Page 88 of Dark Reunion

“Why are you so fucking stubborn?” Carlos raged, punching Dean across the face, repeatedly, until the world suddenly exploded. For a brief moment, Dean wondered if the sound was something inside his head, but the windows shattering inward told him otherwise.

He turned his head away from the raining debris. Another deep, thunderous crack tore through the air and hit somewhere above them. The whole building shook, and small particles of ceiling sprinkled down on them.

“What the fuck is happening?” Carlos yelled, but Dean could only smile as a flash turned the window white. They watched as a heartbeat later, Keene’s helicopter exploded, disintegrating into fire, on the far roof. The shockwave punched through the building. Lights exploded and pictures fell from the walls, smoke poured in, and Carlos turned his shocked stare on him.

“Fucking Christ!” Keene stood staring at the burning wreckage, like he couldn’t believe what was happening.

Carlos spun toward the window. “What have you done?”

Dean began to laugh as gunfire erupted outside. Shouts in English and Spanish overlapped in chaos. The compound was under siege. The office door opened, and four guards ran in, out of breath.

“Señor, Alvarez is attacking and there are…” He paused and looked at Keene. “American soldiers. They have already killed dozens. What do you want us to do?”

Carlos glared at Keene. “Who the fuck is out there?”

“I don’t know. I brought six of my most loyal with me. They’re all loyal me and the orders I give.”

Dean yanked at his chains, metal screaming. That got both of their attention. “You…you did this,” Carlos growled. Dean smirked, not saying a word.

One of the guards hesitated, gun half-raised, eyes darting between Carlos and Keene, sweat rolling down his temple.

“Don’t just stand there!” Keene roared. “Get⁠—”

The guard turned on him. One shot. Clean. Keene staggered back, clutching his leg, a howl tearing out of him as blood spread across his pant leg.

Carlos’s response was instant. He drew, fired twice. The guard dropped to the floor, eyes sightless. Dean looked at the young man’s body, his whole life cut short, and hated that there were always casualties that should never happen. He hadn’t deserved to die for doing one decent thing in a pit full of monsters.

The noise seemed to be coming from every direction. It was so loud that Dean couldn’t hear what Carlos was yelling, but Carlos dropped down on his knees and covered his head as a loud whistling sound announced the RPG a second before it hit. The impact shook floor like an earthquake. Dean closed his eyes and fought off the demons of his past that were threatening to take over. The rhythm of the helicopter blades, the cars blowing up, buildings crumbling all around them, his best friend dying in his arms. Tears stung his eyes as he warred with the memories.

Dean rocked the chair from side to side, yelling as he fell on his side and onto his arm. Fuck.

Smoke rolled through the open doorway. Somewhere downstairs, the distinct sound of a grenade went off, and the floor trembled. He would recognize that deep boom anywhere.

Carlos moved to the desk, using it as a barricade, barking orders into a radio. Dean glared at the coward. His empire was crumbling in real time, and Dean savored every second.

Keene managed to tourniquet his leg with his belt and crawled toward the open office door, dragging his wounded leg. “You son of a bitch, you’ll regret this,” he threatened, as he got close.

“Regret’s not really my thing,” Dean smirked.

Outside, the world howled with everything from machine guns to the sound of the compound’s walls crumbling.

Carlos pulled his gun and pointed it at Dean. “I should’ve killed you years ago. I should’ve sent a team to slit your throat as you slept.”

“You’re right, you probably should have.”

Carlos pulled the trigger, but the bullet missed, flying past Dean as the room shook. The ceiling above them cracked, dust falling like ash. Somewhere close, another explosion bloomed.

Dean locked eyes with the man who dared call himself family. “You missed old man. Even fate thinks you’re an asshole.” He cackled, letting the manic inside of him loose. “You hear that?”

Carlos frowned as he tried to aim again, but a much closer explosion had him looking toward the sound.

Dean’s grin turned evil. “That’s the sound of your death as the kingdom you built is destroyed piece by piece. I did that. You killed my mother, you tried to break me, but you failed. Now it is your own creation that has destroyed you.”

Another blast shook the walls.

“Those blasts could kill us both, you idiot,” Carlos yelled.

“Then so be it,” Dean said, and lay his head on the ground, listening to the beautiful destruction. Dean pictured Yasmine’s face, her warm smile even on the darkest of days. How she held him, loved him, and made him feel like he was someone worth loving. He could see her standing with their children, and a tear escaped his eye. If he died on this floor, he only had one regret. Not having more time. But if his death meant they could live free and safe…then it was worth it.