by B. B. Hamel
“Nice guy, that one,” Alex said. He walked over to me and grabbed my wrists. “You’re coming with me.”
“What did you do to Gage?”
“He’s alive. But he won’t be for long.” I watched as Boris climbed into the front seat of Gage’s car and started the engine. It roared to life. “Boris is looking forward to finishing him off.”
The car slowly pulled away. I wanted to scream, I wanted to run after it, but I knew that Alex would just kill me if I made any sudden moves. My mind was spinning uselessly and fast, working overtime, trying to figure out a way out of this.
But I knew it was useless. I knew there was no way out. Liam had betrayed us and the Russians had Gage. They were going to kill him and they were going to do much worse to me.
I felt broken. I let Gage down. He was going to die because he wanted to try and help me, but I wasn’t worth trying to help. I was a failure and I deserved whatever I was going to get.
I watched Gage’s car pull out into traffic and then began to speed down the road.
“Come on,” Alex grunted. “We have an important meeting to attend.”
I nodded, resigned, as Gage’s car turned out of sight.
24
Gage
My head was fucking pounding when I woke up, but at least I woke up. I was groggy and it took me a few seconds to remember what had happened.
Liam had fucking betrayed me. He drugged that fucking drink and shoved me into the back of my own car. After that, everything went dark, and I assume I was unconscious all night. It was light out and I knew I was still in the car, though it was driving. I tested my hands and feet, but I was bound up, and there was duct tape over my mouth.
I took a deep breath, calming myself. I felt like shit and I was in a bad position, but I was still alive. That meant I had a chance, however slim it was. I looked up at the front seat, expecting to see Liam, but saw that fat fuck Boris instead.
So the Russians had me. This was probably his game all along. He planned on selling me out to the Russians from the start, and made a few thousand dollars on top of whatever the Russians paid him. Now there was nothing I could do about it, because I had walked right into his fucking trap.
I tried to get a look out the window but all I could see were trees and sky. That didn’t tell me much. I tested the bonds on my hands and feet. The rope around my ankles was solid and tight, but the rope around my wrists had a little give to it. If I worked it, I was willing to bet I could slip my hands free at some point.
I began to slowly tense and flex, tense and flex. I had to do it slow or else Boris would realize that I was awake and probably figure out what I was doing. He was a fat bastard, but he wasn’t completely stupid. I shut my eyes and slowly moved my wrists, ignoring the jolts of pain through my skull every time the car so much as hit a little bump.
I had no clue if Sadie was okay or not, but there was nothing I could do for her. If they had her, I was going to have to somehow survive the next few hours and get her back. If she was already dead, well, I’d burn down the whole fucking mob and get my revenge on them.
Assuming I could survive. That was all I had to focus on right now, just the next few minutes. Everything was riding on whether or not I could escape this.
The car continued driving for a while, and I continued to do my thing, loosening the rope bit by bit. Boris never looked back. He probably assumed that I was still out cold, or else he figured it didn’t matter either way. He had the music up loud and was humming along to some Bruce Springsteen song, and I wanted to beat his smug little pig face into oblivion. Instead, I kept working my bonds, slowly but surely.
We drove for another half hour and finally I felt the car pull off the main road. We probably were going down some gravel path based on how much the car was shaking around and the noise of it beneath the tires. After another few minutes, Boris pulled the car over.
My heart was hammering in my chest. This was it. The ropes were loosened, but I couldn’t tell if they were loose enough. I was going to have to make my move fast and wouldn’t have a single second to spare.
Boris got out of the car and came around to the back. I took that last second to flex and twist, getting precious centimeters. The back door opened and he looked down at me.
“You’re awake,” he said. “That’s good.”
I grunted at him. He grinned and grabbed my feet, dragged me out of the car. He dumped me onto the ground unceremoniously, a big dumb smile on his face.
I got a quick look around. We were outside of town in a pretty secluded spot. As soon as I realized that there wasn’t anybody within earshot for miles, I knew that Boris planned on killing me and burying me out there.
“How’s it feel to be the one on the ground, Gage?” he asked. “You’ve been a fucking asshole to me for so long now. I guess you can probably figure out how much I’m loving this.”
I grunted at him again, not able to respond.
“Can’t talk? Too bad. You were always a good talker, Gage. You won’t be saying shit after this, though. You stupid asshole, you should never have betrayed the family like this.”
He reached down and ripped the tape off my mouth. I took a deep breath and spit onto the ground, getting the taste of glue off my tongue. He leaned back and crossed his arms, smiling at me.
“Go ahead,” he said. “Give me your last words.”
“You stupid fat fuck. I’m going to break your fucking neck.”
He sighed. “That’s how you want to play this?”
“I won’t beg. Not to a shithead like you.”
“Good. Wouldn’t help you anyway.”
He grabbed me by the shoulders and started to drag me away from my car.
“I’m going to love it when I put a bullet in your head,” he said as we moved. He was grunting and straining, clearly out of breath already. “You fucking asshole. I was always better than you.”
I knew it was my chance. I let him drag me a few more feet before flexing and twisting my wrists twice. I yanked my right hand down and managed it get it free.
I slammed my hands back and caught him in the nose with my right hand. He grunted and staggered as I twisted toward him.
“Fucking asshole,” he said, reaching for his gun.
I grabbed his ankle and pulled as hard as I could. It set him off balance and he dropped down to his ass. I was on top of him in an instant, shoving his gun away with one hand and smashing my other fist into his face.
Boris was strong, but he was out of shape and out of breath. He struggled and tried to get the gun facing back toward me, but I wouldn’t let him. I smashed my fist into his face again and again until blood flowed freely and his wrist went limp.
I took the gun from him. He coughed, barely conscious, moaning on the ground. Quickly I untied my ankles then stood up, his gun in my hand.
“Where is she?” I asked.
He grinned at me. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Boris. Tell me and I’ll let you live.”
“Fuck you, Gage.”
I kicked him in the ribs twice. He curled into a little ball.
“Save yourself, Boris. Tell me where they took her.”
“They took her to the Hen,” he said. “They’re talking to her there.”
The Hen was a mafia bar on the edge of town. I knew it well. I also knew that they took guys they needed to torture there because it was built into an old meatpacking plant, and there were lots of convenient drains.
“I’m going to go save her, and then I’m getting the fuck out of Ashertown. If you’re smart, you’ll leave me the fuck alone.”
“Asshole,” he mumbled.
I kicked him one more time and then walked away. I slipped his gun into my jeans as I climbed into my car. The engine was still running, so I put it into drive and headed into town.
Maybe letting Boris live was a bad idea, but I was a man of my word. Besides, I had some affection for him left from years of working together, even if he was
a murderous cocksucker that was going to put a bullet in my skull. He wasn’t a threat to me and never would be.
I hit the gas and tore back down the gravel road, heading into town.
I had to get to Sadie. I survived my ordeal, and it was time to save her. There was nothing left for me if I let them hurt her.
I sped out toward her, anger surging through my body.
25
Sadie
The hood they shoved over my head was scratchy and hot as hell as I stumbled along behind Alex. He held me by the arm, steering me through a building, but I had no clue where I was. As soon as I got into the car, he shoved the hood over my face and ordered me not to move.
We went through a series of doors and finally I was pushed down into a chair.
“Don’t move,” Alex ordered, his voice echoing slightly. “He’ll be with you shortly.”
I heard a door shut and my heart was beating fast. I didn’t know who Alex meant, and I really didn’t want to know. I was actually a little surprised that I was still alive at all, to be totally honest. I couldn’t stop thinking about Gage and what he was probably going through.
This was all my fault. I dragged him into this because I was stupid enough to get involved with the mob again, and now we were both dead. That was what really hurt me the most: I got Gage killed, and all for nothing.
I sat in the chair, unmoving. I couldn’t hear a thing except for the dripping of water nearby.
I wasn’t tied up at all, and I could get up whenever I wanted to, but I didn’t move a muscle. I knew that if I wanted to get through this, I had to play along. They clearly didn’t see me as a threat, otherwise I would be tied up or something. Instead, I sat there with the hood over my face, sweating slightly, terrified and filled with sadness.
After ten minutes, I heard the door open and shut again. I heard another chair scraping across the floor as someone dragged it over toward me. The person stopped and sat down across from me.
“Take off the hood,” he said.
I took it off. The man sitting in front of me was older with intense eyes and a weary smile.
“Do you know who I am?”
“I think you’re Vadik,” I said.
He nodded. “That’s right.”
“You’re the leader of the Petrovs. I’ve seen your pictures.”
“I’m sure you have.” He smiled at me. “You’ve really done your homework.”
“What do you want from me?”
“You know what I want.”
“You already have everything.”
“Do we now?” He leaned back in his chair, still smiling that cold, detached grin. “I’m not so sure that we do.”
“You have the papers from my office and my apartment. Now you have my laptop and the files I brought with me. That’s everything.”
“Sure,” he conceded. “We have the paperwork, that’s true.” He leaned forward, getting closer to me. “But we don’t have what’s up here.”
Fear lanced through me as he reached out and tapped my forehead. Vicious laughter tore from his throat as he sat back and crossed his arms.
“I can’t forget,” I said to him. “I can try.”
“I don’t need you to forget.”
“What do you want from me?” I asked again getting desperate.
“I want you to tell me what you know.”
I paused, staring at him. I didn’t know what to do or say, but clearly he was looking for something from me. Instead of trying to come up with some story, I decided just to tell the truth.
“I know you’ve been bribing local officials for years,” I started out. “I can’t prove it, but I have some pretty incriminating news reports. You’ve been silencing reporters too, by the way. Killing them when they get too close.”
As I spoke, his smile remained plastered to his face. It was almost as if he didn’t care what I said at all. He just wanted to hear me talk, and so I talked.
I told him everything I knew and everything I suspected. I went into as much detail as I possibly could off the top of my head, which was actually surprisingly considerable. I went on and on, following any path my mind took me down, and Vadik just sat there patiently listening.
Finally, I ran out of things to say. I stopped talking, took a deep breath, and leaned back in my chair.
“That’s it?” he asked.
I nodded. “That’s everything.”
He laughed. “You sure can babble.”
“I wanted to be thorough.”
“You dumb girl. Do you really think you’re going to get out of this?”
My breath caught in my chest. “What?”
“Your boyfriend is already dead. I had Boris drive him out to the edge of town, put a bullet in his brain, and bury him in a shallow grave. He’ll rot there and nobody will give a fuck, because Gage was a piece of shit scumbag.”
I clenched my jaw but didn’t say a word. The smile never left his face, but I knew what he was trying to do.
He was trying to bait me. I didn’t know why, but he wanted to get me angry, rile me up, push my buttons. Maybe this was just some kind of sick game for him and he enjoyed messing with people. I couldn’t get a read on him because of that creepy, cold smile and the way he held himself so aloof and detached.
“What are you going to do with me?”
“I haven’t decided yet,” he said. “The easy thing would be to kill you and anyone else you told about what you’ve found. But the truth is, that might be a waste of your talents.”
“What talents?”
“You dug all of this up,” he said, laughing. “That’s impressive. We’ve been operating like this in Ashertown for a very long time, but you’re the first person to really make all of these connections.”
“So I’m right,” I said softly.
“Of course you’re right. About everything, as it turns out. That’s pretty damn impressive.” He stood up suddenly and paced back toward the door. He turned back and put his hands up then dropped them down to his sides. “Killing you would be such a waste,” he said, sighing.
“So don’t kill me,” I said. “Maybe I can help you.”
“No, I don’t think you can. You’re a little good girl, aren’t you? You care about law and justice and all that absurd shit.” He cracked a harsh laugh. “There’s no justice except in power, little Sadie. Power is the only thing that holds this world together. Law and order and justice are all just words, it’s the people with the guns that make shit happen.”
“I don’t believe that,” I said.
“Which is exactly why you could never work for me.” He sighed. “I’d love to salvage you, Sadie, make you see the light. Or maybe make you see the darkness. But I think this is enough. I think it’s time to kill you and be done with this.” He nodded to himself like he was just making up his mind.
“Wait,” I said. “I can help you hide this stuff better. I can give you advice.”
“Goodbye, Sadie.” Vadik turned toward the door. “You learned a lot and did a good job. Now it’s time for you to die.” He opened the door and shut it behind him.
I sat back in my chair and stared at the door, cold shivers running up my spine.
They were going to kill me, just like they killed Gage.
Maybe that was good. Maybe it was for the best that I was going to be with Gage. I didn’t deserve to survive this if he didn’t, and really, I didn’t want to survive it without him. Gage was the first person to really make me feel good, and I couldn’t let that go. I couldn’t live without it.
I was going to face my end and get through it, because there was nothing without Gage.
26
Gage
The Hen was an industrial building on the edge of town, not too far from where Boris planned to murder me. I drove fast to get there then parked a couple blocks away, not wanting to draw attention to myself.
I didn’t have a plan or backup, but I couldn’t afford to wait. I didn’t know what Vadik planned on doing w
ith Sadie. I couldn’t let them hurt her or even fucking kill her just because I was trying to be patient. The time for patience was long gone.
I’d made some mistakes trying to keep her safe, I knew that. I could admit it. I shouldn’t have stayed anywhere near Ashertown. We should have gone on the run immediately, disappeared somewhere far away where nobody knew either of us. It would have been hard for her, but it would have been the right thing. I should never have gone to see Liam or trusted him.
But it was too late for that. I did what I did because I was trying to give Sadie her life back. I made mistakes and I couldn’t pretend otherwise, but I was going to fix those mistakes and get her away. I was going to save her and be done with all of this.
I was going to get my woman.
I knew that she was mine and always would be. I didn’t want anyone else, couldn’t imagine anyone else. The second Sadie walked back into my life was the second I fell for her all over again. I felt like a kid when we were around each other, and that was better than anything I could have imagined. She made me feel pure, like I wasn’t a fucking killer and a thief anymore.
She gave me a reason to keep going.
Before Sadie, it was all pussy and booze and money. I wanted to fight, fuck, and kill all day long and didn’t give a fuck about anything else. That was all I had become. But as soon as I was back with her, I realized that I could be so much more than just some dirty thug, wasting my life.
I could be a husband. I could be a father. I could start a family with her and make a life for myself, make something worthwhile.
I was willing to kill to make that a reality.
I headed toward the back of the Hen. The front of the building was the bar area, and there were always a ton of mafia guys plus some local regulars hanging around in there. I wasn’t interested in getting spotted, so I stuck to the back way.
I knew the building pretty well. From its days as a slaughterhouse and meatpacking plant, there were a bunch of side entrances where the entrails were brought out and where the workers came in. I moved down an alley and stopped outside of one of those doors, listening.