17. Id Die for You, But Id Rather Kill
I'd Die for You, But I'd Rather Kill
I stay low to the ground and make my way through the door of the lab. At least I’m not locked inside. The music is louder the moment I step into the open section of the warehouse. A large lump sits on the floor in front of me and I creep toward it. It’s a body.
Alarm bells sound inside my body, a hot prickling sensation. I hope it’s not someone on my side. The body is still warm, but at least isn’t someone I know. I search it quickly, finding a gun, along with a few extra magazines of ammo.
It’s not like it’s going to be useful to them anymore.
The music is louder in the open space, bouncing off the walls and coming back with twice the force. Even the ground seems to thud in time with the beat, covering the sound of my erratic heart.
I need to find the exit.
I need to get out of here alive.
That’s it.
My palm squeezes around the grip of the gun, hard enough to make my knuckles scream, but it helps to focus my mind.
I don’t know who to trust anymore. Not Killian, that’s for sure.
I pick a direction, hoping it leads me toward an exit, and creep inside the shadows as I make slow movements. Occasionally, I can make out the sound of a shot over the blaring music, but I try not to think about that.
A shadow moves up ahead. I freeze; my breath caught sharply between my teeth. The light flashes as he turns, giving me a glimpse of the guard and the automatic rifle in his arms. He’s not looking my way.
I need to move. Now.
I dip into the darker shadowed area, but the guard’s head whips my way. The barrel of his gun points toward me, but he’s unsure. I’m not.
Before my mind catches up, my finger acts. Squeezing the trigger like today is merely another day at the range. A single shot fires from the gun, the sound splitting the music with a heavy crack. The guard drops to the ground, a tangle of messy limbs that remain motionless.
I can hear my heart above the sound of the music now. It seems to pulse in my ears. My chest heaves with my breaths while I cradle the gun. It feels heavier now.
Get up Kira. Get the fuck up and get to the door.
The words beat against my skull like a war drum.
My feet start me forward, and I creep silently until I come across another figure. Just up ahead, near a set of stacked crates. His gaze swings my way the moment the light turns red. I see his eyes widen, then his mouth opens as if to call out my location.
I don’t hesitate.
Bang .
Smoke leaks from the barrel of my gun and the man falls to the ground. It was easier this time.
I don’t feel proud. I don’t feel safe. I don’t feel anything.
I just have to make it out of here alive.
I start moving again, quicker this time. Corridors blur past while I stay in the shadows. I’m entirely lost, turned around from where I started, but that can’t matter right now. The space flashes red at regular intervals, guiding my steps before plunging me back into uncertainty.
I hear a shot up ahead. The sound cracks through the music. Someone screams, or maybe it’s just the music. It’s hard to tell. I peer around the corner, gun held high, and spot another figure.
My finger is poised, ready to curl, but in the flash of red, I notice a familiar shape. A skull painted on the mask, only this time it shines red in the light.
“Ghost?”
I step out of the shadows, but keep the gun aimed directly at his heart.
He fully turns my way, pauses, and then points his gun towards the floor.
If he says anything, I can’t hear it over the sound of the music.
He jogs towards me. I expect to feel relief wash over me, a sense of safety, but instinctually I take a step back as he approaches.
His footsteps slow and he reaches toward me with a single hand.
“Come on, kitten. Let’s finish this.”
His words help to snap something back into alignment. Ghost may be a monster, but he’s my monster. I called, and he came. It meant something.
I mean something.
I place my hand in his and he pulls me sharply into his chest before wrapping both his arms around me. For a flicker of a moment, I feel safe. Protected. Home. The familiar scent of him washes over me, calming my nerves while sharpening my resolve.
Another shot pierces through the sound of the music, and a sense of dread washes over me as I wait for Ghost to slump to the ground. But he doesn’t. He holds me just the same. It was only my fear speaking.
“You ready to get your hands dirty, kitten? We can make a game of it.”
I lean back, wishing I could look into his eyes. Instead, I nod, unsure my voice would come out with enough conviction.
“There’s my good girl.”
His praise fills me, fuels me. Amps up my courage until I finally feel ready for the fight.
Then he flicks the bottom of his mask up and crashes his lips against mine and steals my breath from my body.
His tongue plunders, forcing its way through my lips to demand a dance.
The rest of the world falls away as I cling to him, desperate but willing.
He pulls away too quickly, leaving me breathless and boneless in his hold.
“Let’s go kill Bill Roman.” Ghost says, before tugging the bottom of his mask back into place. “Then how about we get out of here?”
The last part is harder to hear, but I don’t struggle to make out the words since they are the ones I have waited a lifetime to hear. I nod in agreement. It’s time to end this.
We move together as if already familiar. His body postures like he’s a cop, checking around corners and signaling with his hands in a language I already know. He leads and I follow.
Easy. Effortless. Meant to be.
We come across our first obstacle, one of Roman’s guards. Ghost dispatches him with a single shot, timed with the music. The guard falls to the floor and Ghost hurries over to claim his rifle, then gives it to me.
I spot the next guard, and while my shot isn’t as expertly timed with the ambiance, I hit my mark without wasting ammo.
Ghost recovers that weapon but chooses to keep it for himself.
And that’s how the battle goes. For the next few minutes, we methodically proceed through the warehouse eliminating anyone in our path.
Fighting alongside Ghost makes everything feel like a game. I forget I am killing people. Ending real lives. Each person I shoot down feels like a point closer to winning.
Winning my survival. Claiming my happily ever after.
We turn a corner, and I spot something moving fast and low to the ground.
I pull up the rifle and look through the scope, and it’s running right for me.
Quickly. My finger sits on the trigger, but something makes me hesitate, and I’m glad for it a moment later as I realize it’s Rex.
He wears a vest made for his breed; it will help protect him from getting shot as long as no one aims for his head.
Rex must know it’s me as he runs right up, flops down into a seated position with half of his ass on top of my foot. His mouth is open, his tongue sticking out the side as he pants, looking like he has a giant smile just for me.
“Oh, I’m so fucking happy to see you,” I coo, rubbing his head.
I look up and spot James. He appears to be breathing hard but waves his hand in my direction. Tommy is right next to him, beaming a smile.
Ghost leans down, speaking directly in my ear. “Go with them, kitten. I’ll finish things off here.”
I’m torn. Part of me wants to get out of this fucking building right now, but there is also a nagging tone of worry. One that says I can’t leave Ghost alone to fight against Roman. I need to be with him or have him by my side.
I can’t lose him now.
Killian’s words from dinner come crashing into my mind. “ By my side means my ego thinks if I’m there, I can prevent anything from happening.”
Ghost seems to understand the battle waging inside me and decides for me. I look back at where he was standing, only to find him gone again.
“Damn it, Ghost. You better make it back to me,” I say into the dark.
Rex follows as I make my way over to James and Tommy. They greet me with open arms, pulling me in for quick hugs while a feeling of relief washes over me.
“I’m so fucking glad to see you two,” I yell above the sound of the music.
Tommy’s smile grows even wider, before he pulls out his phone and, with the press of his finger, plunges us into silence.
My ears hold on to a soft ringing.
“Learn a lot of useful things from those raid files,” Tommy says, holding his phone up. “We’ve blocked outgoing phone calls. But we should really get out of here before back-up arrives.”
“Where’s Killian?” James asks, looking at me.
“I don’t know. We were in the lab with Roman when the lights went out. We got separated.”
James and Tommy exchange a worried look.
“I’ll go look for him. You get Kira out,” Tommy says, looking at James, but James adamantly shakes his head no.
“We go together, or not at all.”
That’s how I should feel about Killian, but I’m trapped under a sense of suspicion. I don’t even know what side he’s truly on.
“Come on,” James says, looking between Tommy and me. “Let’s do a quick sweep, but then we have to go.”
I give a sharp nod, readying the rifle. “I’m ready to get out of this dress.”
James cracks a smile. “Hell yeah. Let’s do this.”
We move as a unit, following the scattered sounds of shots. We find bodies littered on our path. Either Killian or Ghost has racked up a serious body count.
Tommy holds up a hand, and we all stop. He brings a finger to his lips before pointing to his ear. I strain but hear what faintly sounds like an argument.
Rex’s superior hearing must definitely pick up on something, because he takes off, and I am left to scramble to catch up. Rex moves through the warehouse with a blazing speed, barking to announce our arrival.
I sprint after him until Bill Roman’s head comes into view.
He looks directly at me and then I see the barrel of a gun pointing in my direction and I drop to the ground a moment before a bullet rushes through the spot where I was standing.
The scent of old wood and sawdust fills my nostrils as I press my back against some crates, my heart a frantic drum against my ribs.
Another shot fires, and a sharp sting of pain blooms in my right shoulder. A half scream followed by a grunt escapes my lips before I press them together. I breathe through my nose, harsh and rapid while I try to get a handle on the pain.
I’ve felt worse. I’ve lost more. I won’t lose this moment.
“Did you hear that, Kalon? She’s hurt. Bleeding. Will you be able to save her? Or will she be dead by the time you get to her, just like poor Katherine?” Bill says, taunting Killian.
“Hey Billy. Over here,” Killian calls out before several shots are fired.
I can’t see what’s going on and pull myself up with my good arm to get a peek. Killian is to my left, partially hiding behind a thick metal beam, while Roman is doing the same across the room.
“Your reign ends here, Roman,” Killian calls out. “We’re going to tell the people the truth. About the food, soulmates, everything.”
Roman laughs. It’s the kind of laugh that can only come from someone who has lost their grip on sanity at least once in their life. Maniacal. Unrestrained.
Insane.
“They’ll never believe you. And if they do, there will be riots in the streets and more death than you can imagine.
” Roman laughs again, like he’s already won, no matter what happens tonight.
“You of all people should know the dangers of upending a person’s foundations. How… unsteady it can make them.”
I don’t really understand what they are talking about, but there are a few things I know to be true. Bill Roman is a bad guy and he will kill me if he gets an opportunity. This is my only chance to end things with him.
Roman will die today.
I use one of the wooden crates to rest the barrel of the rifle on while I try to line up a shot. It’s hard since my right arm isn’t working, and the pain has settled into a constant nagging hum.
I can do this.
I have to do this.
The rifle trembles when I look down the scope. The trigger is cool under my finger. My vision blurs at the edges from blood loss, but I focus on the center of Roman’s chest. I take a deep breath, then hold it.
A blur of movement to my left.
A flash of black.
Ghost?
A loud crack splits the air before I can exhale.
Roman jerks. His body staggering back before he crumples to the floor.
I blink. My finger is still frozen on the trigger. I didn’t pull it. I didn’t pull it.
Killian steps out from behind the beam, lowering his gun while smoke still leaks from the barrel. For a brief moment, he’s a silhouette bathed in red. Dangerous. Controlled. Familiar.
Where’s Ghost?
“You alright, princess?” Killian turns in my direction, but I remain silent. “Princess?” There’s a hint of fear in his tone, a nervous panic that suggests he cares more than he should.
Shouts ring out from every direction, but my body tingles while simultaneously feeling cold.
“Hey, princess.” Killian’s face comes into view. He’s on the ground with me. “You’re going to be alright. We just have to get you out of here. Backup’s arrived. Pretty sure they are going to be pissed their boss is dead.”
“Who are you?” I ask, staring into his one good eye.
A look of confusion crosses his features, but only for a moment before his head whips up at the sound of heavy footfalls. “We’ll sort that out later. Right now, I need you to trust me. Okay?”
I push away from him, but not effectively. My body slumps and I fall into the hazy abyss that means to swallow me whole. “Where’s Ghost?” I whisper before everything turns black.