Chapter 27. #2
She drags me through two murder-mysteries played by amateur actors that make me forget—well, almost forget—about the talk with Reuben later, and before I know it, I’m getting ready to meet Kai in the afternoon.
It’s the first week of March. It hasn’t been too cold recently, but I still find the chill on the wind unbearable; it’s why I’m bundled up in two shirts and blue jeans, wearing white sneakers and socks.
Lucia’s taken to dressing me recently. I leave her to it, since it’s not like I have a knack for dressing myself. And it’s the highlight of her day—even I have to admit she has some talent when it comes to fashion.
Still, I can’t say I enjoy the way people stare at me.
It only makes me miss my black sweats and baggy clothes more.
The meeting point is an hour away from Lucia’s place, and when I step out of the taxi in front of the tall building, I’m thinking of taking Kai to watch the new Syndicate movie that’s come out recently.
When I head down the stairs and make my way to the meeting area on the lower floors, I’m thinking maybe we can head to a café or arcade, or maybe even the new batting cage that’s opened up nearby, to stoke his competitive streak and get him warmed up.
What I’m not expecting, is the madness and mayhem that greets me.
Shots go off in the distance and people are running, screaming towards the exits. They brush past me almost violently, in their panic and fright, and my heart immediately sinks. My pulse kicks up a frantic beat in my chest and there’s a familiar dread pooling in my core.
A dread I’ve only ever felt once before.
I struggle against the crowd, pushing through with new fear pulsing through my skin.
One moment, I’m stumbling.
The next, I’m jogging.
Then I’m running.
I’m sprinting as fast as I can.
Kai…!
People are still pushing past me frantically by the time I get to his platform, but the moment I turn the bend, I see them.
I duck behind one of the support pillars quickly, lucky enough not to be seen and my heart thrashes wildly between my ribs.
Seven men.
All armed.
They took out Kai’s protective detail—at least five guards, judging from the number of men splayed on the ground.
Before I dare to make another move, I’m dialling Reuben’s number quickly. I have to force my heart to a calm—force myself to stay rational and keep my senses.
By the time he answers on the fifth ring, I’ve mastered my panic and honed it into something focused. Something sharp and deadly.
“Reuben, someone’s after Kai.”
For a few moments, I don’t think he’s heard me.
“What?”
“The station was targeted,” I reiterate as quietly as I can and finally, I sense him break out of his surprise.
I hear him curse and bark orders to someone close to him.
‘Baalito, find out what’s going on at the station.’
‘What’s going on?’
‘That’s what I need you to find out.’
There’s more commotion over the line as Reuben tries to get to the bottom of things and I remain hidden behind the pillar, peeking out only barely to see what’s happening.
“Traitor!” Kai yells while struggling in a man’s grip. A man with a piercing on his brow, shaved black hair and a piercing stare.
He backhands Kai across the face so sharply, the boy crumbles to the floor with a yelp and an anger like I’ve ever known rises to the surface of my skin.
Kai is dazed by the slap, I can tell his vision is swimming because he suddenly looks shaky, but when the man grabs him by the collar, Kai only wears a venomous glare on his face, without a hint of fear.
A mighty Taiga indeed.
The man throws Kai over his shoulder, and he and his team turn to move up the steps to the surface.
Kai struggles fiercely, but another man slaps him across the face to shut him up and I know by now a bruise must be forming across his cheek.
I’ll be sure to kill them for that.
I follow behind as closely as I can without getting caught. I came from Lucia’s place so I don’t have any guns. She always had a strict ‘no guns’ policy when I visited her.
Which means if I step out there now, I’ll die.
“Reuben, I’m unarmed… but I can’t let them get away.”
“If you’re unarmed, you’re useless,” he hisses through the phone. “Don’t even try to confront them. The family is sending their men shortly.”
“They’ll be gone before you get here—”
“Christian, this is a direct order. If you step out there now without a weapon, all you’ll do is die a useless death. How many of them are out there?”
My lips are tightened into a firm line.
“Seven in the station.”
“Aster is counting four cars on the outside from the cameras.”
“… How many men is that?”
“Too many for you to handle,” he snarls at me.
“Then… I just need a weapon.”
“Christian—”
I stuff the phone into my pocket for a moment. But not before I hear Reuben cursing viciously on the other end. Some are words I don’t even recognize from my flip through the Spanish dictionary.
The moment the last man rounds the bend behind his team, I’m clamping my hand around his mouth and dragging him back around the corner without a sound. In one swift movement I’ve snapped his neck and I pull him down to the ground gently, taking his pistol while fishing around for other weapons.
If there are four cars on the outside of the station then…
I can’t let them get that far.
If they do, Kai will disappear.
Just like Evie.
I draw in a deep breath, focusing my thoughts and trying to recall the heights of each man.
When I step around the bend, I aim for their heads. Luckily, they haven’t reached the top of the stairs yet. Three well-placed shots and they’re down before they know what hit them.
Kai’s eyes are wide as he recognizes me. The others whirl around but they’re too slow.
Two head shots later, and there are only two men left.
My heart races as they raise their weapons. I sharpen my senses. From this distance and from their aim, I can predict their shots if I focus everything I have. I’m pushing this body past its limits to throw myself out of the way. Just fast enough that their bullets graze my cheek and my leg.
Even with the sharp sting across my skin, I don’t have time to blink—I force my senses to stay activated and time is moving slowly again, thank goodness.
One of them is aiming for my arm. The other for my head.
I’ll have to sacrifice one.
Within the next second, I’m tilting my head to avoid the fatal shot—barely missing the bullet that tears through the space right by my eye.
Still, I can’t afford to blink. The other bullet burrows into my arm, but it’s too late.
They fall with my last two shots.
I collapse to one knee, releasing the breath I was holding and returning my senses to normal. My lungs are burning. There’s a pounding through my skull that wasn’t there a moment ago. I can’t push this body like that again. It pushes too many limits.
The bullet passed through my arm thankfully, but the pain is sharp. It forces me to grit my teeth together.
Kai kicks the dead body of the one who backhanded him before running down the stairs to throw his arms around me. Even with all his bravery, his tiny body is shaking.
When I bring the phone in my pocket to my ear again, the line is silent, but I know Reuben is still there.
“I’ve secured Kai.”
I can sense Reuben’s anger through his silence. A loud, cursing Reuben is an okay Reuben.
But everyone knows a silent Reuben is a Reuben you should never fuck with.
“Are either of you injured?” The ire and rage reverberating through those seemingly calm words are enough to make me wince.
“… No.” I lie, but my initial hesitation makes me wince again.
He knows very well it’s a lie.
“Just me,” I try to alleviate the situation by letting him know Kai is safe… but I didn’t think the other line could get even colder.
Reuben, be reasonable. I think me being the injured one is everyone’s preferred choice.
“How do we escape this place without going through the main entrance?” I steer the conversation away quickly.
“Find the doors that are marked ‘unauthorized’ or ‘staff’,” Aster’s voice is suddenly on the other end. “From where you are, there should be a few on the lower level. Turn left and follow the tunnel until you get to the sixth unauthorized door.”
I’m grateful he pulled up the camera feed quickly… I just hope no one saw my dodging bullet endeavour. Maybe from their end, it’ll only seem reckless and lucky.
I can work with reckless and lucky.
It’ll also explain why Reuben is mad.
“We’ve gotta move, okay?” I instruct Kai quietly and he looks up at me with a brave expression before nodding his head. It’s the first time he has nothing snarky to say.
I rummage through the dead men until I have two more guns and shrug them into my pants.
I pause with a look at Kai, “Can you use a gun?”
“I’m not some average nobody.” His glare is so scathing, I raise my hands in surrender as he takes one of my guns.
There’s the mouth. Almost missed it.
“Six unauthorized doors down this way,” I instruct him. “Go and I’ll follow you.”
He leads the way as we jog down the corridor. The men on the outside will realize what’s happened soon. We need to be gone before then.
The sixth door Aster pointed out leads us to an alley on the surface, near the main road.
Aster gives us directions swiftly, turning us this way and that through the streets, but even then, the voices of men are not far behind. They’re on our heels.
“It’s the cameras,” I’m slightly breathless when I realize it. “If you can see us, someone else can see us too. That’s how they know where we are.” I look around quickly, “Which alleys have no cameras?”
“The one to your right,” Aster’s instructions are immediate. “But we won’t be able to help you past that point.”
“Understood.”
I take Kai down the new alley. It’s a narrow strip of road that could only hold about five men from wall to wall.
“If Kai comes out of this alley, will they be able to see him on any cameras?” I ask.
“Not if he follows our instructions.”