Chapter Two
Spinning around, she had a moment’s dread that Victor must have seen her and doubled round to cut off her escape, but instead, Luke emerged out with his Beretta M9 in hand. Pivoting, he shoulder-slammed the door shut and gave the escape lever a twist that ripped it off its hinges, jamming the mechanism.
“Quick, someone will have heard that. Up the stairs.”
Sophie wanted to protest. The stairway was very similar to the ones in old action movies. It was so dilapidated and rusted, it looked like it hadn’t been maintained since Hitchcock used it in North by Northwest.
One look from Luke, though, silenced her. They didn’t have a choice. The main road would be out of the question, as Victor would have placed a guard or two at the building’s entrance, just in case they tried to run. The alleyway was a lost cause as it ended with a wall which looked too high for either of them to climb. They'd have to chance it and find a place to hide upstairs, while the goon squad followed his distraction out here and searched the surrounding area. They could make their getaway later when the heat had died down.
They made it up to the first level without any interruptions, their every step making the old steel structure sway and tremble. Before Sophie could make a move towards the door, Luke shook his head and directed her to the second flight, making her curse under her breath. Yet when she felt Luke's arm on her shoulder, she forgot her inhibitions and let him shepherd her up the creaky stairwell. Still, they needed to get off these bloody stairs before they collapsed from underneath them. Luke seemed not to share her distress, however, and instead, he pressed her on like she was little more than a stubborn child.
Somehow, the structure held out and as they stepped onto the brickwork of a balcony; the pair breathed a sigh of relief. They had made it.
“Well, well, well... look at what I have found,” chortled an all too familiar voice. Sophie pivoted around to find Victor standing on the railing, his own M9 trained on Luke’s heart. “Now, be a good boy Luke, drop it.”
Lips pursed so tight they formed a white line, Luke dropped the Beretta, so it landed on the grating with a cling, then nudged it over the side with his boot.
“That’s a good little dog, and you princess,” he turned the gun on Sophie. “Your escapades are getting more creative. What did you promise him?”
Tears burned the corner of Sophie’s eyes. “Victor, please…”
“Was it your heart?” he grinned, his face contorting into a twisted look of sadistic glee, like a child pulling the wings off a fly. “
Well, we all make mistakes. Your father has already forgiven you. In fact, he has a gift for you.
He’ll give you his hear-ahh!” Luke didn’t blink, he just acted, lunging forward. He caught the older man’s arm, raised it high, so the M9 pointed skyward.
Then he hit him. It came in hard and fast, with all his power behind it.
A storm of force that drove into Victor’s belly with a meaty slap and sent him tumbling back and over the edge.