Chapter 56: New Fears
The unusual couple's flirtation was interrupted by a black BMW that stopped abruptly beside them. Two burly men got out of the car. From their appearance, it was clear nothing good could come of this meeting. So Ray quietly commanded:
"Run."
Lily didn't want to leave him, but glancing at the approaching men and remembering the children, she looked at Ray in terror and ran away.
"Hey guys, do you have a problem?" Ray asked.
He was scared, but not for himself — for his beloved. In his entire life, he couldn't recall having any enemies who could send such thugs after him. Most likely, the target was Lily.
"We don't have a problem," one of them replied phlegmatically. "We just want to borrow your beautiful girl. Don't worry, we promise — we'll give her back."
"How about this: I'll give you all my money, and we'll part ways peacefully," Ray offered calmly.
"I wonder what you'll do if we refuse?" the second man drawled mockingly. "Oh, and by the way... We can take not only your money and your bitch, but also your life."
From their behavior, it was obvious Ray wouldn't get out of this confrontation unscathed. The fact that neither of the pair had gone after Lily didn't bring him any peace.
Ray didn't wait for them to make the first move. Instead, he sharply kicked the nearest one in the groin. As the man doubled over in pain, the guy grabbed him by the hair and slammed his face into his knee several times.
But even these efforts weren't enough to knock out his opponent. The injured man was still groaning when his partner came to his senses, snapped out of his stupor, and threw a punch. Ray tried to dodge, but he lacked both the physical conditioning and the reaction speed.
In the next moment, he was lying on the asphalt. His consciousness blurred, but as soon as he came to, he saw two more men. One of them was holding Lily. From their disheveled appearance — one scratched, the other clutching his ear — it was clear she had put up a desperate fight. One of her arms hung limply — broken.
Seeing this, Ray gathered his last strength and tried to get up. But the man who had been groaning in pain earlier had already recovered and kicked him hard. Ray thought he heard his own ribs crack. The blows continued.
The last thing he saw was the look in his beloved's eyes — a mixture of horror and utter despair. Then a sharp, deafening gunshot reached his ears, and his consciousness slowly faded into darkness.
"What are you doing?!" one of the men shouted, grabbing his accomplice's arm.
The other big guy hissed angrily: "You're crazy! You'll have to deal with that crazy bitch yourself if this ugly bastard dies!"
"I don't care! That fat fuck crushed my balls!" the first one roared back, angrily kicking Ray's already motionless body.
These words were the last thing that reached his fading consciousness.