Alex laughed and turned toward Isaac. “Oh, you do?” He backhanded Isaac, then swiftly stood. Emma let out a cry and squeezed the trigger of her Ruger, the noise deafening the three of them. The bullet went through the air and hit Alex in the back of his left thigh where his head had been moments before. He whirled around and lunged at her before she could raise the gun to his face, slamming her into the wall of the bedroom. Placing his injured left forearm across her throat, Alex began to push forward, his body tight against hers.
—-
Emma felt her throat close and she dropped her Ruger, all ten fingers scratching at the place where his arm crushed against her neck. Her eyes were wide, and Alex’s face was inches from hers. A face that would now bring her nightmares. If I survive.
She clawed at Alex’s arm and struggled to breathe as he leaned closer and put his lips against her ear. How is he still standing? she thought wildly. The expression on his face was clear of concern for either bullet wound as he grinned at her.
“You disobeyed me. You called Vance after you ran. Now I have to deal with this piece of shit,” he gestured in Isaac’s direction, “so I can make sure you’ll heel by my side like a good girl.”
White spots speckled her vision as she choked, the pain in her neck unbearable.
“I’ve missed you, missed our time together,” she heard as he continued in her ear. “If you could just obey me, we could go back to what we had. You’ve been such a naughty bitch.” He pressed his crotch against her leg. “Fuck, this is such a turn on.” There was a slight stiffness against her thigh, and her stomach clenched as it tried to retch. “I bet you like this, too.” Alex ran the fingers of his free hand along the outside of her thigh. Her world began to fade.
There was a sickening thud, and Alex’s hold on her suddenly released. She watched him topple to his knees. Emma slid down the wall, gasping for air as she watched Isaac drop the small statuette that had rested on his nightstand, its side slick with blood.
—-
Isaac moved in front of the semi-conscious Alex and kicked him across the face. “Hurts, doesn’t it?” he screamed as the other man toppled to the floor, unmoving. “Fucking prick!” Isaac grabbed Alex’s Glock, then picked up Emma’s Ruger and knelt by her. “You need to get up. We need to go.” He glanced at Alex. “Now, Emma. Can you stand?” He pulled her arm anyway, and lifted her to her feet as she wheezed. He turned and raised the silenced gun at Alex, but gunfire that wasn’t his erupted behind him. Whirling, he saw Emma punch Nate in the jaw with a solid sound. Not wasting any time, she lashed out again with a fist, connecting it into his temple before the driver grabbed her arm and bent it backward.
Emma fell to her knees in a cry of anguish and pain. Isaac lifted his gun, but Nate released her and lunged forward. If I shoot I might hit her. Instead of firing in the small room, Isaac feinted to the right, but Nate was too fast. Stars and darkness flooded his vision from a single punch to his face. Isaac fell to one knee.
“Nate, stop!” Emma screamed at the driver. Nate turned and began to advance on her, gun tight in his right hand.
“Emma, go!” Isaac yelled. With a quick flex of his thighs and calves, he lunged upward and sent his right elbow into the back of Nate’s head. He risked a quick glance over the man’s shoulder and a wave of relief spread over him as he saw her retreating form. He turned back and punched Nate again, new anger in his veins. We had almost gotten away, and now I’ll never get the chance to again. He wasn’t afraid to die, but the thought of leaving Emma alone with these monsters terrified Isaac and fueled him as he screamed and shoved Nate into the wall. He dodged a large fist as the man retaliated, and Isaac got one more good hit in before Nate caught him in the jaw. He stumbled back in fresh pain. The driver hit him again, and he fell onto all fours. He could see his own blood splattered across the light carpet underneath his hands.
A sound to his right distracted him. As he shifted up and around, Nate’s fist knocked his head to the side, and Isaac fell in a heap to the floor. His eyebrow had busted open, and warm blood slid down past his eyes. He blinked and looked up at the looming figure of Alex standing over him, and he sighed in resignation as he lowered his head to the floor, his breath slowing and fear subsiding. He heard Alex speak over the sound of his heart as it pounded in his ears.
“I wanted Emma,” Alex was saying. “I told you to get Emma.”
“Sorry, sir, but he attacked me before I could—”
“I also told you to wait in the hall no matter what happened.”
“If I hadn’t, you’d be fucking dead right now. I weighed my options, help you or watch for cops.”
“Shut up. We’ll get her. She’ll come back for him.” Alex adjusted his glasses, then reached down toward Isaac.
—-
Emma stood with her back to the brick wall of Isaac’s apartment building, bare feet cold on the empty sidewalk. She clutched her phone close to her face as it rang, but Grant didn’t pick up. Furious, she let out an odd, ragged noise. Calling the cops directly was out of the question. She eyed Vance’s name, then had a thought: Shawn knows who Grim is. In her panic, she imagined the masked hero taking out Alex. She hit the green call button before she could doubt her actions, chest heaving from her flight.
“Hey, gorgeous.” Shawn answered on the second ring. His clear voice cut through the sound of blood rushing in her ears and sent a flash of relief through her. She sagged against the exterior of the building in relief. “What are you doing up so—”
“Shawn,” she breathed.
“What’s wrong?” Emma could hear instant concern in his voice. “Are you okay?”
“No. No, I—”
“Where are you? I’ll be right there, tell me where to go.”
“Shawn, it’s not safe. It’s my ex. He’s here, he chased me. He...he killed my dog.” Emma felt rage boil up her throat as tears cascaded from her eyes.
“What?”
“I ran, I didn’t know what to do, he has my friend.” She couldn’t stop the babbling from escaping her lips. Her phone vibrated against her ear, but she kept it pressed to her face.
“Emma, where are you right now?” Loud yet muffled noises sounded in her ear as she heard him scramble through his home, no doubt already on his way out the door. “Are you safe?”
“I...no, I’m outside of Langdon Suites. He’s still in there. He’s going to kill my friend, he’s going to kill Isaac, I have to go back in.”
“Don’t you dare. Get somewhere safe, I’m on my way.”
She heard herself laugh. “What the hell are you going to do? Talk him down? You can’t even see, Shawn. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have called you.” Her breathing was returning to normal. She kept her eyes locked on the entrance to the building, but no one had come or gone since she’d burst from the door. “This is all my fault...” she whispered.
“Emma, get out of there. Now. Call the police, and I’ll be there in—“
She didn’t hear the rest of his sentence as she ended the call. Glancing at the screen, she noticed a message from Alex waiting. A moment’s hesitation passed, then she opened it, reading the short sentence twice in a row: Get to the roof or I decorate the pavement with his guts.
Emma swallowed, took a deep breath, then took another. Shawn will contact Grim. Just keep Alex at bay until he gets here. He won’t shoot you. Marcus was wrong. Just keep Alex talking.
She couldn’t settle the trembling of her hands, but she pushed off the wall and forced herself to move back to the entrance and look through the glass door. No one was in the hallway; all was quiet. Emma let out multiple deep breaths, furious at herself for running and leaving Isaac in danger, then yanked the front door aside and stalked back into the building.
—-
Isaac stumbled and nearly fell as Alex shoved him from behind. He flung his arms outward to catch himself on the railing of the concrete stairs.
“Faster.” He could feel the hard metal nose of a gun as it ground into his spine.
“I’d move faster if you’d stop pushing me,” Isaac growled. He continued up the remaining flight of steps with a racing, fearful heart. They came to a stop in front of a plain white door on a small, bare, concrete landing. Alex had dragged him into the building’s stairwell of Isaac’s apartment, forced him to climb three floors to the top as the sociopath held him at gunpoint. Nate followed a few steps behind, silent, gun no doubt still drawn.
“Open it, nice and slow,” Alex said in a low voice.
Isaac’s fingers trembled as he reached forward and gripped the handle of the door. His head throbbed, and he could feel the swell of his eyebrow where it had been cut open. There was an intense yet dull ache on both sides of his jaw, and his stomach still lurched from the blow Alex’s knee had delivered. Nothing felt broken, however, which was a small miracle in the grand scope of what seemed like a shortened future. Instead of his injuries, Isaac focused on the thrill that Emma had gotten away, and a wide grin spread across his lips as he inched the door open. Cool air rushed over the exposed skin of his face and arms.
Alex nudged him forward through the opening with the barrel of his Glock without a word, his shoes making a grinding crunch on the gravel as they walked away from the door. A gentle breeze ruffled through Isaac’s loose curls.
“You know she isn’t coming back.” He held his hands out to either side, palms out, fingers spread.
“She will.”
“Why would she? There’s no point in this. Shoot me and get out of here before the cops come.”
“The cops.” Alex barked out a laugh as they reached the side of the roof. “You mean my cops. They won’t do shit.”
“Vance’s cops.” Isaac stood with the front of his legs pressed against the short wall that separated him from a five story free fall. The coldness of the bricks seeped through his jeans, and his hands still shook as they rested against his sides. He couldn’t tear his eyes from the street below. “Any point in this?” he asked in a casual tone that masked the fear and rage which boiled within him.
“She’ll be along any moment now.” Alex stood behind Isaac, his gun still pressed into his back.
“Seriously, enough. You killed her dog, you fucked up her job with Cassie.” Isaac slowly turned his head to the right and stared into Alex’s flat green gaze. “Why the hell would she come back for you?”
“She won’t. She’s coming back for you.”
“Bullshit. You know that’s not true.”
Alex held up the index finger of his free hand. “Lies will get you hurt.” His white teeth flashed in the meager light of the rooftop. “Don’t worry. I’m dropping you over the edge if she isn’t here in fifteen minutes. You’ll get your martyr’s death.”
Isaac looked back at the ground below. Vertigo from the height as well as Alex’s threats spun his mind in circles, and he slowly closed his eyes. His mind flew through solutions but continued to come up blank. If he went for his phone, Alex would shoot him. If he tried to throw the man over the roof, Alex would shoot him. If he breathed wrong, Alex would shoot him. All outcomes ended in being shot or being tossed to the street. Isaac prayed to everything he could think of that Emma wouldn’t return, even though that would mean he’d never see her again, never hold her, never breathe in her scent. He opened his eyes once more and set his mind on revenge. If I’m going to go down, Isaac said to himself, I’m taking the piece of shit with me. I bet I can fling us both over the edge before Nate reacts. He slowly put his hands up into the air and turned to face his captor.
“Don’t like the view?” Alex took a step back, away from the edge of the roof, putting himself between Isaac and the door they had come from.
“Alex.” Isaac made his eyes wide, filled them with fear he already felt. He put a catch in his voice as he spoke the other man’s name. “What are you doing, man?”
No reply came.
“Look at everything that’s happened.” Isaac raised his eyebrows. “Vance is going to flip, if he hasn’t already. Are you really doing this just because you can’t stand her being away from you? Or is there something more at play here?” He kept his voice light, conversational.
Still no reply, and the Glock never wavered, never moved from its place three inches from Isaac’s face.
“I mean,” he went on, “things are all pointing at you having lost your mind, but I don’t think that’s the case, is it?” A chuckle escaped his lips. Hope fluttered through him as he saw a frown tug at Alex’s lips. He noted the nose of the gun as it lowered slightly but he kept his eyes locked on Alex.
“This isn’t you, man,” Isaac continued. It took every ounce of his control to keep his voice steady. “I mean, you’re smart. You’ve always been professional and calm.” He watched as Alex’s eyes dropped and became slightly unfocused. The gun lowered a bit more, but Isaac kept his hands where they were.
“I...I don’t know.” Alex spoke softly. His frown deepened, and Isaac almost missed his words. “She brings this out in me. I’ve never felt these things before. I...this is her fault.” His eyes settled on Isaac’s once more, but the nose of the Glock dipped even further down, and was now aimed directly at his stomach. Just a little more.
“Yeah,” he heard himself say. “Women can really fuck with you.” Isaac smiled crookedly. He tested his luck and relaxed his arms. The gun didn’t move. He reached up and casually ran a hand through his hair. “You’re too smart to let her get in your way.”
Clarity came to Alex’s eyes, and the gun dropped another inch. “Of course I am,” he said. “She needs to heel by my side, do as I say, and I’ll make her the happiest woman on Earth. But she keeps fucking with me, keeps disobeying me.”
Isaac nodded. “I think you did the right thing. With Cassie.”
“Why?” Alex frowned.
“Emma was taking too long. Fucking around.” Isaac hated himself for saying it, but still felt relief as he watched the other man nod. The gun lowered more, aimed now at his knees. “I tried to tell her I wanted to take over,” he continued. “With the infiltration, I mean. Send her back to you, where she belonged.”
It’s now or never. He tensed his body.
—-
Shawn slammed through the door of his basement and bolted down the steps.
“What the hell, man?” Jaxon followed close behind, concern in his voice. “What’s going on?” The pair of them had been up late, sipping on beers and talking into the night, their friendship finally back where it should be, when Emma’s call had come.
“She’s in trouble,” Shawn shouted as he reached the floor and maneuvered his way to the safe room in the back, stockinged feet slipping a bit on the concrete. “I didn’t think it was as bad as she’d explained, this thing with her abusive ex. I should have listened to her, should have dug deeper.”
“So call the cops, dude.”
“No, it sounds bad, Jax. Bad. He’s got her friend hostage, and she’s going back in to stop him. I have to go to her.”
“The police have a department for hostage situations, dude.”
“Right, but I can get there faster. I can help her more than they can. What do you think they’ll do, Jax?” Shawn said, his voice tense. He felt the familiar buttons of the keypad and punched in the memorized combination. “Put the fucker in jail at most. And what happens when he gets out later, huh? He could hunt her down again, and I refuse to even think about that.”
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Jaxon muttered as Shawn pulled the Grim suit from its hidden space. “What can I do?”
“Stay here. I don’t know how this is going to go.” He finished dressing and reached out for the mask. He started to run back the way he had come, sliding the cowl over his head and activating the lenses as he went. A shadow seemed to leap past his face, but he ignored it. It’s not real. It’s just your eyes, you’ve used too much of the vision again. Just get to Emma, deal with it later.
“Let me come with. I can try to help. I can make sure Emma’s okay while you deal with—”
“No, Jax. I’ve got this. Please, just wait. I’ll see you soon.” Mask in place, Shawn flew up the stairs and left his brother alone in the cool basement.
—-
Isaac prepared his body to lunge at Alex. His calves tensed, and he lowered himself downward slowly, so slowly it could barely be perceived. Without bothering to check Nate’s location, he kept his eyes locked on Alex’s face, but used his peripheral vision to keep watch on the gun clutched in his foe’s hand. He tried to clear his mind of all pain and fear but found it impossible.
Instead, he thought of Emma. He thought of how soft her lips had been when she’d kissed him after he’d brought her Laska. He thought of how her waist tapered so his arms rested perfectly on her hips whenever they hugged. He remembered how her eyes seemed to know what he was thinking after she’d seen the ring’s box, the wide smile she’d worn after he’d admitted it was for her. He didn’t know what would happen should death take hold of him, but he hoped that, if he wasn’t going to survive the night, he’d go to a place where he could hold her again, even if it wasn’t reality any longer.
“Alex.” Emma’s voice cut through the night, and Isaac’s heart stopped. Both men had been so preoccupied with the moment that neither heard as she had quietly opened the door, hadn’t seen it move. Emma stood, unarmed, on the gravel of the rooftop, hands wrapped into tight fists by her side. Fury stood out on her face. She ignored Nate, who lifted his pistol in her direction and stepped forward.
At the sound of his name, Alex whipped the gun back up and pressed the barrel of it against Isaac’s temple. “Drop it, Nate. We don’t need that yet.” The driver complied as the three men watched her stalk forward.
“So happy you came back. That’s close enough.”
Emma continued to close the distance between them. Alex frowned, then moved next to Isaac. He tangled the fingers of his left hand into his the curls on his head and yanked. Isaac cried out as tears sprung to his eyes. His hands instinctively reached toward his scalp before the cold metal of the Glock against the soft flesh of his throat made him freeze. His breath escaped his mouth in ragged gasps, barred only by his clenched teeth. He strained against the other man’s hold to see Emma, who had stopped moving forward. She stood, shaking with rage.
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