Chapter 14
As Riley disappears out the door, Liz sits, forcing herself to listen as his boots stomp down the hallway. When the sound finally fades, she lets the tears fall. She only allows herself a moment of weakness before she stands, wipes the tears from her face, and starts looking for what she needs.
She digs around in the drawers until she finds what she is looking for: a pen and scrap of paper.
She will never forgive herself if she doesn’t explain why she did what she’s now forced to do.
Tears drip onto the paper while she frantically scribbles.
He needs to know this is not how she planned for her escape to go, in the end she trusted him to get her out, her plan was just a backup.
She leaves it on the center of the table, hoping Riley will find it when this is all over.
Liz runs into her room. Ripping the pillowcase off her pillow, she stuffs as much as she can into it and tosses it onto her bed.
She runs back into the living room, ripping the gun case from its hiding spot under the couch.
She breathes deeply, trying to steady herself before punching in what she hopes is the code.
She watches, her heart pounding out of her chest, as a loud beep fills the quiet room, and the light next to the numbers turns red.
“Shit,” she says to herself, knowing she won’t have many more tries. If Liz can’t figure out the code to the safe, she will never get out, or even worse, Riley will know what she was trying to do. Any trust he has in her will be gone. Everything they have spent weeks building will be ruined.
She can’t fuck this up.
Liz takes another deep breath and tries a different code.
The light is red, and the loud beep fills the empty room once more.
She lets out a frustrated groan, standing to pace around the room.
She was so sure she would get it right. For fifteen long minutes, Liz paces, going over everything she can remember.
Thinking about what she has seen Riley do at the door a hundred times, her footsteps echoing throughout the room.
She glances at the clock, if what Riley said is true, he will be back in less than ten minutes.
She drops to her knees in front of the case, punching in one last code.
Watching, unable to breathe, she hears a chirp and the light turns green.
Tears spring to her eyes at the sight of the case unlatching.
She throws it open and looks at the gun sitting nestled into the plush black foam.
She picks it up out of the case, not sure what she’s even doing.
She gives the small handgun a once over, pulling the slide and making sure it’s loaded.
Glancing back at the clock, she realizes she’s run out of time.
She pushes the case back under the couch and runs to her room, tucking herself into the darkest corner of her closet, praying one of the men comes looking for her.
Liz stays crouched in the corner running through every possible outcome of every possible way this could go.
Each second that ticks by feels like an eternity.
She tries to focus on the cold metal of the gun clutched to her chest. Then, she hears it, the sound of the front door unlocking.
She breathes deeply, not at all ready for what’s about to happen.
Riley and Mikey step into the room after their meeting with the general, both exhausted from all the information unloaded onto them.
Riley looks around the small space expecting to see Liz waiting for him.
She has been getting more comfortable being in the common areas of the apartment the last few weeks.
She still stays in her room unless they are eating or training, but when he looks to the kitchen, she’s not there.
He notices her food still on the table. A sinking feeling grows heavy in his gut; he rushes to her door and knocks.
No answer.
He tries to tell himself she probably just went to sleep. She knew he was coming back, but something wasn't right. He throws open the door, needing to make sure she’s in bed, but when he looks in, he’s greeted by an empty room.
“She’s gone,” he yells, whirling to Mikey, panic flooding his voice.
Mikey’s eyes widen at the realization. He starts looking around the room like maybe they just missed her, maybe she just doesn’t want them to see her in the state she’s in. Riley rushes into his room, checking everywhere before going into the bathroom.
When Riley storms back out, Mikey finally says— “Calm down, Ry. She’s got to be here, if she somehow left the room alarms would be blaring right now. She probably just went back to sleeping on her floor. This has to be fucking with her head.”
He strides into her room and over to the bed. Liz peers at him from where she is hidden. Carefully she tiptoes out, feet silent on the chilly floor. When she’s not there, he pulls back the covers just as something pushes into his back, followed by the distinct click of a gun.
“I’m sorry. I don’t want to hurt you Mikey,” Liz says, voice quietly cracking as she struggles to control her emotions. “But I… I will if you don’t do what I tell you… Tell Riley you found me and to stay where he is. Please,” she adds, voice laced with sorrow.
“RY!” Mikey shouts. “I found her. Stay there, we’re coming out.”
Mikey puts his hands up in surrender. Liz keeps the gun to his back as they turn, not letting up as she guides him into the living room. She peers around Mikey’s back over at Riley, seeing the hurt and betrayal in his eyes makes her sick to her stomach.
He fought so hard for her. He risked everything for her, and she betrayed him.
The three of them stand there, no one daring to even breathe wrong.
They are all painfully aware of how easy it would be to get the gun from her, but neither of the men are willing to harm Liz.
They promised she would be safe with them, that they would never hurt her and it's one they intend to keep.
“Where did you get that gun?” Riley asks in a desperate attempt to distract her.
“I’m sorry,” Liz says, a few tears slipping free. “I found the case under the couch, and I’ve been watching you, trying to learn the code.”
“Why, darlin?” Mikey asks. Even with a gun to his back, he talks to her like a friend just attempting to understand why she is doing what she is doing. “We have been begging the general to let you go.”
“We just needed more time,” Riley whispers, taking a step closer, hands held up so she can see them.
She knows what he’s trying to do. All these weeks she has let him get too close.
She grew too complacent. Riley knows she could never hurt either of them and he’s going to try and use that to get close and stop her.
He’s right, she can’t bring herself to hurt them physically.
If she has learned anything in all this time it’s that they do care for her in some capacity.
They have done everything in their power to keep her safe and out of harm’s way.
She may not be able to hurt them, but they want her alive, so she will have to hurt them another way.
She gives Mikey one big shove, before turning the gun on herself.