Collide ♔ Tom Kaulitz

c h a p t e r ♔ f o u r t y - t h r e e

Toms gaze seemed to look through his brother when the news was broken. The Don of the east side had fallen. No one dared to say a word in fear of how Tom may react. I watched closely as the rise and fall of his chest quickened.

Bill began to speak once again, "While we were distracted Rossi sent men to kill father. Father's men took care of them but it was too late to save him... He's gone." He shoved his phone deep into his pocket and tightened his grip around the handle of his gun.

"Tell us what to do." Georg turned towards Tom. Tom's jaw softened as his mouth hung open slightly, contemplating what to say next. "You're in charge now. The east side is yours and we are now at your command." Bill stepped towards his brother as i stayed quiet.

A few moments passed us by. Tom's eyes seemed to become heavier and heavier with trepidation as the seconds passed. That was until his eyes met mine. My heart melted at the first connection of our gazes and his posture gained more confidence.

"It all ends now. We're taking over the west." Tom commanded of his men.

Suddenly the corner of my eye caught the slightest of movement. I gasped. In a matter of a mere second, the flash of a muzzle and the pop of a gun broke the tension in the room of the stair well. Without a second thought i raised my arm and fired back.

Georg fell to a crumple on the tile i help my mother pick out when i was just a little girl. He screamed out in agony and gripped his shoulder where the bullet had torn through. Tom's arm snaked around my waist and flung me behind his back in efforts to keep me away from the door way where the bullet originated.

The room began to still once more as i leaned down to apply pressure to Georg's wound. "Oh my god." My hands shook as i felt the warm liquid pour over every crevice between my fingers and palms. "Fran." Tom called my name from above my head.

I continued with my wave of panic and pressed my hands harder into Georg's macerated skin. "Tom, we need to get him out of here this is a lot of blood." My eyes searched the room wondering why no one was acting fast enough for my liking.

That's when i began to hear the jagged breathing across the room.

My father lay against the steps, blood creeping up his airway. I slowly stood up and walked towards him warily. I stood over him watching as the red liquid began to over take his white cotton button down shirt.

His eyes pleaded with me. Blood began to trickle down the sides of his mouth and the strings of my heart began to tug. "I'll call an ambulance for him. We will finish this later." Tom said gently as he placed his hand on my lower back in consolation. I looked into my father's fading eyes and felt the warm tears begin to fall down my cheeks and over the crusted blood on my cheek bone.

"No. You gave the orders. This ends now." I turned away, refusing to watch my father die.

Toms hand caressed the side of my cheek and pushed my head into the safety of his chest as he began to lift his gun. I jumped at the bang of the bullet as it left the barrel and travelled to my father's head relieving him of his struggle for life. "You okay?" Tom asked while he delicately traced his fingers through my hair.

I nodded my head as i swallowed a gulp through my aching and sore throat that remained as evidence of my father's very conditional love. "I know he was your family. I'm sorry." He murmured, still sliding his hand down the side of my hair.

I nodded and looked up from his big black shirt. "You're my family now." I turned and faced the rest of my rescuers, "Matter of fact, you're all kind of my family now." I shared soft smiles with each of the guys. Their eyes beamed endearment as they began to accept me. They accepted me not only as Tom's girl but as one of their own who was willing to fight for them as well.

"Alright head up stairs, we need to find the last of his men." Tom commanded as he stole a fleeting glance at my father's chilling corpse on the basement floor. "Yes sir." Gustav murmured before helping Georg up from the dusty concrete and guiding him up the steps.

I began to follow in suit behind the men's fading footsteps when i felt Tom's hand grasp my elbow. He pulled me back towards him. Our eye contact brought me back to the first night i drowned in the depths of his gaze. I had felt so vulnerable yet so safe in his presence and nothing had changed. I knew with Tom was where i belonged and where my loyalty lies.

"I'm sorry you had to do that." He whispered tracing the tip of his thumb over my cupids bow. Reaching my hand up, i pulled the back of his hand towards my lips and placed a little kiss. I leaned forward and whispered what he had said to me many nights before "I did what my family needed of me. It was my duty and i fulfilled it."

A smirk tugged from the corner of his mouth adorned with a gun metal colored lip ring. "You never cease to amaze me." My eyelids fluttered shut as he placed his warm lips against my forehead for a kiss. He quickly pulled back when we heard Bill's screams from the top of the stairs.