd known before I got to see beneath the surface. Stoic and devoid of showing emotion. Which leads me to believe that there is more than likely, a lot going on behind that forehead of his. Drayton had left for vacation on bad terms with his Dad, having had a fight the night before and I wonder if he feels guilty over it.

"Could you guys go ask the nurse when I can leave?" Drayton requests, his knuckles momentarily paling when he gives his mother's hand a gentle squeeze.

"Sure honey." She nods and Leroy doesn't waste a moment, striding across the room in a few long steps with Ellie disappearing close behind him.

"Come here baby." Drayton stretches out his arm, the lines of his IV pulling tight against his flesh.

"I'm sorry!" I tell him for the thousandth time, standing from the armchair that I'd been resting in and making my way towards the bedside. "I should have run."

"Would you stop." He chuckles his arm snaking its way around my waist. My hand reaches out and pushes through his soft hair, the small gesture reminding me how blessed I am that I'm still able to feel him beneath my hands. "I made the dangerous move to fight back. If a flesh wound is what I have to put up with for saving you then I can deal with it."

"Can you even believe we ended up in that situation," I mumble, the flashbacks flooding through the forefront of my mind, assaulting me with a bout of nausea again. "You hear about that kind of stuff happening, you just never imagine it happening to you."

"All I care about, is you being safe. As long as you are, I can deal with whatever else comes along."

The green in his round eyes is brighter than it had been last night, his pupils dilated as he stares up at me with awe. I wouldn't be totally relieved of the guilt that I feel over him being shot, if I'd been able to make my legs move faster, perhaps neither of us would have been hurt. But from the way he looks at me, it's easy to believe that he doesn't hold me responsible.

"I love you," I murmur, lowering my face to meet his lips. My hand leans on the mattress behind his head and his fingers tangle in my hair, pulling my mouth tighter to his, feeling relief flow through the simple gesture of two tongues meeting.

"I love you too," he replies with a wide smile once we've pulled apart. I remain close to him. Truthfully I don't think I'd want to be apart from him ever again. "We never got to properly celebrate those words ya know."

He gives me a devious wink and I immediately burst into an obnoxiously loud laugh, the sound echoing through the large but plain room.

"Still thinking dirty," I sigh, shaking my head from side to side. "I'm not even sure if I should be surprised."

"The day I stop thinking dirty, is the day I lose my manhood," he announces with a small shoulder shrug. "Besides, as long as you keep looking like a damn snack, I'm going to keep thinking of all the different ways I can have you."

"Yeah this mess on the top of my head, the smudged makeup and dried blood is super cute." I drawl sarcastically.

We laugh together this time and I find his lips again, an automatic response to his wide smile that I fell so in love with when we met. It's incredible how you seem to appreciate the little things when you've been so close to losing life. His laugh sounds more melodic. His mouth tastes sweeter. His face feels smoother and his hands send an electric current straight through me, a feeling so strong that I shudder under his touch.

"I love you Cheer."

"I love you too Dray."

• • •

I'm tired. Halp. I'm more of a romance type author usually. So I hope this chapter wasn't too awful. It's a little outside my usual norm. 😬. x

Please please please tap the star to vote ! Much love. Until next time. x