Chapter 37
Chapter
Thirty-Seven
Sage
Victor paces the floor like a wild animal, TV remote clutched tightly in his hand. He lost sight of Nic, Isla and Freddie as they got into the house. Every few seconds, he checks his phone and his watch, while I prepare myself mentally for what I'm going to do if they try to take me to Chet.
There's a thud outside the door that makes us all jump.
"What the fuck was that?" Victor says, pacing stopped.
The incessant banging continues with renewed purpose. With a growl, Victor changes the channel on the TV, to the one that's obviously just outside the door.
On the screen, Nicholas looks up into the camera, his hands in surrender as a Rushkoff goon pounds on the door with a closed fist and a gun to Nic's head.
My heart stills. Nic. He's here. He's here for me.
"Open the fucking door, Victor," Nicholas seethes.
"You think I give a fuck about some random guy?!" Victor shouts. "Give me a fucking break. Kill him for all I care!"
On the TV, Nic shakes his head, moving like lightning speed as he regains the upper hand and swipes his knife across the guys throat.
Victor shuffles on his feet, clearly unimpressed that Nic called his bluff.
Nic comes for the door next, flying into an insane rage and tearing chunks away from it with the knife. I turn over my shoulder and see the blade protrusions through the wood where Nicholas is forcefully breaking down the door.
"Fucking hell," Victor says. "Stop him!" The men in the room fumble, unsure how they're going to stop Nicholas from getting in here at the rate that he's breaking down the door.
"Jesus, Alexei, get in there and restrain him!" Victor yells.
Alexei doesn't do as he's told, slowly slipping from the shadows to face his brother. "Vic, let's think about this," Alexei says, hands clasped behind his back as he continues to ignore the rage Nic pours into their door.
"Are you fucking joking?" Victor says.
"Come on, Vic. Chet? Surely we can work out another way," Alexei says, moving forward with pleading eyes.
"I do not have unlimited pep talks to give you!" Victor yells, spit flying from his teeth. "Pick a fucking side! I will not ask again."
I realize now, in this one tiny moment, that no one is looking at me. For the first time in months, I'm not at the center of attention of one of these men. Nobody is even sparing me a glance.
It's an opportunity I can't afford to waste.
"Vic-" Alexei starts.
Victor rushes to Alexei and grabs him violently by the back of the neck, pulling him so they're eye to eye. "You want me to die brother? Is that what you want?" Victor hands Alexei a knife. "Because if you're backing them you may as well stab me yourself."
I tighten the zip ties with my teeth, watching carefully for the moment that someone's attention lands back on me. Using all my might I slam my bound hands over my body, down and against my hips, willing the ties to break.
"Go on. Make a choice." Victor opens his arms wide like he's inviting Alexei to stab him.
Alexei shivers, taking a stumbled step back from his brother.
Finally, the zip ties snap and I stand up slowly. Not a single eye lands on me as I free myself and take the gun at my waist, stalking carefully forward towards Victor.
I do it now. While the men are still trying to stop Nicholas from breaking in. While Alexei still can't look at his brother in the eye. While Victor is vulnerable.
I step forward and raise my hand, pressing my gun against Victor's head.
"Get on your fucking knees, Victor." The whisper of my words shoots through the room like a missile.
Everyone freezes.
The only sound left is Nicholas finally smashing through the door.
Victor bares his teeth at me, but he raises his hands slowly in surrender. Even though I asked so nicely, he doesn't kneel.
I won't forget that.
Nic stops, his eyes flitting across the scene. He reaches for his gun but Alexei is there a second sooner. He knocks Nic down with a kick to his calf, drawing his own gun even as he kicks Nic's away.
My heart sinks. For all his training, Alexei has the one up on him.
I whimper as I realize it's a good old-fashioned standoff.
I've got Victor in surrender. Alexei has Nicholas in surrender.
"Do it, Sage," Nicholas says, his eyes still trained on Alexei. "Kill Victor. Now."
"Everyone just take a breath," Alexei says, the calmest and most scared I've ever seen him, "and this think through."
Victor starts to lose it, shaking violently from where he stands with my gun trained at the back of his head. "That's enough! I've had it with you, Alexei. This ends now. For whatever fucking reason, you brother, seem to think this girl's pussy is worth more than my life."
Alexei doesn't dare to move long enough to shake his head and deny it.
"Kill him, Sage," Nicholas says again, eyes unwaveringly confident even with a gun pointed at him. Water burns my eyes. I will not shoot Victor if Alexei is going to be right there to hurt Nicholas.
"No," I say. "What about you?"
"I'll be okay," Nic says. "Do it."
"Don't fucking do it Sage!" Alexei yells in my direction, still watching Nic carefully.
"Shoot the Prince boy, Alexei," Victor says, hands still in surrender and eyes holding a similar eerie confidence to Nic's. "She doesn't have it in her to fire the weapon."
"Don't you dare touch him-"
"Do it brother!!"
"Sage, stop, it's okay-"
"Prove whose side you're on! Kill him brother!"
"Don't make me do this, Vic-"
"Sage, it's okay, stop crying-"
"Fucking do it brother! You insolent little cock-"
"Shoot Victor, Sage, you have to do it-"
"Don't fucking touch my brother!"
"You want me to fucking die?!"
"Shoot him, Sage!!"
Adrenaline floods my body, shouting ringing out in my ears, tears blurring my vision. Before I can think, before I can stop, before I can second guess myself, I cock the hammer back on the gun. The next movements are fast. But they feel slow.
My gun clicks, signaling that the bullet is ready in the chamber.
Alexei's eyes shift minutely to me, hearing the tiny sound.
He turns the gun my way. His eyes panicked, reacting on pure emotion. On instinct. On survival.
He's going to save his brother.
He's going to be faster than me at pulling the trigger.
Alexei fires his gun.
My eyes widen.
The bullet pierces the wind.
Next thing I know I'm on the ground. A heavy body panting over mine.
But.... But. My stomach gets warm. Really warm.
Adrenaline pushes breaths through my lungs.
When I look down I see only blood, my hands twist in it, fingers running through it as I try to work out where it came from.
Is it mine? Am I hurt? Why is there always so much blood on my hands?
The ringing in my ears gets louder, dots sparkling in the corners of my vision.
It all comes blurring back into sharp focus simultaneously.
"Ouch," Nic says.
And then he collapses off me and lolls to the side.