The Bursting Heat (Book 2) ✓

34 - Finally free

Ali

I had nowhere to run. I knew it, Snake knew, and from the sleek smile that I could see on his face, he was really happy about it. I wonder did he knew where I was this whole time and just waited for a moment where I will be alone, or when my guard and Rafi's will drop...or if he just found where I was. He wasn't known for having a lot of patience, so for him to know my address and not coming sooner – it was hard to believe it. That information didn't help me in any way, but my mind was like that – when I started to wonder about something, I'll continue no matter if it was the right place or time. Just like right now. Instead of running away and trying to hide someplace in the small house, I was still staying frozen in the kitchen, looking through the window and waiting to see what he'll do. He didn't disappoint. With a calmness in his steps that gave me chills, he moved closer and closer to the house. When he was at the back door, he pulled out a gun and pointed it at the lock. That finally made me move from my frozen state. I looked around me for some kind of weapon. I heard the gunshot the second my hand grabbed one of the big kitchen knives. I turned around just in time to see him entering the house. His hair was impeccable as always, his black costume too. The fire in his black eyes was a death signal nothing good was about to follow. I quickly threw the knife in his direction, but he managed to avoid it. I took another and threw it, again I didn't harm him. He was just slowly walking toward me. With the next knife I tried something new and I threw two one after the other, that manage to surprised him and while he was avoiding the first, the second managed to nick his cheek, but nothing more. He slowly touched his cut and then looked at his fingers that had little traces of blood.

"That wasn't nice, doll."

"Fuck you!" He was a few steps away from me, could already smell his awful cologne.

"Will get to that, but first I want to..." The kettle on the stove decided that moment to signalize the water in it was boiling. That sound managed to distract Snake for a split of a second, but it was all I had, I grabbed the hot kettle and threw it at him. The lid managed to slip out, and the hot water was spilling all over him, while the kettle hit him in the chest. The screams that followed will be edged in my mind for years.

"You fucking bitch! I'm gonna kill you!" I didn't want to wait a second to see what he had planned. I used the moments when he was still struggling with the pain to get far away from the house, hoping someone will be able to help me or at least call the police. I was running on the street when I heard the heavy footsteps behind me getting closer and closer. Then a hand grabbed me around the neck and started squeezing. "Now bitch...you have nowhere to run. You are mine, again...and you really won't like what I'm about to do to you for this stunt with the water. You are going to pay for this... big time." I tried to get away from him, use everything I had in my arsenal of moves from Rafi and our brothers, but nothing worked...it was like he knew what I was about to do seconds before I did it....it was frustrating, but at the same time it was exhausting, too. But one thing was sure, I wasn't going to let him win, not easily, at least. I was going to fight with everything I had in me.

He started dragging me back to the house, and I was trying to slow him down with every step. When he finally had enough, he pulled his gun and shot at the ground near my feet.

"You are going to stop right now, you fucking bitch, or I'm gonna shoot you and you are not gonna like it." I didn't want to follow his instructions, but at the same time I knew that it was going to be even harder to get away from him with a gunshot wound. So, I stopped struggling and walked backwards to the black car that I haven't seen was parked in front of Rafi's house. Just when we were getting close to it, I heard a speeding vehicle moving in our direction. When I looked to where the sound was coming from, I saw the SWAT truck getting closer to us. Snake saw it, too, because he quickly moved his gun from its previous place on my temple to the moving vehicle and shot at it. Again and again, he was shooting, but the vehicle didn't stop until I could clearly see its driver - Rafi. The hatred filling his eyes was something I had never seen on his face. But he wasn't looking at me. His eyes were directed at the man now holding me in front of him, like a body shield. No one moved for a few minutes. Like everyone was calculating their best options. Then the driver's door opened, and Rafi made a move to get out.

"Don't you even think about it! I'm going to shoot you on the spot if you get out of the truck."

"Okay, okay, I'm staying. But I wanted to talk for a bit, see if we can come up with something that everyone is happy with."

"I can't see how this can happen, man. I'm pretty sure you want that bitch alive, and I want her death..." I could see the twitch in Rafi's jaw after hearing Snake's statement.

"Yeah, you are correct about me wanting her alive. Any chance of you changing your mind?"

"Not a change. She caused me a lot of trouble, and she deserves to die for it."

"What kind of troubles?" I had no idea what Rafi was trying to do with all these questions. That was until I could see a small movement of the back window opposite Rafi's side. From the way Snake was bitching about my errors it was obvious he didn't see the movement. I took a quick look at Rafi whose face was nothing but calm at the moment. It was really earing how calmed he look right now, when I knew he was nothing but. I saw a small nod from him, like he was confirming something with someone inside the truck. Then his eyes were directed at me, like he was trying to tell me something without words. He looked at me, then down at the ground, at me, at the ground. I guess he wanted me to duck down, but I wasn't sure how I was supposed to do it since Snake's hand was firmly holding my neck. But I was going to try. This was my only option at the moment.

I took a deep breath, then another, trying to calm my nerves and trying to act as quickly as I could. When I looked back at Rafi, I saw him giving me a small nod. Here goes nothing. I took my left foot away from the ground and stomped with everything I had on Snake's. Then I tried to lay on the ground using the momentum of his pain and distraction, but it didn't work, he grabbed me and pulled me back to his front, the gun back at my temple.

"Nice try, bitch, but it will be your last one." The whispered words made me realize that this was it, my end was going to be right now. I took a look at Rafi who was long forgotten his calm mask and just silently whispered the three words that I was scared to tell him after he found me in that house.

"I love you." I didn't wait to see his reaction. I closed my eyes waiting for the inevitable. I herd the shot. It was quieter than I expected, and I waited to feel the pain that I was sure was coming my way. But I didn't feel a pain. What I did feel was the falling of the body behind me. I opened my eyes and turned around just in time to see Snake on the ground with a bullet wound on his forehead, the last breath leaving his lips. My mind was a mess. I couldn't understand what was happening. The next thing I knew, hands were engulfing me from behind, holding me tight to a big, warm body that smelled like home.

"Don't you ever do that to me, Tulie, you hear me? Don't you ever do that to me." I could feel his whole body shaking, the quick breaths he was taking close to my neck, the rapid movements of his chest. He was scared. I have never seen Rafi scared. A few minutes passed by before his and mine heartbeats calmed down. I didn't even register the movements around us, nor the voices. It was like I was in a bubble with Rafi, and we both were trying to calm down and accept that everything was fine, that it was over. Then he managed to speed my pulse once again with just whispering a few simple words in my ear. "I love you, too, Tulie."   

            

***Ali is finally free from her past. It was a long journey, but she managed to make it with the constant encouragement of Rafi. Can we have some appreciating votes for this couple?