Party of Three | MMF Romance (Complete)

28 | BADBYE

28 | BADBYE

Nichole's heart is beating so fast and so loud that she swears she can hear it in her ears.

When she reaches the door that will lead her to freedom, she closes it instead of stepping out of it. Had she been trapped here alone, she would've taken the risk and tried to leave. But she isn't alone. Taehyun is with her and Ademar is on the way. She isn't stepping foot off this property unless it's with the two of them by her side.

"Fuck! What is happening out there?" Nichole mutters under her breath. She takes a few steps back, keeping the gun raised and pointed at the door.

The noises going off around her sound like something straight out of a movie. Multiple shots are being fired, and men are either shouting at one another or are groaning in pain. There is also the occasional heavy thump! of a body wash hitting the ground. Nichole wonders if this is what it sounds like while at war. Sooner or later, she's anticipating a bomb being set off. Anything is possible.

"We're outnumbered!" Yells a male nearby. "Boss said to take the product and go, so go!"

Nichole is thrilled to hear that the enemy is retreating, but she doesn't relax just yet. She can't. One of them tries to come inside and she immediately fires four shots, barely looking where she's shooting. She doesn't fully open her eyes until after hearing the body drop. Knowing she'll be out of bullets soon, she takes the gun off the dead man before dragging the rest of his body inside and shutting the door. She uses his body as a barricade and then steps away to vomit.

Minutes later, the cell phone rings again.

"Addy..." At least that's who Nichole prays is calling. She walks back to where she had left Taehyun, her legs wobbly and head throbbing. She grabs the cell phone and sits down beside him, placing a finger under his nose to check if he's still breathing. He is. "Thank you, God." Nichole grabs the gun again and answers the phone with her other hand. "Hello?"

"It's me, sweetheart. I'm here."

"Addy!" Nichole bursts into tears again. "I-I heard one of the men say that they were leaving with the drugs because they're outnumbered. Are you behind all this?"

"I am. I'll tell you more about it later. I'm in the surveillance room right now but I can't find you and Taehyun. Where are you, baby? Tell me so I can come and get you."

"This isn't your average warehouse, Addy. Taehyun and I were blindfolded and taken down several flights of stairs. There's a cell where we are, barely any light down here. It's like a dungeon."

Ademar places her on hold to integrate someone. Nichole can faintly hear the man telling Ademar how to reach her. Shortly after that, a shot is fired. Nichole jumps in response, immediately feeling sick at the stomach again. She's close to hyperventilating when Ademar returns to the phone. He tries to calm her down by telling her he's on the way.

"What do your men look like? I-I don't want to accidentally shoot someone that's on my side."

"The men that I'm with are wearing army green and have on bulletproof vests and other armor. They're retired SEALs. You'll know when you see them."

Nichole allows herself to feel a little more hopeful after that. She has no clue how Ademar managed to pull something like this off, but when she gets out of here, she'll kiss him hard and will promise to never doubt him again. They remain on the phone until it eventually quiets out in the hallway.

Shortly after that, Ademar and a few SEALs storm into the dungeon.

"Nichole!" Ademar drops to his knees and kisses her tears away, hugging her tightly. After checking out Taehyun—who's still passed out—Ademar holds Nichole's hands and slowly helps her stand. He keeps his eyes on hers, neither of them holding any judgment. "The two men in here... did you have to take them out yourself, or was it Taehyun?"

"It was m-me," Nichole whispers, brokenly. "Everyone but Kade."

"Poor bastard." Ademar briefly glances past Nichole to see Kade laid out on the floor of the cell. Dead. "Come on, baby. Let's get out of here."

"Wait! I need to do this." Nichole takes a deep breath in and exhales before going back into the cell. She crouches beside Kade's motionless body and closes his eyes. "Goodbye."

"You're such a strong woman. I love you so much," Ademar tells her, then he bends down to scoop Taehyun into his arms. Nichole grabs hold of Ademar's elbow as his men lead them to safety. "You don't have to worry anymore. Half of these fuckers cleared out before we could get to them all. As for the mysterious Boss, the cops will find him tied up outside. I didn't want to get them involved, but Caty insisted."

"Caty? But she... I don't understand."

"I'll tell you everything soon, I promise."

Nichole is too exhausted, mentally and physically, to press Ademar for answers. And after they make it out of the warehouse and climb into a black Cadillac One, a doctor waiting inside immediately begins to treat Taehyun's gunshot wound. Nichole climbs onto Ademar's lap as the car takes off, her eyes suddenly feeling a lot heavier than they did a few minutes ago.

"You saved us," Nichole whispers, too tired to smile. "Thank you..."

"There's nothing in this world that I wouldn't do for the two of you," Ademar replies. He holds her close, his pulse finally slowing down once they're a good distance away from the warehouse. It won't be long until the place is swarmed with police. "There was already a shootout happening when I arrived because some of my men made it here before I could. Part of me was afraid that I wasn't going to reach you in time. After our call dropped and I heard those gunshots in the background... I thought the worst. It felt like someone had lit my entire world on fire."

"I'm sorry for scaring you," Nichole says, holding his free hand while the other gently strokes her back. "Taehyun was hurt, and I had no choice..."

"I know, baby. I know. None of us had a choice." Ademar kisses her on the forehead, his eyes drifting over to Taehyun and the doctor. "It'll take time, but we'll get through this. You, me, and Tae-Tae. We're going to be alright. We're going to live."

And with that, Nichole eventually drifts off to sleep.

. . .

a/n: RIP Kade?

⬆️ in case you're wondering about the title lol