by S. J. Tilly
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
SASHA
P ain. Everything hurts.
A slapping sound bounces past my ears, but I can’t place it.
I try to open my eyes, but they feel so heavy. Did I fall asleep?
A sharp pain radiates through my cheek and my head jerks to the side. My whole body rolls with the movement.
With my eyes shut, I try to take stock of my body. I’m in a chair. I think. My chin to my chest. Something hard digging into my side. I flex my fingers. One hand coming up empty, the other gripping what feels like a narrow armrest. That must be what’s digging into my other side.
I pinch my eyes shut tightly, trying to work up the energy to open them. And like a finger snap, it all comes back to me. The reporter. The stinging pain in my neck. The elevator.
“Randal.” I whisper the name.
"Very good.” A male voice hisses. Close. Too close.
The pain blooms across my face again. This piece of shit is hitting me.
“Look at me!” Randal’s voice bellows.
His change in tone adds a new layer of dread. This man is truly unhinged. I swallow down the cry that wants to overtake my sanity. Vincent will find me. He’ll notice I’m missing, and he’ll find me. I just need to stall.
I force my eyes to open.
My vision swims before focusing on the carpet at my feet. After a little fumbling, I’m able to grab hold of both armrests. Relief pours through me at the realization that I’m not tied down. Pushing with all the strength I can muster, I sit upright.
The lights aren’t on, but the glow coming in from the open doorway, and the gleaming lights from the skyline beyond the wall of windows, is enough for me to see clearly. And recognize the space. Vincent’s office. I’m in one of his visitor’s chairs, only it’s turned around so my back is to the desk.
Randal didn’t take me far. That gives me more hope that Vincent will be here. He’ll save me.
“Welcome to the party.” Randal’s manic voice pulls my attention.
He’s standing just a few feet in front of me. A gun in his hand, pointed at my chest.
“What do you say we get started?” He asks, slowly aiming his gun away from me.
I follow the trajectory and when my eyes lock on the figure slumped in the chair next to mine, my mask of control disintegrates.
With a shaky hand, I reach out. “Annie?”
CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
VINCENT
M y lungs are burning. My thighs are cramping. My body yelling at me to stop, to catch my breath. My mind knowing that I don’t have time.
I round the landing for the 15th floor and force myself to speed up. Allowing my fury to fuel me.
This motherfucker put his hands on my Sasha.
No more chances. This is it. Randal dies tonight.
CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE
SASHA
A nnie’s chest is moving. She’s alive. I want to shake her, to wake her up. But if she can sleep through whatever’s about to happen, that might be for the best.
I still trust that Vincent will find us. But there’s a chance he might not find us in time. And it’s not just me that I have to worry about anymore.
“Randal.” I try to say his name calmly, but my voice breaks and I realize that tears are streaming down my face. “Please. You don’t have to do this.”
The gun swings back to aim at me. “Shut up, bitch! You have no idea what this is.”
I’m shaking so bad that I have to grip the chair again.
I try to steady my voice. “I’m so sorry about your sister. But hurting us won’t bring her back.”
“Don’t you dare talk about her!” Randal screams, thrusting the gun towards my face.
All those stupid self-defense lessons I’ve suffered through, and I can’t do a damn thing. I tried to stand when I first saw Annie, but my legs wouldn’t cooperate. Even if I was confident about disarming him, I can’t get my body to listen.
“I’m sorry.” I repeat. “Please, I’ll stay here with you. Just let Annie go.”
He shakes his head. “No. You’re not going to trick me.”
“It’s not a trick. You don’t need both of us.” I plead.
The smile that pulls across his face will haunt my nightmares. If I live long enough to sleep again.
“You’re wrong, Sasha.” Hearing him say my name causes bile to rise in my throat. “I’m going to kill both of you. The magnificent Vincent will come up here and find everything he loves dead.” He cackles as though us dying for the sake of causing Vincent pain is hilarious.
I fight against my lungs as they try to hyperventilate. “But Annie is your sister’s too. She doesn’t just belong to Vincent.”
“Shut up!”
“Annie is part of her. She’s a part of Renee.”
“Shut the fuck up!” He turns the gun back towards Annie and I shut my mouth. “Don’t say her name. Don’t ever fucking say her name!”
“Okay. Okay, I’m sorry.” Panic claws at my throat. I’m losing him.
“Annie is a means to an end. She’s the best way to hurt Vincent. He killed my sister. My soulmate. He needs to feel the life-shattering pain that I felt. And you, you’re just a convenient whore who will add to his pain.”
“He doesn’t love me.” Saying the words out loud hurt. I hope it’s not true, but I’ll say anything. I need to stall him. “He won’t care about me dying. He’ll be happy to be rid of Annie. He can go back to being a bachelor then. He won’t be tied down.”
“No. No. No! Don’t try to trick me!” Randal shrieks, gun swinging back towards me. Away from Annie.
I keep going. “If you do this, you’re going to spend your life in prison. Wouldn’t you rather just disappear again? You can go live in peace.”
“Shut the fuck up!”
As Randal’s voice echoes through the room, a small groan comes from Annie. I silently hope that Randal doesn’t hear her.
I keep my gaze on Randal and my heart drops at the smile that pulls across his sneering lips.
My heart is beating so hard I can hardly hear my own words. “I’m sorry. Please, don’t hurt her.” I’m sobbing now and I’m not sure who I’m apologizing to. “I’m so sorry.”
The last bit of humanity leaves his eyes. “I’m not.”
Then he turns the gun on Annie.
CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX
VINCENT
I take deep breaths as I quietly press open the door to the 20th floor.
I heard the doors slam open below me when I was on the sixth floor. My backup is coming, but they aren’t close enough. I can’t afford to wait.
Easing the door closed behind me, I check the gun Angelo gave me. Round in the chamber, safety off.
Staying low, I make my way towards my office. Only about half of the overhead lights are on, but it’s plenty bright.
A shout sounds from down the hall.
Hearing Randal’s voice pulls me back to the last time I saw him. When I was forced to chase him through the streets while he tried to steal my daughter. I push away the memory. There’s no time for that.
I stay in the shadows as I round the last corner. I want to run straight for him, but I need to make sure Sasha won’t be collateral damage.
Sasha’s soft voice floats down the hallway and the buried part of me that worried that she might already be dead takes a breath.
I’m still a few yards from my office and I can see that the door’s been left open. I align myself with the opening, hoping I’ll be able to see where they are in the room.
I’m close enough to hear Sasha’s words. “I’m so sorry.”
Her tone fills me with dread.
My eyes trail forward and for the first time in almost a decade I see Randal. And the gun he has pointing at Sasha.
I can’t make out his expression, but he suddenly sounds very calm. “I’m not.”
The words are final and my blood chills.
I stand to my full height and raise my own gun.
&
nbsp; I watch, confused, as he seems to turn the gun away from Sasha. I follow the trajectory. And my heart fucking stops. Annie.
Randal sights his gun on my daughter.
I squeeze the trigger.
So does Randal. His muzzle flare lighting up the dark room.
I turn feral.
Keeping my gun trained, I squeeze the trigger again and again as I stride towards my target. Red mist blooms in arcs from Randal’s body. Each bullet hitting true.
I don’t stop.
Two seconds and I’m in the office. Striding closer.
He’s turned to face me now. I press off another round, this one passes through his shoulder and cracks a spiderweb into the window behind him.
Randal rocks back with each hit. But he hasn’t dropped his gun.
Another hit. He stumbles, catching himself against the window.
Randal tries to lift his gun. This time his aim will be on me.
Finally.
I don’t stop. My wrath is too overwhelming to halt my forward momentum.
With a roar, I close the distance between us and slam my foot into his chest. The impact is too much for the battered window behind him to resist. The glass bows outward for a split second before the pane gives. A look of disbelief flashes through Randal’s eyes before he disappears into the darkness. Twenty stories above the ground.
Gone. Randal’s gone.
“Dad?” Annie’s cry has me spinning away from the window.
Oh god. Randal’s one shot. He got off one shot.
Annie and Sasha are huddled on the floor. Both chairs tipped over.
I drop to my knees in front of Annie and set my gun on the floor behind me. “Annie. Princess. Are you okay?” My words are choked.
I grip her small face in both hands. She looks shaken and scared but she doesn’t look hurt.
Annie starts to cry harder. “What’s going on?”
I run my hands all over her. Checking for an injury. There’s blood, but I can’t tell if any of it is hers. Randal’s blood is splattered everywhere.
“Annie, honey, are you hurt?”
She shakes her head. The worry wrapped around my heart starts to loosen. Randal was aiming at her when he fired, but he missed. He must have missed.
As I lean forward to pull her into a hug, my knee slides across the floor. I look down. And it takes me a moment to understand what I’m seeing. I’m kneeling in a pool of blood. A lot of blood. Too much.
With dread creeping up my spine, I raise my gaze to Sasha.
Even in the dim light I can see how pale she is. Panic slams through me.
“Sasha.” She starts to tilt. “No. Baby, no.”
I reach out to catch her as she slumps back against the desk. That’s when I see the blood stain on her side, growing with each heartbeat. Her pretty pink dress quickly turning a deep crimson.
She starts to shut her eyes.
“No! Sasha! Stay with me, baby. Stay here, Sasha. Stay here.”
I move so she’s leaning against me and with careful fingers, I rip open the small tear in her dress. The sight of her gunshot wound tries to pull me under. Tries to pull me back 30 years.
“I’ve got you. I’ve got you.” I keep repeating the words as I press down, trying to stop the bleeding.
With my hand in place, I look for an exit wound. But I can’t find one. The bullet is still inside her. The fucking bullet hit her in the side. That shouldn’t have happened. It shouldn’t even be possible. She would’ve had to…
Annie.
My throat tightens even further as I put together what happened. The bullet meant for Annie is lodged in my girlfriend’s side. This beautiful woman literally threw herself in front of my daughter to save her life. And now she’s dying.
My vision blurs. Tears clouding my eyes. I blink. Hard.
I can never repay her for this. For the rest of my life, I can never repay her for this.
I press harder on her wound, still feeling blood seep out between my fingers. “I’m sorry if this hurts, baby. I have to keep the pressure on.”
Her eyes slide open and miraculously a small smile pulls at the corner of her mouth. “It doesn’t hurt.”
“Good. That’s good.” I’m lying. It should hurt.
She’s going into shock and time is running out.
Her hand reaches up towards my face, fingers stained red with her own blood.
I press my cheek into her palm. “Sweetheart, you have to hold on. Okay? Help is coming.” I saw Angelo come in a moment ago and grab Annie. With my eyes still on Sasha I shout over my shoulder. “Get the goddamn ambulance here! Now!”
Sasha’s hand falls away from my face.
“No. Sasha. Come on. Stay with me.”
Her blink is slow. “It’s okay. You’re okay.” Her eyes close.
Hearing my father’s dying words on her lips tears my soul open.
“Sasha! Don’t you leave me! I can’t lose you. I can’t do this without you. Please. I can’t do this again. Not again.” I can hardly hear my own words over my own pounding heart. “Baby, please. Please don’t go.”
Sasha’s lips part and I think she’s about to say something. I need to hear her. I lean closer, straining to listen, only to have her body go limp against me.
I’m fucking helpless. I’m a man this time, not a child, but it’s exactly the same. It’s the fucking same. I couldn’t do anything then and I can’t do anything now.
I was too late.
I’m always too fucking late.
I drop my forehead to hers, my tears dropping onto her cheeks. “I love you, Sasha. Come back to me. I love you.”
CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN
SASHA
H e looks so sad. My poor Vincent. I wish I could tell him not to worry. That it’s all going to be okay. I don’t feel so bad. Not as bad as I thought it would. The fear is gone. Randal is gone. Annie is safe. Vincent is safe. That’s what matters.
I wish it had been different.
I can hear his voice still. Sometimes he’s yelling. I like that. He sounds like my Devil when he’s mad. But then his voice will turn into something different. Something sad. Something pleading. I want to tell him that I hear him. I want to tell him that I love him, too.
I wish he had told me sooner. I wish I had told him before all of this. I hope he knows. I don’t think I’ll be okay leaving if he doesn’t know that I love him, too.
I try to tell him, but I can’t.
My body won’t respond. I can’t even get my eyes to open. I just want one more look. One more look at Vincent’s beautiful face.
There are more voices now. And movement. I can’t make out the words anymore. I hate that this reminds me of when Randal drugged me and pulled me into the elevator. When was that? An hour ago? Less? It feels like a lifetime ago. Time can be funny like that.
The voices are fading.
I wish they’d give me a blanket before they left. It’s so cold. I don’t think that’s right. You shouldn’t have to be cold at the end. Cold and crippled in the dark. Life is so unfair. I want to scream. I want to cry.
A new voice hovers above the rest. Becoming clearer. A voice I haven’t heard in a long time.
“Mom?” I try to ask.
My soul heaves with recognition, but she doesn’t answer me. The voice is still there, but it echoes around me like a memory.
“Mom, I missed you so much” My sanity shutters with unshed sobs. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to get back. I’m not ready to leave.”
Dying is supposed to be peaceful. It isn’t supposed to be like this.
CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT
VINCENT
“S
ir, I’m sorry, but you’re not family.”
I clench my fists as I glare at the nurse. “She’s my girlfriend and I’m the closest thing to fucking family that she has here.”
“I’m sorry.” The nurse holds his hands up.
Angelo wraps an arm around my shoulders. “Vin, come
on. Let me take care of this.”
I want to fight him. I want to fight everyone. But I know that won’t help.
“Fine. Do it.” I shake him off and step away.
I rode in the second ambulance with Annie, but Sasha was right ahead of us. I know she’s here. I just need to know if… If she’s…
I grip my hair and squeeze my eyes shut. I can’t think like that.
“Vincent.” My mom’s calm tone penetrates my defenses. “The doctor has cleared Annie.”
“Okay.” I take a deep breath. The last thing I want it to do is traumatize Annie further with my temper.
I follow my mom into Annie’s room. She looks too young, sitting on the hospital bed in her pajamas.
Randal must have been planning this for weeks. In the years since the attempted kidnapping, he’s clearly been mastering his tech skills. My guys have pieced most of it together. Randal found a way to spoof phone numbers, and he sent Annie a text that looked like it came from me, asking her to come outside. Annie replied asking if it was to see Sasha’s dress and Randal rolled with it. At the same time, he texted my mom pretending to be her best friend in Florida dealing with a family crisis, therefore distracting her. I don’t know how he knew about her friend, or the fact that they’re always texting, but he was very convincing.
In the moments leading up to this, Randal injected a seizure-inducing drug into a random resident of my building who was passing through the lobby, causing a distraction.
The second Annie stepped out the apartment door into the hallway, Randal grabbed her and used a syringe of Propofol to knock her out.
Lucky for us when I kicked Randal out the window he landed on his back, so the label on the vile that was in his front pocket was still legible. That dead piece of shit drugged my girls with the same stuff they use to knock you out at the dentist.
I grit my teeth wishing I could kill him all over again. Slower. I can only hope that he was alive the whole way down before his impact with the sidewalk. I probably shouldn’t have done that, but I wasn’t exactly thinking straight. And since no one was injured on street level, I figure - no harm, no foul.