Chapter Fifteen
Ezra
I woke to a loud creaking sound out in the living room. For a split second, I thought Levi was out there, getting a drink of water. At least I hoped it was water. My heart almost stopped in my chest when I realized he was still in bed next to me.
Levi was sitting bolt upright in bed with wide eyes. He brought his finger to his lips and jerked his head toward the bedroom doorway when he saw me looking at him.
The door was partway open, and I could see a blob of shadows moving around on the other side. Levi made a move to get out of bed, but before he could, the bedroom light flicked on.
Gavin had stepped into the room like he owned the place, and his goons, Tony and Cruz, were right behind him. I couldn’t tell if Tony and Cruz were armed, but Gavin was obviously armed.
I watched his face turn a bright shade of red. His eyes burned with rage from having caught me in bed with another man. He looked as if he was ready to kill us both, and I wondered if he would.
“I should just kill you both right now,” Gavin snarled. It was as if I could still read his mind, but I wished I couldn’t.
I leaned over to try and cover Levi’s body with mine. He wasn’t going to die because of me if I could help it. Levi gently pushed me out of the way. I should have known that he would never let me protect him. I don’t know that a real Alpha ever would, but I had to try.
“Aw, that’s so sweet,” Gavin said. “I don’t think Ezra here would have ever tried to protect me.”
“You need to leave before this ends badly for you,” Levi said.
“You need to shut up,” Gavin snarled.
I could almost feel Levi’s blood boiling. He looked as though he could cut holes in Gavin with his eyes. “Really, this is your last chance.”
Gavin aimed his gun at Levi’s head. I felt all of the air rush from my lungs. “Get out of the bed,” Gavin barked. “Put your hands on the backs of your necks.”
I was glad I’d worn one of Levi’s shirts and a pair of his sweats to bed. The thought of being naked in front of Gavin again made my stomach sour. He gestured for me to follow him while keeping the gun pointed at Levi’s head.
Tony and Cruz walked around Gavin, and I took a step between Gavin and Levi. I thought there was less chance that Gavin would shoot me.
The goons walked past me to seize Levi. I kept my eyes on Gavin because I didn’t want him to shoot Levi while Tony and Cruz held him in place. It was a scene I had witnessed in the past, and I did not want to watch it again.
Not with the Alpha I loved.
“You’ll have to shoot me first,” I said to Gavin. “I won’t let you kill Levi, and I’d rather die than go back with you.”
“Ezra, my love.” Gavin’s words made my skin crawl. “You know that’s not a possibility. You belong to me, and when this is done, I will take you home. Next time, I’ll make sure you don’t get away from me.
Before Gavin could respond, I heard an agonizing grunt from behind me. I turned just enough to see Levi knock Cruz to the ground. He headbutted him in such a way that Levi was not hurt at all, but he knocked Cruz completely unconscious.
Had my life not been in danger, I would have been dumbstruck by Levi’s fighting ability. As it was, I could appreciate that the fight scenes in his movies were not all show, but the adrenaline pumping through my veins kept me aware of my continued predicament. Since Levi’s fighting skills weren’t all choreographed, I vowed to have him teach me if we made it out of our dilemma alive.
Levi made a move toward Tony, who was fumbling with something in his waistband. At some point, he’d put his gun away.
“Damn it, Tony,” Gavin yelled. “I’ve told you before to keep your gun ready.”
Tony not following Gavin’s advice about his gun would cost him his life. Levi lunged again to take advantage of the opportunity. He tried to aim the gun at the ceiling, but Tony managed to get it stuck between the two of them. After a brief struggle, it went off.
Tony’s face went pasty white, and he slumped to the ground. He moaned and clutched his stomach. Tony wasn’t dead yet, but as far up as we were on the mountain, there was no way he’d get medical attention fast enough. Especially since the blood oozing from his wound was black.
Levi was able to aim his gun at Gavin and pull the trigger before Gavin sorted out what was happening around him. Right before the bullet pierced his chest, he had a look of shock and indignation plastered across his face. He’d probably never even considered that someone could get the better of him.
Unfortunately, Levi’s bullet must not have hit his heart. As the outrage of being bested melted into horror over my betrayal, Gavin raised his gun at me. Before unconsciousness took him, he squeezed the trigger.
The bullet ripped through my stomach and my vision swam. I heard Levi scream my name, followed by one more shot. Moments later, his arms wrapped around me just as the world went black.