Chapter 8
Nick was shocked by Greg's revelation. He couldn't believe that Alex was pregnant. The twins had been a difficult birth, especially with all the trauma she had suffered from being shot in the stomach. She hemorrhaged so much they almost lost her. And now she was pregnant again.
"What?" Nick exclaimed, slamming Greg's head in to the floor again. This time it caused Greg to lose consciousness.
Then Nick heard the distinct sound of the hammer on a revolver being cocked.
"He said I'm pregnant," Alex, holding the revolver to Nick's head responded. "Now, if you would be so kind as to drop the knife and get off my husband."
Nick raised his hands slightly above his shoulders, but didn't drop the knife. He pondered what his next move would be and if Alex would really shoot him. He mustered up all the desire he could with a gun pointed at him and said, "Alex, can't we talk about this?"
Alex could feel her pulse quicken and a slight blush brush her cheeks. And then she was even angrier with him. Angry that even after everything, he could still get a reaction from her. "I said get off my husband."
Nick hesitated. He couldn't believe after all he'd done, all he'd been through for her, for their children, that she could possibly pull a gun on him and threaten him. Nick's anger started to turn its focus.
"Do you know he left me to die in some hell hole country?" Nick's anger started peaking through in his voice.
"I know that he spent most of our savings trying to bribe your way out of jail," Alex replied matter-of-factly. "Stand up please."
Nick's jaw dropped. He didn't think Alex knew. And he was sure when he told her that she would hate Greg.
"Greg told me three months ago," Alex answered the question she could see on Nick's face.
"And you're not mad?" Nick was incredulous.
"I was mad!" Alex's anger started to simmer. "But he did what he thought was right. If he had told me you were dead back then it would have destroyed me."
"But I wasn't dead!" Nick was almost yelling.
"He didn't know that!" Alex yelled back. "Now, I'm not going to tell you again, stand up!"
Nick, not knowing what else to do, slowly stood up so that he was on the opposite side of the prone Greg from Alex. He, however, still didn't drop the knife. He just needed a minute to figure out how he was going to do this. Since Alex taking him back was out of the question, he was going to make sure than no one else—namely Greg—got her either. Plus it was obvious she hadn't deserved his devotion.
"Now drop the knife," Alex ordered him.
Nick flicked his wrist and propelled the knife towards Greg. Alex watched in horror as the event she was trying to avoid unfolded before her eyes. Forgetting for a moment about Nick, she fell to her knees beside Greg, her mind not registering where the knife hit him. Then she lifted the gun and fired.
Unfortunately, Alex's eyes were too blurred with tears to fire the shot straight and she missed Nick. Nick, already moving to avoid the shot, quickly got behind her and wrapped an arm around her neck. It startled Alex and she immediately started clawing at his arms, dropping the gun. Then he dragged her to her feet.
"You stupid bitch," Nick seethed, squeezing her neck. "I did everything for you! And this is how you repay me? You try and shoot me?"
Alex struggled against Nick, but couldn't budge his arm. His chest seemed solid as a rock against her back as she tried elbowing him. She attempted to calm down, to remember her self-defense training. But all she could think about was her dwindling oxygen supply from his ever-tightening arm.
"Nick, please, stop!" Alex begged, her voice a hoarse whisper.
"I think you know it's a little too late for that," Nick replied through gritted teeth. He hadn't wanted this, but he had no choice.
She tried to stomp on his foot, but he was wearing boots and her dress shoes didn't make a dent. She kicked him in the shin, but he didn't even flinch. She scratched at his arms, but his leather jacket made it impossible for her to cause any damage. Not to mention her vision was starting to blur from the lack of oxygen.
"Please!" Alex sobbed, not wanting it to end this way. Greg, possibly dead on the floor. She, losing the fight for life against Nick. Knowing that Greg would be dead as soon as she was. And Ollie, poor Ollie. He would be an orphan.
"Mom, what's taking so—" Ollie paused mid sentence, seeing his father lying on the ground, his mother in a death hold.
Nick turned and then froze as he caught Oliver's eyes. He saw the horror that turned to rage in his son's eyes.
"Bastard!" Ollie yelled as he started to run towards Nick and his mother.
Nick was frozen, unable to comprehend what was happening. Ollie nailed Nick in his side with his shoulder. It shocked Nick enough that he loosened his grip on Alex and she slipped free. Ollie swung at Nick and they started to grapple with each other. Alex scrambled for the gun, knowing that Ollie couldn't take Nick.
Alex heard a loud crack then saw Ollie fall to the ground. Nick started towards her. She lifted the revolver, this time taking a second to aim.
"You can't do it," he said as he closed the gap between them.
She pulled the trigger just to prove him wrong.
Nick stopped as the shot hit him. "You…you shot me!" he sounded surprised.
Alex pulled the trigger again, this time hitting him in the head. Nick fell dead to the ground. Alex scrambled towards Ollie and Greg, pulling out her phone and dialing 9-1-1. She tried to not sound hysterical and did her best to find a pulse on Greg. She breathed a sigh of relief when she found one, even though it was faint. The she crawled over to Ollie to make sure he was ok.
She stayed on the phone with the operator until the EMTs got there. By that time, Ollie had come to and was trying to comfort his mom. The EMTs made an exception and allowed the whole family to ride in the same ambulance. Alex didn't let go of Ollie or Greg's hands for the entire ride as she silently prayed that Greg would live and not leave her a single mother again.