42. Noah #2
“That’s a good question.” He brings the tip of the blade to his finger, pressing it in as he twirls it around.
He then pulls his finger away, looks at it, and brings it to his lips, likely licking the blood from where the blade punctured his skin. It’s his way of showing me just how threatening the weapon he holds is.
“You almost cost me my life, you know that? Did you think I wouldn’t find out it was you? That I didn’t know it was you who snitched us out to the feds?” He takes a step closer, and I go to take one back, but his booming voice stops me. “Don’t even think about it!”
My body instantly freezes up, just like it used to whenever he’d raise his voice at me as I waited for my punishment to arrive. I swallow past the bile in my throat while thinking of a way to get to my phone that rests on the counter not far behind me and then hiding somewhere.
But where?
“You know, it’s a nice disguise you have going on; too bad it wasn’t enough to fool me.” He takes another step. “You used to be such a good girl for me, but I should have known better. I think it’s time I make you pay for everything you’ve put me through.”
“Me?! Everything I put you through?! You tortured me for years! You beat me and raped me repeatedly! Then you passed me around to your friends and had them do the same!” I yell at him, tears springing to my eyes as I shake violently.
“You deserved everything you got! If you had followed the rules, I wouldn’t have had to punish you!” He takes an aggressive step forward, making me flinch.
His words ring in my head, sounding too familiar. Aren’t I doing the exact same thing with Gabe and Noah? Punishing them when they don’t follow my rules. Is that where my obsession with organizing and wanting everything to be perfect comes from? Has he really been living in my head this whole time?
A loud booming noise sounds from somewhere below us, shaking the floors as I lose my footing slightly and grab onto the island to stabilize myself. “What was that?” Worry laces my voice.
He smiles diabolically. “A distraction.”
My instincts kick in. I spin quickly on my heels and lunge for my phone, but he tackles me to the ground before I have time to catch it. I scream as he lifts me off the floor and puts his hand over my mouth, stopping my yells from echoing through the room.
I try to fight against his hold, but he’s too strong. He pins my front to the kitchen island, keeping his body pressed up against my back and his hand over my lips. He lifts the hand that still holds the knife and brings it to my throat as tears track down my face.
“Shh, it’s okay, little one. All you need to do is be a good girl for me one last time, and this will all be over quickly.”
He licks up the side of my face, capturing my tears, and I shiver in disgust. Just then, the sound of the door unlocking in the foyer that leads to the main elevator and stairs echoes in the quiet penthouse.
“Hmm, seems your little boy toys are home earlier than planned. That’s okay, we’ll just have to make some quick adjustments to my plan,” he whispers into my ear.
“I wonder how they’ll react when I tie them up and force them to watch as I fuck you and then kill you.
” He chuckles wickedly against my ear, his grimy breath stinging my nostrils.
“VERONICA!!” The door smacks against the wall, and seconds later, Noah and Gabe come into view.
They stop the moment they see us, taking cautious steps toward the island. My hands grip the edge of the counter, and I breathe hard through my nose, blinking away the tears in my eyes. With every inhale and exhale, I feel the blade press into my skin.
“I wonder how I should do it. Maybe a quick slice to the throat? Ending your miserable life within seconds.” He presses the blade deeper against my neck. I hiss at the sting as it cuts through the skin slightly.
“Or maybe I should torture you, cut off body part after body part. Skin you alive. Cauterize everything so you can’t bleed out, and I can continue to make your life hell, the same way you made mine.” He smiles at them as he paints a gruesome visual.
“Don’t you fucking touch her!” Gabe steps to the side, going near one end of the island, while Noah stays near the other. They’re trying to corner him in.
Victor laughs loudly. “And what are you going to do about it if I do, boy?”
“I’ll fucking kill you,” Gabe answers without hesitation.
No, baby! Don’t play the bluffing game with him!
I try to shake my head, telling him to stop, but end up cutting myself deeper with the sudden movement.
I cry out beneath his hand, sobbing at the pain.
Noah quickly takes a step closer and stops when Victor turns his gaze on him.
But Gabe takes advantage of his distraction and gets closer from the opposite side.
“Oh yeah? You think you can kill me? I’d like to see you try, blondie.” He throws his head back and laughs, clearly not believing Gabe would be capable of such a thing.
Clearly, he’s been following us around long enough to know my Pretty Boy isn’t a fighter; that’s why he doesn’t feel threatened by his words.
Gabe and Noah jump on the moment, coming in from each end.
Victor catches on quickly, and everything happens in the blink of an eye.
One second, Victor has his arms around me, the next, I’m being thrown to the side, crashing into Gabe’s body as we both tumble down against the bottom kitchen cabinets.
When I manage to climb off Gabe, I scramble to my feet and find Noah and Victor wrestling each other. I look around quickly for a weapon, something to hit him with, but I’m too late. Victor manages to get his hand free, still holding on to his knife, and plunges it deep inside Noah’s gut.
“NOOO!!!” I scream frantically.
Noah’s eyes widen on impact, his mouth parting as his hold on Victor loosens. Victor pulls his hand back with an evil twinkle in his eyes and a chuckle, the blade sliding out covered in blood.
A gutting sound leaves Noah’s parted lips as his hands come down to clutch his stomach, red blood seeping through his fingers. He takes a wobbly step back, then another, until his back hits the wall behind him and he drops to the ground, still holding on to his wound.
I don’t think twice as I run over to him, not caring about Victor, not caring that he still has the knife and could turn it on me as I pass by. The only thing I care about in this instant, the only thing that matters, is to get to Noah.
I fall to my knees beside him with a loud sob and quickly press my shaky hands to his stomach as he groans, applying as much pressure as I can to stop the bleeding.
Just then, a loud thumping sound echoes behind us, seconds before a thud vibrates the wooden floor beneath me as a heavy body collides with the ground.
The head smacks against my foot, and when I look back, I find Victor face down against the wooden planks, dark red blood spilling out from the back of his head and pooling around him and onto my feet.
My gaze travels up to Gabe standing behind him with his glass blender in hand.
A red blotch along the side from where he must have hit Victor in the head with it.
“I told you I’d fucking kill you,” he mutters.
His eyes widen as his words register in his own head.
“Holy shit… I… I killed him.” He releases his hold on the blender, letting it drop to the ground.
Noah suddenly coughs, bringing my attention back to him. “You’re okay, babe. You’re going to be okay. Just hold on,” I tell him with a weak smile as tears continue to spill from my eyes.
He removes his hands from beneath mine, leaving a gap between my palms and his stomach.
“No! No, don’t do that.” I push down harder against his wound, but the blood keeps spilling.
My hands are now covered in blood, and I don’t know if this is normal.
He was stabbed just once, is it normal to bleed this much?
“I… I can’t stop it! It won’t stop! Gabe! Call 9-1-1, please! I can’t stop it!” I’m panicking, growing more and more frantic by the second.
Blood pumps through my ears and my heart feels like it’s about to burst through my chest with how hard it’s beating. This is not the time to have a panic attack, Veronica! Pull yourself together!
I shake my head, trying to focus as Noah’s bloody hand reaches my cheek. My eyes fall to his, those beautiful deep brown eyes that seem to have lost their light. He wipes at my tear-stained cheek and offers me a wobbly smile.
“I love you, Veronica,” he croaks out, the color slowly draining from his face as his skin turns an ashy white tone.
“No… no, don’t say it like that. Don’t say it like you’ll never get to say it again.
You’re going to get through this, help is coming.
I promise, Noah…” I sob louder, gasping for air.
“You can’t leave me… you can’t. You promised me forever.
This isn’t forever, Noah… It’s just the beginning, we still have so much to see, so much to live… ”
His head starts tipping to the side, body sliding sideways down the wall until he hits the ground.
I quickly lay him on his back and climb over him, putting all my weight into my hands against his stomach.
His eyes are still open, but I can tell he’s quickly losing focus, about to go unconscious from all the blood loss.
“Why is no one here?! Why is no one coming?!” I look around the empty room, then up at Gabe, who hasn’t moved an inch. Frozen in shock as he continues to stare down at Victor.
“Gabriel!! Why aren’t they here yet?!” Ricky said they were watching the feed, so they must have seen what happened. Why aren’t they coming?
Just then, the lights flicker back to life throughout the penthouse. Fifteen seconds later, the elevator dings, and in rushes Marcos and Ricky, along with Agent Callahan and two paramedics.
“Why did it take you so long?!?” I shout as Marcos comes down beside me, pressing his hands over mine. Ricky wraps his arms around my midsection, lifting me off the ground and away from Noah.