Hitting on the hitman

The final chapter. (85)

I hadn't noticed it at the time, but it turns out that the minute the bullet hit my father his men stopped fighting and somehow I ended up here. It's blurred. Shaky.

"Guess I owe you my life." Lucas smiled warmly I returned his smile weakly.

"If it weren't for you, I'd be dead." He stuttered as if shuddering from the thought.

"Yeah."

If it weren't for you, my brother would be alive. My father, my family.

He gave me an empathetic smile. His lips were still stained with blood and his face was still cut and bruised.

"I'm sorry you had to do that." He mumbled.

I didn't reply to that, what was I meant to say? It's okay?

Hours had gone by since I left the warehouse, The fighting had stopped since my father was killed, they followed their code.

At least my father didn't die for nothing. Or maybe he did. Maybe his legacy is gone, everything he built up. For me.

I sat on a crumbly old wall outside the warehouse. Watching men go in and out. Watching ambulances come through. At least a couple dozen. They kept on loading body bag after body bag, with each one I saw, I questioned which one was my father and which was my brother. I'm glad I never found out.

Eventually, the guys approached us, bloody and beaten, but attempting to comfort me despite it. Max stayed back though. As if maybe he came to some epiphany that my father could have been him. That if I was capable of killing my own father, I could kill him. It wasn't like he hadn't seen that side of me before. But either way, I didn't blame him.

"Well, the good news is, you lot aren't being arrested." Leo smiled at us. It was warm and genuine. I think they all needed it. It was a change from his normal hostility towards them.

"But the bad news, my uncle wants you all to start training sanctioned by the u.s government." He laughed.

"What?!" Jack whined.

"Yeah, if you wanna stay out of jail. You work for us now." He rubbed his neck.

"So much for freedom," Jack muttered under his breath.

"Thank you, Leo." Lucas smiled ignoring Jack and Leo just nodded back.

"Could I speak to Jess alone for a moment?"

Lucas tightened up and gave me a look which I ignored and he and the guys slowly walked away.

"How are you?"

"I'm okay." I smiled.

"Really?"He cocked his eyebrow, his face plastered with surprise.

"Yeah." I paused, and we were both silent for a moment. "I will be."

"Look Jess, I'm really sorry about how I acted."His expression sunk and he seemed to grow tense.

"Don't worry about it." I smiled again, I kept wondering if my eyes were letting me down because he never seemed to believe me.

"I was hurt, I thought I was doing what's best for both of us."

"You don't have to explain yourself to me." I laughed, forcing myself to be warm and casual.

"No, I do, there is no excuse, it took almost losing you to realise that. I realise now life is too short to waste it, to throw it away on stupid what-ifs and maybes."

I looked up at him, intrigued, had the experience really been so terrifying?

I couldn't really remember much of it.