37. A Promise
37
A Promise
Carolina
I admit, being back in this type of shitty facility has been a shock to my system.
But having my appearance changed to look like a stranger has been helpful. It’s almost as if Carolina isn’t here, and it’s just some new person looking in with a new perspective and new memories.
I had one instance where the flight option was coursing through my veins when all those men were looking at us and then that douchebag, Enzo, was telling them to secure us. It’s the first time in a long time that it occurred to me that maybe I should turn on my heel and flee.
But then I remembered who I was with and who I am now, and I had to repress my urge to find my gun and shoot every fucking one of them.
Because I know what would happen if they attempted to secure us.
Luckily, Kaian was able to diffuse the situation and back us out of there so we could regroup. That left Jessica in a precarious situation, but she knew when she insisted she come along that would likely happen.
Kaian leads us to a small room that appears to be made for security. He flips some switches, and screens turn on, then he clicks through like he’s flipping through channels until he reaches the one he wants.
I lean in closely and see Matt hanging from the ceiling, and upon closer look, I notice Tony sprawled at his feet.
I press my lips together and shake my head. Antoinette looks as well, and turns to me and says, “Do you think he’s actually hurt?”
I shrug, my hand coming up and wiggling from side to side as I say, “Fifty-fifty.”
Lilith comes up between us, shoving us away. She leans super close to the screen, pulls back, and says, “He’s fine.”
I reach out and give her a little shove, and then I turn to Kaian and ask, “Where’s Darius?”
He points to the top of the screen, indicating further back in the room, and says, “There are some cages back there, so I assume he’s in one of them.”
“There’s no way they’re going to let the Beast out of the cage with the other two free,” Lilith murmurs.
Kaian nods. “Yeah, usually they like to beat the crap out of the first two and incapacitate them a bit. But if they’re smart, they’ll put them back in the cage before taking Darius out.”
Lilith smiles as she responds, “And we’re always counting on them not being smart.”
Kaian motions back to the screen and says, “There’s Jessica.”
Even knowing full well from half a lifetime of experience, I’m still shocked when Enzo puts his hands on her.
I flinch slightly, and then Lilith and Antoinette’s crows of laughter draw my attention back to the screen. I see Enzo bent over with his hands covering his face, and Antoinette says, “That’s right. Fucking give it to him.”
I sigh and say, “Fighting back seems a little premature.”
Lilith smiles at me, her hand going to my arm as she replies, “Sometimes we get in whatever shot we can. Oftentimes, it bites us in the ass, but it still feels good in the moment.”
I roll my eyes a bit and then nod in agreement. The few times I managed to get a shot in in my younger years, it was usually worth the punishment.
And by the time I got out, I’d become so numb to the entire thing, it didn’t fucking matter.
We stand there watching the screen, the people we care about appearing like actors in a movie.
Kaian says, “Did you see that?”
“See what?” Lilith asks.
He leans into the screen, pointing off into the back as he says, “There was a shadow.”
Lilith leans in closely, scanning the screen, and then she says, “Yes. I see it.”
They look at each other, their eyes alight, and finally, I ask, “What is it?”
Lilith turns to me and smiles. “Camilla. Right on time.”
Kaian stares at the screen for a few more moments, a smile on his face, and then he turns to us and says, “It’s time. Let’s fucking go.”
We head out the way we came in, rushing down the hallway, ignoring anyone we come across as if we’re on official business, and for the most part, no one pays us any mind.
We get to the door and Kaian stops us as he says, “You know the drill, ladies?”
Lilith gives him a look and smirks as she says, “Yeah, I think we do, baby bear.”
He scowls at her, and I attempt to hide my laughter behind my hand and fail miserably, and he turns his glare to me.
He turns back to Lilith and says, “Don’t you fucking start.”
She smiles and says nothing else, so he turns and opens the door, walking a few feet into the room, leaving the door ajar.
We hover around the doorway, staying out of sight, and I peek in, making out Jessica and Enzo with their backs to the door. Matt is strung up with Tony at his feet.
Kaian walks a few feet into the room, stopping beside Enzo as he says, “Well, you look like shit.”
Matt snorts and replies, “Well, fuck you very much.”
Enzo turns to Kaian and asks, “What the fuck do you want?”
“I just came to see if it was time yet or not?”
“Time for what?” Enzo frowns, confusion clear on his features.
Kaian smiles and shrugs as he says, “Time to fuck around.”
Matt laughs, and then Darius laughs, and soon, Tony laughs as well. Enzo turns back to Matt with a concerned, puzzled look on his face as he asks, “What the fuck is going on?”
Matt frowns, and then a shadow passes in front of the door, and a body appears right behind Enzo, startling him. Then she says, “Time’s up.”
She doesn’t hesitate. Her hand comes up in front of him and then jerks to the side. He gurgles, his hands coming up as his blood sprays, and within seconds, he’s crumpled to the ground, gasping like a dead fish out of water.
Jessica asks nonchalantly, “Cami, don’t you think you could have been a tad more subtle?”
I can’t see her face, but she says nothing in response, and then Jessica rushes over as Tony rises to his feet.
The commotion behind me takes my attention away from what’s going on in the room, and I turn to find Lilith stabbing someone in the throat. Antoinette rushes the next man to come around the corner, managing to take him out quickly, and then she leans her back against the wall, peeking around the corner down the hallway.
She immediately turns back, pushing off the wall and running back to where Lilith and I are still standing, and I ask, “What is it?”
“Lots of fucking men,” she sputters. “A whole horde of fucking bad guys.”
She wastes no more time explaining, shoving between us and pushing the door open forcefully. She runs through it, and we follow right on her heels as she yells, “They’re coming.”
We run directly toward where the boys are grouped, stopping in the middle of them and turning back toward the door.
The flood of men rushes in behind us and spread throughout the room. Lilith’s shout draws my attention, and she points to the other side of the room, where another doorway shows more people running in.
Tony immediately starts in that direction, but then he turns and looks at me. I pull his gun from my jacket pocket and hand it to him and then two more rounds of ammo. He smiles at me, leaning in and giving me a quick kiss before rushing off.
Matt helps Jessica for a moment and then comes back to me, grabbing a gun and a knife that someone dropped as he says, “Get Darius.”
I nod, immediately turning and rushing to where he’s still caged further back in the room. He looks rather bored, and I can’t help but laugh as I kneel, yanking on the lock.
“One of these fucking yahoos has the key,” he replies calmly.
I pull out my gun, pointing it at the lock as I say, “Turn away.”
He does as I ask, and I shoot the lock once, twice, three times, but it doesn’t give.
Darius laughs as he says, “This newfangled shit is tough.”
A bitter laugh falls from my lips as I glare at him and reply, “It might not be a good time for jokes, Dare.”
“Always a good time for jokes.” He shrugs.
I laugh hollowly this time, yanking on the lock, looking around for something I can smash it with while also knowing that it will be no use. I stop what I’m doing, my hands gripping the bar as I lean in and say, “This place is wired. The whole fucking place is going to go up.”
He blinks at me for a moment and then laughs, and a small shriek of frustration comes out of me. He sighs and then asks, “How much time we got?”
I shake my head, my hands gripping the bars tightly. I attempt to shake it, but it doesn’t even rattle. “I have no fucking idea. But I always assume we’re on borrowed time.”
“That’s an accurate assumption.”
He’s silent for a moment and looks around, and then he asks, “I assume that Antoinette isn’t actually Antoinette?”
I nod, glancing over at Camilla and then further over where I see the real Antoinette, happy in her murderous glory. I turn back to Dare and say, “Yeah, she’s over to the right. She’s really enjoying being a blonde.”
He smiles fondly, and his complete lack of concern infuriates me.
I glance back over at Antoinette, hoping I can get her attention, but she’s too caught up in her mission. I turn back to Dare, immediately startled to find that he’s right there at the bars in front of me.
His hands cover mine where they grip the bars of the metal cage, squeezing tightly as he leans forward, forcing me to meet his eyes as he says, “You’re gonna have to leave me here.”
I blink at him in horror, shaking my head with such vigor I feel my brain rattle in my skull. “No. I can’t. I won’t.”
The smile he gives me is calm, his eyes reassuring as he presses his face into the bars and whispers, “Yes, you can. And you will.”
“No. No. I can’t do it.”
He laughs humorlessly, inclining his head as he says, “You will. You have no choice.”
I glance back at Antoinette and shout, “Antoinette. I need you.”
My shouts fall on deaf ears. She’s too focused, and the room is too loud. I glance around for help elsewhere, just to find everyone focused on the people in front of them and the people coming up behind them.
I turn back to Darius, who’s staring at me quietly. A sob catches in my throat, and then I whisper, “No. Please.”
His hands tighten on mine again, and the smile he gives me is genuine. There’s not even a glimmer of sadness as he says, “Promise me.”
I grimace, my voice shaky as I say, “Promise you what?”
“Promise me you won’t let her come back. You won’t let any of them come back.”
I know who he’s referring to. I look over at Antoinette one more time to see she’s moved even further away, everyone methodically moving closer to the exit plan, and I shake my head as I whisper, “I promise.”
I look down at the ground, and one of his hands moves through the bars. He touches my chin, lifting his gaze to mine as he says, “And make sure you name that baby after me.”
I laugh tearfully, shaking my head as I say, “Fuck you.”
He chuckles almost wryly, but then his other hand moves away from mine, and he says good-naturedly, “Let’s not forget, Car. I have a perfect track record of getting myself out of dumb situations.”
I look at the steel lock on the steel cage and look back at him, shaking my head. “She’s never going to forgive me.”
“She will,” he replies. “If anyone understands having to make difficult decisions in high-stress situations, it’s Antoinette. Mostly, she’s just going to be mad at me.”
I hear shouting across the room, and I look up to see everyone in position. I turn back to Dare and ask, “Are you sure?”
He nods, moving back across the cage where he sits against the bars, his feet coming out in front of him and crossing at the ankle, looking relaxed as can be. “Tell her if she ever tries to fuck another man, I will haunt her.”
I say nothing further and look up at him again, and he just nods and says, “Go.”
I nod, incapable of words, as emotion overwhelms me. I shake it off, centering myself on the greater mission, knowing I have no other choice but to do as he asks.
I push away from the cage, rising and racing around the way I came, both guns at the ready to ensure I have a clear path. I push my despair aside, reaching deep for the rage, disgust, and tenacity that was forged over time. I push toward the exit, grateful that Kaian and Camilla are there and not Antoinette, Tony, or Matt.
We rush out the doorway down the hallway, Kaian leading our way through the labyrinth towards the exit.
I’m sure it’s only minutes, but it feels like hours until we’re finally bursting out into the darkness, cool air hitting me in the face.
We’re running. I see Lilith on the far side yelling, and I run toward her, knowing that she’s the only voice of reason to hear what I have to say.
I stop in front of her, and she grips my biceps, leaning in as she asks, “What is it?”
I shake my head, completely incapable of words, and after a moment, she frowns, glancing around.
She meets my eyes again as she whispers, “Dare?”
Once again, I shake my head, words stuck in the sob I’m holding deep in my chest.
She looks back at the building and then at Antoinette, who just now starts to look around. “Fuck.”