32. A Reckoning
32
A Reckoning
Matt
Well, that went to hell in a handbasket pretty fast.
I always wondered what it was like to say something excruciatingly dramatic in an over-the-top, theatric way.
And now I know.
While spontaneously stabbing that old man in the chest was entirely satisfying, strategically, it may not have been my best move.
But then, since I couldn’t take it back, I figured my next best step was to cause a scene.
Hence, my decision to out myself as the head of the entire organization.
Of course, there’s the problem where not everyone is just going to take my word for it, and I’ll have to come up with some kind of proof. But frankly, my decision to kill every motherfucking one of them eliminates that problem.
It’s not like that wasn’t my endgame in the first place, so having to move the timeline up isn’t that big of a hardship.
What I wasn’t counting on is having Darius and Tony be there, so well made up that I have no fucking idea who they are.
My first instinct when I heard Jess screaming that someone was behind me was to defend myself. But then I hesitated because there has to be some way for me to figure out who’s who.
If I ended up killing one of them by accident, it would be quite upsetting.
Never mind the fact Carolina and or Antoinette would string me up quicker than shit.
But it turns out that my moment of hesitation was the correct choice. No sooner did I pull back from stabbing that man in the chest did the knife he had been wielding go flying by me. I followed its path to see it embedded in another man creeping up on me from just outside my peripheral vision.
I turn back to the man I almost stabbed, taking a step closer and squinting at him as I say, “What’s the password?”
The man smirks at me, a bit of a swagger in the step he takes toward me as he whispers, “Get your shit together, Fucklicker.”
Motherfucking Tony Andersen.
I breathe a sigh of relief and then say, “You almost got yourself fucking killed, man.”
He shrugs and replies, “You wouldn’t kill me. You might try, but you won’t succeed.”
I roll my eyes, turning my body so our backs are pressed together. I take out a couple more people.
It’s complete pandemonium in the hall, with most people attempting to escape, but several groups are coming together, most likely planning an attack. I wipe my knife off on my pants, craning my head over to Tony as I say, “Where’s Dare?”
“Oh, he’s here somewhere disguised as an Irish.”
“Irish?”
Tony nods, pulling a new knife from inside his jacket as he says, “Oh, yes. He looks quite dashing, as well. Light hair and light eyes.”
Tony remains at my back as I scan the room for Darius. I can’t make him out in the crowd, but I see Kaian running through the doorway, where he stops.
He meets my eyes across the room and gives me a nod, and I’m flooded with relief at the knowledge Jessica escaped safely.
This also means that Antoinette and Marieka have escaped, so at least I can move forward with my plan without being concerned about their welfare.
I’m sure Jessica is quite unhappy leaving me behind, and I’m just hoping eventually she’ll understand why it was necessary.
It’s not that I don’t feel she can hold her own; however, I don’t want to put her in a position where she has to defend herself in a way that she may be forced to kill people again.
Antoinette is most likely annoyed she doesn’t get to take part in it. Fortunately, she also takes it seriously when charged with keeping people safe.
Kaian moves, so he’s blending in with a group of people who are obviously contemplating their next move. He melds right in, nodding his head, and I laugh. My moment of humor is cut off by someone shouting at me, “You seem awful amused for a dead man.”
I turn to my right to see Franco standing there, an ugly snarl on his face, and I raise a brow at him and smirk, knowing it will infuriate him further. Then I reply, rather sarcastically, “You’re awful bossy for a dead man.”
He glares at me, and I laugh again, and his face reddens. He takes a step toward me only to have his friend hold him back with his arm. He turns back to his friend, muttering something incoherent, and after a quiet exchange, Franco turns back to me and says, “You may as well give up. You’re significantly outnumbered.”
I shrug, making sure my expression is as nonchalant as possible as I reply, “Maybe I am, maybe I’m not. Only one way to find out.”
Obviously, I am seriously outnumbered. Even with having Tony, Darius, and Kaian on my side, there are a lot of men in this room. And likely, a lot of men who will help try to finish me off.
I see the groups of men shifting and flowing. Some leave the room entirely, but that doesn’t mean they won’t come back if they feel like the odds are turning in their favor.
I turn to Tony and ask, “What do you think?”
“I think we’ve seen worse odds,” he replies calmly.
“This is true,” I reply with a nod. “The real question is, do you think they’ll kill us?”
“Nah,” he replies. “They’re too stupid. They’re going to think they will have a big trophy that they can then sell to the highest bidder. Stupidity and greed.”
I nod as I parrot, “Stupidity and greed. Gets them every time.”
“And what are our chances of being located if they take us?”
“Well, Dare has his watch, so there’s that. Then there’s the fact that Antoinette and Carolina will go berserk and likely call in every person they can think of to find us.”
“So good odds,” I say. “Kaian also has instructions to retreat if necessary. He’ll be a good asset for them.”
“That’s a good plan. And where does Seamus stand in all this?”
“Seamus is likely on the fence. I don’t believe he’ll do anything to hurt us, but it’s unlikely he’s going to help us either.”
Tony sighs, shakes his head as he replies, “Well, that’s a fucking shame.”
“To be expected.”
I look around the room again, still unable to locate Darius, and I see that Kaian has moved through a couple of groups now, likely trying to get an idea of where everyone stands. He turns and glances at me, shaking his head subtly, and I nod, acknowledging the sheer clusterfuck this is about to become.
I turn back to Tony and say, “So, I guess we just kill as many of them as we can until they overpower us?”
Tony nods and says nothing further. I look back around the room and see the groups are starting to move closer to us. Our biggest concern is somebody with a gun and a good shot, though it’s a long-standing rule that no guns are allowed in the hall.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that one of the people who left won’t come back with one, given I killed a powerful man in front of an audience. So, I say, “We need to get the fuck off this stage. We’re like sitting ducks up here.”
Tony doesn’t respond. He just walks over to the far side and ducks between the ropes, and I follow suit. The chatter increases, and I hear shouting. I stab two people who get in my way as I make my way to the wall.
A few other men trickle over and are instantly cut down, and then all movement stops. I turn to Tony and ask, “Are you ready?”
He grins at me, holding his hands up with a blade in each one, and I can’t help but chuckle at the gleam in his eye. “You know I’m always ready to fuck around.”
“Have I ever mentioned how glad I am I met you?”
He drops his hands, all humor falling from his face as he glares at me, “Don’t fucking start that shit.”
“What shit?”
“You know,” he replies in disgust. “The end-of-days love fest. Don’t do that shit.”
I laugh, and I feel a little of that mania building up in my chest, so I squash it down. A shadow catches my eye, and I quickly turn, my knife raised, but then Tony grabs onto my hand as he says, “Not him.”
I pull back, staring at the strange man in front of me, and then I laugh even louder when I recognize Darius. “Holy shit, man.”
Dare pops up a bit, and I see he already has blood spatter all over him, and then he replies, “I could get used to it.”
I shake my head, forcing myself not to continue with the inferred love fest. But I kind of want to.
It’s not like I necessarily feel like this is the end, but I know the older I get, the more likely it is my luck will run out.
Dare’s voice pulls me from my thoughts, and I glance at him and ask, “What?”
He looks at me thoughtfully for a moment and then says, “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”
I frown. “Tell you what?”
“That you’re a fucking Ferro.”
I tilt my head at him, saying nothing because I know there’s nothing to say. It’s not like I want to be a Ferro.
After a moment, I look at Dare and reply, “Better the devil you know, right?”
He smiles, opening his mouth to reply, but Tony interjects, “Look alive, boys.”
I immediately turn so my back is against the wall, Dare and Tony shifting around so we’re in a more defensive position.
A wall of people inch toward us on both sides, a few more coming up over the staging, and as they press in closer, Tony says, “What do you think? Take down maybe half of them before they get us?”
I can’t help but laugh, but I’m sure it comes out a bit nervous, and then Dare snorts and replies almost flippantly, “Only one way to find out.”
Tony grins, and even with the new face, the mania is clear in his eyes. He faces off with the front row of men closing in on us, flipping the blades in each hand as he says calmly, “Fuck around time.”