Chapter 11 #3
He didn’t do anything. He remained still as if he didn’t see me except for an almost imperceptible nod.
Instead, Mykonos screamed with all his might.
“Stop, you cheap whore! One step more and I’ll put a bullet in your head!
” I heard the safety of a gun being released, like a final shot to the back of the neck. “Drop the bottle, you filthy slut!”
I obeyed. That was it. Now I’m dead . Not moving, I closed my eyes and prepared for even more pain.
The footsteps behind me grew louder, but suddenly, there was wild screaming in front of me.
Voices shouted in confusion, something rushed through the swamp forest, and for a few seconds, I thought it was a hunt.
I opened my eyes wide. My eyes flickered because of the piercing brightness, and at first, I thought the shadows that rushed out from between the trees were animals.
Wild boars or deer—but they were dark-haired men dressed in black.
My heart soared.
Nathan! He raced through the swamp-green water followed by Kjertan, Rayk, Ian, and two other men.
It was his expression when he spotted me that rallied the last of my strength.
His eyes—initially terrified to death and then his grim determination.
I forgot about the gun that was pointed at me, jumped off the veranda, and ran across the narrow strip of grass to the bank.
Someone shouted, “Watch out!” A scream of anger followed and then a shot rang out behind me, something rumbled and men screamed.
I smelled smoke and fog, and staggered, believing I had been hit, and at that moment, Nathan reached me.
He wrapped his arms around me, protective, warm, and strong.
“Will!” How long had it been since I heard that name? Nathan wanted to say so much, but his voice broke and he suddenly pulled me around so that he was standing in front of me.
“Out of the way, Nathan!” There was pure hatred in Isaac’s words and he seemed ready for anything.
I blinked and saw him on the porch, his forehead covered in blood, but still terrifying and overpowering.
Mykonos was lying on the porch next to him, apparently knocked over by Taurus like an angry bull.
Taurus had deflected Mykonos’ shot, but now Isaac had the gun.
He was aiming at me or rather at Nathan, who was standing in front of me.
Suddenly, I heard new roaring from the swampy forest. The voices of the men who I had heard day after day for the past few weeks, men who had not helped me but who had been amused by my suffering.
Who had listened to music and drunk downstairs as if it was all a lavish party.
The voices also made Isaac pause, who slowly approached us with his Glock raised. My legs were shaking so much that I only remained upright because Nathan was holding me. I turned my head toward the forest.
There were so many. Far too many men. At least, that was how it seemed to me. I was even more surprised when I only saw Billy and three dark-haired men, all men who had boarded the Agamemnon back then.
“It’s over, Isaac!” Nathan said now in a firm, clear voice. “This time, you’ll have to kill me to get to Willa!”
Giant shadows grew behind me. Kjertan and Rayk had climbed out of the water and positioned themselves behind me, forming a larger-than-life shield at my back.
One of them held me tight, and I reflexively lashed out, but he didn’t back away.
Instead, he gently but firmly released my hands from Nathan’s arm, which I was clinging to.
I watched helplessly as Nathan walked toward Isaac.
He had no weapon, but Isaac had the Glock.
“No! Don’t!” I screamed with an energy that filled me as if by magic. Nathan, however, didn’t stop and continued moving toward his half brother.
“Stop, Nath!” I heard Isaac growl. “Don’t take another step!” Through the massive arms of the twin who was holding me, I saw him pull back the slide on the Glock and load the weapon. Nathan was barely ten steps away.
“Go on, shoot me!” Nathan didn’t stop. “Go on!” In his dark clothes, he suddenly had the aura of an angel of death. Nothing seemed to be able to stop him. He was going to die or kill now.
For a split second, my vision blurred. The shot was ringing in my ears, but the next thing I saw was Nathan throwing himself at Isaac despite the gun pointed at him.
His clenched hand flew into his face. Isaac dropped the Glock and fell to the ground.
Nathan struck mercilessly and harder with each blow.
He screamed and yelled, words that no one—or only I—could understand because of his fury.
He dragged Isaac to his feet only to knock him down again with more punches and kicks.
Just like they did to me! And to him too!
Then, in a brief moment, he paused as if he had only now seen the head injury as if he had been blinded by anger before.
For several heartbeats, Nathan stood over Isaac, every muscle tense and his bloody fists clenched. “What did you do to her?” His words tumbled from the turmoil.
A strange laugh escaped Isaac. “You brain-dead idiot, you actually fell in love with her…”
“What-did-you-do-to-her?”
Isaac spat blood on the ground. “Not enough, brother! I should have fucked her to death.”
Nathan hit him again, and after that, Isaac lay motionless on the ground.
For seconds, silence flickered over the grass and forest like heat. Everything around me flickered. “Is he dead?” I heard myself whisper.
“I not know!” The twin, who I thought was Kjertan, was still holding me so I wouldn’t fall over. His familiar awkward language felt like an anchor of safety. I not know .
I wriggled out of his arms and he let me go.
To this day, I don’t know what happened next or in what order.
All I remember was running across the narrow strip of grass toward Nathan.
And then, when I was between him and the twin, the merciless maelstrom of the last few weeks hit me.
I realized that I wasn’t wearing any underwear even though my t-shirt was long.
I looked down and saw plastered blood and semen between my thighs.
The pain that had been flooded with adrenaline during the last few minutes returned full force as did my weakness.
I saw Isaac’s men standing waist-deep in water, unsure of what to do, unsure of how to use their weapons because their leader had been struck down.
I looked at Nathan, who was approaching me with a distraught expression on his face. I saw his tears.
And then I heard a scream. “Do you think you have been saved? Did you think I would let you live?”
Noah. He ran toward me from the porch, his chin jutted out.
His eyes were glowing with pure hatred. His gun was aimed at my chest. I couldn’t think anymore.
I opened my mouth, noticing the dark shapes projecting themselves in front of me before I heard the shot, and the world exploded into small black pieces.
I would only find out weeks later what exactly happened then.