43. The Protector
Chapter forty-three
The Protector
Sammy
D inah and I move from one room to the other, with two of the rebels at our sides, murdering everyone in our paths. There seem to be fewer snakes hiding up here in the dark than there were on the main level. My body is filled with tension, as the real possibility that we’re finally going to get our hands on Noah Rothesay races through my mind. Will I be able to allow Dinah to be the one to murder him in my stead? The immediate answer that soars through my mind is no, that I deserve to be the one to send him to hell, for all that I’ve suffered directly at his hands, for all that I have lost of myself. I know that isn’t fair, and is even selfish of me, since Dinah suffered too. She had her childhood stolen from her, when she was forced to witness the abuse her mother suffered, and the part he played in her father’s death, regardless of if the cunt was actually dead or not. What about Ezekiel? He is his father’s son, but does that mean he hasn’t equally suffered at his hands? He, too, was a captive of Noah’s, even if he was rescued. The truth is, there is no correct answer; we, and countless others, deserve a piece of Noah as well for all the harm he has committed, but there won’t be enough of him to give.
A gunshot blares from across the hall and momentarily distracts Dinah. She turns towards the door, a frown marring her features, and I sense that she’s worried about Ezekiel and Abraham, even though both of them are more than capable of holding their own against Noah’s diminishing forces. At least I fucking hope they’re diminishing. We were told ten were here hiding with him, but Dinah and I alone have murdered that number, if not more. More and more, it feels like we are once again being set up, and this is a goddamn trap. I feel the stirrings of panic rising inside of me, causing darkness to attempt to take over my vision, and a fine tremble to accost my limbs, at the possibility that we could be captured. My hand shakes, with my gun firmly clenched in my fist. Fuck, I have to keep it together for Dinah and myself. I can’t let the madness wrap me up and strangle me. I have too much to lose.
“Dinah! Watch out!” I yell, as a man appears from behind a large cabinet and tries to strike out at her with a blade, managing to catch her forearm, as she releases a pained and outraged scream. The sight of her crimson blood has a dark haze forming over my vision. I stride over there, oblivious to everything around me, and wrap my hands around the fucker’s neck from behind, lifting him clear off the ground and crushing his windpipe, as he waves his arms around frantically, and tries to slash at me with the blade. Distantly, I can hear Dinah screaming at me as if she’s coming from a ways off, and her voice comes and goes, breaking off at certain syllables. There’s a buzzing getting louder and louder in my ears, and mixing with the erratic thumping of my heartbeat. Dead, he’s fucking dead. The feel of the vibrations of what must be this fucker’s screams tingle against my fingers, and I’m faintly aware that I’ve dropped my gun somewhere, in my haste to get to him. His feet kick out backward, hitting me against my shins with force, but I refuse to release him. I don’t feel anything except overwhelming rage. He must die! He touched what is mine. He hurt her. No one gets to hurt my Nightstar ever again. I squeeze until I feel a pop as I crush his throat, and his body stops moving, and goes limp in my hold. Reality starts to come back in fractions, and I feel Dinah’s fingers prying at my hands forcefully, her sharp nails digging into my skin as she tries to get me to release my hold. I meet her blue-gray storm-filled eyes, loaded with fright, and her voice penetrates through the void of nothingness. “Sammy, he’s dead. Baby, please let go!”
I drop the heavy weight, and it hits the floor with a resounding thud, as Dinah steps right over him and raises her hands to my face. The feel of her cold fingertips against my skin is exactly what I need to force the rest of the murkiness to recede. “Dinah?” I reach up and grab her arm, my eyes narrowing on the thin line of red blood that’s sliding down her limb towards her elbow. “Fuck! We need to get you medical attention.” I want to pick her up in my arms, cradle her to my chest, and race the fuck out of here, promising that I will keep her safe forever. “I’m fine, Sammy. It’s just a little cut. You got to him before he could do any real damage.” Her hands tighten on my face, forcing me to really focus. “You saved me, Sammy.”
I drag a deep, labored breath inside of my chest, taking in her worried expression. She thinks I’m losing it, and fuck, she’s not wrong. I’m about to open my mouth and beg her to leave here with me. I want to run into the other room, and grab Ezekiel and Abraham, and disappear into the wilderness, leaving all of this shit behind, and allowing the world to destroy itself while we stay safe. I know, however, that we have gone too far now, and it’s too late to turn back. “I will never allow anyone ever to hurt you again, Nightstar.”
A slight smile creeps over her lips, but doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “Ditto, babe.” A large bang has us both turning towards the doorway of the room, as Abraham storms into the space. His amber eyes seem to glow in the dim lighting, giving him a menacing and sinister look. His body is covered in splatters of blood and grime, and he has a gun firmly held in his hand, and shit, he looks badass. “You two, stop fucking around. We know where Noah is hiding!” He shouts, with a look of aggravation, and I get a glimpse of a solemn-looking Ezekiel over his shoulder. He’s intently staring at Dinah, and the blood on her arm, and if I’m not mistaken, the look he gives me is filled with reproach, as if I failed her, which fuck, I know I have. “Snow, are you alright?” His words confirm my suspicions, and shame soars within me, with my culpability that she’s once again hurt, because I wasn’t able to stop someone from harming her. Failure. Useless. Broken.
Dinah releases her hold on me and turns towards them. She either didn’t see the look he gave me, or she’s choosing her battles with him. “I’m fine, it’s nothing. How do you know where he is?” I tear my eyes away from Ezekiel’s, as his lips tip downwards in disapproval at her reply. He tears at the bottom of his shirt, stepping forward and pulling Dinah towards him, as he begins to bind her arm.
“We found thing one hiding in one of the rooms, and Zeke threatened him with you, and the coward caved like a damn pussy. Atasi, you’re infamous. All of them are afraid of what you’ll do to them. They choose death over facing you.“ Abraham grins like a damn psychopath, and Ezekiel rolls his eyes at his antics, finally releasing me from his condemnatory glance, and Dinah from his hold.
“Thing one?” I question with confusion. Then it dawns on me, this must be that fucking gorilla who helped Noah torture me. I know from Dinah that they already murdered the one I referred to as Gorilla number two, and although it pained me that I didn’t get to be the one to take his life, after all the suffering he put me through, I am just glad the fucker is gone. “Gorilla number one,” Ezekiel grunts, and I nod my head in acceptance. They are both gone now, good fucking riddance, they can’t hurt anyone else ever again.
“He confessed that there are more loyal Brotherhood men, hiding with Noah on the top level. We will need to be careful. I don’t trust what he told us, even though he was clearly terrified at the prospect of being given to my wife as a plaything,” Ezekiel mutters, and I don’t miss the scathing look he gives me at the word, ‘wife’. He’s beginning to seriously grate on my already frazzled fucking nerves. I get it. I’m a fucking failure, move on, asshole, you’re not perfect either. “Perhaps we should all stay together from now on, safety in numbers,” Ezekiel mumbles, as he wraps an arm around Dinah’s waist and kisses her cheek. I raise my eyebrow in his direction, daring him to utter what he really thinks.
“Let’s go already! I’m fucking ready to get this over with, and ensure Noah doesn’t get another moment to keep breathing.” Abraham turns back towards the doorway, and I am right there with him in agreement. It’s time this finally came to an end. With a final glance back at Dinah and Ezekiel, who are quietly whispering to each other, I walk out the door, followed by the two rebel guards, knowing I am leaving my heart in safe hands with Ezekiel, even if he’s a fucking self-righteous cunt. If I were to perish here, he’ll take good care of her, and protect her with his dying breath.