by Claire Adams
As I scanned the backside of the apartment building, I noticed the fire escape stairs climbing up the structure, and decided that there was no way Victor could have wired those stairs with a camera -- or if he had, I'd get a call letting me know.
I decided to take a chance and start climbing.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Alex
I could hear Victor talking on my phone outside the door of the room. It was muffled, but when I moved over and put my ear to the door, I knew he was talking to Cam. I listened and tried to gather information that would help me get us out of here, but after listening to the argument, I knew Victor had no intention of letting us go.
"You two need to come out into the living room," Victor ordered as he threw the door open and stood staring down at us. "Help her get up."
"What is going on?" I asked.
"None of your damn business," he said as he turned and walked half way down the hallway. "Get up and get your asses out here now!"
I shook Liz and tried to rouse her, but she was out of it. I put one of her arms around my shoulder and lifted her up off of the mattress. It wasn't easy getting her down the hallway because her body was like dead weight, but I knew that if we could hang in there long enough, I'd get her out of there and off whatever drugs Victor had given her.
"What are you doing?" I repeated as I pulled Liz toward the sofa and lay her down. "This makes no sense whatsoever."
"What do you know?" Victor sneered. "You're just some stupid girl who’s fallen for Mr. Big Shot. You know nothing about him."
"Wow, you really have a grudge against him, don't you?" I said shaking my head in disbelief.
"You would too if he'd tried to ruin your life the way he's ruined mine," Victor shot back. "He's a destroyer of worlds."
"I find that very hard to believe," I said raising an eyebrow. "But why don't you fill me in. Maybe I'll see your point."
"Why the hell do I care what you think?" he sniffed as he walked into the kitchen and opened a cabinet. I could see several large red cans lined up inside the cabinet, but it didn't dawn on me what they were until Victor pulled one down and opened the lid.
"Is that gasoline?" I said as I realized that he'd stocked the cabinets full of it.
"Indeed it is, Sherlock," he said sarcastically.
"What the hell are you doing with all that gasoline?" I asked. "That's enough to burn an entire building down!"
"Indeed," he said with a malevolent smile as he grabbed the can and began pouring gasoline along the outer edges of the room. "You've got quite a mind, Miss Pierce. It's really too bad that it's not going to survive the fire."
"You're going to burn us to death because you've got a grudge score to settle with Cam Connor?" I said incredulously. "That's about the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my life!"
"Who are you to judge, bitch?" Victor said in a voice that suddenly sounded nasty and vicious. "I've had enough of being pushed around by that asshole. He's taken everything I ever wanted away from me and now it's my turn to take something away from him."
"Me and Liz?" I asked. "You think he's going to care if you harm me and Liz? Oh man, you're more deluded than I thought! You really don't get it, do you?"
Victor's eyes narrowed as he looked at me, then he gave me a questioning look as he continued pouring gasoline around the room. The fumes were strong and made stronger by the fact that the windows were sealed shut and the afternoon sun was streaming through the balcony door.
"He doesn't care about me," I continued as I tried to muster all of the anger and resentment I had felt upon discovering Cam had paid my bills this morning. "He cares about owning things. He doesn't care about whether those things care about him; he just wants to be in charge. Case in point, he paid my rent and tuition this morning without consulting me, or even asking if I wanted him to. It's because Cam Connor wants what he wants when he wants it."
"Yes, he's selfish that way," Victor nodded as he stopped pouring and looked at me. "He wants what he wants."
"And Liz? What the hell does he care about her?" I laughed. "She won't sleep with him like I did, so she's nothing in his book. You killing her will have absolutely zero effect on him, so you might want to recalculate the cost/benefit value of that choice before you commit to it."
"Oh, he'll care all right," Victor grinned. "He'll care when all the evidence points to him as the suspect."
"Now that's just ridiculous," I said. "You're not going to be able to pin this on him!"
"That's where you're so very wrong, my dear," Victor smiled. I felt a chill run up my spine as I looked into his eyes and saw nothing there. "I've spent a long time planning this out because I knew a day would come when I would get my chance to exact revenge on the man who has ruined my life!"
"You're pretty stuck on that message, aren't you?" I asked. I felt something moving next to me and realized that it was Liz. She was awake and aware of what was going on, but she knew better than to let Victor know that so she pressed her fingertips against my thigh to let me know she was with me. "It's understandable, of course, but the way in which you're going to play your hand makes zero sense to me. Why don't you explain it?"
"You're not going to trick me into that, little lady," he grinned looking more maniacal by the minute. "Let's just say that evidence I've planned to plant around his house, at the station and in your friend's apartment will all lead directly to the one and only, Cam Connor."
"And how exactly do you fit into all of this?" I asked. I couldn't figure out if he was a criminal mastermind or just a deluded pyromaniac. "How are you going to walk away from all of this and not be connected to it?"
Victor walked over to the sofa and began slowly pouring gasoline onto the couch. He soaked one end of it before he stopped, set the can down and pulled a length of rope from his back pocket. I quickly stood up and tried to move away, but Victor grabbed my arm and slammed me back down on the couch. I fought back until he'd decided he'd had enough and cold cocked me with one punch. I saw stars and felt like my jaw had been detached from my skull, but I didn't lose consciousness.
As Victor grabbed my wrists and tightly held them together, Liz rose up behind him and used all the force she could muster to drive her fist into the back of his head.
"Mother fucker!" Victor shouted as he shot up off of the sofa and turned to find Liz standing behind him holding the lamp that, moments before, been on the side table. He rubbed the back of his head and growled, "I'm going to kill you, you stupid dope fiend."
"Not if I kill you first," Liz hissed holding the lamp like a baseball bat. I scanned the room looking for another weapon, but Victor was ahead of me. He turned and punched me in the face again, and this time I felt my nose snap and blood began to pour from it. He turned back to Liz and lunged at her. She swung the lamp and connected with his shoulder, but he caught the lamp on the back swing and wrenched it out of her hands.
"Do not fuck with me," Victor growled as he threw the lamp to the side and reached for Liz. She scooted around him and made a dash for the front door.
"Run Liz! GET OUT OF HERE!" I screamed as I cupped my hands under my nose in an attempt to contain the blood. For what purpose, I had no idea.
"Bitch, I am going to murder you!" Victor shouted as he ran across the room and followed Liz down the hallway. She was faster and lighter than he was, and I could hear her screaming for help as she pounded on doorways with her fists.
I realized I was alone in the apartment, but had no chance of escaping with the pain I was feeling from my busted nose and the fact that we were on the third floor. Suddenly I hear a pounding on the back window.
"Alex! Alex! Are you in there?" Cam called.
"CAM! IN HERE!" I screamed as I ran for the back room and slammed the door shut. I pushed a chair under the door handle thinking it would give me a few minutes to figure out how to get out. But when I looked up and saw Cam in the window, my hopes were dashed. The window had iron bars across it, I could open it, but there was no wa
y I was going to be exiting through it. Cam motioned for me to raise the window.
"Jesus, are you okay, Alex?" he asked as he pulled on the bars looking for a way to break in. It was futile. "What the hell did he do to you?"
"He's got a mean right hook," I said with a wry grin that made me wince. "Liz tried to get away, but I don't know if she succeeded. He's going to set the place on fire, Cam."
"I can smell the gasoline," he said as he looked at me. "I'm going to get you out of here. Just hang on."
"Yeah, well, that's pretty much all I can do," I shrugged. "But I have to ask you what the hell you did to this guy to make him so damn angry?"
"Long story; I'll tell you over dinner once I get you out of there," he assured me as he pulled out his phone and dialed the station. He quickly told them what was going on and requested a truck for a gas leak that was dangerously close to igniting. The last thing he wanted was the SWAT Team called out on a psycho holding hostages. He put his hand up against the screen and I pressed mine against it as he said, "Hang in there, Alex. I'm going to get you out. I promise."
I nodded and hoped that he was right.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Cam
Seeing Alex trapped in the apartment, I knew it was highly likely that Victor was going to set the whole place on fire in an attempt to get even with me. I was worried about Alex, but I was also worried about the other people in the building and knew that I had to warn them. So, after assuring Alex that I'd rescue her, I climbed down the fire escape and ran around to the back entrance where I snuck through the laundry room and took the stairs to the first floor.
I figured that Victor was focused on whatever diabolical plan he had created, so I had a window of opportunity to evacuate the building before he set it on fire. I walked to the end of the hall and pulled the fire alarm. The sound of the alarm brought people to their front doors as they investigated the noise.
"Fire department! Evacuate the building!" I shouted down the hall. "Help your neighbors get to the first floor and clear the area!"
I got a few confused looks, but after I repeated my message a few times, people began filing down the stairs and out of the building. It was the same on the second floor, but when I got to the third floor and saw the door to 3A standing open, I knew there was going to be trouble.
"VICTOR!" I shouted as I marched down the hallway to the apartment. "Be a man, and come talk to me before you burn the place down!"
"Fuck you, Connor!" he shouted. "I'm more of a man than you'll ever be you loser!"
I stepped through the doorway and saw Victor holding a Glock pistol to Liz's head as she lay face down on the sofa. The smell of gasoline was overwhelming and I immediately began to feel lightheaded.
"Victor, you don't have to do this," I said as I calmly walked toward the balcony. I thought about rushing him and tackling him, but with him holding a gun at Liz’s temple I didn't want to take the risk.
"Don't you fucking touch that door," he growled as he quickly shifted the gun and pointed at my chest. "You're a menace, Connor, and you deserve everything you're going to get."
"Did it ever occur to you that you deserved everything you got, Vangel?" I asked stalling for time. I could hear the fire department sirens in the background and the sound of the fire alarm made for an annoying background noise. "That maybe you're the one that's fucked up and doing this is evidence of your complete loss of your grip on reality?"
"Nice try," he grinned as he waved the gun and gestured around the apartment. "But it's not going to work. I know what I'm angry about, and it's your fault. You took something that mattered to me, so now I'm going to take things that matter to you."
"You know, you really could have done a better job of that," I said in a bored tone. "You should have burned my house down. Or killed my dog, maybe. That would have definitely taught me a lesson. That house was the one I built for Quinn, you know. Burning that down would have really devastated me. Killing these two girls is just, well, it's just irresponsible of you, Victor."
I saw the confusion briefly flash across his face and I knew I was hitting my mark. Behind Victor, I saw the back bedroom door crack open and Alex stick her head out. I shook my head as I spoke letting her know she should stay put.
"If you kill these two girls, it'll be sad, that's for certain," I said as I stared at Victor. "But it's not going to devastate me. I mean, they're two nursing students. What do they mean to me? This one is a drug addict and the other one is good lay. That's it."
"But you brought the other one to the station," Victor said. "That had to mean something."
"Yeah, it meant I was going to get laid," I laughed. "Do you have any idea how hot chicks get for firemen? Oh, no you don't, do you? You're a rules guy, aren't you?"
"What the hell does that mean?" Victor said as his hand dropped slightly. I could see I was getting to him.
"It means you follow the rules, until you don't," I shrugged. "I know you tried to frame me for that warehouse fire accident. Everyone knows."
"You fucked up, Connor! I didn't have to do anything!" he shouted angrily. "You lead this charmed life. Everyone takes pity on you and excuses your mistakes because they feel sorry for you, but you're a fuck-up and they just don't see it!"
"I live a charmed life?" I shot back. "What fucking charmed life is it when the woman I loved died in a fire that I couldn't stop? I'm not seeing the charm in that, Vangel!"
Victor's hand wavered for a moment and I saw a brief window of opportunity, so I took it and dove for the gun. His hand snapped back and then everything went black.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Alex
I could hear Cam and Victor arguing in the front room, but when I cracked the door and looked out, Cam shook his head letting me know that it wasn't safe to come out. I shut the door and waited for the fire department to arrive and stop this madness.
As the argument got more heated, I heard the rise and fall of angry voices and then silence. That worried me, so I cracked the door and saw Cam laying face down on the gasoline soaked carpet as Victor pulled Liz off the sofa and positioned her next to Cam.
"I know you're in here, Alex!" Victor called as he worked in the front room. I quietly closed the door and replaced the chair under the handle, trying to figure out what to do next. Victor kept talking as he prepped the apartment for whatever he was going to do next. "I'm going to start this fire on the first floor because I want it to spread upward and engulf this entire building. Do you know why, Alex?"
When I failed to respond, he continued talking.
"I want to burn this fucking building to the ground with all of you in it," he shouted. "I want you to suffer the way I've suffered, and the only way to do that is to prolong the agony."
"Your logic is completely flawed, Victor!" I yelled through the closed door. "You're not going to make us suffer, you're going to make the innocent people who live in this building suffer!"
"So what?" he yelled. "I'll get my revenge!"
"You're stupid," I muttered as I looked around the room for a possible weapon before yelling, "Why is revenge so important to you?"
"It's the only thing that sets things right," he said startling me as he threw himself against the door and shoved it open enough to get the hand holding the gun inside. "I don't have anything to lose anymore, Alex. Now I just want revenge."
"Victor, none of this makes any sense," I said as I moved toward the corner where he couldn't see me, thinking that if he started shooting at least I'd have some chance of avoiding the bullets. "You've decided to trade your own life for revenge? Have you played this out? It's not going to end well."
"It doesn't matter," he growled. "Nothing matters anymore."
"So, you're going to die in a fire or a hail of bullets, is that what you're telling me?" I asked as I searched for a way to keep him talking. "This seems really short-sighted. I mean, you're looking for revenge, but you're not going to be around to garner satisfaction from it."
"Shut the fuck up," Victor growled again. "I deserve retribution after all of the shit I've had to eat thanks to your boyfriend."
"He's not my boyfriend," I said in a flat voice. "But, hey, if that makes you feel better about killing me and Liz, I guess it's more power to you."
"You can't possibly understand how that man has made my life miserable," he said as I watched his arm slide down the doorframe. It appeared that he was now sitting on the floor, and I wondered if I'd gotten to him. "He's undermined me at every turn and made my life a living hell."
"Are you sure that Cam did that, Victor?" I asked, suddenly wondering if there was any truth to what he was saying. "Did he really make your life hell or are you blaming him for mistakes you've made? Have you turned Cam into the scapegoat for all the mistakes you've made in your life?"
There was silence on the other side of the door and I could see that he'd pointed the gun toward the floor.
"Victor?" I said quietly. "If you blame Cam for the mistakes you've made and then kill him for them, then you won't be free. You won't get retribution or any satisfaction from the revenge fantasy you've cooked up. All you'll get is life in prison for murdering innocent people and destroying the homes and lives of every person who lives in this building."
"I hate him!" Victor sobbed. "He has everything and I have nothing!"
"But is that Cam's fault?" I asked as I inched closer to the door keeping my eye on the gun. I could tell that Victor had lost focus as he cried and I knew that if I could grab the gun, I might be able to turn the tables on him. It was a big if, but it seemed like a chance with odds I could take.
As I crawled along the far wall, I listened carefully. Victor seemed to be in the throes of a breakdown, but I didn't trust that this would last. He was obviously mentally unstable and as a result, was also unpredictable. And yet, I could feel his pain as he cried and cursed Cam for all that he was feeling.