KATHERINE
"Katherine..."
Katherine instantly froze the second she heard Damien call out her name.
She could recognize his voice even in her sleep, and she knew without a doubt that he was the one calling.
The shotgun in her hand trembled, and she swallowed heavily, her whole body turning slowly, and her jaw dropped open when she locked gazes with him.
He was not the only one present, and her heart slammed hard in her chest when she saw that police officers were wholly surrounded everywhere, alongside some other men who were heavily dressed and armed with weapons.
From what she could see, she was already outnumbered, and her men were no match for these men.
Her worst nightmare was coming to pass, and a swear escaping her lips, she wondered just how they had come to know of her whereabouts.
How come? Who had given them some intel?
Slowly, she turned her face and stared at her men one by one, trying to see if she could catch the traitor, but they all looked scared and shocked as she was.
The breeze whipped heavily, and her face turned again to look at the bitch Madison, who was now looking at Damien with her mouth dropped open and tears streaming down her face.
The sight angered Katherine, and once again, snapping back to her senses, she took some steps towards Madison, and pointing the gun at her head, she asked defiantly, "What are you doing here?"
She was trying her best to mask her fear and appear strong when she was slowly breaking inside.
"Katherine, please, can you drop the gun down." Damien said, his empty hands raised as if in surrender, and Katherine only scoffed.
Her hands shook violently, and her whole body quaked at the same time too, but still, she still had a stern countenance as she asked yet again, half yelling, "What are you doing here? How did you know about my whereabouts? Who gave you intel? Who!"
Her words echoing throughout the beach, Katherine stared straight at him, waiting for him to say something, and he did.
He had been kneeling before, but now he stood up and started walking closer to her, every step he took bringing chills all through her body.
"Please, Katherine... "Please, Katherine... please don't pull the trigger. Please don't!"
"Who are you to tell me what to do?"
"Just... just drop the..."
"Who the fuck gave you intel?" She roared yet again, cutting him halfway through his speech, and suddenly he stopped walking.
His gaze was flickering from hers to Madison, and then he said, "I got the location of your warehouse from the text you sent to me some days ago and...."
The wheels in Katherine's head started to turn, and she cursed abrasively as she remembered the text message he was talking about.
"That's impossible!" She blurted out suddenly, "Someone must have given you intel about my warehouse because there's no way you would have tracked me. I paid to get that burner phone specifically made for me. There was no way you could have traced me through that simple message. I..."
She was still speaking when suddenly Damien whistled and then she saw two men dragging a masked man from the car towards her.
She didn't even need the mask to be removed because she already knew who this person was.
The man she'd left at the warehouse.
Now she knew they'd gotten to the warehouse, and the motherfucker, had brought them here.
"I don't know what to say to you anymore, Katherine. But you have to believe me when I say I did trace you through the message you sent, and when we got to the empty warehouse, we met one of your men. You should have been more discreet, and you shouldn't have sent that text if you didn't want to be caught."
"Shut up!" Katherine screamed, rage filling her and she dragged the gun away from Madison's forehead to Damien and the men behind him.
"So this motherfucker...." She began after a while, staring at the man who'd brought them to the beach, as she continued, "He dared show you guys where I was. He dared to do that."
"Katherine, please. The issue of the location is not the problem. Just drop the gun and tell me what you want. I promise you that I would...."
"As if you would give me what I want...." She mumbled to herself.
"Katherine, please. Please tell me what you want. Just drop the gun and tell me. I can't have you...."
Her whole body and hand were shaking, but even then she didn't stop pointing the gun at him.
She dragged the gun from his face to that of the men behind him, and when she saw that they had their guns pointed back at her, a chill ran down her spine.
If she dared pull a trigger now, these men would open fire, and they would decorate her body with bullets.
No, she couldn't afford to die just like that. The chances of her even shooting Madison now and going scot-free were so slim, and rage filling her soul, her hate for the bitch intensified.
Alongside a deep splitting pain in her skull, she yelled out in agony and anger.
Dragging her bent head back to face Damien, she then said slowly, a smirk on her face, "If you want us to talk well, you just have to do one thing for me."
"What is that? You say it, and it would be done."
Good! This was precisely what she wanted to hear. She was a bit irritated that Damien was this vulnerable because of Madison, but then... she had to use this opportunity well.
"What do you want, Katherine? Just tell me...." Damien asked again, but before he could finish, she chimed, "You can start by asking your men to drop the guns they are holding. Loosen the tie of my man and push him over to this side."
Silence occurred after a while as she made that request, and then Damien asked, "Is that all?"
"Yes. For now." Katherine said curtly with a smirk, and still holding her gaze, she heard him say, "Done. Your wish will be granted!"
.......
Damien waited for his men to drop their guns and kneel in surrender before he could continue.
He was sweating profusely. Dread and fear filled him, as he stared at Katherine dangling the shotgun in front of Madison's forehead.
If she mistakenly pulled the trigger, the deed would be done, Madison would be gone, and Damien wasn't sure he would be able to live with that traumatic imagination.
"Katherine..." Damien began again, but as he called her name, he was staring directly at Madison.
She was crying, and she looked so battered and bruised.
Damien's heart clenched when he saw her state, and even though she was not saying anything, the look in her eyes communicated her lot.
He could see that she was already tired and weary, but he could also see that she looked hopeful.
Hopeful about what? That he'd come to save her? Or that she might see him one last time before...
"I'm sorry, Madison, I am..." He mouthed softly, staring deep at her, and when he made that statement from afar, he saw a tear trickling down her face.
She opened her mouth as if to say something too, and just before she could, Katherine gave her a heavy push, and she fell to the floor with a thud.
"What did you just say to her, you son of a...." Katherine half yelled, the gun in her hand swinging about from Madison back to him, and Damien began to panic.
"Katherine, please drop the gun, or keep it by your side." Damien pleaded as he continued to walk towards her, his hands up in surrender, but she wasn't listening.
"I said, what did you say to this bitch? What the hell did you mouth to her? Do you think I don't know? You think..."
Damien wanted to scoff and call her bluff, but he couldn't.
He dared not forget that she was raging mad in front of him, with a gun in her hand, and if she mistakenly pulled the trigger, then it would be over.
"Katherine..." Damien muttered, coming to a brief stop as he stood not too far away from her, and he continued, "I promise if you drop the gun. I'll... I'll..." He stuttered, struggling to finish his words, but he finally did and said, "I promise to come back to you. I promise never to leave you anymore. You want me to forget about Madison, right, and build a family with you, right? Then I promise I would, Katherine. Anything you want me to do I...."
"Oh, will you shut up!" Katherine yelled at him, her head shaking furiously as she continued to swing the shotgun in her hand, but Damien didn't stop talking.
He'd never sounded so genuine in his entire life than he was now, and his heart tightened when he realized that he might have to keep up to the end of his bargain if she so much as dropped the gun.
But he would go through with it. He was a man of his word, and he was doing this because of Madison.
"I swear on my soul Katherine. You have too...."
"Oh, you think you can fool me?" Katherine queried immediately; he was done talking and corking the gun; she continued, this time chuckling wickedly, "You think you can use sweet words to charm me? I want you to know that all these won't change my mind."
"Please, Katherine..." Damien begged again, his whole body shaking and filled with sweat as he took a step towards her, but all his efforts at begging proved abortive.
"I'm not a fool, you see Damien. I don't even want you or your love anymore, you know. I knew that you never loved me too all these while, and look at me. I've been living just perfectly fine without it and...." She paused, placing her hand on her forehead and rubbing slightly as if in pain.
"Is anything wrong with you, Katherine? Are you...?" Damien asked, but she cut his speech and dropped a bombshell, "You should also know that if I can't have your love in this life, then this miserable bitch can't have it either."
"Katherine..." Damien screamed, the pace of his feet on the sandy beach increasing as he heard her pull the trigger and point the gun at Madison.
With lightning speed, Damien ran towards where Madison lay on the sand, unmoving with wide eyes, and he fell on top of her still body.
Before he could see the bullet flash, his eyes widening in terror, Damien felt the cold touch of the weapon against his back, causing a burning sensation in his skin.
The bullet hit its mark and tore into his chest. As he raised his hand shielding Madison, he slammed on the floor with huge force, his jaw dropping open as his eyes rolled uncontrollably.
His mouth gurgled as blood gushed out, and it spilled across the sand and onto the girl beneath him, his body convulsing violently simultaneously.
Damien couldn't move. His vision blurred, and his thoughts were racing and jumbled as he struggled to fight back this pain.
As his eyes dropped, the last thing he heard was a loud, piercing scream which was undoubtedly Madison's, and as the whole place spun in circles, he lost consciousness.
Damien came to one stark realization, though, and it had him smiling still.
He'd saved Madison. Katherine had shot her, he'd taken the bullet, and his Maddie was alive and well.
This was the only thing he wanted! Nothing else mattered, and with this knowledge, he could be at peace even in death.
.......
Thanks for reading. 💕