by Saul, Jonas
“Your sense of humor is courageous. I could order that man to sever your head right now and be done with it. So I think that your death has everything to do with me because I’m the one who is going to kill you. It’s time, don’t you think Sarah?”
She stared up at him. He was bigger than she remembered. Then it donned on her. He was wearing a kevlar vest too. “Sure. Who knows. You stall and I might get out of this hogtie and run past your gorilla and chase you through the church until I catch you and jam my thumbs into your eyes and through your brain. So I guess, sure, it’s time. You have the advantage. Take it. Come and get me.”
“You know,” he said, arms out in front of him. “You are a pain in the ass and naturally I don’t like things in my ass. You’re a large fucking dump that just won’t flush. You should be dead by now. I don’t trust anything that bleeds five days a month and never dies. It’s too bad you aren’t on my side; I could’ve used someone with your brains and skill.”
She felt the swelling in her knee as the joint stiffened. How many injuries had she had in her life because of the man preaching to her right now?
“I’ve still got one more card to play,” she said.
The curiosity on Armond’s face was evident. “Oh, really. What’s that?”
She shook her head, eyes down to the floor. “No way. I’m a gambler. The cards stay close to me. I’ll reveal it when I need it. And man,” she looked back up at him. “Wait until you see this card. I mean it’s the fucking ace of spades this one. And it’s going to really mess with you.”
“You’re bluffing for real this time. You’re actually full of shit, Sarah. I have this church surrounded. The Rendorshag work for me. Rosalie’s team have been neutralized. Didn’t you see them falling from the sky?” He stopped and looked sideways like he was thinking. Then he looked back at her. “How did you like my bomb scare idea? Well it wasn’t exactly my idea. I stole it from you. We have been listening to you since you toured the basilica yesterday. You should’ve seen Rosalie’s face when I popped up out of this pulpit and shot four of her men before she even had a chance to pull her weapon. It was over before it started.” He paused and looked around again. He seemed agitated. “Wait, where’s Parkman? How did you get away from my men?”
He was playing her. He wouldn’t let random people drive up to the basilica and go unnoticed. He just said the basilica was surrounded. He knew she would be in the rear of the building when he tossed Rosalie’s men over. So they’d been watched the whole time. That meant he had Parkman.
Damn!
“I see you’re working it out. That’s right, your American cop will die in the crypt tonight. After all the shit he pulled at the compound, he’s lucky that I’m just going to kill him. You too, for that matter. But we must hurry this along.”
Armond turned from her and walked down the steps at the back of the pulpit. He came around the pillar and opened his arms like he was talking to a great many people.
“The number of assholes I have killed in my lifetime could fill this room. What’s another couple?”
He turned to the animal at the end of the pew and spoke in Hungarian. The brute walked briskly to Sarah, grabbed her under the arm and half lifted, half pulled her from the seat. She staggered along as best she could, doing her best to stay off her right leg.
A tinge of real fear spiked her stomach. What if Armond killed her? Could it be over so easily? It couldn’t end that way. Not after all she had done. Not after all she had gone through. Wouldn’t Vivian have warned her? Or was that the apology part of Vivian’s message?
She was dragged toward the side exit door and the stairs that led to the crypt. Armond stayed ten feet ahead.
As they neared the open front doors Sarah was sure she heard something outside. A scuffling sound or the sound of a weapon’s safety.
It all happened so fast.
The man holding her let go. Sarah fell to the floor and sprawled out flat, her right shoulder taking the hit as she couldn’t put her hands out in front.
Guns were fired. Bullets raced by over her head.
She snuck a peek when the guns went silent. Armond was hiding behind a door to her left. The guard who had been holding her was dead, blood oozing from a wound in his forehead.
Who the fuck is shooting if they have Parkman? Has Rod Howley finally showed up?
Someone was yelling outside.
“What?” Sarah shouted.
“Stay down Sarah. It’s Bennett. They’ve killed the whole team. I’m the last one.”
She stole a glance at Armond. He was speaking into a cell phone.
“Watch your back!” she shouted. “He’s calling in more men.”
Gunfire erupted outside. She frantically looked at Armond. He stepped out from behind the door, cell phone to his ear. He was grinning like a fucking asshole. The whole ear-to-ear shit.
“Got him.” He snapped his phone shut and stashed it in his front pocket. “My men just told me the problem has been neutralized.”
He walked up to Sarah, reached down and yanked her to her feet. She almost fell back down because of her leg. Repulsed by his touch, she reared back trying hard to dislodge his hand.
“Take it easy. Your sister wasn’t as much of a fighter as you are. And I’m not even interested in your pussy. I just want you dead.”
Something clicked in Sarah’s head. In a distant place, deep in her consciousness she felt her sanity shift to the edge of reality. She would never be the same. It felt like she’d had a stroke but only the good side of her was paralyzed. The angry, violent side got energized.
Armond dragged her to the stairs and started descending them, pulling her along. He mumbled to himself. He yanked harder, almost knocking her over, and then mumbled something else.
She wondered if the best thing was to throw herself at him. He’d tumble down the stairs, but so would she. Tied up the way she was, broken bones and death were probable. Armond on the other hand might walk away with bruises.
She’d wait. Her moment would come.
They reached the bottom. He dragged her to a gated area and then past that and into a darker chamber.
“Here is where you will lie for eternity.”
They entered a room with candles burning. Along the walls she could see large squares that had words written on them in different languages. When she had toured the crypt with Rosalie and Parkman, what seemed like a lifetime ago, this area had been sealed off.
In the center of the room sat an old wooden table. He dragged her a little further and then tossed her down to the floor. She leaned up against the wall.
“Was that guy Bennett your ace of spades?”
“No.”
“So what’s this last card you have to play?”
“You’ll see.”
Armond pulled his weapon out and aimed it at her. “You know, I’m sick of your games. I’m pissed that you’re still alive. Every day you live is another day I’m upset.”
She struggled to sit upright. “You know, I was thinking the same thing.”
“I should just shoot you now. Be done with it.”
“I thought that’s what we were down here for.”
He shook his head and lowered the weapon. “No. I have better plans for you.”
He turned away and started touching the wall around one particular square.
“I had this stone removed. Once that was done I took the remains of some asshole clergyman out and tossed them in the garbage. This will be your new home.” He stopped and looked her. “For eternity.”
After a moment he clicked something under the stone and drew it out on wheels.
“See, I even had my men install these wheels so that I could do this alone without having to lift the slab myself.”
From where she sat she couldn’t see inside the square hole. All she could tell was that it was dark.
Something akin to real fear washed over her. Was this the end? Would he get away? But rational thought escaped her. She was ready. Something would
happen. There was no way it could be this easy for him.
Gunfire erupted above them again.
“Aw shit! What the fuck is going on? I thought everything was handled.”
He flipped open his cell phone again and dialed out. After a moment he stepped to the doorway to get better reception.
Armond raised his weapon at her and said, “Stay put. I’m only seven feet away. I won’t miss.”
Then he started talking in Hungarian on the phone. After a couple sentences he flipped the phone shut and swore to himself.
“Okay, I have to go upstairs. That Bennett fucker is proving to be a real asshole. We’re down to only a couple men left.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll wait here for you,” Sarah said.
“I’m not worried about you. You’re dead.”
Armond raised the weapon from about five feet and pulled the trigger.
In that second Vivian took over. Her right arm went numb, her body slack.
Before losing consciousness she heard Armond’s gun fire four times.
Sarah felt each and every bullet hit her body in the chest area.
Then she was gone.
Chapter 28
She woke with a start, gasping for air. Each intake of breath screamed pain throughout her ribcage. She almost shouted out loud in frustration. Her eyes watered, her face felt flush.
Sarah groaned and tried to collect herself. Four bullets in the chest.
Thank you God for the kevlar.
Frantically she looked down at her vest. There were four small holes in her shirt where the bullets had made contact with the kevlar. She wriggled her hands but they were still tied too tight.
The pain was intense. At least half of her ribs had to be broken.
She tried to move but couldn’t. Everything she did screamed pain.
“Either get up and walk out of here, or stay and die,” she grunted to herself.
Finding resources where she didn’t know she had them, Sarah leaned against the stone wall and forced herself to her feet. Sweat broke out on her brow and threatened to run into her eyes. For a brief second she felt lightheaded. She paused and breathed in deep. A woozy feeling came and went.
“Don’t you fucking faint,” she whispered.
She looked around but there was nothing sharp to cut her wrist restraints. The gate that closed the section off was metal, the color of rust. Near where the gate connected there was a hook for a latch. She ambled over, taking careful steps to avoid any more internal damage. A broken rib bone could be tearing into muscle tissue. The last thing she wanted was to survive being shot by four bullets point blank to the chest only to die from internal bleeding because she wanted to walk away.
She got to the gate and waited again. She needed to breathe but each breath was testing her pain threshold. The pain had an odd soothing effect on her. She reasoned that it should feel good even though it didn’t because it meant she was still alive. Her heart was still beating.
Gunfire erupted above her. Two shots then silence. Then two more.
Time was running out.
She turned and hooked her bound wrists onto the latch and then pulled away, hoping to loosen the binding as one would take the tine of a fork to a knotted shoelace. The wire dug into her wrists as she pulled, but she ignored it as best she could. After a couple of pulls, she loosened it enough to struggle back and forth attempting to free her hands from their restraints. They felt better but it wasn’t enough.
Someone was running around upstairs. She heard shouting.
One more attempt with the latch pulled an edge off the twine. She wriggled her hands frantically, keeping her breathing even. The pain subsided a little.
Maybe it’s heavy bruising and not broken ribs. Maybe only bruised bones. Hopefully.
She undid the last of the twine that bound her wrists and pulled her hands to the front.
“Ahhh,” the pain renewed as her chest contracted. “Shit, that fucking hurts.”
Adrenaline pumped. Endorphins kicked in.
She was ready. It wasn’t over.
She turned for the stairs and started to climb.
With each step she reminded herself she was that much closer to killing Armond. She had to. There was no other option left. It motivated her to take another step and then another.
She made it halfway up the stairs. No one seemed to be in the crypt behind her. Whoever remained alive was upstairs fighting.
Before climbing any further, she kissed her right hand and pressed it against the rock wall.
“Thanks Vivian for taking over and making my body limp. I have no idea how I would’ve fared if I’d tensed up.”
Her right knee was feeling better the more she used it. She was climbing with both legs, only limping a little.
She reached the top without encountering anyone. There was a small turn to the right and then a few more steps to enter the hallway that turned right to go into the church or left to the outside.
With no weapon and not many options to defend herself she took the last few steps very carefully.
A gun went off outside making her duck.
Damn the pain.
The sudden movement shot rivers of agony through her chest. She held the wall and waited.
Another gunshot outside.
What the hell’s happening? Who’s shooting who?
She climbed the rest of the way and stepped into the open. The man who had tied her up and who Bennett shot still lay face down. She approached him. A quick pat down gave her both her guns back.
Lucky me.
She stood up and limped to the inner wall. Slowly she edged around and peeked into the church. From where she was standing it appeared empty. The action was outside. She turned toward the main doors and shuffled for the exit.
To her surprise the first person she saw was Armond Stuart.
He was hiding behind a small brick wall across the walkway near the entrance to a refreshment store for the tourists. He was looking up the walkway toward an assailant. His hand held a weapon.
Sarah had a clear shot. She took careful aim.
He looked at her. His eyes widened.
She fired.
Perfect.
His gun hand was knocked sideways, his weapon thrown from his grip.
He screamed out in pain.
She fired again. Then again. Each shot she aimed for the center of his chest, making sure she didn’t miss the kevlar vest he wore. He wavered on his feet.
She stepped forward and shot Armond a fourth time.
He fell to his knees and then onto his back in front of the tourist store’s front door.
Sarah walked across the opening. Whoever was exchanging fire with Armond wasn’t her enemy. She had no fear of being hit.
As she stepped up and stood over Armond she reached back and placed the gun in her waist line.
She wouldn’t be needing it anymore.
“I shot you. You’re dead,” Armond breathed out through clenched teeth, his eyes wide.
Sarah could tell by his gasping that he was going through exactly what she had.
She stepped up close and kicked him in the chest with her left foot. He shouted out in pain.
“Sarah!” someone yelled in the distance.
She ignored them as she got down and sat on Armond’s stomach, straddling him like a horse.
“Yes, you shot me,” she said. “I shot you so now we’re even. But there’s another matter to clear up.”
“What?” he managed.
Real fear was in his eyes. His breath panted in and out, his face shining in the little light that came up from the security lamps. She could see that he knew it was over. His reign had ended. He’d made mistakes.
“My sister. Vivian. My trump card.”
Sarah reached behind her and pulled her gun back out. She twisted around and took careful aim so as not to shoot herself in the butt.
The nozzle gently touched Armond’s crotch.
“No!” he
shouted.
Sarah fired. The bullet tore a hole in the vestments he still wore. She leaned over to get a better look.
“Perfect,” she said. “That’s for all the girls you’ve raped. All the lives you’ve stolen.” She had to raise her voice over his inhuman screaming wail. “All the innocence you tore from everyone you have ever touched and this is from me to you!”