by Sonja B
“Andres can’t save you now, bastard. I’m going to kill you this time, and when I’m done with you, I’m going to make sure his ass is dead too.” Rocco rants, before he charges me.
I wait till he gets close enough, then drop down a hit him with a hard right to the gut. He roars in pain, but it doesn’t slow him down, as he swings, hitting me in the chest. I take a step back and laugh. “You hit like a bitch.” I taunt. He growls, charging at me again. We lock up like two pit bulls. Rocco is strong for his age, but he has nothing on my strength. As he throws his wild, but predictable punches, I block each and every one. Fatigue starts to set in on him, as his swings are becoming slower, and sweat pours down his face. Using that to my advantage, I strike him with an elbow to the face, rebreaking his nose, causing blood to spew like a faucet. He hollers, covering his nose, stumbling back, but I don’t give him time to recover. Hitting him with the same chop to the throat I struck Nolan with, he instantly grabs his neck, his eyes widen, as he chokes on his blood.
As I step back, watching him gasp for air, I pull my knife from its sheath on my waistband. “Remember that day when they set the dogs loose on me, Rocco?” I ask, as I take slow calculating steps toward him. He shakes his head from side to side, stumbling back, as he still tries to catch his breath.
“Funny because I do. I remember every bite, claw, and ripping off my skin. But you know what I remember the most, I remember seeing you before I passed out. I remember seeing your ugly face laughing at what those dogs did to me. I had already vowed to kill you when I got the chance, but that day there sealed your fate.”
He raises his hands in protest. There was nothing he could do to save himself, as I snatch him around the neck with my left hand. He scratches at my wrist tried to break the hold, but I apply more pressure. His eyes begin to turn red and bulge, as he fights for air.
I pull his contorted face close to mine. Glaring at him with a sinister smile, I say, “I am the Snatcher of Souls, and I will be taking yours today. May your soul rest in peace.” before driving my knife straight into his heart. His body shakes, as his mouth hangs open with nothing coming out. I watch as the light in his eyes begin to fade, his soul slowly leaving his body. Letting go of his neck, I let his lifeless body fall to the ground.
I turn from Rocco’s dead body to see Nolan’s men holding up a battered and bruised Julian. Felix and Adam have come from their hiding spots with their guns on Romano’s remaining men.
“Axl!” Monica screams, as she runs down the stairs into my awaiting arms. Julian’s head shoots straight up from hearing her voice. His swollen eyes follow her every move.
“Mon…Monica? What are you doing here? You’ve been with him this whole time?” He grumbles. She doesn’t respond as she holds on to me tighter. “Monica?! Monica!”
“What are you going to do with him?” I ask Nolan over Monica’s shoulder.
He smirks. “Oh, I have a way of handling snakes and rats. Beating him to death would have been too easy, plus I need to find out what else this little mother fucker has done behind my back.”
Julian starts to struggle to break free from the men holding him. “Monica, please don’t let him do this to me. I love you. I’ve been there for you since day one, not that mother fucker who left you after he fucked you and left you pregnant with his baby! I’m more of a father to Alex than his bitch ass will ever be!”
I let go of Monica and stalk towards him. He continues to spew his hateful words. “What? What the fuck are you going to do? Monica and Alex are mine! You can…” He doesn’t even finish his sentence, as I lay a right hook to the side of his head so hard, I wonder if I broke his fucking neck. His eyes roll to the back of his head.
“I never like his pretty boy ass.” I calmly state, before I turn to someone weakly calling my name. Romano. I walk over to where he’s still lying on the ground with Lorenzo still pressing his jacket on his chest.
Lorenzo lets out a sigh of relief. “Luckily, he was hit just above his heart, any lower and he’d be dead. He’s lost a lot of blood, though. We need to get him home so his doctor can fix him up.”
I stare down at the man who has caused so much hell in my life, my father. I have no emotions for him as he lays there, pale and helpless.
“Son…” Romano gasps.
“You don’t have the right to call me that. It’s over. I no longer work for you. I saved your life, and for that, you will release me, or I will finish what Rocco started.” Romano stares me down, before reluctantly nodding his head. “I want nothing to do with you or your business, and the war between you and Nolan is done. No one else needs to die.” I regard him one last time, before I return to Monica and take her hand in mines. Together with my family, I leave Andres Romano lying on the floor of the factory, as I walk away a free man.
Epilogue
Axl
Life couldn’t be any better. I had my family with me, and everything felt complete. Monica and Alex have moved in with me. I tried not to rush it, but I couldn’t take Monica not being in my bed every night nor not being able to kiss my Ladybug goodnight.
Felix and Adam have adjusted to them being here. They are Alex’s biggest supporters. She started karate classes, and they personally take her and cheer her on from the side. Monica says she doesn’t know which one of us spoils her the most. I tell her she might as well get used to it because we are making up for the lost time.
Since I no longer worked for Romano, I became a hitman for hire. Felix, with his expertise with computers, was able to come up with a way for clients to get in touch with me under the radar. No one knew my name or what I looked like. When they needed my services, they called on the Snatcher of Souls. My only turndowns were on innocents, women, and children. I charged insane fees, and the clients still wired the money to an offshore account that Felix also set up. With the amounts of money I made, I was able to pick and choose if I wanted to do a hit. I took what I learned from the online business courses and invested some of my money in a restaurant for Felix to run and a garage for Adam. Both were doing exceptionally well, and I was proud of my little brothers.
Monica let Keirra stay at her house, which she was more than grateful for. Keirra offered to pay her rent, but Monica declined. She told her that’s what family was for. Keirra comes by often to visit with Monica and Alex, but I think it’s to get Felix riled up too.
We were having a barbeque today, Felix’s birthday, and she showed up with a date. Needless to say, the guy wasn’t here long enough to taste a rib before Felix damn near ripped his head off. Adam and I had to hold him back while the guy gathered his shit to leave. Keirra was about to leave with him, until Felix told her if she left, he would make sure the guy never walked again. The tension between those two was almost unbearable. Still, I ignored their crazy asses, as I sat back and enjoyed the rest of my family. I wish they would quit this little cat and mouse game and hook up already.
Adam didn’t have a date for the barbecue. He said that he had his eye on someone and was waiting for the right time to approach her. He wouldn’t tell us anything about her only that he knew she was the one.
Lorenzo, Marisol, and their kids came by too. Alex was excited to show Maci and Ryker all her new toys Felix, Adam, and I had bought her. They had a time in the backyard playing with her jungle gym set and her new Yorkie puppy Daisy.
Nolan came to the barbeque with his friend, Simone, who was the woman that had him smitten. She was a very nice African American woman who had a great head on her shoulders. Monica, Keirra, and Marisol got along with her like old friends as they sat in the backyard discussing their careers and girl stuff. As Nolan and I stood around the grill, I asked him what happened with Julian, and he simply replied, “Julian who?” Nothing else needed to be said after that.
A little while later, Lorenzo caught me in the kitchen, as I was prepping some more meat. “Axl, I have a message for you.”
I already knew who the message was from and didn’t care to hear it. “I’m not inter
ested in hearing it.” I calmly say, as I continue seasoning the meat.
“He wants to make amends, Axl. I know what he did to you was fucked up, but he wants to fix it.”
“The only thing he can do to fix it is to leave me alone. I don’t want nothing to do with him. As far as I’m concerned, Andres Romano died on the floor that day in the factory.” I state
“Axl…” He starts.
“No, Zo. It’s over, just leave it alone.” I snap.
“Axl! He’s dying.” Lorenzo rushes out. I place the seasoning down on the counter, then turn to face him. “He’s dying, Axl. That shot he took from Rocco put too much strain on his heart. Unless he gets a transplant soon, he’s not gonna make it. He just wants to make atonement for what he’s done while he still has a chance.”
I chuckled, shaking my head. “Isn’t it funny when evil people are at death's door, they want to ask for forgiveness for all the bad shit they’ve ever done. The man I thought was my father did the same thing. He told Felix to tell me he was sorry and hoped that I could forgive him before he died, but guess what, I couldn’t forgive him for what he did and sure as shit will never forgive Romano. So, you can tell him I got his message, and my position still stands.”
Lorenzo hangs his head, then nods. I had nothing left to say on the matter, so I went back to seasoning the meat. I heard Lorenzo a few seconds later leave out the patio door. I stood there, taking deep, calming breaths to gain my composure when arms wrap around my waist from behind. Monica laid her head on my back, as she held me tight. I don’t know how she knew I needed her right now, but I’m glad she was here.
“You good, baby?” She whispers, holding me tighter.
I place my hand over hers, as I let out a long deep sigh. “Yeah, I’m good, babe.”
“I heard what Lorenzo said. Whatever you decide to do, you know I support you one hundred percent.”
“There’s nothing to decide, babe. That part of my life is over with. I just want to focus on building our lives together. Romano only wants to clear his conscience for what he has done to me, but I won’t give him the satisfaction. I meant what I said when I told him it was over, and that meant any and everything that has to do with him.”
Monica releases me, as she comes to stand next to me with her back to the counter facing me. “Then that’s that. It’s over.”
“It’s over,” I tell her before I lean over and kiss her soft lips. “I love you.”
She smiles against my lips. “I love you too.”
“Good now, open the patio door, so I can take the rest of this meat out,” I tell her, lifting the pan.
“Sure thing, baby,” She counters.
I watch, as she puts an extra swing in her hips, as she saunters to the door. I let out a low rumble in my chest, causing her to look over her shoulder and burst out laughing. Naughty girl. She leaves out the door, still giggling.
I pause for a second thinking about Romano. Even though I said it was over, deep down, I have a feeling that my dealings with him were far from over…
The End…
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