If Only

Fourty Eight

Nate Crawford

I finally reached the house. She called me, the woman who left my wife in grief for years called me. One presumed dead came back, and when she told me who she was, I almost hung up.

But before I could she told me the false location. She worked for him, but in the dark on his new project. She knew he hated me and was after me but never figured he'd touch Charlotte.

When my men showed up at the empty warehouse in confirmation as I redirected to the house in upstate. I knew it was her, I was angry but couldn't help but be grateful.

The car stopped and I bolted out the door through the house. Scattered with bodies. Dead and half alive with their blood pooling.

"Sir, down here" I looked to Luca who gestured to a dark staircase with a blown out door, a body laid dead in the middle.

I heard panic ahead echoed, a voice, the woman's voice "Charlotte stay with me" and then the sounds of shrieking, but not from her

I made it to an opening to a hall filled with cells and a woman bent down half way into one and two bodies laid down next to her

"Hands in the air" her gun drew to me immediately and as she looked at me, I knew exactly who she was

Her daughters were the spitting image of the woman across from me but exchanging the dirty blonde hair for brown and she stared at me placing the gun to the ground and turning her attention back to the cell

"Big brother" the cries of Jillian were heard as I saw her, practically lifeless against the wall, blood stained and pale skin "I tried to protect her" I looked to Jillian

She looked sick, beaten and bruised. But not like her, nothing like her "Shut the fuck up" she couldn't be dead

I refused for her to be dead "Will get the helicopter ready" I brought her into my arms her frail figure and she was cold, ice cold

"Tesoro come on" I stared at her, her face was bruised and bloody. I shook her as she felt frail, her breathing barely to be heard

I looked to her, Emma "how long"

"Seven minutes, I've been here" her eyes gleamed with tears as I moved mine back to her shaking her body, placing my hand to her stomach, just silence

"Sir he's dead" I looked to Luca standing over his body and her mothers, Amara she was fucking a part of this. I stood with her in my arms, blood dripping against my arms, her blood

"I don't give a fuck who's dead, get them all out" i looked at Teddy, he was so small in the cell. Amara's blood against his face. But her head went against my chest drawing me away

She breathed slightly, but barley. I started running, running out of the cells leaving Luca to deal with everyone else. I couldn't quite feel my legs at the pace I was going, the fastest I could as my life depended on it, but it was their life that did

My whole world in my hands as I ran through the house. I felt the pain in my chest again, the healing pains breaking. But more so my heart breaking, she was practically lifeless

A bloody bruise on the corner of her head with her lips busted, I didn't want to lift up her clothes, see the damage done throughout her body. What he's done to her, the love of my life