Dangerous | b.w.s

90

I watch as Brad's eyes move down to the cold blade of steel, his breathing increasing and mine consequently doing so. I know that this is bad but my body doesn't seem to be reacting as I thought it would have, it's everything like my dreams but nothing like them all at the same time. I'm frozen to the spot and my brain doesn't seem to be registering emotions. I know that I'm afraid but I can't feel it.

"I'm going to need an answer, lover boy." The man glares at Brad now, clearly getting frustrated with him.

"Look, we can talk ab-"

"No more fucking talking!" He shouts, almost screams. Saliva sprays into the air before us as his eyes bulge out of his skull.

"Fine. The easy way." Brad quickly answers.

"Well, that's no fun." The man sighs. His mannerisms almost remind me of a villain out of a comic book, so unbelievable that it's believable.

He walks even closer to Brad, twirling the blade between his fingers intimidatingly. His eyes glaze over me slowly before returning to Brad.

"So, please tell me how it is that you think you can get away with just leaving my business?" He sneers. "This isn't some office job you can skip out on, this is real, and you owe me a lot of money."

"I don't owe you shit. I told you I was done." Brad speaks through his teeth, his own rage surely building up and getting the better of him. I squeeze his hand even tighter.

"You don't get to decide when you leave!" He shouts again, making me jump. It's almost like he has no control over his emotions. "I decide when you fucking leave, you hear me?" He thrusts his knife in the air as he talks.

"You can have it all back, I don't want it and I'm sure as hell not going to fucking sell it. I get to leave and you get your shit back to pass onto some other puppet you can control." Brad responds, I can feel his hand shaking in mine with either nerves or anger.

I'm not even aware of my own emotions at this point. Too much is going on. Trying to fathom the idea of what's even happening is almost impossible, I don't think anyone is prepared for this kind of situation or how to deal with it. Along with the revelations about Brad lying to me, it's just too much to handle. I'm frozen.

"That's not how this works." He shuts Brad down. "I'm going to get my shit back and you're going to pay for it. You see, I can't let it get out that you got off easily, that would ruin everything I've built up." He steps one more step closer.

"I'll pay whatever, how much do you want?" Brad offers, staring the stranger dead in the eye.

"Oh I don't want money, Brad. I need you to pay in a more...direct way." He smirks at him and raises the blade up between them.

My heart drops to my stomach as I'm hit with realisation and flashes of my dreams blur my vision.

"No." I blurt out desperately. "Please." I beg the man who turns to face me.

"Would you look at that?" He smirks. "You actually do have someone who cares about you."

"Just leave him alone, do whatever you want to me, I don't care. Please just-" I trail off, I don't know what I'm saying all I know is Brad can't get hurt. We've come too far, we've been through so much, it can't just end here.

"That's moving, really, it is." The man sarcastically replies to me with a hand on his heart. "But there's only one way this works."

"Please-"

"Sorry, love." The man interrupts me.

In a quick movement, his arm swings back and thrusts forwards towards Brad. I instinctively scream as everything suddenly slows down. I freeze and stare with wide wet eyes as Brad grunts and his hands fly down to where the knife exits his body. His perfect face scrunches up in pain as he loses his balance and drops to the floor.

Suddenly, everything speeds back up and I'm back to reality. I drop down to my knees and turn Brad over so that he's laying on his back.

"Brad, please, no no no no no. This isn't happening, just breathe ok, just-" I sob, my throat heaving and aching as I place my hands on top of his wound, applying as much pressure as I possibly can.

That's what people do in these situations right? I don't know. I can't think straight.

"You just have to breathe ok, stay with me. I'm going to call an ambulance." I reach into my pocket and grab my phone, quickly dialling the three-digit number and hysterically telling the woman on the other end what I possibly can.

Brad grunts and groans beneath me as I hang up the phone and throw it on the floor beside me.

"Please, Brad. You can't leave me, don't do this to me." I sob and sob.

"Hey, Liv." He finally speaks, his voice hoarse and weak. "Look at me, babe." The pet name makes even more sobs fall from deep inside of me.

He reaches up and places his hands on either side of my face, his hands are warm and wet but they give me the same comforting feeling of home that they always do. I lean into his hands and sob more quietly now as his thumb rubs back and forth softly on my skin.

"It's ok, it's ok." He repeats softly to me. "I want you to move on, Liv. Don't stay hung up on me forever."

"Shut up, don't do that. Don't say goodbye." I shake my head but he holds me still and makes me look into his brown eyes that once held so much darkness in them, but now all I see is pain.

"If I don't make it. I want you to be happy, you deserve that." He continues.

"No, you're going to make it, I know you are." I grip onto his hands that still rest on my cheeks but soon realise I need to be holding his wound so I let go.

"I love you...so fucking much." He begins to cry now and the sight of that makes my heart break even more. "I'm so happy you came into my life and changed everything. You've made me a...a better person, Liv. And I know that I haven't treated you anywhere near h-how you deserve to be treated and fuck do I regret that more than any-anything." He coughs.

"Stop. Stop it." I cry, I can't hear him say goodbye like this, I can't say goodbye to him. He can't leave.

"No, you need to listen." His hands drop from my face, taking my hands in his and gripping tightly. "Thank you for giving me something to live for." He cries.

I lean forwards and rest my forehead against his, our tears mixing as we both cry to each other. I place my hand on his cheek and run my thumb along his cheekbone.

"I love you." I sob.

Brad responds by putting his lips to mine, placing a single soft kiss on them that has more meaning than any of the kisses we have ever shared.

Blue lights flash at the end of the alleyway, soon followed by three people dressed in bright yellows carrying heavy equipment.

"Please help him!" I cry to them.

Someone tells me to move out of the way, so I do. I manage to clamber to my feet as they lift his body routinely and place him on a bright red stretcher, strapping his body in tightly. They begin to carry him out of the alley and I freeze as I watch him.

His face pale, his eyes closed. The only hint of colour a dark red on his cheeks in the shape of a handprint from where I touched him last. Everything slows down again as I watch them lift him up and place him in the back of the flashing truck.

/ / / /

THE END.

Ok I know y'all hate me but stories are meant to make you feel things and I knew from the start of this story that it couldn't have a happy ending.

Right now, there will be no sequel, but I have ideas for one and I may do one in the future.

See you guys soon.