Chapter Twenty-Five
Summer?
Stepping into the church, I spot Eric sitting at the end of the pew halfway down the aisle. As he stares straight ahead, I feel myself begin to pick at my thumb again. Shaking my right hand, I glance around the quiet area as I approach. Hearing my footsteps, Eric snaps towards my direction, then looks around before facing forward again.
My brows pinch as he shuffles over, and I sit next to him. His knee nervously bounces, while he tries to steady his trembling hands.
Lowering my voice, I lean in. “Eric, what’s this about? You’re worrying me.”
He refuses to meet my gaze, but I can see the sweat beading on his forehead. I find myself nervously glancing round, his entire demeanour is off. He’s scared, but I have no idea what of.
“Has something happened?” I ask again.
I feel myself sink into the pew, spotting Father Dudley lighting candles at the altar. I try my best to avoid looking in his direction and turning my head slightly but as he turns, I can see him in my peripheral. My gaze burns holes into the side of Eric’s head with my intense stare, hoping it won’t prompt an unwanted guest to try to speak with me.
If he thinks we’re in a deep conversation, he’ll hopefully not interrupt. But with Eric refusing to look my way, I feel myself failing. Letting out a low breath, I feel the frustration building.
“You know something about my dad, now fucking tell me, Eric!” I speak through gritted teeth, hoping no one nearby can hear me swearing in church.
My entire body is tense, waiting for Eric to speak. The silence is killing me, like some god-awful medieval torture. Glancing around, there are a few people dotted around the large church but look as though they’re far enough away to be unable to hear us speak.
“I want you to know how sorry I am, Summer.” Eric finally turns to me. As I look around his face, I see an immense sadness deep within his eyes.
I shake my head slightly, unsure what he means.
“What do you mean?” My brow creases.
“For everything that’s happened to you.” He speaks in a low and solemn voice.
“I don’t understand?”
I hear the sound of the large church door creaking open then closing, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps approaching. I feel a shudder run over my body. Eric looks past me, and his eyes follow the person heading towards us. My lips form a straight line when I quickly realize, he’s sad because he’s fucking set me up.
Inhaling a slow breath, I count to ten before turning around. Allowing the air to slowly leave my lungs, I steady the trembling that’s currently running all over my body. The fear of who’s there isn’t what’s bothering me. It’s the confirmation of who’s there.
“Hello, sweet girl.” The voice is like slugs crawling all over my body whilst paralyzed.
Turning around in the pew, Harry stands in the aisle. His face cracks into a wicked, forced smile. He bares his teeth to me. His eyes flicker with the evil that lies deep within his rotten soul. My eyes dart around the large church, but it appears to only be the three of us now. I’m trapped between the two men, and I can only stare at the man I hate with a deep fucking passion.
Stepping away slightly from the pew, he gestures for me to stand. I look back to Eric, but he just stares ahead as the tears roll down his cheeks.
“Where are we going?” I ask dryly, refusing to look at Harry.
“Just for a drive, you know…catch up.” His tone is strangely calm, even if the smile that’s still painted on is maniacal.
I feel my teeth biting the dry skin on my lower lip, another bad habit I have when I’m anxious. My incisors are trying to draw blood, I don’t know why. Maybe if I feel a little pain, I’ll suddenly spring into action and escape this fucking beartrap, but I know that’s not what’s going to happen, and even if I do, I have no idea who’s outside or what’s going to happen once I set foot out those doors.
Looking back towards the altar, I don’t see Father Dudley anywhere; all the people have left. I feel my forehead crease at the strangeness of it all. It’s as though they all knew something bad was happening and moved away to protect themselves.
Wish I had that kind of fucking sixth sense.
My shoulders sag, and the only thought that comes to mind is to waste time. Looking to my left Eric has his head bowed slightly. When I nudge him, he jumps. Almost backing away from me.
“Can you move over a little, please?” I ask softly.
Eric’s eyes dart between both Harry and me before he slides a seat over and I do the same. Turning to Harry, he looks confused for a moment before sliding into the pew. With the three of us sitting shoulder to shoulder, my eyes are fixed on the large burning candles at the altar. Focusing on the flames, I begin to speak.
“I don’t know what Harry threatened you with, Eric, but I’m not angry with you.” I keep my voice steady. “I know you’re just protecting yourself, and no one should be punished for that.”
Eric slowly nods, wiping the tears from his eyes. My focus turns to Harry, who seems unfazed by my request for him to sit with me.
“If I go with you, are you going to kill me?”
He lets out a small laugh, amused by the question put to him. His snake-like eyes turn towards me, and his lips curl into a slow smile. He doesn’t answer my question, not verbally anyway but I know the answer by the flicker of amusement that dances across his expression. The thought of inflicting fear on me brings him a sick happiness. Like a child pulling the wings off a fly and looking in wonder at how it suffers.
Hearing footsteps towards the front of the church, I sit up in the pew craning my neck to see where they’re coming from. Preying it’s not Father Dudley. I doubt Harry would show mercy to someone in the wrong place at the wrong time. As the echoes get louder, I feel Harry and Eric shift in their seats, looking around as to who’s approaching.
When a firm grasp grabs my arm and jerks me from the pew, a gunshot is fired. The bullet echoes through the church, causing Harry to release his grip on me. I feel myself fall back into the pew as Harry lands in the aisle. With his gun raised and eyes wild, he frantically turns around, trying to spot the source of the noise.
“Get the fuck out here now!”
“If I do that, you’re under arrest, Harry.”
The breath I was holding in finally escapes my lungs, the familiar voice bringing hope as the footsteps near. A shadow flickers by the pillar. Harry catches my eyes and immediately turns around and fires four times. I slam my hands over my ears and duck behind the pew, pulling Eric with me.
“Fuck you, cop! I’ll fucking kill you before you arrest me!” Harry’s voice becoming frantic, behaving like a caged animal.
“Sure, about that?” The arrogance in Bhodi’s voice is undeniable as he appears at the altar.
Stepping down, he keeps his gun trained on Harry, who finally turns around. The look of humor now replaced with horror as Bhodi has managed to move quickly through the church. Slowly rising to my feet, Bhodi looks at me before turning his attention back to Harry.
I scream loudly when Harry grabs a fistful of my hair, dragging me by the roots to use me as a human shield. Pulling my body to his, his grip on my hair causes my eyes to water. With the barrel of the gun pressed firmly to my temple, I can feel the anger radiating off Harry. I feel his breath on my neck before his voice bellows into my ear.
“I’ll fucking shoot her, I’ll blow her fucking brains all over this church.”
Bhodi looks between us for a moment, his eyes flicking between us both.
“I wouldn’t do that.”
I feel my blood run cold, and my eyes fly open. A deep click is heard from behind. I look to Bhodi, but a smirk has now appeared on his face. When I’m forcefully jerked towards the exit of the church, two large men dressed in all black point their guns at Harry and me.
My jaw falls open. I can almost hear my own blood surging through my ears as I look between the two masked men.
“What the fuck?” Harry mutters.
The fear in his voice is almost beautiful; I can feel his heart trying to burst out of his chest when he realizes, he’s fucking trapped.
I stare ahead, Harry is mumbling, but I’ve tuned him out. I can’t tear my eyes away from Two/Face, the black matte mask staring back at me. The dark reaper stands in front of me, his weapon pointed at Harry’s head.
“You have a choice, Harry.” Bhodi”s voice oozes confidence and sarcasm, causing Harry to spin us both around. “You either leave here with me, in handcuffs. Or you go with them.” He gestures to Two/Face and the other masked man.
“But either way, you aren’t leaving here a free man; at least I know what will happen to you in custody. I can’t guarantee your safety with the other option.”
He spins around again. Neither of the masked men has moved. However, the one standing on the right slowly nods. The sinister skull mark is dirty. Trying to focus, I can spot dried blood and dirt smeared over what was once probably a white mask.
Harry growls, and my body is shunted forward into the pew. Smacking my cheek onto the solid wood with a loud crunch, I cry out. Rolling onto my back, I feel Eric try to pull me close to protect me, but Harry now holds the gun to his own head.
“I’m not fucking going anywhere!” he screams.
His body turning, both exits are blocked, and he has nowhere to go. Holding the gun to his own head, the sweat pours from his skin. His eyes are wild, but a shot is fired once he turns to Bhodi again. Slapping my palms over my ears, I see Harry writhing on the floor as blood pools into the carpet, clutching onto his arm.
I feel the relief wash over me as the gun lays by his side. Scrambling to my feet, I grab it and stand over him, pointing it at his head. I feel my body shake and the anger clutching me tight. Harry’s eyes widen in fear, but as a hand is placed over mine, he gently takes it from my grasp, which I don’t protest.
“It’s over, Summer.” Bhodi’s voice is quiet and soft as he leans in close to me.
The faint sound of sirens approaches, getting louder. Bhodi kicks Harry onto his front whilst he continues to cry in pain. Handcuffing him, he forcefully pulls him to his feet as the patrol and a couple of swat officers enter from both exits of the church.
I fall back hard into the pew, and with my head in my hands, I look at Eric. Still shaking in fear, he slowly nods towards me.
“Harry threatened to shoot you. That detective shot him in the arm to save you.”
“You didn’t see the other men?” I ask quietly.
“What men?”
He shrugs, and a knowing smile ghosts across his face before it’s pushed away and replaced with shock.