Chapter 31
THIRTY-ONE
LANCE
Per Gabriel’s instruction, we pull into the back of his well-known strip club, The Dollhouse, and wait for him. I’ve never been inside it, but I’ve heard stories. Apparently, it’s like an uppity museum of bare tits. Not the normal kind of strip club a single man would expect. But then again, there’s nothing normal about Gabriel.
I turn to Vienne, who is still dutifully wearing the black hood. “You know you can take that off until he gets here.”
“Lance, from the very moment we step out of this car, you need to play the role. Gabriel has surveillance everywhere. He likes to control the situation. He’s had eyes on us from the very moment we pulled in. So, when it’s time, open my car door, then put your gun into my back. A flawless performance is the only way you, me, and Cricket make it out of here alive. Gabriel likes mind games—let’s play them.”
I blow out a deep breath as the various scenes run through my mind. I try not to think of Cricket as anything other than alive, well, and eagerly waiting for me to bring her home. I don’t think I could live through any other scenario.
“I know my endgame; what’s yours?”
“I need to know if this bomb exists. All I need is the truth from Gabriel.”
“And then what? Is he walking out of here straight into a prison cell?”
She breathes heavily. “I don’t know.”
The windows are so deeply tinted, no way outside surveillance can see us. I reach over the center console and pull the hood halfway off Vienne’s face, just so her mouth and nose are exposed. “Take a few deep breaths for me, First Lady.”
She does as I instruct.
“That’s good, Vienne. I don’t want you to be afraid. I’m well equipped for this. I’ve killed a lot of men in a lot of different ways; this is just another day at the office.”
Vienne smiles. “I appreciate the chivalry. But when it comes to Gabriel, I’m better equipped to handle him.”
“Even still… Spartacus.”
“What?”
“It’s a code word we use in PALADIN. He was the leader of a rebel militia, sworn to free the gladiators. It’s a war cry, if you will. Someone says ‘Spartacus’ and we don’t think, we just act. If you don’t feel like you can handle it, just one little word, and I’ll take him the fuck out.”
“It won’t be necessary, but thank you, Lancelot,” she breathes out. She grabs the edge of the hood and pulls it down.
I smile to myself. “I can’t believe you just full-named me.”
“It looked fun when Vesper did it.”
“You and Vesper are chummy now?”
Vienne turns her head towards me. “I admire her. She and I are very similar. We carry the same burdens. Surviving all the pain, suffering, violence, and evil made us both powerful women. But she was able to do something I never could.”
“What did she do?”
The hood wrinkles, and I imagine Vienne is smiling. “She raised a family and somehow, in the midst of everything, kept it together.”
“You should tell her that. I think she’d really like to hear it.”
Vienne nods as Gabriel’s phone chimes, then lights up.
Unknown
Bring her in.
“Showtime,” I say. After scouring the back parking lot one more time, I step out of the car and head to Vienne’s door. I don’t like the way it has to go down, but I yank her by the elbow so hard, she falters as she clambers out of the seat. It has to look like I’m delivering an unwilling hostage. Exactly as Vienne suggested, I place my pistol against her back and force her toward the back door.
The main floor of the club is vast. I’ve never seen one this large before. There’s an eerie chill as we walk past the rows of glass cages that all look like bedrooms. “What the fuck? It’s like American Psycho in here,” I mutter under my breath to Vienne.
Sitting in a tall, green chair, Gabriel waits for us at the center of the room. His brows pinch, disapproval written all over his face as Vienne and I approach. He rises to his feet, disapproval quickly escalating to anger.
“Is she hurt?” he bites out.
“No, I’m okay,” Vienne responds. “Gabriel, I’m fine.”
The sound of her voice seems to relax him instantly. “Lance, if you’d kindly remove the pistol from her back.”
“A deal’s a deal, Gabriel. Where’s Fiona?”
He taps his foot on the ground. “She’s in the basement…resting,” he answers.
“Take me to her right now,” I snarl.
Gabriel wags his finger in my face. “First”—he grabs a large painter’s bucket that was tucked beside his chair and tosses it at my feet—“guns, phones, and any other trinkets you have in your pocket. Hurry up.”
I could stall, but he’d only double-check. The more I delay, the more Cricket suffers. I just want to get this over with. I dump both of my pistols in the bucket as well as my phone. I glare at Gabriel. “Want my cash, too?”
“Very funny, Lance. I’ll miss your humor,” Gabriel says flatly. He closes the space between him and Vienne and pulls off her hood. The way his eyes are on fire, I half expect him to spit in her face. Instead, he immediately smooths her hair and tenderly strokes her cheeks one by one. “Are you okay?”
Vienne locks her gaze on his. “Why am I here, Gabriel?”
“I didn’t mean to scare you. You refused to see me… How else was I supposed to…” He clasps her hand in his uninjured one and folds her fingers before kissing her fist over and over. “I’m sorry.”
“Well, I’m here now. What do you want?”
Gabriel looks wounded. “How can you ask me that? I want what I’ve always wanted.”
“Gabriel. I can’t—”
“Enough of this, Vienne. I’m done waiting. You made promises, and it’s time to see them through.” He drops her hand and steps backward. “Are you armed?”
“No.”
“How about your phone?”
“I left it in the car—”
“Stop,” Gabriel bites out. “Don’t lie to me.”
As if those were the magic command words, a cluster of henchmen barrel through the front entrance and the back. All armed. All muscular enough to snap our necks with one pull. Three on each side. Very manageable if I had both my pistols.
Gabriel ignores them as if they are simply part of the scenery. “Riggs,” he says, eyes still fixed on Vienne. “Put a gun on this clown. If he moves more than an inch, shoot to kill.” One of Gabriel’s men steps forward, his gun pointed at my head. Then, Gabriel turns his attention back to Vienne. “Your phone, sugar. Where is it?”
Vienne licks her lips but doesn’t answer. Gabriel steps toward her, wrapping her in his free arm. She’s about a stride in front of me, so I can see the way he touches her back. It’s not just a touch, it’s a caress. He traces her spine, up and down, like he’s trying to memorize the feel of her body. He drops to the curve of her ass, taking his sweet time digging in her back pockets. He easily pulls out her phone and tosses it in the bucket.
He nods to another one of his men behind him. “Get rid of all that before we go.”
“Go?” Vienne asks.
“You told me if you could get out, you would. I’m offering you an out. In less than an hour, I have a fully stocked plane ready to take us out of here. All my assets have been transferred. The plane will go off the grid to a private island that no one knows I own. It’s beautiful, Vienne. It’s our happily ever after, and it starts now. You promised me.” Gabriel whispers the end of his sentence. He holds up his wounded hand. “This was a sign, I split my hand open on the Malbec we picked up in Argentina. I was drunk and missing you and…I shouldn’t have opened it without you. Do you remember when we bought it?”
Vienne hangs her head. “I don’t.”
“Stop lying, Vienne. You remember. It was a few years into your marriage. We snuck away for a weekend while Sal went home to visit his mother. It was the most amazing… The way we fucked—”
“Stop,” Vienne snaps.
“Why?” Gabriel throws a dirty look my way. “Because of him?”
“Because I’m not proud of cheating on my husband, Gabriel. I’m not proud of loving you. I told you it had to stop. When Sal became president, I told you we were done for good.”
He shakes his head. “We’ll never be done, Vienne. That’s not how love works. The only way tonight ends is with you and me on that plane. Am I being clear? We’re going to start over. Without Sal. Without Aeon. Just you…me… A new life. We’ll leave the rest behind.”
Vienne drops her gaze. “Gabriel, we can’t.”
“Vienne,” Gabriel barks out. “Stop this. Can’t you see I’m in pain? I wake up every day with you on my mind. My whole life is about you. Look around. You loved that glass dollhouse so damn much, I built you one. I became a billionaire to give you everything and anything you wanted. I breathe for you. Aeon was your life, so I became Aeon. When you had your eyes set on the presidency, I put Sal there . Me. Do you know how many politicians I’ve bribed and murdered, just to put the crown on your guys’ head? Is it still not enough? What else can I do to get your attention?”
“You just wanted my attention?” Vienne asks in an odd whisper. She exhales so hard, her shoulders seem to deflate. “Gabriel, there is no bomb… You wanted me to react. You wanted me to chase you. There is no Project Tasmanian, is there?”
Gabriel stares her down, silent for an uncomfortably long time.
“Answer her,” I urge, just to be met with another jab to the ribs from Riggs. I wheeze.
“You’re going to regret that,” I mutter.
Vienne holds her palm behind her, a clear command for me to pause. It reminds me of when I’m on a job with Vesper. I watch her hand like a hawk for the command to attack.
“Gabriel,” Vienne says softly. “Please tell me the truth. Tell me everything, and I’ll get on that plane with you. We’ll start our happily ever after.”
Lies. That’s all these two do is lie to each other. But the cycle continues. The way Gabriel’s eyes are melting into hers, I can tell he believes her. Or he’s that desperate.
“You’ll come with me?”
Vienne nods. “Tell me everything.”
Gabriel shakes his head. “I couldn’t do it. I’ve known for years… It’s impossible. It’d have to defy physics. It’s simply not possible, Vienne.”
Reaching out, she strokes his arm down to his injured hand. She gently traces his bandages. “I wish I would’ve been there. We should’ve opened the bottle together. I hate to see you in pain. I mean that.”
He puts his good hand over hers. “All forgiven. It’s better now.”
“Because I’m here?”
He nods. “Because you’ll stay.”
“Gabriel, I need one more thing from you.”
He ducks his head, like a puppy seeking comfort. “Anything.”
Vienne looks back at me. “We have to let them go. They have nothing to do with us, anymore. Where’s Fiona?”
Gabriel shifts his eyes to the left. “She’s downstairs but…”
“But what?” I hiss.
Vienne holds out her palm again. Just wait.
“I meant to give her back alive. The tranquilizer was too strong, and Riggs dropped her down the concrete stairs when we brought her here. She hit her head.”
Three sentences. That’s all it takes for my blood to go from cool to boiling. But alongside the rage, is fear. I’m silent, mentally begging to every single god I don’t believe in that the next thing out of his mouth will be, “ but she’s okay.”
“I checked on her before you got here.” Gabriel shakes his head. “She didn’t make it.”
It takes all the strength in my body to stay standing. My ears are ringing.
“Gabriel, she was a friend of mine. Are you saying you killed her?” Vienne asks.
“I’m saying it was an accident.”
I want to grab him by the throat. No, actually, I want to cut his fingers off one by one. Then, his toes. I want to hear him scream as loud as I’m screaming inside. “She’s not dead, you fucking, filthy liar,” I scream.
“You’ll find out soon enough. Check the basement,” Gabriel says, his sociopath demeaner returning. He holds his hand out for Vienne. “Let’s go.”
She doesn’t take it. Instead, her eyes fill with tears as she looks at me. “Lance, I’m so sorry. You know, this reminds me of a story. So tragic. So much unnecessary violence. The whole world on fire… Do you know the story of Spartacus?”
The code word snaps me out of my haze. And even though my heart might burst right out of my chest, I think seeing bodies hit the ground might ease the ache—even if only for a few seconds.
I throw my elbow backward, catching Riggs right in the nose. I hear the crack, but before he can even react, I grab his hand that’s clutching the pistol. I bend his wrist until the position is unnatural, then twist. He howls in agony as there’s another sharp snap. I break his wrist, except the fucker still won’t let go of the gun. Instead, reflexively he yanks on the trigger sending two shots forward.
“Get down,” I yell at Vienne. I don’t have time to ensure she abided by my command. I hear bodies hit the ground, and now it’s time to go to work. Gabriel’s other men are advancing, firing off their weapons like amateurs. Bullets fly past me on the right and left. If these men were half the shot I am, I’d be done. Luckily, they’re buffoons.
I wrestle the pistol out of Riggs’ hand and put him out of his misery with one shot up underneath his chin, sending the bullet to the ceiling. He slumps to the ground.
Ducking behind the nearest glass cube, I give myself two seconds to get my bearings with his weapon, then I go to work. Pop, pop, pop. The men advancing from the front of the building fall easily, but a bullet from behind slams into the glass right next to my head.
I’m shocked the glass doesn’t shatter—must be bulletproof. It can hold out from one bullet, but it won’t for too many more. I dive to the center of the room to avoid a potential glass shard impaling me when this wall falls.
Pop. Pop.
Two more men drop. The floor turns into a pool of red from their head wounds. The last coward sprints to the exit. I have time. I walk to the tipped-over bucket containing Maggie Mae, my girl—the pistol that fits my hand perfectly. She’s loaded and hungry.
I wait until the fucker is almost at the Exit sign. I want him to have a taste of hope…right before I take it away. As soon as his hand is on the handle, I fire off an unnecessary number of bullets. Four, right in the back, ensuring I hit every major organ I possibly can. He slides down the white door, leaving bloody streaks where my bullets blew right threw him.
That was less than a minute of distractions. Now my heart is vibrating in my chest, picturing Cricket’s lifeless body. It can’t fucking be. Not like this.
“Vienne,” I say, “where is—”
I find Gabriel on the ground in Vienne’s arms. His eyes are wide, and he is struggling to breathe. She’s holding his head in her lap, stroking his hair. “Shh, shh,” she coos in his ear, her other hand is wrapped tightly around his chest. Blood is seeping from between her fingers. “It’s okay, I’m here.”
He’s an evil man.
He deserves to die a slow death.
But it’s the tears in Vienne’s eyes that are making me emotional.
“I didn’t—”
“The backfire from Riggs,” Vienne says. “Two in the chest. His heart…”
“I can call an ambulance.”
“No use. He has minutes, Lance. Leave us be. Just let me…be with him.”
For a moment, I’m frozen, watching Vienne’s tears splash into Gabriel’s hair. She plants kisses on his forehead. “I love you, Gabriel. Do you hear me? I love you. I always have. I always will. You can rest now, my love… Be in peace…”
I turn, my stomach growing sick, because I feel like I’m looking into my future. Except I won’t get a last moment with Cricket. If she’s already gone…then so am I.
But I have to be strong enough to face it.
I grab my other pistol and phone from the toppled bucket and find the door that leads to the emergency stairs. I’m sprinting down the staircase, but everything is moving in slow motion. Maybe it’s my mind’s way of protecting me. I’m holding on to the last few moments of peace I’ll ever have. The very last point in time where my world is okay.
Once I see her…
I can’t go back. I can’t go on.
Pushing through the door at the bottom of the stairs, it’s clear the room is free of any threats. There are a few glass cubes down here, but my eyes snap to the only one of real consequence. Because there’s my girl, lying still in the middle of a bed. She looks so pale. Her arm is draped over the side of the bed, looking positively…lifeless.
I know I’m screaming and wailing, but I can’t even comprehend the sound. I try the door to the glass cage; of course, it’s no use. I don’t know the code to the keypad and I don’t have time to mastermind a password that I’ll never guess. I only have one option…
No glass is truly bulletproof. Not even this thick glass that reminds me of a skating rink. Steering clear of Cricket’s motionless body, I unleash bullets into the glass in a tight concentric circle. Pop. Crack. Pop. Crack. Over and over and over, until I run out of bullets. The glass wall still stands, but I know the integrity of the structure is holding on by a thread.
I zip up my leather jacket as I backpedal a few steps. I pivot so my shoulder is leading. After one deep breath, I run at the glass wall with all my might, aiming for the bullets I wedged into the glass.
The shattering sound is piercing, showering me with shards as I cross the glass threshold to face my personal hell. I can feel the blood dripping down my neck and face, where the tiny specs of glass are embedded in my skin, but nothing at the moment is as painful as seeing Cricket’s eyes closed.
I grab her face, and her cheeks feel cold. “Cricket?” I choke out. I pat her cheeks lightly, but she doesn’t respond. I throw my head over her chest, staining the white comforter with blood and tears. I cry like Vienne cried. I’d take a bullet straight to the heart over this feeling. Who knew that Gabriel’s fate was far better than Vienne’s. To have to walk this earth without—
It takes me a second for my brain to register what the flutter in my heart already realizes. Adrenaline washes through me as I realize my head is rising and falling on Cricket’s chest. There’s the faintest thudding against my ear.
Alive. Alive. Alive.
That’s all I need. Alive is all it takes for me to get her to safety.
I pull my phone out of my jacket and dial. The service is spotty, and it takes too long to connect. But she’s breathing. That’s hope.
When Vesper finally answers, she starts, “Where are you, I’ve been—”
“I have her,” I croak out. “We need a doctor.”
“Cricket or Vienne? Where? What happened? Where’s Gabriel?”
It’s way too many questions for me to answer. “Spartacus,” I whimper. “Spartacus. Spartacus,” I say on repeat. I’m overcome with far too many feelings. My words are garbled.
“Lancelot, hush. It’s understood. Where are you?”
“The Dollhouse.”
“We’re coming.”
The call ends, and I drop the phone on the bed next to Cricket’s torso.
I lay my head against her chest once more, comforted by the soft thudding. I count the beats and focus on her breathing to calm my hysteria.
Buh-bump. One.
Buh-bump. Two.
Buh-bump. Three.
“You’re here,” she whispers. My heart stops, and I’m stunned into silence. I stare at her lips, wondering if I just imagined her speaking. But with her eyes still closed, she winces, like her throat hurts.
I glance around her cage, and if Gabriel weren’t already dying, I’d end him right now. She’s been locked up like an animal. Judging by how slight her arms look and her sunken-in cheeks, he didn’t give her food or water. He tortured her, recreating the trauma she already lived through once.
I stroke her cheeks with the pad of my thumb. “Of course, I’m here. I’m so sorry I’m late, but I’m here.” I reach around the back of her hair to cradle her head and feel an enormous lump at the base of her skull. “Oh no, baby,” I breathe out. This is why she can’t get out of bed. She’s alive…but “well” is a hill we haven’t made it over.
She parts her dry, cracked lips to try and speak, but nothing comes out.
“Shh, Cricket. Help is on the way. Our family is coming. It’s okay. I’ll stay right here with you. But could you do me a favor, C? Can you open your eyes for me?”
She doesn’t respond, but her throat jumps as she tries to swallow.
“I know you’re tired, but you can do it, baby. Please? Eyes open and on me.”
I’m about to give up and lay my head back on her chest until I see her closed lids flutter. They open just a quarter inch, then clamp shut. She tries again, and again, until finally, I’m staring into big, green emeralds.
I can feel my feet again. My heart begins to beat. My breath deepens. The world slowly fills with color again as Cricket’s lips twitch into a small smile.
“That’s my girl, C. You’re doing great. Eyes open and on me. I’m right here.”