47. From the Shadows
47
From the Shadows
Matt
So far, pretending to be Darius has been quite fun.
We decided our best course of action would be to split us up. It would be far more impactful to think there was a Darius at every corner rather than a pack of us in front of you.
Unfortunately, that meant the girls would be on their own, which was only problematic to us guys.
It only took a few minutes before people started obviously noticing me. At first, it was some passing glances and a few whispers, but after a while, I ran head-on into a man who jumped back from me as if he'd seen a ghost.
He took off with such haste that I figured it's safe to assume he had seen Darius recently.
We’re all in the general vicinity of each other, so I report my suspicions, knowing everyone will start heading toward my general direction. The spooked man heads down a side street, and I sneak behind him as close as I dare without the risk of being spotted.
I peek around the corner just in time to see him disappear into the side entrance of an old pub near the docks we’d been keeping an eye on, which is perfect given our end-game plans.
Knowing old buildings as well as I do, I recognize the likelihood that this building doesn't end at ground level, so I step back and send an update to the group on how to proceed.
Antoinette confirms a front entrance, with Jessica and Carolina confirming alternate doors on either side of the building. Kaian, Tony, and Declan report that they’re a few steps behind.
Cautiously, I make my way over to the door the man disappeared through. It appears to be secure; however, it has an old, rudimentary lock. I pull out my lock-picking kit, making short work of it, and then I ease the door open, torn between shoving it open and attempting to slide inside inconspicuously.
I stop with the door opened a few inches, listening intently, but I can't make out anything of interest with the general street noise at my back.
Cursing softly, I push the door open and step inside with all the swagger The Beast would muster. Then I deflate a bit when I find an empty room, slightly annoyed that I wasted time being cautious.
I shut the door behind me, making sure to check that it's unlocked, and then I proceed further into the room until I stop at the far doorway. I lean out, glancing in both directions, listening for any type of ruckus.
Thinking of the general blueprints of these buildings, I take a right, doing my best not to be deterred by the fact the light becomes dimmer with every subsequent room I walk through.
I stop beside what appears to be an exterior door. I open it and peek outside, confirming that it's the street, which means it’s likely one of the doors the girls came in, so I’m not far behind them.
I continue forward, moving more swiftly now, less concerned about remaining quiet, knowing my people are also in the building.
I stop at the top of a stairwell, glancing down suspiciously. A loud clang followed by a shout sounds from below, and I throw what little caution I had left to the wind, carefully walking down the stairs.
I exit the stairwell into a large room that reeks of damp and stale beer. I’m surrounded by old brewery machinery that blocks the light, leaving this side of the room dim, so I hurry over to hide behind one of the large metal drums. Sliding around the cool metal, I peer across the room, noting a small group of men standing there, and I can just make out the low murmur of another voice on the far side outside my view.
Then, a ginger-looking man in the middle of the group steps forward and says, “Don't try to bullshit me, Jessica.”
My heart stops in my chest at the same time fury erupts inside me. I clench my jaw, forcing myself to remain in this spot, ignoring my innate urge to charge and destroy.
And then I see her.
The group of men disperses some, leaving the ginger-looking man and Jessica standing in plain view.
She walks up and stops a couple of feet in front of him, her expression furious as she says, “Let's not pretend that you have a proclivity for discretion.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
She steps in closer, pointing her finger in his face as she says, “You gave that disgusting fucking video to Bobby. And in doing so, you managed to hurt a lot of people.”
His hand shoots out and grabs onto her wrist. “I didn't give Bobby shit.”
“So, he was bluffing?” she asks incredulously.
“No,” he answers. “He managed to steal it, and before I could get it back from him, he was dead.”
Jessica glares at him, shaking her head as she retorts, “I don't buy it. He had that video for a long fucking time before he was dead.”
He shoves her away and scowls. “What good would it be to me if that thing got out?”
“Oh, I don't know. Maybe you could just rub it in a lot of people's faces. Get me permanently erased from the world.”
He raises his brows at her. “And incriminate myself.”
Now, she frowns, shaking her head at him and saying, “What are you talking about?”
He smirks at her, puffing at his chest a little bit as he says, “Oh, you never figured that out?”
“Figured what out?”
He laughs, the malicious undertones sending a chill down my spine, “The fact that you didn't give me anything.”
Shock falls over her features, and she slowly shakes her head in denial. “What do you mean?”
“Quit fucking around,” one of the other men says hurriedly.
The ginger-looking man turns to him and retorts, “Shut the fuck up. I finally get to tell this bitch how I pulled one over on her, and I'm not going to miss my only chance.”
“You had ample chances to explain whatever you're talking about, so why bother now?”
“Because if you're here, that means you're going to be dead soon, which means it can't fall back and kick me in the ass later.”
“Well, go on then. What are you waiting for?”
His smile turns evil, and he squints at her, a pleased expression on his face. “You didn't give me your virginity. I took it.”
Once again, she shakes her head, confusion on her face and her whisper barely audible to me as she replies, “No. No, that's not what happened. That's not what you said.”
He inclines his head at her, rolling his eyes as he retorts sarcastically, “Because I'm always the epitome of honesty.”
“But why?”
“Because I can. Because I could. And I wanted to.”
She looks down at the ground, a kaleidoscope of emotions shadowing her features, and then suddenly, she smiles, her eyes raising to meet his, as she says calmly, “Well, that'll make this a lot easier.”
He frowns and asks, “Make what easier?”
“Fucking killing you, that's what.”
He pauses briefly, and everyone is silent for a moment, and then he laughs and the men with him laugh. “And how the fuck do you expect to do that?”
“Swiftly and methodically.”
“You don't actually think you can take us all?”
Her smile broadens as she shakes her head. “Of course not, silly.”
The men fall silent again, all of them looking at her like she's completely insane, and I have to say, I'm probably looking at her in the same way.
But then, a more sinister-yet-playful voice pops up from the far side of the men. “She's got a little help from her friends.”
Carolina lunges from the shadows, grabbing the man closest to her by the hair and yanking back viciously, immediately dropping her body down to add to the momentum of his falling backward.
Two of the men move like they're going to help him, but it's too late. As soon as his body hits the concrete, he has a knife sticking out of his throat.
Carolina is on her feet again, pulling the knife out and stabbing him several more times to ensure he won't be getting up to defend any of his friends.
Then she stands there, an Antoinette-worthy grin on her face as she asks, “Who’s next?”
The group of men lunges for her when a shriek from behind me draws their attention. Startled, I turn, pressing my back against the metal drum just in time to see Camilla streak by, her battle cry almost more intimidating than the large knives she’s brandishing in each hand.
Camilla makes short work of the remaining men, and then it's just ginger-looking guy standing there, looking like he's going to shit his pants.
Camilla and Carolina circle him, but they make no move toward him as they each stop beside Jessica, flanking her. Carolina turns to Jessica and asks, “Did I hear this fucker correctly?”
“Depends on what you think you heard.”
“Did he say that he's a no-good piece of shit rapist?”
“Well, he may have implied some form of coercion and exploitation, but I do think that the gist of it was definitely rapist.”
He frowns, shaking his head and attempting to take a few steps backward, but then Camilla points at him and says, “Don't fucking move.”
He stops moving and says nothing, likely realizing that anything he says won't do him any good.
Then Camilla asks, “Do you know where Darius is?”
The man swallows and then nods, and Jessica says, “Then you can either lead us to him, or you can fucking die here.”
“I'll take you,” he replies quickly.
Camilla puts her weapons away and then pulls zip ties out of her jacket pocket. She yanks his arms behind him, none too gently, securing the zip ties with such vigor that I'm sure she's cutting off all blood supply to his hands.
Not that any of us give a fuck.
She leans in over him and says, “Don't be a fucking asshole.”
He looks back at her wide-eyed, shakes his head, and says, “I know the drill.”
She steps away from him, and he raises his head to indicate a door to the left. “It's this way.”
“Well, let's go then,” Camilla replies.
The man turns, walking off in that direction with the three women close behind him.
They disappear through the doorway, and I give up my hiding space, following behind them slowly, knowing they can totally handle themselves in any situation, I’m happy going in as a beast in the shadows.