I walk towards Declan, and he holds my arm tightly, guiding me inside the forest. Everything that happens next is a blur, both because it happens in a fraction of a second and because it’s dark; all I see are shadows and silhouettes. Someone attacks Declan. Dominik does, I’d recognise him in any shape or form.
Declan is thrown to the ground, and there are several punches involved after. I don’t see them clearly, just the movement, but I do hear Dominik and Declan’s fists hitting each other’s faces. I’ll have to trust Dominik is just as deadly as Declan. He took on the mastermind role for the operations soon after Declan left. He was the only one they found who could do an equally good job.
When the moving stops for a second, I see someone reaching for a rock, Declan. I run towards the cliff and count my steps as a guide of how many centimetres I have between me and a 60-metre free fall.
“Declan, don’t! If you do, I’ll jump. You’ll never have me,” I don’t understand what happens next, but I see someone get up. Dominik, he walks in my way, and I wonder where Declan is. If we’re safe, if Declan isn’t going to attack Dominik again.
I hold my breath when Dominik comes near enough for me to see the damage to his face and head. “Are you going to be-”
My ankle twists with all the shaking and my foot slips; I fall down towards the cliff. I feel myself fall a few metres and close my eyes waiting for the impact, but it never comes.
“Hold my wrist, Love,” Dominik screams and I look up. He’s holding my wrist with one hand and a tree with theother. I grab his wrist and hold on for dear life.
“I’m going to fall,” I yell sobbing, my voice breaks as tears stream down my face. I wonder how long I’ve been crying for, but right now I’m more worried about my hands loosening their grasp on Dominik’s wrists.
“Don’t let go, Love,” he screams, but I do.
“But you’ll fall,” I scream and he lets go of the tree to hold me. My arm starts hurting and I want to give in to the strength of holding all my body’s weight.
“My only way down is with you. And I promise you, you’re not falling, ma Vie,” Dominik says and I hold him again. I can see his green eyes shine with the moonlight, and tears are actually coating them. I hold his arm, and when he pulls me up, I help him by putting my feet against the floor and trying to stand again on the cliff’s edge.
When Dominik manages to drag me up, he lets us fall behind, me over him. Away from the cliff. “You saved us,” I whisper to him, my body tensing up when his hand falls on my waist.
“I’ll always do,” Dominik whispers back, fog leaving his mouth, my teeth chatter, until Dominik wraps both his arms around me.
“I can’t thank you enough,” I say and Dominik’s hold shifts. I feel the tension in the air; I can almost grip it.
“Do you like me or do you appreciate all I did for you?” Dominik asks and I don’t think before acting. I kiss him, wildly, like I was waiting for it for the two years I’ve known him, and maybe I was. Dominik doesn’t need to fight me for dominance; I give it to him. That’s the thingwith Dominik. I trust him blindly, in any circumstance.
As Dominik’s lips roughly brush against mine, his tongue owning me, his hand slides to my back and glues us together. My body tingles to the level my nipples harden, brushing against Dominik’s clothes and chest.
“I’d love to fuck you here, but your brother is about to regain consciousness, and he’d kill me. Or die trying. And I’d much rather keep you to myself,” he says, slightly parting our lips , he helps me up right after. I walk in the darkness, with no clue where I’m stepping, holding onto Dominik’s arm as if he’d disappear if I didn’t.
“Joker, come to live, man. Declan is dead,” Dominik says and for some reason I take a hit on my soul. Declan is dead. I killed Max. Dominik killed Declan. Rian’s got no family left. No one but us. Josh and I are his family now.
“Can I take your phone?” I ask Dominik, he nods and hands it to me. It’s exactly midnight. I check the phone and there’s no reception. Happy New Year. We get out of there, when the phone has one bar. Dominik calls Kai, and they come to pick us up. Dominik and Josh refuse to go to the hospital or be seen by a doctor. Thankfully, Declan isn’t the only doctor in the family. Rian is a paediatric surgeon; he can perfectly access their wounds. And he does, even after Josh tells him the news. He acts tough and doesn’t cry until he closes his room’s door. I knock on it after saying goodnight to Dominik and Josh, who are planning to move, Damian, Marcus, and Dominik himself, to our private condominium. As they said, we need to strengthen security, our alliances, and our family’s power. Because every pawn on the board is moving and the board itself is shaking. A strong shiftis about to happen and I’m not sure I’ll like the extra protection again. But right now I couldn’t care less. Rian doesn’t answer me when I knock, but I come in anyway. He’s curled up on his side on the bed. I go towards him and don’t try to engage in conversation; all I do is hug him from behind and let him cry his eyes out. I stay like that all night, until I end up blacking out from tiredness.
An era has ended. A (hopefully) better one is starting.
Chapter 5
Love
“Come on, tell me, Ry!” I request as soon as Rian is mentally capable of talking.
“I can’t tell you, it’s not up to me to tell. Ask your father or mother-”
“Come on, they won’t tell me, they’ll keep me in the blind,” I request but Rian starts getting ready for work instead of answering me. “They won’t know I know,” I promise but he stays silent. “I invoke best friend rights to know everything you do,” Rian sighs and sits on the bed in his shirt and boxers.
“If I tell you, will you let it go?” Rian asks and checks his phone before looking at me, and I nod at him. “Fine, my father tried to rape your mother. You gave him a fucking fair end,” he says, Rian always liked my family better but his hands still shake.
“Listen to me, Rian. You’re no less of my favouriteperson for feeling sad. He was your dad. I’ll never forgive myself Rian,” I say and he hugs me.
“You can and should. The bastard never loved me anyway,” that is true, he always clearly and openly preferred Declan. I hold Rian’s slim but athletic figure and stroke his blonde hair until his breathing is back to a regular rhythm. We stay there for god knows how long. I hold him with my eyes closed, grateful to have him, sorry for what happened yesterday. Rian is calming himself in my hold.
“Shit, I’m late,” he says when he must’ve looked at the clock on his bedside table. He throws some pants on, gets his sports bag, kisses my cheek and leaves. I stay in his room, sensing his scent to calm myself down before getting out.
Rian made me really proud today. Whenever he feels out of control he goes to fighting clubs, and punches the hopelessness away. For the first time he managed not to directly go there. I’m going to have Damian check on Rian after work in case he changes his mind.
