We are both out for blood. For stealing our money, for what he did to Angelina, and for now thinking he can just storm our safe house and take the woman who I love from me. I haven’t fucking loved anyone before, and I love Little Red with everything I am. I am not going to stand by now and let him take her.

Because she is mine.

I notice his gun hand has lowered, no longer aimed directly at Nico's head, but slightly lower near his shoulder. Gripping my gun, feeling the cold metal under my grip, I pierce my eyes, looking right at him. This is it; I am finally going to end this piece of shit. But just as I focus on his head to aim, a gunshot rings out, and we all duck, falling to the floor in unison. I watch Dominic as his body drops, bright red exploding from his head, but his arm swings wide and his gun fires, shooting his own man, who goes down hard, the bullet hitting him right in the chest. Nico scrambles to the side, retrieving his gun and Carter makes quick work of Dominic’s accomplice, ensuring he doesn’t get up again.

As I slowly stand, I notice Dominic’s body. It was a clear shot, straight through his temple. I glance at Sebastian and then Carter and Nico, and they all look shocked. We must have had another gunman here at the side, but I can’t see who it is.

“Fuck,” Sebastian says as he lowers his gun. With a clear visual of the shooter, he rubs his eyes in shock and disbelief as I lower my weapon and take a step forward before I stop dead in my tracks and my heart stutters.

It’s Little Red. Her tiny frame stands stock still, holding a shaking gun, staring at Dominic’s body on the floor, blood seeping from around his head. She is wide-eyed, barely breathing as her eyes flick to me. She lets go of the gun, and it falls from her grip, the thud startling me from my shock. Her beautiful body is splattered in bright red, the strong metallic smell now filtering through the air. She covers her mouth with her hands as she takes in what just happened.

I run to her then and grab her around the waist.

“Annie.” I take her in my arms, the color has draining from her face as her body starts to tremble. Her expression still unmoving.

“ANNIE!” I bark at her, trying to startle her out of her shock, but it doesn’t help. I see Nico and Carter running around, cleaning up evidence, as Sebastian is screaming into his phone. Little Red slumps into my embrace, and I look back at her in time to see her eyes roll back into her head. She is out cold.