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I closed my eyes briefly as I realized there was no getting out of our predicament and I let myself think about my grandson. Knowing he was going to have a perfect future was comforting so I turned my attention to Dante who was watching me. He shook his head, his beautiful face distorted by all the blood and bruises. He looked back at Aleks and began saying something to the young man in another language. I couldn’t tell what he was saying of course, but I heard the words he’d told me were the game he and Aleks had played when they’d been younger.
Meu melhor…
My best…
Aleks, for his part, didn’t look up, but I saw what looked like tears running down his face. He used his hand to dash at them while Parks’s back was still turned to him so when Parks did finally turn around, Aleks was once again composed.
Dante continued to talk to Aleks until Parks said, “Shut him up,” and Dante received another vicious punch that seemed to stun him into silence. His eyes rolled back into his head and I was sure he was going to pass out, but he managed to keep it together.
“Get dressed,” Parks snapped at Aleks and he quickly jumped to his feet and began pulling his clothes on.
Parks’s hired man returned and I swallowed hard at the sight of the folded plastic in his hand. I was yanked to my feet and pulled backwards several steps, as was Dante, and then the plastic was being carefully folded out on the floor, covering the expensive looking Asian rug. Even though some of Dante’s blood was already on the carpet, I suspected Parks didn’t want to deal with the mess our bodies would leave behind.
I resisted when I was shoved back to my knees on the plastic, but it did me little good with both my hands and my feet bound.
I watched as Parks went to his desk and picked up a gun that had been sitting on it plain as day. As he began striding towards Dante with it, I shouted, “No” over and over again and tried to break free of the brutal fist that was gripping me by the hair. I couldn’t watch the man I loved die. I’d accepted my own inevitable death, but even the few seconds between watching a bullet steal Dante’s life and another one taking my own would be the worst kind of agony.
“Aleks, close your eyes, okay?” Dante said gently. “Don’t look, meu irmão.”
Parks came to a stop in front of Dante, his big body blocking my view of Aleks, so I wasn’t sure if the young man had closed his eyes or not, but it didn’t matter because my attention was only on Dante. His beautiful eyes held mine as he whispered, “I’m sorry.” He shook his head and I saw a tear trickle out of his uninjured eye. “I love you, Magnus.”
I shook my head in disbelief that this was really happening, but I held his gaze. “I love you too, baby.”
Just as the gun discharged, I saw Park’s arm jerk wildly and I heard a grunt of pain and watched in horror as Dante fell backwards. I shouted his name, but then saw him moving as he rolled to his side. Blood was flowing from a gash on his upper arm.
I jerked my eyes to Parks and saw him gasping like a fish as he reached behind his back with his free arm. When he shifted out of the way, I saw Aleks standing several feet away, a look of dismay on his tear-stained face. Parks turned to face Aleks and I suddenly understood what was happening. Aleks had plunged a gold letter opener into Parks’s back just before he’d pulled the trigger. The action had caused Parks to swing wide and miss his shot, hitting Dante in the arm instead of the head like he’d been planning.
Time slowed down as the two men standing over me and Dante looked on in stunned silence as Parks swung out with his gun hand, hitting Aleks in the face and knocking him to the ground. I realized the injury to his back wasn’t critical enough to slow Parks down and as he pointed the gun at Aleks, I leapt to my feet, hoping I could somehow throw myself against Parks and deflect his aim. But I knew I wouldn’t have enough time as I head-butted the man behind me holding me down and used his body as leverage to climb to my feet. The sound of bone cracking above my head registered briefly as I broke the man’s nose and I saw the other guy lunge at me only to fall as Dante swept his legs out in front of the man, but it didn’t matter because Parks and Aleks were too far away.
