chapter 26: part 2

Nic's POV

A strident noise echoed inside the building and a deadly silence was left to be heard. A strong wind blew on my face, making me shiver. It was hard to try and keep my balance on the edge of the balcony window but as the moonlight shone above me, I knew I couldn't be seen. Even with the bright hair, it would be hard to spot me. My arm muscles tightened as my hands clasped tightly around the metal security bars of the windows. I look beneath me and Oh boy, It was a long way down. I looked up and took a shaky breath.

Standing thirty feet above the ground was definitely all intentional but to say I regret it now, is only half the truth. The other half is the fear burning within me. Fear and regret is not what I should be feeling at the moment. Focus. I need to focus. I looked inside the window, observing behind the see-through curtains. Ignoring the cold and numbing feeling on my face, I saw a dead body being dragged out of the room.

That was the reason for the loud noise coming from the building. A guy wearing a wrinkled suit was talking to a tall masculine framed man. In just a few seconds, I saw the man shooting the guy in his face while he was speaking to him. In a blank expression, two men who were standing there, dragged the dead guy away.

I recognized these people as they're the ones who were in Rita's apartment. It seems like they came back while I was climbing the building from the backyard. It took me about 20 minutes to reach the top because of the damage my body has received.

I observed the situation in front of me and saw the man whispering to one of his men in his ear. I stared at him with a gut feeling telling me that this was Alec. This is a man who I should end tonight. The man who turned this beautiful night, into a horrific nightmare. But this is no nightmare, nightmares are fears based from our imagination. This is a memory thats going to haunt me in my entire living. A memory that's going to leave scars on my heart.

The man who I assume is Alec stood there silently after giving an order to his servant, who walked out of the room. Alec's eyes roamed around the room until his eyes made contact with mine. My breathing hitched as he stared at me. His eyes held nothing but sadness and grief. His brother just died in the most horrible ways any person could think of. I looked closer and saw something different in his eyes. He had a prosthetic eye with a scar outstretched on his face. I held my breath as he stared at me so intensely with no expression, his eyes glaring daggers in to my skin before he looked away and sighed. He silently walked out of the room as if he didn't see me. I breathed out, relieved. He didn't see me.

Now, I need to find a way in. I looked around me and on every edge of the bar, protecting the window. I have no ways of getting inside. I looked up towards the roof then I looked down towards the ground, knowing that going back is not an option anymore. I sighed. It's now or never. I looked back up and tried to reach out to the edge of the roof but my fingers couldn't reach. I sighed and tried again and again and again. "Goddamn it." I whispered and banged my head on the metal bar.

A creak was heard from the security bars and that's when I looked up, noticing that this wasn't as firm as I thought it would be. I banged, using my fist, on a corner of the bar and it bent forward. I smirked and banged again until I had it bent as enough space to go through. I went through the bar and slid the windows open. I jumped inside and heard a noise behind me. I looked back and saw the metal bar was gone. I looked down and saw a man passed out on the ground with the bars lying beside him. Did the bar just fall on top of him?  I shrugged and closed the windows.

I looked around me and noticed how dull and classic this room is; an old fashioned wallpaper was placed over the walls. On my left was a pale sandy  rotten couch sitting in the middle of the room with an ancient t.v. right in front of it. A book shelf was sitting right above the t.v. A radio was quietly playing a song from the late 50's. I recognized it as it's time to cry by Paul anka. The strange old vibe of this room, made me feel like I've gotten back through time.

I walked towards the door, more like limped, and leaned against it. No sound was heard so far other than the quiet music and my heartbeat ramming on my chest. I looked outside, to my left, to find a dark hall with a damaged wallpaper and a bright light was eliminating from another room. I looked to my right and found a dead end so I had to take a left. I limped slowly, my body using the wall as a support. I was losing blood and strength to go on but this had to be done. I can't give up now.

I reached the bright room and stood outside. I peaked my head out and my eyes grew wide to notice a young beautiful girl sitting on th floor, playing with her doll. She looked no bigger than 10 with a golden hair cascading down her back. She was wearing a fluffy pink dress and small black boots, matching with her entire room. Bears and plastic dolls were decorating her room and the wallpaper was baby pink. Her bedsheets were pink and her carpet was pink as well. It was very cheesy for a small girl to love pink and I never thought I would be seeing a kid here.

No one was in the room other than her so I silently walked past it. I saw a staircase at the end of the hall, leading downstairs. I limped towards it until I heard a very soft, delicate, caring immaculate voice ringing in my ears. "You're not one of my daddy's men." I turned around to see the small girl, hugging her doll to her chest and hiding her face behind it's head. Her innocents send regret through my heart as I realized Alec is her father and what I'm planning to do to him.

"I'm not." I whispered, answering her and leaning my body against the wall. I rested my head against the wall and closed my eyes, cringing as I felt dizzy. "You don't look so good." She spoke with her sweet voice and I chuckled as I sure guessed that. Limping and sweating didn't feel good either. "I know that." I whispered and sighed in pain.

"I shouldn't be talking to strangers." She said and hid her face even more in to the doll. I raised my eyebrow at her and nodded my head. "Me too."

"Well, I shouldn't be talking to strangers," she said, exposing her face from behind the doll. "But I can play with them." She smiled and giggled. I looked at her baffled and laughed weakly. "That's not...." I spoke but chuckled as she giggled loudly.

"Come on." She ran towards me and grabbed my arm, pulling me into her room. I was taken off guard that it took me awhile to realize what's going on. I halted before entering and stopped her little feet from walking any further. "I can't." I looked her in the eyes as she stared back it me. For some reason, I couldn't believe that a girl with those beautiful innocent green orbs could be a daughter of a satanic cold thirsty man who did dirty work to earn money. A man who didn't have any hesitation to kill. A man who had no mercy.

"You came to kill my father, didn't you?" She said and dropped my arm from her hand. My mouth fell open and I didn't know how to react. How did she know? "A lot of people try to kill my dad. I don't know why because he brings chocolate every time he comes home." She mumbled, sadly and my heart ached even more.

"I...." I wanted to say something but I didn't know what to say. I got down on my knees and gently lifted her head using two of my fingers, under her chin. "Your dad did some awful things that sometimes, it's hard to forgive." I bit my lips, not knowing if I said the right thing or not but she nodded her head understandingly.

"He does steal some of my cookies that my uncle makes for me." I smiled sadly and shook my head as I thought of Andrei who she'll no longer be seeing. She shouldn't be exposed to this kind of life. She shouldn't be having a father or a family like that. "Not like those kind of things." I said and sighed, my eyes not leaving hers. She took something out from her doll and my eyes grew big. I reached out to my back pocket and found the object was gone. The thing that I took from Rita's apartment. The thing I brought to end this once and for all.

"You dropped your gun." She hand it over to me and I took it from her, observing it in my hand. "Please, don't kill my dad." She whimpered and I looked up to see the tears welling up in her eyes. My heart clenched and I reached out to wipe her tears.

"Its okay-" I was interrupted.

"Step away from her!!!" I stood up and raised my gun to the man who was doing the same as me. We glared daggers into each others eyes and I wanted nothing more than to end him right here and right now. He was standing on the staircase as I stood next to his daughter. She was crying and sobbing her eyes as she witnessed the scene unfold. "Daddy!!" She cried as he yelled for her to go into her room.

"Please don't kill her. Please daddy!!" She begged her dad but none of us were touched by her words. At least, I wasn't. Looking at the man who brought nothing but fear and pain in to my life, brought something demonic in me. Something evil that wanted nothing but to see the person I hate suffer. Suffer like I did.

"Don't shoot in front of my daughter. She doesn't need to see that." He spoke and slowly brought his gun down. "I protected my daughter from the life I have and if you have any mercy or sympathy in your heart, don't do this in front of her." He begged me and dropped his weapon down to the bottom of the staircase, making it clear that he will not be firing. He lifted his hands up in the air as I remained unmoving. I heard a pleading call from the girl underneath me. "Please don't kill my daddy. Please!!! I'll do anything you want. I'll give you all my dolls and all the chocolates I have under my bed, but please, don't kill my daddy." I felt small arms hugging my legs as I stared into her father's eyes. I felt wet tears on my pants but all I did was never breaking eye contact with the man in front of me. He frowned at me with his blue eyes that held guilt and pleads for me to stop. He lowered his head and took a deep breath as if he already knew his faith.

I have every reason to kill him right now as he stood right here in front of me, armless, harmless, weak and no one to guard him. I have every reason to kill the man who was a part of killing my best friend. I have every reason for killing the man who spied on me for a really long time. I have every reason to kill the man who threatened me and the love of my life. I have every reason to kill the man who killed the woman of my dreams. I have every reason to want and wish for revenge.

But his daughter is right here, hugging my legs and pleading for me to stop. I don't see a cold blooded killer anymore, I see a father who's about to give his life away just because he doesn't want his daughter to see what he does for a living. I see a father who cherish his daughter and wants to protect her from his job. I see a father who's love for his daughter is stronger than the gun he carries in his belt.

"I'm not going to kill you." I dropped my arm, lowering the gun. He looked up, surprised and sighed in relief while dropping his arms. But I wasn't done talking. "I don't care if you're going to kill me tonight. I don't care if what I'm doing is right or wrong but all I want from you is one thing....." I paused with tears welling up in my eyes. He stared back at me and waited for me to continue. "Give her the best life she deserves." I looked down to my legs as I felt her arms tighten around me. She looked up, no longer crying but listening. "She's precious and a real princess." She smiled at me and I smiled back. I looked away from her and looked back to alec who was smiling lovingly at his daughter. he bent down and spread his arms for er to grab. She let go of my legs and ran to the arms of her father. They hugged tightly and I saw the relieved look on Alec's face.

I stood there with a million thought going through my head but none of them made any sense. A part of me had mercy to the person who brought so much venom and misery into my life, all because of the bright side I saw in him today; his daughter. For some reason, that made my entire decision change. I don't have the answer for this and I don't think I ever will. The love the two had for one another showed me the love I had in my family. That strong bond that no one can break. I am lucky because I have a family of my own. I have a family that can show me love and care and it doesn't matter if they couldn't give me what I wanted; money, car, food, clothes, support whenever I needed because in all honesty, they can't be there all the time

but by the end of the day, they're the ones I'm going to speak to and see last. The ones I'm sleeping next to. And the ones I'm laughing with at the end of the night. The ones I'm going to forgive.

Is that how strong forgiveness is? It's all I've ever done as the time goes by. What if I haven't forgiven, where would I be? What if I chose to never forgive my father or my mother? To never forgive my enemies? To never forgive Lauren? To never forgive Alec? Where would I be? Would I be the wet sand on the beach that holds nothing but tears and dirt? Would I be the ashes from the fire that burned the brightest until it no longer exists? Would I be a wasted paper that is thrown in the trashcan whenever it's used? Would I be useless with nothing but tears, dirt and wrinkles from the greed I held upon others? How would I be? How would my life be?

Tears fell from my eyes as I walked down the streets to the last destination of my life before I choose to end it all. My time here is done.

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A/N

*gasps* Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the await is over and its time to finish the book. There are two more chapters left before this book comes to an end. Thank you for your big amount of support and for waiting this long. I hope you enjoyed this and I'm sorry if it's depressing. But *shrugs*

Vote and comment whatever you want.