Coffee & Criminals

43. Blast Off

Wolfe lunged forward and grabbed me before Ade or Elliot could do anything.

His fingers unintentionally clenched down on the bullet wound above my elbow and I squeaked in pain as he pulled me up. His strong arms were the only thing that kept me standing because I would have fallen right back down to the floor if they weren't around me. Wolfe shifted so that my back was turned to them and he was facing forward. I closed my eyes.

His arms were tight around my back, and mine around his neck. I buried my face into the warm curve of his shoulder and cried softly, my sobs unheard to the world except to Wolfe and I. I felt his fingers bite into my waist. I felt the way his chest moved against mine. His breaths were heavy and even and I could feel his heart racing as fast as my own. He crushed me to his body until there was nothing left between us, not a single atom that could squeeze in. He was possessive and beautiful and I was so recklessly in love with him that suddenly, all the stories bounded together by the concept of love made sense in that moment.

Wolfe shifted slightly but didn't let me go. The pressure his arms were exerting around my back didn't loosen, but rather tightened until I couldn't breathe. I didn't want to breathe, I would gladly give up oxygen for more seconds spent in his arms. My whole body protested against the movements and keeping my arms around his neck took more effort than I wanted to show. In a matter of seconds, my blood had soaked into his expensive suit, but I don't think Wolfe cared.

"You said you didn't hurt her." Wolfe said quietly. He spoke over my head, holding me tight. His words were calm and leveled and deadly. I almost wished he would shout. It scared me when Wolfe was like this, when he shut down completely to take on another identity of what he needed to be in order to survive. From behind me, I heard the sharp intake of breaths. They were scared. I didn't need to turn around to know that. They were scared and I was too. Wolfe touched the back of my head lightly with the tips of his fingers as if to emphasize his point. "Tell me why I shouldn't just kill you right here, Elliot. I agreed to a very delicate deal. You hurt her and that wasn't part of the plan. The girl goes unharmed. The rest is game. Tell me why."

"This got a little rowdy." Elliot answered after a moment, sounding annoyed but nervous. "We didn't expect her to get so...wild."

One of Wolfe's hands brushed down my back, almost like he was proud of me for fighting back. I wanted him to be. I had to rely on myself to do what I did but now that he was here, I could give up that false strength. I'd be happy to die in his arms. I didn't care for much of anything at that point, but I didn't want to give up that easily. I didn't need a necklace as my anchor anymore because I had Wolfe now. If he left, I'd float away, piece by piece until there was nothing left. 

"I'm not going to negotiate a deal with you." Wolfe said. "You have no leverage against me anymore. I don't care, Elliot. That's what it comes down to. I don't care. I don't give two damns about what happens next. I'm not going to put a bullet through your head."

I loosened my grip from around Wolfe's neck and took a sharp breath. Did Ade and Elliot deserve to die? No. Even after all they've done, I could forgive them for it because I believed in second chances. I don't think Wolfe did, though, and the fact that he wasn't going to kill them was unsettling because it meant that he had something worse planned. I couldn't lose that part of myself. I could forgive them. I was  going to forgive them. That's what my parents would have wanted. I wasn't going to lose my morality like Wolfe did, but I wasn't going to fix Wolfe either. He was what he chose to be and I would love him for it even if it killed me in the end. 

I pulled away from Wolfe and faced them. With Wolfe by my side, Ade's eyes weren't as scary to look into. Ade glanced at me, his face passive. I forgive him. His friendship meant a lot to me, even if he was just pretending. I couldn't forget the past six or seven years of my life with him or erase any memories, but I wasn't going to dwell on it any longer. Whatever happened next in my life, he would have no part in it. That was all that mattered.