𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐓𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰

13 - Damages.

“Nice choice,” Elgon smiled, and Elsa swallowed before she could slap his broad arm away from her shoulder, “Men. Release the brat.”

With all the strength he had left, no more longer than a matter of moments Aiden caught the shoved four year old in his arms and he emotionlessly clutched her close, equally desolated as the girl in his arms with betrayal written across their glossy orbs.

Elsa’s eyes were elsewhere, and Aiden knew she couldn’t face them because she had to do this. She was becoming a pawn to Elgon’s mindless game and he despised the foul, bitter taste it left on his mouth.

Aiden just didn’t know they were locked on similar blue irises behind a parking column.

Claire clung on to him tighter; closer so she wouldn’t see anything she didn’t want to see. She has heard the things she didn’t want to hear, oh the poor child. His fingers crawled up to her lighter blonde strands, and he soothed her even though he knew entirely well comfort cannot be enough.

Fate had other plans.

Or, should Elsa say, Heine had other plans.

Unfortunately, Elgon had a sharp ear, so he managed to hear the pained grumbles coming from the two thugs formerly situated at his sides, and his startled gaze found the blood trickling down their jeans—causing him to frantically remove his arm from around the CEO’s shoulder to heighten his senses. Before he could take the contract back to his clutches, the agonizing rip from Elsa’s fingertips echoed repeatedly through his ears.

A maniacal intention usurped him.

Aiden hoisted Claire up to his hip swiftly and covered her ears. He scrambled up to his feet just in time to grab Elsa’s arm to drag her away from the commotion brimming in the center—

Claire screamed; and Aiden toppled over with a pained groan leaving his lips before he heard another gunshot.

Elsa’s knees suspended beneath her as she gathered all her strength to pull even half of his body up to her lap. Her heart ached while his own begged for mercy, and her tears cascaded down her cheeks after she heard him whimper in agony the moment she found the bloody gash by his abdomen. Aiden’s crimson essence coated her skin, and now, it almost felt just as excruciating to look at her hands.

Aiden argued with his body and weakly reached up with his own, wincing as every ounce of his strength is rapidly vanishing.

He reached up higher and higher, until he got to caress the pale freckles contrasting her lush face. Elsa leaned against his touch, until she decided to dip her face down against the cooling crook of his neck. Even at the brink of death, he still smells like fantasy and flowers, the ones he loved to give her when he would tend to his mother’s garden every Saturday morning.

A sob betrayed her throat and Elsa hugged him tighter, emitting a wince from him. She murmured a silent apology; I’m sorry I dragged you into my own mess, I’m sorry you had to clean up a mess that isn’t yours, I’m so sorry—

“I-i..”

Her watery eyes darted downwards to meet his. She hardly expected for him to be able to utter a single syllable at this point, seeing how it would cost him a dear breath. Elsa was doing her best to stop the fruition of her tears, all because she couldn’t afford to lose the sight of him more.