Chapter 77

77: GONE TOO SOON ARIEL’S POV Luke stood still, with a group of policemen behind him. His strong and determined presence was a beacon of hope amidst the chaos and danger surrounding us.

I felt a sense of relief wash over me as I realized that he had come to our rescue, ready to protect us from the clutches of these evil men.

The policemen behind had their guns pointed at the nefarious men, and with Luke at the forefront, I knew that we were in good hands. His bravery and quick thinking could save me once again, and I couldn’t be more grateful for his presence in this dire situation.

“Get off her now,” Luke told the guy who wanted to force himself on me.

The man slowly got off me, a wicked smirk spreading across his face as he looked over at Luke. Luke’s features contorted into an angry scowl, his jaw clenched and his fists balled up.

It was clear that he was ready to unleash his wrath upon the man who had just been on top of me. I could see the fire burning in Luke’s eyes, and I knew that he was not going to let this man get away with whatever he had done.

“I see you brought some friends along,” the man told Luke. “But are they powerful enough to take out my army?”

“Your army?” Luke replied with a serious expression. “Don’t make me laugh. There are just five of you.”

The man laughed. “Luke Reynold. I was sent to murder you. But it’s a good thing you weren’t home at the time we arrived here.”

“Who sent you?” Luke asked.

“You don’t have to know about that.”

“All of you, freeze! Hands on your head, and don’t move!” One of the policemen spoke in a clamorous tone.

“You think we gonna do that?” One of the masked men asked.

“We rather die!” Another one said.

The masked men had their fingers on the triggers, ready to release their bullets and cause chaos. But the cops were quick and agile, their guns drawn and pointed at the criminals. With precise aim and rapid fire, they shot at the masked men continuously until they fell to the ground, their weapons clattering beside them.

It was a bloody scene, with bodies strewn across the ground and the sounds of gunfire still echoing in the air.

Among the carnage stood the man who wanted to force himself on me, his once confident. demeanor now replaced with fear and desperation, although I couldn’t see his face.

His men, who had followed him in attacking the mansion, now lay lifeless at his feet. He looked at them, and I could tell he had a mix of regret and anger.

He turned his gaze to the approaching policemen. I could see the realization in his eyes that he was outnumbered and outmatched. Since he was the last one remaining.

“No one dare come close,” he said and moved behind me, fixing a gun at my head. “Any one try to do anything stupid, I’ll shoot her.”

“Let her go,” Luke said to him, moving closer.

“Don’t come close. Believe me when I say I’m going to shoot her if you do. And you good-for- nothing cops, drop all of your weapons!”

“Don’t listen to him! Shoot him!” I shrieked at the policemen.

The man’s grip on my neck tightened. “Just shut up bitch!”

“I can see you’re scared of death,” I told him, trying to get his hand off my neck. “You don’t want to die, right? Well you should have thought of that before you came here.”

“I told you to shut up! Shut the hell up!” He snapped.

“I’m not going to. If you’re going to kill me, kill me. But just know that you won’t be able to get away with it.”

“You better not do anything to her,” Luke warned him, walking slowly.

“And you better not come close!” He told Luke.

“You still have the chance to live. Surrender yourself now,” one of the policemen told him, their guns still pointing at him.

“Over my dead body,” he retorted.

“Kill me or not, you’re going to die anyway,” I told him inaudibly, and he began choking my neck harder.

“You better stop that now. I’m warning you,” Luke said.

“Then I think it’s best you just stay there, and don’t move.” The masked man began to move backwards, dragging me along.

His grip on my neck was getting tighter every second, and I could barely breathe. Luke stood still, anger evident in his eyes.

The cops wanted to shoot, but Luke signalled them not to. He just watched as the man made his way upstairs, moving backwards, holding me tight.

And all of a sudden, Riley sprinted in our direction.

‘Riley!” Luke yelled at her, indicating that she should halt. But she refused to stop, and the moment she got closer, she was shot in her stomach LUKE’S POV My eyes widened in horror after I witnessed what just happened. Riley was shot, the little girl was shot.

And I still couldn’t believe this terror It was just so unimaginable.

No!” I bawled loudly, my voice broken, and my body trapped in terror. At this moment, a wave of raw anger surged through me, and a fire was ignited within my veins.

The man who shot Riley seemed to have froze, and then Ariel elbowed him, causing the gun to fall from his hand. After Ariel ran down the stairs, the cops didn’t waste any time in shooting at the masked man.

They fired bullets at him continuously, and I could tell they also felt the pain within their hearts. A young girl like that, being shot. A sweet soul that brought smile to the faces of any one who had met her.

The policemen finally ceased their actions. The masked man was now laying dead on the stairs. I rushed over to Riley, and so did Ariel.

My heart pounded in my chest as I knelt beside my fallen cousin, my fingers trembling as I brushed a strand of hair away from Riley’s pale face.

“Luke?” Riley whispered, slowly holding my hand. “Big brother? Is everything going to be okay?”

“Yes Riley. Everything’s going to be okay,” I replied, my voice brimming with sadness.

“Will anything bad happen to me?” Riley asked softly, still cleaving to my hand.

“No. Nothing bad’s going to happen to you,” I said softly, moving my fingers gently around her hair.

“She’s bleeding seriously. We need to take her to a hospital,” Ariel suggested. “Someone call 911 or something.”

“I don’t want to die, brother,” Riley whispered. Her eyes were closing slowly, but she was trying her very best to stay strong.

“You’re not going to die. There’s no need to be afraid, okay?”

“We have no time, Luke. We need to take her to a hospital as soon as possible,” Ariel said.

“She’s right,” one of the policemen agreed.

I rose to my feet, carrying Riley on my arms. But I had to realize something; her eyes were closed.

“Riley? Riley?!” I panicked, tapping her face repeatedly, but her eyes refused to open. “Riley?! ” Tears rolled down my cheeks.

She was………….gone.