Chapters

Prologue




My heart is beating so unbelievably fast that I am scared everyone in the fucking building can hear it. I have been involved with robberies before, but I'd always been on the other side. I am usually calm and in control of my actions; I follow my orders and complete the tasks that I am given. My heart always fills with pride when I get everyone out of the building safe and alive while the chief locks up the bad guys. I really love my job.



But right now, all my skills and training are fucking useless and there is panic sitting in the pit of my stomach crawling it's way up the surface. I'm sitting on the cold goddamn marble floor of a small bank in Forks, Washington with my head in my fucking hands praying that I can get out of here safe and alive… and I better get out soon. I need to get back to my kids and the love of life.



I can feel my eyes fill when I think that I may not see my family again. I finally have everything I've dreamed of and that tall blond-haired son of a bitch that is pacing in front of me can take everything away any fucking minute.



I think about my son and how he has been my rock for the last three years; he captured my heart the moment he was born with his big green eyes and crooked smile. It still amazes me how much he looks like me, my mum loves that Anthony is a mini me, she never liked his mother. He is my pride and joy, he saved from the man whore playboy that I used to be and I can never be more grateful for that.



I think about my little princess and how she melts my heart everytime I see her. She has been making so much progress since I met her, I couldn't help but falling in love with her warm heart, her shy gentle smile and feel the need to protect her from all the bad in the world. She is my princess, my little girl …



I feel the tears fall on my hands. I am never ashamed of crying, but I don't usual do it in front of anyone but my mom and the love of life. God, my heart aches when I think of my girl. I cannot lose her, I just found her. She is the only woman who has ever completed me, all of me, heart, body and soul.



I long to have her in my arms and tell her how much I love her, make love to her, cherish her every minute of the day. She healed me, she opened up my heart and sealed it with love and passion that I never knew existed, she is my angel who was sent to rescue me and my son, she showed us what happiness and love really is... and for the first time my life was complete, my family was complete. I cannot leave my family… I will not leave my family.



I'm pulled away from my thoughts when I hear that bastard start shouting at a woman sitting across from me.



"Shut up!" he yelled at her. "I told you not to speak."



The young woman pulls her son closer to her and cries into his hair. At that moment I'm thankful that my family isn't with me, at least I know they are safe outside in the car.



"No one talk or I will start shooting," he yelled, turning in a circle waving his fucking gun at everyone. I just close my eyes and continued to think of my life that is only a few feet away, outside of harm's way.



A couple of hours have passed, and I'm still sitting on the floor. I have been thinking of all the things that I want to do with my family when I get out of here when I realize that the robber has been very quiet. Maybe if I can get him to talk to me, explain his reasons for his action I can convince him to let us go, explain my job and position in the town, I can maybe make a deal with him. I'm thinking of different ways to approach him with my decision when I hear the woman scream. Before I know it, I am on my feet and rushing towards the place where I heard the screaming come from.



"Get off her! Let her fucking go now, you bastard!" I yelled at him



I pull his arm away from the small woman that he has pinned on the one of the desks. I look at her and could see the fear and relief in her eyes. Her back was on the top of the desk and her legs dangling from the side; her entire body is shaking and tears run silently down her face.



I feel my hand clutch into a fist as he stares at me with his dull dark dirty gray eyes, his chest heaving from the his fast heavy breathing. His mouth is mashed into a straight line and he glares at me with anger and rage. I'm sure I look the same as him, as I can feel the anger building inside me.



"I warned you," he spits in my face. he's standing in front of me, face to face, nostrils flared. I just want to go home and this fucking prick is really pissing me off.



"I. don't. care." I spit every word slowly and harshly. "Leave her alone and let us fucking go!" I have had enough. I just lost 4 hours of my life that I will never get back, and he isn't taking any more. I am going home. Right now.



He laughs in my face. "Make me," he challenges, and to prove his point, he grabs the woman that he just assaulted by the hair. She yelps with pain and the next thing I know, my hand has molded into a fist and connected with his face. I no longer have control of my actions; the anger has taken over me.



It takes a couple of seconds to realize what happened, then he lets go of the girl and lunges at me, knocking both of us on the floor. There are punches and kicks being thrown every which way as we rolled around on the floor I try to block out the screams in the background as we continue to roll around like a couple of 5 year-olds.



The robber frees his hand and hits me in the eye with the back of the gun that he pulled from his back jean pocket. The next thing I know he's on top of me, fucking punching my face with his fist. I bring my right knee up and kick the fucker in the side to get him off me, causing him to drop his gun on the floor. I have about 30 seconds to grab the gun and end this nightmare, but the robber must have noticed my plan because we both jump towards it at the same time.



With both of our hands on the guns, I try to kick, punch, and bite him... I even pull the fucker's greasy blond hair like a girl, trying to get him to drop the gun. However he is stronger than I guessed, and he is attacking me with just as much force as I am. He grabs the side of my face, pulling my head off the floor and then banging it against the marble ground. I feel a sharp pain ripped through my whole body as I try to focus on where the gun is and not the pain in my head.



"Fucking let go!" he yells at me. I growl in response. I am not letting go; my life depended on it.



He looks at me while he grabs my hair again. I know he's about to bang my head against the marble again so I quickly pull my head back and smash it against his with as much force as I can muster. We both groan in pain from the impact our heads created while our hands still fumble around for the gun.



"I'm going to fucking kill you for that" he snickers.



I lunge forward at his body while trying to pull the gun from his hand, hoping I can distract him enough to steal the gun. I can feel it slipping from his hand so I pull it closer to me. Any second all of this can end. He pulls the gun in the opposite direction, and we continue to roll around on the floor. I don't know how but I manage to pin him underneath me. My knees have his thighs pinned to the ground but both of our hands are still pulling the gun back and fourth between us.



I suddenly freeze and my eyes grow wide as I hear the gun fire.



I look into the robber's face and his eyes are as wide as mine staring straight into mine. I don't have time to think of what just happened. I hear the screams that surround me and my body suddenly grows heavy, and I sway a little.



I jump when the gun fires again.



The screams get louder and my body grows heavier. I can no longer feel my legs and I feel like my arms are about to fall off. I sway my body to the side until I fall limply on the floor. I can't move anymore, and there is a sharp pain in my head and a burning pain going inside of me. I look over my shoulder, trying to see if the robber is still there, but everything is blurry and I can't focus on anything.



So I think about my amazing family and how much I love them instead. I pray that they will be safe, I pray that they can forgive me, I pray that I can see them right now; hear their voices. I pray for my life... all I can do is pray, and I do until the blackness takes me.