I clench my fist repeatedly. My jaw’s aching from tensing it this hard. I’m glaring at him, angry beyond words.
He paces away from me. “But… that didn’t work either, so I simply had her eliminated. You should be grateful. I asked Mr. Pierce to shoot her so she didn’t suffer. Had I activated her tracking device, the pain she felt before her head was removed would have been quite excruciating. A sensation I believe you’re familiar with?”
“Yeah, you’re all heart… you sonofabitch.”
He turns and looks at me, clasping his hands behind him. “Anyway, enough about the past. Let’s look at how we move forward.”
I shake my head. “That’s easy. We don’t. It’s great that you finally told me how you work, and all that crap, but it doesn’t change a damn thing. I’m done. I’m out. If you have a problem with that, we settle it now.” I point behind me to Kaitlyn and Yaz. “But you leave them out of it. Understand?”
He chuckles again. A smug little giggle to himself. Prick. “Adrian, I’m… I’m sorry, I… I think you misunderstand me. I relented and explained our organization’s workings as a gesture. To extend the olive branch, as it were, and to make you feel more comfortable with your life in The Order. I will admit, despite the shortcomings with your attitude, you are still one of the best operatives we have. As I’ve explained, I have invested considerable amounts of time and money to both bring you in, and to try convincing you this is a good thing. But I see now that trying to explain how this benefits you simply isn’t working, so let me put it another way. There is no getting out. I wanted to make your time with us more bearable for you, but you ultimately don’t have a choice. You will do what we ask of you whether you like it or not, or you… and the people you care for… will suffer the consequences.”
Shit.
He’s moved far enough away from me that I’ll never reach him before Pierce gets a shot off. Similarly, I’ll never reach Pierce in time either. I don’t actually have any moves. I don’t know what to do.
Screw it.
I flip Horizon the finger. “Fuck you, Colonel Sanders. I’m leaving, and I’m taking those two with me. Anyone tries to stop me, I’ll beat them to death.”
He sighs. “Very well… have it your way.”
He takes out a remote detonator, identical to the one Pierce had the other day.
It’s my turn to smile. I can’t help it. Arrogant bastard thinks he still controls me. He’s in for a real—
“Argh!”
I clamp my hands to my head and drop to my knees.
“Fuck!”
Oh my God!
Ah!
Ah!
I fall on my side, still clutching my head. It feels like someone’s taking a blowtorch to the back of my eyes!
I hear Kaitlyn scream, but I can’t do anything about it.
I feel like my head’s about to—
It’s stopped.
What… the… hell?
I roll onto my back and spread my arms out. There’s a slight ringing in my ears, and I have a headache like you wouldn’t believe. I need to catch my breath…
…
…
…
Oh, man, that sucked.
I don’t understand. How did he activate the device?
I push myself up onto one knee, still breathing hard. “How… how did you…?”
Horizon smiles. “How did I what? Activate your device after you blocked the signal?”
Shit.
Of course he knows…
He walks over and crouches just in front of me. “There is nothing you do that The Order doesn’t know about. We were monitoring the signal when your little friend here tried to hack it. We reversed his tampering the second he disconnected. You were never safe, Adrian, and I’d like to think that now, we’re on the same page. We… understand one another.” He stands. “Now get up.”
Fuck.
I’m trapped. There’s no way of removing or disabling the device, which means they know where I am at all times, and they can kill me whenever they want.
I slowly get to my feet.
“So, can we finally put all this silliness behind us? Do you accept the fact you belong to The Order?”
I stare at the floor for a moment, angry at myself for being so naïve all this time. I’m not giving him the satisfaction of hearing me say it.
I look at him and nod.
“Good. And, just for my own peace of mind, are we going to have any more problems with the level of detail I provide you with your contracts?”
I sigh and shake my head.
He smiles. “Excellent. I’m glad we finally got all this straightened out. I’m excited about finally seeing you put to good use for us. But… there is one more thing…”
He looks at Pierce and gives him an almost imperceptible nod.
I turn and see Pierce take out another gun from behind his back. He puts one against the back of Yaz’s head, and one against the back of Kaitlyn’s. “Both of you, on your knees.”
They both let out a terrified whimper as they kneel down. Kaitlyn’s eyes are filling with tears. Yaz looks like he’s just woken up from a bad dream, and he’s trying to process if it was real or not.
I instinctively take a step toward Pierce. “No!”
“Ah, ah…” says Horizon.
It takes every ounce of willpower and intelligence to stop myself, but I do. I look over my shoulder at him. He’s staring at me, holding the detonator in his hand.
He shakes his head. “Don’t ruin our new working relationship so soon, Adrian.”
Goddammit!
I take a step back and turn to face Horizon. “What do you want?”
“Even though we’re embarking on a new chapter of your life in The Order, I can’t let your previous misdemeanors go unpunished.”
“Then punish me! Don’t hurt innocent people to make another sick point.”
“Adrian, you have to understand the position I’m in. I run my division of The Order very well. I consider myself hard, but fair. If any of my assets had done half of what you have, they would be dead. I’ve granted you an audience, I’ve given you answers you’re not entitled to, and I’m letting you live. What more do you want from me? You have to be punished. An example still needs to be made.”
I look over at Kaitlyn and Yaz. “It’s going to be okay, do you hear me? I’m going to get you out of this, I promise.”
Horizon moves next to me, his hands casually in his pockets. “I wouldn’t make promises I can’t keep, if I were you.” He gestures to them both with his head. “You have to decide, right now, which one of them will live, and which one will die. If you refuse to make that decision, Mr. Pierce will shoot both of them.” He pats my shoulder. “I’ll give you a moment.”
Oh my God…
29
11:01 AST
I feel numb. I feel hollow, like I’m not in my own body… like I’m looking on, watching an episode of someone else’s twisted life. I stare blankly at Kaitlyn and Yaz. I see the fear in their eyes.
I don’t know what to do.
I can’t choose… I can’t fight back… But I can’t say nothing, because I’ll lose them both.
I feel myself defaulting to my instincts. When I see no reason or clear answer, I get angry. I look over at Horizon. “You sick bastard!”
He looks at me impassively. “You need to accept the fact there’s nothing you can do, Adrian. You make the choice, and whoever lives, I promise they will be left in peace. The Order won’t go near them, as long as you don’t, either. We are your life, nothing else. That’s how this works.”
I turn back to them. “I’m… I’m sorry. Both of you. I am. I’m sorry I got either of you caught up in this shit, and I’m sorry I can’t get you out of it. But I can’t choose. I don’t know how…”
Kaitlyn sniffs back her tears and clears her throat. “Adrian, look at me.”
I do. It’s hard looking into her eyes, but I do.
She smiles. �
��It’s gonna be okay, but you need to listen to me. I want you to remember everything we’ve talked about. It’s not… it’s not your job to protect everyone. And the guilt you carry around with you is unnecessary. 4/17 didn’t happen because of something you did or didn’t do. Tori dying wasn’t your fault. Right now, whatever happens, you can’t blame yourself. All you’ve ever done is what you believed to be right. Even when you worked as an assassin. This isn’t your fault. I don’t want to die. I’m terrified. But I have to. We all know it. And I want you to promise me you won’t punish yourself for this when I’m gone.”
I feel my jaw hanging loose with disbelief. I’m in awe of the strength she’s showing. I hate myself for not having the courage she does right now. I can’t find the words…
“Adrian, you promise me! Do you hear me? You promise me, right now!”
I slowly start to nod my head. “I… I... I prom—”
“Kill me.”
Huh? What?
All eyes in the room turn to Yaz. He’s standing up, staring at Horizon. His jaw is set, though his arms and legs are shaking. His face is covered in a thin film of sweat. “Kill me. I c-can’t let you hurt Miss Moss. You’ve… you’ve already killed my mom… so k-kill me.”
I feel myself rushing back into the moment, my instincts and training kicking in again. I’m in Horizon’s suite, I know what needs to be done. I take a step forward. “Yaz, no. Don’t be stupid. Just sit—”
BANG!
The gunshot startles me. I stare, stunned silent and horrified, as I watch Yaz’s body fall slowly forward to the floor. The exit wound has removed most of his forehead. He thuds against the thick carpet. I hear Kaitlyn’s screams, but they sound distant. I’m not zoning out again. I’m not feeling lost. I’m feeling… really… really… angry. The reason she sounds distant is because I’m stripping away everything I don’t need, every sight, every sound, every emotion, so that my mind is focused on one single thing.
Pierce.
I clench my fist.
I set my jaw.
Adrian, I got this. This piece of shit is—
No.
I don’t need my Inner Satan. This asshole is mine.
“You sonofabitch!”
I run toward Pierce, accelerating without warning. I sidestep Kaitlyn without breaking stride and launch myself at him, bringing my cast up and down, like a club. He doesn’t have time to react. I hit him across the face as I crash into him, and we both fall to the floor. His guns fly off in different directions.
He pushes me off him and scrambles to his feet, but I’m right back on him before he gets upright. I jab him in his side, under the arm where the ribcage is thin. The bones are easier to break there. I don’t get enough power behind the punch, but it’s enough to stop him.
I launch my cast again, aiming for his throat.
Shit!
He catches it in both hands and—
Uh!
—throws a short elbow at my face. He hits me below my right eye and I stagger back.
He stands up straight and lifts his hands into an orthodox fighting stance.
I can’t let him get comfortable. I can’t give him time to prepare and start fighting his fight. I’m not strong enough. I need to stop him from building any kind of momentum.
“No!”
I lunge forward, dropping my head at the last second and burying my shoulder into his gut. I force him backward and use my legs to lift him as much as I can…
It’s not much but…
…
…
I roll him over the back of one of the sofas, and allow my momentum to carry me over with him and land heavily on his chest. He bounces back to his feet almost immediately, and grabs a vase from the nearby table. He swings it and—
Uh!
Ah!
“Fuck!”
I drop to one knee as he smashes it over my head. I can feel an instant warmth pulsing over my face. I’m guessing he’s just re-opened my head wound. Great…
I stand to meet him as he marches over, hands high, ready to swing. I bend my arms to cover and manage to deflect his first few shots.
Ah!
He tagged me in the ribs.
Uh!
And again. Shit!
I see a big right coming for my head. I try to get my hand to it and—
…
…
…
—What the hell?
I’m lying on the floor between the two sofas facing the door. He must have hit me and knocked me out. I’m guessing my head hitting the floor woke me up again.
I shake away the cobwebs and look over to where I last remember being. Pierce is striding toward me. Horizon has stepped away to the right, and is standing over by the hot tub, watching intently. Kaitlyn’s standing over by the Ganesha statue, crying, holding her hands to her mouth. I need to get—
Whoa!
Pierce hoists me to my feet with a handful of my T-shirt and winds up another shot. We’re too close for him to get any real power behind it, thankfully. I duck under it as he swings, which sends him off-balance. I lash out with my foot and kick the side of his leg as he moves away from me. He stumbles, buying me some time.
I move toward one of the guns, managing three steps before I hear him behind me. I glance over my shoulder and see him running for me, albeit it with a slight limp in his step from the kick.
I’m standing only a couple of feet away from the small table Horizon rested his drink on earlier.
That’ll do.
I reach over, grab it with my good hand, and then swing it around like I’m throwing the hammer in the Olympics. Despite being thin, the mahogany table’s sturdy. It smashes over Pierce’s arm and shoulder, knocking him off-balance again.
I take another step toward the gun, but I feel him grab my ankle, pulling my leg out from under me. As I start to fall face-first, I put my left hand out and turn, landing heavily on my arm. I allow my own momentum to carry me, and roll onto my back, over again, and eventually back to my feet.
I see the gun in my peripheral vision. I lean down, grab it, then stand and spin around to face Pierce.
Shit.
He’s standing, aiming his other gun at me.
Neither of us move an inch. We’re both breathing hard. I can feel the blood trickling down my face. He has blood flowing freely down his arm, presumably from the table breaking over it.
Stalemate.
“Okay, that’s enough,” says Horizon as he steps between us. “Mr. Pierce, lower your weapon.”
He does, albeit reluctantly.
Horizon then turns to me. “You too, Adrian.”
I shake my head. “Not until I’ve put a bullet in that bastard!”
He sighs and reaches into his pocket.
I watch his hand disappear.
Oh, sh—
“Argh!”
I drop the gun and desperately clutch at my head as he activates the device again. I sink to my knees and grit my teeth, trying to stifle a scream of agony.
Oh… my… God!
It stops.
I’m panting. The pain left in my head by that is spreading like wildfire. It’s like a million migraines all at once.
Horizon tuts. “It’s like training an animal… you’ll learn, eventually.” He looks at Pierce. “Take Miss Moss home. See that she’s compensated for the loss of her business.”
I watch as Pierce walks over to her and grabs her arm. She struggles at first, but it doesn’t get her anywhere. He frog-marches her to the door. They pause for a moment, and she looks over at me. I see sadness in her eyes.
Horizon walks in front of her, blocking her view of me. “Oh, and Miss Moss… if you attempt to make any contact with my asset from this moment on, you will be killed without any further warning. Do you understand?”
“Y-yes.”
He steps aside and I watch as she’s ushered out of the suite. The door slams shut behind them.
I slowly get to my feet. I’ve not
felt this broken in a long time. Mentally or physically.
Horizon is over by the hot tub again. He looks back at me. “You should freshen up. You look like shit.” He points to his bedroom. “Use my shower. I’ll have fresh clothes waiting for you.”
I don’t say anything. I don’t have the energy to antagonize him further. I turn and stagger over to his bedroom. As I walk past the windows, I glance outside. The bay surrounding the island glistens below me in the sun. The water is a deep blue and crystal clear, even from up here. Beyond that, the city of Abu Dhabi bustles away, oblivious to the shit I’ve just gone through.
Lucky bastards.
11:29 AST
I’m standing under the showerhead, watching as a steady flow of pale, watered-down blood swirls around my feet, before vanishing down the drain. There isn’t much that doesn’t hurt right now. I have a small swelling under my eye from Pierce’s elbow. My head wound re-opened, so that’s stinging like a bitch under the hot water. My hand’s throbbing, too. I shouldn’t have used the cast as a weapon…
But the physical damage I can deal with. It’s what’s running through my head that I’m struggling to handle. I keep seeing Yaz falling dead at my feet over and over again. It’s my fault the kid’s dead.
Or is it?
Yeah… it is. I involved him in all this. When Kaitlyn suggested asking him for help, I should have said no. He’s dead because of me.
So is Lily.
So is Tori.
So is nearly one billion people who died as a result of 4/17.
That’s all on me. I should have done more. I should have…
“Fuck!”
I lash out and slam my fist into the tiles in front of me. I hold my hand there for a moment, absorbing the pain from the impact, glaring down at the wet floor of the cubicle.
An image of Kaitlyn flashes into my mind.
I liked her.
I didn’t, y’know… like her, but I respected her and I admired her. And, hell, the sex was great. I wonder if she hates me for all this? I wonder if she blames me for everything she’s lost?
I smile to myself.
No, she wouldn’t hate me.
What would she say to me, if she were here now?
Good Intentions - Adrian Hell #6 (Adrian Hell Series) Page 28