That wasn't me. That gun sounding wasn't mine.

Karmin gasped, her hands falling to her side as she moved her gaze to a tattooed man in black. She was frozen in place, turning her eyes back at Ares as he slumped to the ground with a bullet in his head.

She had never seen someone die in front of her eyes before. So harshly.

But you were just going to shoot him yourself.

Maddox ran over to Ares's dead body, for what reason, she didn't know, but at that moment her brain was buzzing as if she was on novocaine. All she could hear was Cesar yelling at her, the footsteps of several police officers, and ambulance sirens.

She looked as the cops handcuffed Lance's unconscious body as she swayed slightly from the fatigue that washed over her. Her hair was matted against her face from sweat and blood, and cuts that were going to get infected if she didn't get them treated soon. Although she was there, watching everything, she didn't feel present. It almost felt like an out-of-body experience with her eyes glazed over.

"Karmin!" someone yelled, but she couldn't take her gaze off Ares's dead body. It was over. It was finally over.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, shaking her, and she jolted in surprise to see Cesar standing before her.

"Give me the gun, Karmin," he ordered as he nervously glanced over his shoulder.

"I uh," she swallowed, gawking at the gun in her trembling hands as she passed it over to him. "Here."

Cesar grabbed it swiftly, hiding it in the waistband of his pants. "You did good, kid," he complimented as he pulled on his hood.

"You, um, you killed him," Karmin stuttered, finally moving her eyes onto Cesar.

"I couldn't let you kill him," he said gravely. "Once you pull the trigger, there's no going back."

"Thank you," she whispered as her voice cracked.

Cesar winded back in disgust. "Sounds like you're about to cry. I'll let your boyfriend handle that," he remarked, taking a few steps towards the forest. "I should go before the cops see me. I was never part of this."

"How was the fight back at the train station?" she asked quickly. "Did the police get everyone?"

"Some got away, but my people are on it," he assured, throwing on his hood.

"Thank you, again. For everything."

"We had a deal," Cesar shrugged carelessly. "And if you ever need any work, you know where to find me."

Karmin nodded, watching him leave, but just before he disappeared into the foliage, she called out after him. "Cesar, I mean this in the nicest way possible," she started, "but I hope I never see you again."

He smirked, and just like that, he was gone.

She exhaled shakily, slowly making her way through law enforcement towards the ambulance. Karmin passed by officers covering Ares's body with a white sheet and placing bright yellow tape around him. They stared at her curiously, but she didn't care as she kept her eyes out for Maddox.

"Leave me alone, Mom," sighed Maddox, "I need to find Karmin."

She sighed in relief, pushing herself through the crowd, squinting her eyes from the bright red lights to get to him.

"But first, why were you snooping around Ares's dead body?" Avery fired back.

Maddox coughed awkwardly. "Because I'm thinking of switching my major to funeral planning or those people who work in morgues," he deadpanned as he scratched the side of his head.

Karmin smiled when she saw him and a warm blanket covering his shoulders. "They're called dieners," she answered.

Maddox's eyes shot up towards her, stumbling past his Mom to pull her into a hug. His chin sat on her head as he wrapped the blanket around the both of them. He didn't say anything, and she was thankful for that.

Avery cleared her throat. "I'll leave you two alone, but Karmin, we have to talk about your parents."

She broke apart from Maddox and said, "Wait, you're not going to..."

"I have to," she sighed, "but I can come with you."

Karmin bit her lip anxiously, tapping her foot in panic. "Okay, fine."

Avery nodded, and with one last glare at her son, she stalked off to the pier. Karmin's nails dug into her palms as she watched her leave. She wasn't sure if she was ready for that conversation. Where would she even begin? For some reason, coming clean to her parents seemed more daunting than going up against Ares.

"They'll understand," Maddox reasoned with her. "You did this for them."

"I hope so," she shrugged, pulling at her fingers in unease as she took a seat in the back of an ambulance.

"Karmin?" he hesitated, following her lead and gently grabbing her hand.

She licked her lips, aware of how dry they were. "I was scared of what I was going to do, Mads," she whispered. "I was going to do it."

"But you didn't, and that's all that matters," Maddox said softly.

"But you didn't know what I was feeling. What I was thinking," Karmin choked out. "I wanted him dead, and now that he is, I feel... I feel relieved. Is that bad?"

Maddox lifted her chin until her eyes met his. "You have every right to feel that way. He was a dangerous person, and he tried to kill us. If it makes you feel better, I feel that way too."

Karmin shuffled closer to him, hooking her arms around him with the need to be close. "That does," she hummed. "I'm just glad Cesar got here in time."

He scoffed, rolling his eyes. "That was the only time I was happy to see him."

"Don't say that about your future step-father," she jokingly chided.

Maddox's face wrinkled in horror. "Please never say that to me again."

"Okay, okay. How about we talk about the fact you can't swim. You're 19, dude," Karmin remarked with a teasing smile.

He narrowed his eyes at her, nudging her with his shoulder. "My sisters tried to drown me when I was six. Never again," he grumbled. "I also don't like chlorine."

"You don't like a lot of things," she pointed out. "People, pie, swimming."

"I like you, though," Maddox smirked lightly, gazing at her intensely. "That reminds me. What were you saying to Ares again? Something about the boy you love."

She felt blood rush to her face, her skin beginning to feel warm in the cool night. Karmin turned her attention, focusing on the hem of her shirt and refusing to look at him. "Hm, I don't seem to recall saying that."

"Really? Because I clearly remember you saying those words," he taunted, his smirk becoming deeper.

"You must have been hallucinating. All that lake water must have messed you up," Karmin shrugged.

Maddox laughed deeply, his green eyes lighting up like the sun. However, it died out soon until a sense of nervousness filled him, and this time around, he was the one playing with his fingers. "I think I..."

Karmin's ears perked up as he mumbled his words, but she couldn't hear him properly. She leaned closer to him and said, "What's that?"

He glared at her, sinking into this blanket. "Don't make me say it again."

"Oh no, I need to hear you," she smiled, poking his sides.

Maddox closed his eyes, placing his head into his head as he sighed. "I love you, you lunatic," he declared. "You happy now?"

At that moment, all the memories of tonight of fear, and hatred were replaced with those three words. She wouldn't remember this night as one of death, but one of love.

Karmin hopped out of her seat, grinning madly. Her heart was bursting, and her worries had vanished. She wanted to let the world know and scream at the top of her lungs that he was hers and she was his.

Maddox's eyes widened when he realized what she was going to do. "No, Karmin, stop. Don't –"

"Maddox Stanley Knight loves me!" she shouted, catching weird looks from the EMTs. "He said he loves me."

"I should've let Lance drown me," Maddox grumbled because of the unwanted attention.

Karmin laughed, grabbing a hold of a paramedic. "This boy said he loves me. Isn't that amazing?" she exclaimed.

"Um congratulations," he said awkwardly, quickly stepping away from her grasp and scurrying off.

She couldn't wipe the beaming expression off her face as she stalked towards a red Maddox, placing her hands on either side of his face. "I love you too, you miserable loser," and brought her lips down to his.

Karmin sank into his body, all the trauma that lived in her bones turning to dust. With his mouth moving against hers, she didn't realize how long she's been holding her breath in. With him, she could finally breathe. His arms were tight around her waist, almost as if he was scared of letting go and her fingers were gentle around his face, tracing over the ceramic contours of his cheeks.

His lips and arms felt like home.

Even through the blaring siren that washed their faces a red and the bustling feet of the investigators, she knew they were going to be okay. Maybe it was wishful thinking or mulberry silk dreams, but they were going to be okay. She could feel it.

Maddox pulled away, coughing awkwardly as he avoided contact from anyone who walked by. "We should probably stop..." he mumbled shyly.

"You're going to have to get used to it. If you haven't noticed, I'm a touchy person," she whispered with a soft smile.

"Oh, I've noticed," he remarked, squeezing her waist.

Karmin ran a hand through damp hair, pushing away the strands from his forehead. "I'm just glad everything worked out," she muttered, gazing at him lovingly. "Only thing left to do is figure out a way to get the rest of the money for the surgery. Do you know of any underground poker games?"

"What is it with you and illegal businesses?" Maddox sighed. "I have a feeling you like being a criminal."

"I do not," she scoffed dramatically. "And now that I think about it, I don't even know how to play poker. How about those car races like in The Fast and Furious? I could easily be the next Vin Diesel."

He raised his brow at the ridiculous idea. "We both know you would get distracted and die," he scoffed. "And I'm putting an end to this. No more illegal activities," Maddox stated as he dug into his pocket.

She rolled her eyes, waiting to see what he was pulling out of his pocket. Karmin saw a glint of red and gasped, shielding the object away from peering eyes. "Did you..."

"Pry this off his dead fingers?" Maddox said with a hint of distaste. "Yeah, not my finest moment."

"I thought you said no more illegal activities?" she mocked with narrowing eyes.

Maddox smiled bashfully. "No more illegal activities starting now," he remarked with a chuckle. "Besides, what's a dead man going to do with a ruby ring? I don't think accessorizing is going to be important with where he's going."

Karmin lifted her shaking hands, placing the ring in her hands. It was warm to the touch. The blood-red ruby sat in the center of the band with diamonds encrusting the outer corners. This piece of jewelry definitely cost more than her house.

Maddox smirked, grabbing the ring and twirling it in his fingertips with a glint of mischief in his eyes.

"So, you know of any decent pawn shops?"

***

Author's Note:

OMG how was the ending?!?

We still got an epilogue with the official ending, but I hope you guys liked this one!!! The epilogue is almost finished, and I will upload it as soon as it is done.

Until next time – m.k.t