Leather & Lace- THE SPECTER SERIES [book five]

Chapter FORTY NINE

Lacey Paxton

Ace's eyes roll and his chin falls to his chest.. You keep pressure on his wound, your heart hurting profusely, though you fight to ignore it, your mind clearing as the ingrained medical procedures begin to direct you.. One hand shifts to his neck, his pulse flutters beneath your fingertips..

He is alive.. For now.. If he is lucky, and you know he is, he has avoided any ventricular damage and the bleeding will subside, though if he has damage to any vital organs his chances of survival will greatly decrease and there is so much blood you can barely tell what is what.. "Call an ambulance!"

You turn to see Kingsley's cold impassive expression turn to mocking contemplation as he takes out a handkerchief, cleaning the tip of his pistol before tucks his gun back into his coat without a care.. "No, love.. Your boyfriend knew what he was getting himself into when he came here today.. Since, you all thought you could set me up, I figured I'd repay the favour.. Tit for tat.."

As you quell the blood flow, there, trucked beneath Ace's sports coat you spy his matte back M18..

Dammit.. You hate guns.. HATE THEM!!

No, actually.. You HATE Kingsley!!

You hate that he is making you do this yourself.. He has taken everything from you.. He took your freedom.. The day you were stolen from the street, shoved in a windowless van and marked as property..

He took your autonomy.. Your ability to make decisions in which you can trust, to trust yourself..

He took your innocence.. When he forced himself on you, violating your very existence..

He took your love.. Like a man with no shame or remorse he had shot Ace without a second thought..

He took your justice.. This was supposed to end differently.. Not like this.. This is all wrong.. He took your revenge.. He is supposed to be dead!

You turn your attention back to Ace, his chest rising and falling sporadically, his eyes closed and muscle lifeless.. "Please.. Please, God.. Don't do this.. You can't do this.." You whisper the soft prayer as you sob over Ace's unconscious mass..

Kingsley becomes increasingly impatient.. "Jake, secure the little doctor, would you?.."

Rafferty steps forward as the thug you recognise as 'Blue' holds a swaying, dazed and likely concussed Hunter by the back of the neck..

Not again..

You can't go back into the storage unit.. You don't want to be manhandled and manipulated like some mindless sex-doll.. Exploited and sold like livestock, dehumanised and demeaned..

You can't.. You won't!

"With pleasure, Dave.." Rafferty takes two swift menacing steps towards you, and you know you don't have time to think about it.. Consequences be damned..

You had been too slow to act in the past.. That had gotten you abducted.. It had possibly gotten Sanjake killed.. It had gotten Ace gut-shot.. You won't make that mistake again.. You need to be brave..

You ARE brave!

Fuck this guy!

Rafferty is a monster of a man, no better than Kingsley.. Maybe even worse.. At least Kingsley doesn't pretend to be some war hero.. You pull Ace's gun from the holster strapped around his shoulders, turning it on Rafferty in a flash as you rise to your feet and pull back the hammer until it clicks.. "Don't you fucking touch me!.. I'm serious.. I will shoot you.. I swear to God, I will!.." Your voices wobbles as you issue the warning unconvincingly..