Chapter 79: chapter 79

Elora's POV----------------It's been two days since Rodas came to my apartment. We have been just lying around, eating, making love, crying and repeating it. Today is the last day, he'll be leaving in the evening. And just the thought of his absence makes it difficult for me to breathe. I've been trying to accept. I'm still trying but it's much harder than I thought. Right now, we are lying on the bedroom floor with the balcony door wide open. My head resting on his arms. The autumn breeze is gentle, dancing with my white curtains while carrying a delicate scent of fallen leaves. Ugh! This environment is making it harder for me to let go of him. I cuddle closer to Rodas, not feeling enough of the closeness between our bodies. He smiles down at me and kisses me on the forehead. "Are you really going?" I ask, looking up at him even though I've already heard his answers a hundred times. But Rodas is so patient."I've to, Sunshine" he answers."Can't you not go?" He hugs me closer. "We've talked about this Flower" I know. There's no turning back. I'm just being a bit stubborn. I put my hand in the air and look at it, randomly trying to block the view outside the balcony. Rodas follows me and intertwines our fingers. I smile. He smiles too. But seconds later, I feel the wetness in my eyes. I bite my lips not wanting Rodas to know about it but my body is already shaking. Rodas rubs my shoulder."I'll come back, I promise," he tells me over and over again. I cry silently, face buried into his chest. I want to stay like this forever or I want to disappear with him altogether. How foolish of me to think that I could stay away from him when he owns most of me. I would just go insane without him. An hour later, we are in the kitchen. Rodas is teaching me how to cut the sausage into different shapes. "Hm!! You're doing great Sunshine" he says cheerfully and kisses me on the cheeks from behind. I turn around and kiss him on the lips. He chuckles and picks me up, making me sit on the dining table. We share a sweet make-out session. It's only when the smell of burning toast fills the room, that we let go of each other. "I'll have to make a new one" Rodas laughs."I'm going to the washroom" I tell him and he nods. The doorbell rings when I'm about to enter the washroom."I'll get it," I say loudly so that Rodas hears me. I open the door with a smile on my face thinking they are Jeremy and Zeco. We called them this morning. But instead of them, I find four unknown men standing in front of me. They are dressed in black. For a moment, I almost thought that they were Rodas's men but then I remembered that if they were then they would've just greeted me first thing. I frown. "Yes?" They look behind me with harsh faces, ignoring my presence."Do I know you people?" I ask again. "Call your boyfriend," one of the men says nodding towards the room. I feel a chill running through my spine realising who they might be.Whoever they are, they are not on good terms with Rodas."Boyfriend? I-I live alone" I cannot stop my voice from trembling. They scoff ridiculously."Do you think we are funny?" One of the men shouts and immediately grabs my hair and puts a gun on the side of my head. Then they step inside the apartment. God, please no. Not today."Rodas fucking Castillo. Step out" they shout and take careful steps towards the kitchen. I struggle to get away and resist as much as I can even though it feel like my head is going to fall off with the force the man is grabbing my hair. "Rodas! It's ok... Please, please run away" I cry out even though I know this would never happen and that Rodas won't ever do what I'm telling him right now. Rodas steps out. His eyes were on me. Then he looks at the men."Who sent you?" He asks."You don't need to know that... Just know that you're dying today" Rodas smirks, then within seconds I hear a gunshot and then the man grabbing my hair drops to the floor followed by more sound of gunshots. I cover my ears and scream my lungs out. Moments later, I feel myself getting pulled and carried before my back hits the wall."Shhh!!! It's ok, Flower" I hear Rodas's soft voice and open my eyes only to find his face covered in blood. Tears prick out of my eyes immediately but I cover my mouth, preventing myself from making a sound. Rodas smiles at me before being alert again. We are currently at the corner of the bedroom with Rodas's body shielding mine. The footsteps get closer. "Close your eyes" Rodas whispers to me again. I grab onto his clothes and close my eyes, flinching with each sound of a gunshot and scream.  In every movement, I grab onto him and do not open my eyes. "It's ok now," I cry out in relief but horror creeps into me instantly as my eyes search for a wound on his body. "Don't worry! It's just a scratch" he says with heavy breathing but it's not a scratch. It pierced his arm. It's not just a scratch. "R-Rodas... W-We... Oh God! H-Hospital-""Sunshine, here... Listen to me" he takes my face between his palms and makes me look at him. "Calm down..."I sob and hastily wipe the blood off his face. "Jeremy and Zeco will be here in no time, It's ok" he says.I hug him. "I'm so scared. I'm so scared Rodas!" I choke out."It's ok, Sun-"His words are interrupted by more sound of footsteps at the front door. By the sound of it, it's clear that those footsteps don't belong to Jeremy and Zeco. My eyes widen in fear as I look at Rodas. Rodas's jaw clenches and he buries my face into his chest. There are more. But this time, there are so many. Not only four. "Sunshine! Listen to me. Grab that phone from the bed and get inside the bathroom and don't come out until I open that door" Rodas says to me but I shake my head. "Rodas, No... C-Come with me" I grab his T-shirt even harder but he peels off my hand away from him and takes me to the bathroom. He gives me the phone. "Call Zeco!" He says and looks behind him before looking back at me. "I promise I'll be fine"I try to cling to him only to get pushed inside. No. This is not right.It wasn't supposed to be like this.I'm so scared. "I love you, Sunshine" he whispers and kisses me on the lips before shutting the door on my face. No. Why is this happening?My knees cannot hold me any longer and drop to the floor. I wipe my face and try to call Zeco but my trembling fingers do not know how to do it.  The firing starts again and I find my mind going blank. I try to take a steady breath but that only makes me even harder to breathe. Pools of blood slips inside the bathroom.Rodas. I grab the phone from the floor again and succeed in calling Zeco after several tries.It rings. It keeps ringing. But Zeco doesn't pick up.