Chapter hundred and forty nine

Chapter 149

Oliver

I'd been too late. That was the only thought in my head as I watched Ron charge after Dallas and Jenna.

I didn't see them from where I stood but I knew with so much certainty that it was them he went after.

I didn't think, I just acted. I charged after Ron, my feet barely touching the ground. I ran and ran until he changed course and went into the bushes on the other side of the road.

I charged after him. When I finally caught up with him, the sight I met made my guts churned. The panic in my chest increased to an insurmountable amount. Ron had a gun pressed to Dallas's forehead.

He was saying something but I didn't hear what. I couldn't hear anything past the ringing in my ear and tightening of my chest.

I couldn't see his or Dallas's face from here, but I saw Jenna's face clearly, and I recognized the emotion on her face. Pure terror. I'd witnessed moments when she accidentally let the fear slipped, but she would quickly recompose herself. This was the first time she allowed the emotion show so vividly.

Was the terror for herself or for the girl her father held at gunpoint? I didn't know and I didn't care.

Jenna's eyes met mine for a split second. I knew she saw me, despite that I was still hidden by the darkness and the tree.

I saw a glimpse of relief in her eyes before she quickly looked away. Ron was too engrossed with whatever he was doing that he didn't notice the slight change in his daughter's demeanor.

Determination coursed through my veins as I held my gun up for the millionth times that night to end another life. This life, like the two others I'd taken few minutes ago, I didn't feel feel reluctant in taking it.

I aimed higher but I couldn't get a good view from here. And he was using Dallas as shield. I can't get a clean shot at him without guarantee that I would hurt her.

“Pick up the gun, Jenna.” I heard Ron ordered.

I watched as Jenna picked up her gun from the floor. Even from this distance, I saw her hands trembling.

“Shoot her!”

My head emptied out as I heard Ron's command. He wanted one daughter to kill the other. My mind twisted at the cruelty of the situation. I'd witnessed his cruelty a lot of times this past days, but it still made me nauseous. The man was more monster than human. I understood why Jenna wanted him dead now.

Jenna held the gun up, her hands trembling, and pointed it at Dallas. All the sympathy I felt for her disappeared in that moment.

I directed my aim at Jenna, Ron forgotten. I couldn't get a clean shot at him anyway. If she makes a move to shoot that gun, she was dead.

Her eyes fell on me, pleading. She subtly motioned to Ron's unguarded leg. I hadn't seen it before because of the position I stood. I moved very, very quietly until I got a good view of his legs.

All his attention was focus on his daughters and he didn't hear me approach. I pulled the trigger, immediately hitting his leg.

His staggered back, his gun fell discarded beside him. His eyes darted around in confusion, just for a second, probably wondering where the attack had come from.

I took advantage of his momentary distraction and charged for Dallas, but she was faster. She whirled around and drove a knife straight to Ron's stomach.

I felt a swell of pride in my chest as Ron's blood coated her hands. That's my girl.

“Don't ever fucking use me as bait!” She yelled in his face, her face twisted with rage. I don't think I've ever seen my Little Monkey so angry before.

But I understood her rage. All these while he had used her as bait. First, against me, and now, against her sister.

Dallas yanked out her blade and drove it straight into his chest. His blood splattered on her face but she didn't seem to care.

I noticed she avoided stabbing his heart, she didn't want to kill him. I raised my gun again more than happy to finish the job for her.

Ron had fallen to the floor now but he was still alive. He coughed out blood and grinned widely, his teeth red with blood.

“Maybe you're more my daughter than I give you credit for, Dallas. You have more my heart than she does.” Ron managed to say despite almost bleeding to death on the floor.

“Oh yeah? How about I show you just how much of your heart I have?” Dallas said as she charged towards him again.

“Dallas.” Jenna called from behind her. Her voice was firmer now and a bit crueler.

“What?” Dallas snapped. She was definitely annoyed by the distraction.

“You wound, I kill.” Jenna said and gave her a pointed look.

I didn't understand what it meant but Dallas groaned and stepped back. I could see the tiny bit of relief in her eyes as Jenna stepped forward.

Jenna pointed her gun at her father, a look of determination on her face. Her hands did not shake this time. I wanted to stop her because of what this would mean if she goes through with it, but I didn't.

No matter how much I wished the man died by my hands as payment for everything he did. She deserved the kill for the simple fact of putting up with him her entire life.

Ron was bloodied badly due to Dallas's stabs but he still managed to meet her gaze.

“You're much a monster as I am, Gwomuli.” He grinned.

Whatever the nickname meant, it seems to harden Jenna's resolve to kill him.

“I'm nothing like you.” She screamed it at him before put a bullet right where his dark heart was.

Silence fell over the woods, maybe even all over the world. He was dead. After all our scheming he was finally dead. It all seem too easy.

I stared at his dead weight on the floor and waited for his body to twitch or anything that eould suggest he was still alive. But he laid unmoving. He was really dead.

He had seem invincible. Alberto went into hiding because of him. He was responsible for my father's death. He was responsible for Jason's and Ronan's death. I didn't know either of them quite well but they were human. And he ended their lives in pursuit of what? More power?

Now he was laying dead because of his greed. I couldn't find it in myself to feel pity for him. He deserved it.

Dallas groaned beside me as if snapping out of her rage. She whirled towards me and halted, her mouth fell open in surprise. She was so caught up with her anger earlier and hadn't noticed me.

Her surprise slowly morphed to relief as she rushed towards me. She threw herself at me before I could voice my own relief at seeing she was okay.

I swallowed back my words and simply held her tightly to myself. She was here and she was fine.

I took in her scent. It was coated with blood and gore but it was still there. I inhaled sharply, clinging tight to that piece of her. I squeezed her a little harder and she let out a wince.

That was when I realized I had touched a bruise on her back. I pulled away immediately.

“I'm so sorry. You're hurt and I–” I started.

“It's okay. I'm fine. It was just a little scratch.” she smiled.

But I knew from the expression on her face that it wasn't that simple. Even her smile seem forced, like it took all her remaining strength to offer me that smile.

“I'm glad to see you're okay.” I said genuinely.

My eyes scanned her body for any other injuries. Her shirt was torn, barely hanging on her body, but she didn't seem severely injured. Most of the blood coating her body weren't hers.

“I'm really okay, Oliver.” She said softly.

When I was certain she was okay, I shrugged off my bloodied jacket and draped it over her. She accepted without argument.

She opened her mouth to say something when we heard heavy footsteps rushing towards us from the opposite direction. I raised my gun and whirled towards it. I was going to shoot whoever that was.

“Hold your fire!”

I lowered my gun as I heard my cousin's frantic breathing. He finally emerged behind the tree, his hand on his chest.

“Ethan?” I called. “Aren't you supposed to be in the van?”

This was a long way from the main road.

“Ask questions later. We need to go right now. I saw–” he paused as his eyes landed on Jenna who was still standing over her father's corpse, staring intently at it.

I had forgotten she was even there. She didn't seem to notice us either.

“She killed him.” Ethan breathed, not a question.

I nodded. His mouth fell open in shock and I know we were both thinking the same thing. What it meant for her. I never thought I would feel any emotion for this woman but right now I felt pity for her.

She was going to lead to group she wanted to leave. Jenna was the new leader of the Brothers.