Chapter 28
TWENTY-EIGHT
“What the actual fuck—”
The duffle bag drops from my hand as soon as Cove and I enter the base. There are some unknown cars outside, but given that we’ve been switching the place up, I thought Aria bought new cars for our men.
One glance at the chaos that’s happening inside tells me otherwise. Cove’s quick to hand me a gun, and I don’t look where I’m shooting, only targeting the intruders.
My eyes skim through the crowd; the smell of gunpowder, blood, and terror hits my senses. All I can think about is whether Blair and Aria are safe, and the fact that I can’t see them makes me too fucking anxious.
Cove runs to the left, and I don’t pay much attention to him afterwards. My feet carry me further into the room, one of the bullets grazing my shoulder. I hiss in pain, then turn my attention to him. I shoot him between his eyes, not caring about the screams around me any longer.
“Blair!” I yell out, but to no luck.
The passage between the warehouse and Freya’s quarters is almost too empty. Without missing a beat, I start running through the narrow hallway until I’m outside. Freya’s botanic garden is right ahead, and in the snow, there are footsteps, leading me right to the front door.
The first door is wide open, and I end up putting on a protective suit quickly. Usually, I’d put on two of those, just in case, alongside a gas mask, but right now, I can’t afford to waste any time on such nonsense.
Yeah, that nonsense might just get you killed.
I ignore the voice in my head, the rational one, and stride forward. I enter the password, and the metal door swings open. Freya’s botanic garden is… gone.
My movements come to a stop as I observe the scene with the biggest frown I’ve ever had. The place where all of her herbs were is now empty ground. Her poisonous flowers are gone, seemingly plucked right out of the soil. Even the tall trees are gone. It’s such a bizarre scene to observe.
I’m returned back to reality when footsteps appear behind me, and I turn around, my gun aimed. Whoever it is, they manage to knock the gun out of my hands. A smirk tugs on my lips under the mask, and this feeling of having something fun to do has been missing for a long time.
Now that it’s back, I intend to make full use of it.
The man swings, hitting me square in the jaw. It doesn’t do much; he couldn’t even make me jolt backward, much less knock me off my feet. When I look up, he seems confused.
He’s about my age, but a brief glance tells me he isn’t a threat. The type of dog I love playing with the most — all bark, no bite.
“Such a brave little guy,” I coo mockingly, stepping forward.
He swallows, raising his gun, aiming it at my head.
I snort, rolling my eyes. In a swift movement, I reach for the gun, grabbing it out of his hand with ease. When the tables are turned, and the gun’s pointing at him, he starts panicking.
Before he can get a solid hit in, I pull the trigger, the blood splashing all over the protective gear. His body falls silently, though; I’d think it would make noise, but given how many bullets are being fired at the moment, it goes by unnoticed.
A loud, piercing scream breaks my train of thought. It comes from the part where her lab is. It sends chills down my spine, and I rush toward the scene.
This wasn’t how I planned on this night going.
Cove picked me up, and on the way, I bought some flowers for Blair. I even thought of a piano piece I’d play for her, because I know how much it calms her down. It’s something that’s only ours, a little piece of paradise that we can always share.
Yet, the moment I stepped into the base, all Hell broke loose.
No trace of Blair, Aria, or even Freya. She’s always within the base, and even though she owns a condo, she prefers staying here. The fact that her garden has completely vanished worries me. It’s the thing she treasures the most, and she’d never do it willingly.
With a deep breath, I rush toward the spot where I heard the scream, breaking the door down.
Aria’s in the corner, holding one man by the throat, her gun tucked under his jaw, and she looks ready to shoot. Blair’s being held hostage by another man, keeping her tightly with his filthy hands, a knife on her throat.
Four other men are inside the room, and Freya…
Freya’s on her knees, holding one of her eyes. My own widen in shock when she moves her hand, and all I see is blood dripping out of the socket. It’s a gruesome sight and definitely a fucking bullet hole.
“Arlo,” Blair croaks, something akin to relief on her face.
I step forward, but the man holding her tightens his grip on her, firmly holding her against him.
“One move and she dies.”
I immediately halt. “Let her go before I make you let her go, and then you’ll all fucking regret the day you were born.”
“Bold words for someone whose girlfriend is about to die.”
His words hit me like a truck. It doesn’t matter who he was sent by — or any of them, for that matter. But they know about my relationship with Blair, and all of my attempts to keep it under wraps have been futile. Now that they know, it’s only going to get harder.
Blair looks at me with so much love. It’s like she’s surrendered to death already, her eyes pleading with me. My throat tightens at the sight, and I take an involuntary step forward. My body aches to be with her; my soul begs to hold her in my arms just once more.
“Blair,” I say. “Are you alright?”
She nods.
“Aria?” I call out, silently asking the same question without taking my eyes off the knife that’s on Blair’s throat.
“I’m fine,” Aria responds, and the relief that fills my veins is instant.
Freya slowly rises to her feet, jaw gritted together. Blood’s still gushing from her eye, and she looks at all the men, switching between them. She’s in pain, her body trembling. It could be from all the anger, too.
Her hand reaches for the small button on her metal desk, and she presses it immediately. From the ceiling, droplets of something start to fall. It resembles rain, coating us all in thick layers.
“If I’m dying, all of you are dying with me.”