Back with another chapter! Sorry for the delay! xx


He had waited for this to happen. It was their third night there and they found themselves sitting side by side on the couch as two guns were pointed at them.

"Took your time." Rusty commented.

Phillip tilted his head warningly. "Well, I had business to take care of."

"Look, I'm not even involved in all this so... let me go?" Kris asked gently.

Phillip chuckled, shaking his head. "Not the brightest crayon in the box, are you? Once I kill Russell here, I will kill you. Because then, you'll be a witness and honey, I don't leave witnesses."

"I gathered that." Kris hissed, folding her arms. "Not exactly how I planned my holiday to be like. A month and a bit of being slim ruined by a gunshot wound. Great." she mumbled.

Rusty ignored the urge to grab her hand and hold it tightly. He had to act hostile towards her. For their safety and to get home to their two kids who were waiting for them.

"Why can't you just get it over and done with? You've been waiting ten years for this moment, Stroh." Rusty said, leaning back. "I'm not scared. You've nearly killed me once and I was ready for that. Now, I'm ready again."

"It's no fun if you're expecting this." Stroh tutted.

Kris narrowed her eyes. "If you're planning to kill us both then you're planning to make two innocent children orphans. How is that fun?"

"I didn't say it was going to be fun for you." Stroh simply replied, shrugging.

Kris shook her head and stood up. "Well then, I'm not afraid to die either. I knew what I was getting myself into when I met Rusty. We're in this together."

Rusty grabbed her hand and stood up also. "Can't you just let this one go, Stroh? I've moved on and I just want to..."

"What? You just want to what? Live? Forget all that happened?"

"Look, I promise I won't go against you in court. I will no longer be a witness. If you're caught then you're likely to walk away because... I will not be a witness any more. This has just brought me grief upon grief and now I have three people to think about other than me. I know I'm not afraid of dying but I am afraid of leaving my family. My real one didn't want me so the one I have now... I have to cherish forever."

"You're going to retract your statement?"

Rusty nodded. "I just want my life back."

Stroh stood up. "Then there's no case against me. See no evil, hear no evil." he smirked.

Kris looked between them. "So... are we good? We leave you alone, you leave us alone."

"Yeah, I guess. But, let me leave you with a goodbye gift as a warning that if you don't retract your statement and leave your position as key witness..." He dug into his pocket and pulled out a phone. Placing a gun on the table, he accessed the gallery on his phone and showed them a picture of Sharon, Shiloh and Alyssa.

"Your pretty wife, along with your mom and kids... I have eyes on them and I could strike at any moment."

"Don't threaten my family." Rusty said lowly.

He didn't see it coming. Neither did Kris. All they knew was that Phillip Stroh had gone once again and Kris was on the floor, clutching her stomach.

"Oh my God..." Rusty breathed out, kneeling down beside her. "Just..., uh, keep pressure on the wound."

Kris glared at him. "What-what do you th-think I'm doing?!"

They both pressed a pillow on her stomach as Rusty used a bloodied hand to dial the emergency services. "They'll be here soon. You're going to be alright, I promise."

"Kiss me."

"I... Right now?"

Kris nodded as Rusty placed his lips on hers. They stayed like that for one and a half minutes before Rusty disconnected their lips. "Took my mind off..."

Her breathing became shallow as Rusty quickly stood up, running to the villa her parents were staying at. He was thankful that he was wearing pyjamas and not anything less.

He banged on the door and watched as the lights came on and a shadow hurrying to the door. The door opened and revealed Michael. "Rusty? What-? It's 3 AM!"

"Kris... she's been shot. Stroh-"

"Amanda!" Michael yelled as Rusty ran back to the villa.

He knelt beside Kris and held her hand as he used the other to press against the wound. "You're going to be okay."

"You promise?" she whispered.

"Think about how Alyssa would be two months old soon... That's close to three months where she can eat things other than drink milk, right?"

"She looks like... you, with... my hair."

Rusty smiled, wiping her hair away from her face as her parents rushed in with EMTs. "But she's strong like her mom." his voice broke. He backed away and rubbed his hands together, feeling the blood mix with his sweat.

He couldn't lose her. Not for the third time. The first time, he begged her to break contact with him for her own protection. The second time, she nearly died after being shot for the first time five years ago. The third time... He couldn't bear to think about a world without her.

"What happened?" Amanda asked, tears running down her face as they watched Kris being strapped onto a gurney.

Rusty held his breath, unable to answer as the air in the room became hotter. "Son, are you okay?" he could faintly hear.

"Oh my God, he's going..."

Breathing shallow. Everything dark.

...

Rusty woke up to the sounds of whispering and annoying beeping. He groaned, bringing a hand up to a plastered forehead. He could blindly tell that there were six people in the room with him.

"He's awake." A female voice said quietly.

He turned to the speaker and smiled lightly. "Hey."

"Why didn't you call me? Tell me that Phillip Stroh was after you?"

"Sharon... Mom, I didn't know that Emma didn't inform you. And I never wanted you to worry about me. I'm 25."

Sharon sighed, taking her glasses off and briefly turned to Emma with a look that obviously meant 'I'll deal with you later'. "Rusty... Your wife is in hospital again and that's because of Stroh, again. Look, there is not only you and Kris in this situation. You have two children who count on you both to protect them."

"I know that. That's why I am withdrawing my witness statement."

There were gasps around the room. "You-you can't! That's... that's the only thing that could send Stroh down for life."

"Didn't stop him for escaping and making my life hell." Rusty mumbled, a dark tone in his voice. "He threatened my kids and you, Sharon. I can't let him torment me forever so that's why I am retracting my statement."

"Rusty... Do you know what this means?" Provenza asked. "There would be no case against Stroh. He would walk scot-free for a crime he did commit."

"And this will not end after you retract your statement." Emma added. "He would still come after you because the stakes are low and you will not be able to put forward a statement again. He would want to be sure that you will never be able to trick him."

Rusty gulped. "Can we do this later? I need to see Kris."


There you go! x