Just as Neil’s finger began to squeeze the trigger—a chair collided with the back of his head, shattering into pieces.
Neil staggered forward, the gun veering wildly. The shot fired, but missed, blasting into the alley wall with a spray of brick dust.
Mary screamed. Neil turned, dazed and furious, blood streaking down the side of his face.
Behind him stood Ben.
Barely upright, his face battered, one eye swollen shut. He looked like death — but he was still standing. Still fighting.
“You forgot about me,” Ben growled.
Neil lunged, and the two men collided.
It was brutal. Animal. They slammed into each other with decades of hate, fists and elbows flying, bone meeting flesh with sickening cracks. Ben’s body was failing, but rage pushed him farther than any logic could. Neil fought like a man cornered, wild and unhinged.
In the chaos, they both dove for the fallen guns.
Two clicks echoed at once. Then fire.
The first shot hit Neil — center mass. The second slammed into Ben’s side.
Both men dropped at nearly the same time, guns clattering to the pavement. For a second, the only sound was Mary’s panicked breath and the slow drip of blood hitting stone.
Mary crawled toward her father.
“Dad—Dad—”
Ben lay on his back, coughing, blood already pooling beneath him. He blinked up at her with fading eyes.
“I finally did something right,” he said, voice a rasp.
“Why did you come back?” she whispered, cradling his head in her lap. “You didn’t have to.”
“Yeah,” he murmured, trying to smile. “I did. You don’t… leave a poker debt unpaid.”
She let out a broken laugh through her tears. “You bet me like I was a pile of chips.”
“I know.” He coughed again, this time harder. “And I’m sorry. For all of it. For not being the kind of man you needed. I thought I was protecting you. But I was just… keeping you small.”
“You gave me away,” she said, tears running freely now.
“I did.” His hand found hers, weak and shaking. “And somehow… you found the one bastard who would die for you.”
Mary looked over at Will, who was now dragging himself upright, bloodied but still watching her — always watching her.
“I did,” she whispered.
Ben exhaled, long and final.
“Then he protects you now,” he said. “That’s his job.”
His eyes didn’t close. But they stopped seeing.
Mary didn’t move for a long time.
When she finally stood, Will was leaning against the wall, barely on his feet.
She rushed to him.
He didn’t protest when she slid her shoulder under his, when she helped him limp to the car parked just beyond the alley. He was still bleeding, still broken — but alive.
She helped him into the passenger seat, then climbed behind the wheel.