Chapter 26 #3
“You’ve been looking for a reason to fuck me over, Colby.
I just don’t understand why. You think I’ve made it this far in life with the prestige I have by running in blind and blowing off heads like you have?
I’m not that fucking sloppy. My name instills fear in anyone who hears it because I don’t just murder people without hesitation.
But you want a reason to destroy me, don’t you?
I’ve been your obsession for many years, but I didn’t turn out to be exactly like you, so now you’re going to kill me? ”
Colby grins at me, and I don’t like that look. “I hope you’re ready for this because I sure as fuck am. I found the tracker in my pocket and knew you’d be coming to my apartment, so I told Barlow’s crew exactly where you were. They should be there any minute now. Or maybe they’re already there.”
And that’s the moment I hear the explosion.
His laughter fills the room as I drop the phone and rush to the window.
I pull the curtain back and look out at the wreckage surrounding my van.
Smoke and fire rise up out of it. Chunks of debris have rained out around it.
The windows have been blown out… and all of my friends were left inside it.
No, no, no.
The three of us rush from the room, and I can feel Cassel’s anxiety knowing that we left Jeremy in the van that is now destroyed.
Cassel hits the button for the elevator and it lights up, but it’s not coming fast enough.
He looks at the stairs, but I know that even though waiting at the elevator seems so much worse than being on the move, the elevator is going to get us down eleven flights of stairs faster than our legs ever could.
“It’s coming,” I promise as I hold him still so he doesn’t try the stairs. He’s calling Jeremy again and again, but no one picks up. No one picks up any of our calls, either.
The doors part and a woman looks startled when we rush inside and jab the button for the lobby as fast as we can. I realize that Jackson must have grabbed the album that he has tucked under his arm. It was quick thinking so we didn’t leave evidence of what I’d done behind.
The elevator descends rapidly, but in this state, it feels like it doesn’t descend fast enough even though I can feel the drop in my body.
The doors open at the lobby and we dash out through the front door and around the back to where the van is parked in public parking.
People are moving near it while smoke rises up around it, flames eating at it, curious about what’s happened and possibly wondering if they can help while staying safe themselves.
“Careful,” Jackson warns, but I jerk the door open, heat eating through my gloves as I fling it wide…
And see that the inside is empty.
“Where is he? Where is he?” Cassel asks. It comes out more like a plea and I feel awful that he’s going through this. I hate that he’s left with so much uncertainty because I’ve felt that terror before about Jackson. It’s such an overwhelming fear.
My eyes are drawn to a parking garage and something pulls me toward it. “This way,” I say.
“Did you see them?” Cassel asks.
“No,” I admit. “But if they were attacked and knew people would run to the van to help, they would go this way to keep anyone who isn’t involved from getting hurt.”
Cassel hesitates, but he trusts me, he always has. My only fear is that I’m wrong. So while people hurry over to see my beautiful murder van burn up, the three of us run toward the parking garage.
When I reach it, I hear the slightest noise, and I look over to find Ellis staring me right in the eyes. He’s tucked back out of sight and would have been impossible to see if he hadn’t scooted forward to catch my attention.
I rush over to him and he grabs me for some reason.
“There were like ten people. Sophia was insistent that something was wrong… she could see some people watching and waiting, so she made us get out of the van. I guess this is… something they do, just blow people up… but we only made it so far before the explosion threw us back. Tavish told us to run here and for me to stay hidden,” Ellis says.
“You’re doing good,” I reassure him as I notice that he’s bleeding. It must have been from the explosion, but he’s alive. They’re all alive and that’s what matters most.
“I’m scared the others are hurt. I haven’t seen them. I should be doing something,” Ellis says, the hand he has on me tightening.
“No, you should stay right here,” I instruct him as I force him back down. “We’ll find the others and help them. You stay quiet and hidden, okay?”
He seems uncertain but nods.
I pull out my gun and use the parked vehicles to inch my way forward with constant cover.
The question now is… where the hell are they in this parking garage?
It’s no wonder none of our calls would go through; these places are notorious for having poor reception.
And it’s even worse the lower underground you go. There are also fewer people…
“I’m voting down,” I say.
Cassel nods. “Let’s do it.”
We rush down the ramp and the second I see a man dart between two cars with a gun drawn, I know we picked well. My gun is up, but before I can even take the shot, the man’s on the ground and a gun is pointed at me.
“Shit, you scared me,” Sophia says.
Tavish steps out. “I think we got them all. That was the last one, right?”
“I counted nine and I see nine bodies,” Everly announces. “We need to vacate this area immediately. Micah, you need to get to a hospital.”
“Me? I’m fine,” Micah says while blood runs over his eyes to the point that I’m not even sure how he can see. “Unless… you would like to baby me. I will take some babying.”
Fury rushes through me upon seeing the people I hold closest to me hurt and bleeding. It makes me want to tear that man apart and give him exactly what he wants. He wants me to be the old Sandman? I can be the old Sandman.
“You guys okay?” Jackson asks.
“Yeah, Sophia saved our lives,” Tavish says as he hurries up the ramp to collect Ellis.
“She felt like something was wrong after a man walked by the van. She said that they were trained how to make bombs, so she got out to see if he’d thrown something under it.
Since her suspicions were proven to be right, she quickly got all of us out of the vehicle. ”
“You guys don’t look good,” Cassel comments while he examines Jeremy. He seems to have a burn on his arm, but otherwise he appears to be okay.
“Cassel and Jackson, get them to the hospital and gather everything you have on the Barlow family,” I say.
Cassel responds, “Yeah, of course.”
“Good. I’m going to go check on the van, but I’ll call you a car to get you to the hospital.” As I walk out, I call Henry, who answers almost immediately.
“There was an attack. I believe those who attacked us belonged to the Barlow family but were sent here by this Colby guy,” I say. “Can you get here and get this lot to the hospital? Cassel and Jackson are helping.”
“Fuck. Anyone seriously injured?”
“No, but please, don’t let them leave any secure locations, please. I can’t have them get hurt.”
“And where will you be?” he asks.
I hang up and send him a pin of this location before I begin pulling on every car door until I find one that isn’t locked.
I slip inside and set to work starting it, glad I had a bag of tools on me since I didn’t know what I’d need to break into Colby’s place.
It also makes it easier to take the car now that it’s gotten dark out and most eyes are on the van that firefighters are trying to put out.
The car starts, and I throw it in reverse before slamming on the brakes when my taillights light up a person standing behind me. I debate backing up in the hope that doing so will make him step to the side so I can take my leave, but he’s a stubborn man who will stubbornly stand his ground.
“I’m getting in this car or you’re getting out,” Jackson demands.
I grit my teeth but as he comes around, I let him get in. “Please stay here.”
“I will not get in your way,” he assures me, like that’s the problem with this.
“Jackson… I adore you, I love you, you’re my whole world… but that’s also why I need you to stay here.”
Jackson watches me with a steady gaze. “He wants to see the old Sandman, and if that’s what you have to show him, then so be it. But you’re not alone any longer. We’re going to do this together.”
“You’re not…” I bite back my words, unsure how to even say this. What do I want to say? You’re not brutal enough? You might not like the person I become when pushed this hard? He’s seen me kill… but has he seen me be completely ruthless?
“Why are we wasting time? Let’s go,” Jackson orders.
And with that, I reverse out of the parking spot and start to drive.
“You know who it is,” Jackson states.
“I have a speculation,” I say.
“How?”
“When I was digging through his closet, I saw something that stood out to me. An outfit of sorts. He’s keeping Patel someplace private and quiet…
someplace he thinks we won’t ever think to go to.
But he should never mix his personal life with something like this.
I need to be careful, though. I have to make sure he’s not expecting me.
We need to switch cars and get resources. ”
“You think Patel will be safe that long?”
“Yes. He wants to use her against me. She’ll be safe while he toys with me.”
I take the car to trade out with my spare car that sits in storage for times like this. It’s the car I use when I don’t want anyone tracking me or identifying me. We leave the other car on a side road and then swap vehicles before I grab everything I need from storage.
“How do you have so many guns?” Jackson asks, eyeing my collection. “You have plenty, do you not? Yet you still have more in here!”
“These are my emergency babies,” I say, flipping open a few cases while I decide who I want to come with me. I grab my favorite of the group, load it and then hand it to Jackson. “She’s a wild one but she will obliterate whatever you point her at, alright?”
“You really want to give me your favorite?” he asks as he takes a holster to stick her in. Why he wasn’t already wearing a holster, no one knows.
“Of course I do. My favorite person gets my favorite gun.”
“You’re very sweet.”
“Leland the Sweet… that’s a new one.”
I also pick up a bulletproof vest which I force him to put on. I didn’t plan on putting one on myself until he gives me a look that quickly makes me slip it on. He’s really quite vicious when he wants to be.
When we’re all set, I head out to the car and start to drive.
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going or is it a surprise?” Jackson asks.
“Well, let’s just say that it’s someone who had to have seen me.
But not only did he see me, he had to have known that I interacted with Sophia.
My guess is he started watching me and saw Sophia and me do our tango in her kitchen.
I’m also aware that he had to have been active in the past to have recognized Sophia and then set this whole thing up with Barlow to draw me back into the world of the Sandman. ”
But the joke’s on him. I never left “the Sandman” behind. It’s aways been a huge part of me, a part that I’m not sure I could ever just walk away from. The main difference is that I don’t have Lucas forcing me to kill at his every whim. I finally have control over my own life.
And this man thinks he’s going to punish me for it?
He wants to see the Sandman, so I’ll let him see the Sandman one last time.