by Claire Adams
"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 lying 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.
Suddenly, on the other side of the door, I heard a loud bang and then saw Victor pull the gun out of the crack between the door and the frame. I heard a loud thud and then two voices shouting in the hallway. I stayed crouched in the space between the wall and the doorframe as the gun went off. I heard another thud, and then a voice broke the silence that followed.
"He's dead, but I'm going to burn this fucking building to the ground anyway," Victor said quietly. His voice sent a chill up my spine.
"Don't do it! Don't do it!" Liz screamed in the living room. I knew I had one chance to stop this deadly plan and, that either way, I had a pretty good chance of dying. I decided it was better to have it over with quickly rather than having to suffer. So, I yanked open the door and ran down the hallway to the living room where Victor stood poised with a lighter in one hand and the gun in the other. I raced toward him with my eye on the lighter aiming to knock it out of his hand before he could flick the flame to life.
Half way there, I heard a loud crack as the balcony door shattered and Victor slumped to the ground. Bewildered, I looked around trying to figure out what had just happened. Victor rose up with the gun in his hand and pointed it at me. I screamed as the second shot hit him and he fell over, dropping the gun to the floor. I kicked it out of the way and ran to Liz who was crying hysterically in a pool of shattered glass. She'd been cut, but as I untied the ropes that bound her, I quickly assessed that none of the wounds were life threatening.
"He shot him!" she cried as she pointed to the kitchen. I ran around to the entry and saw Cam lying in a pool of blood on the tile floor. He wasn't moving. I dropped to my knees and searched for a pulse, and then lifted him up to find that the bullet had gone into his abdomen. I searched the kitchen drawers and found a
handful of dishtowels that I used to staunch the flow of blood.
"Liz, get help! Go get help!" I shouted as I pressed the towels to the wound.
"They're already here," she replied weakly as a team of police officers slammed open the door and rushed inside the apartment with their guns drawn.
"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" Liz screamed as they aimed their guns at her. "He's over there!"
They quickly assessed the scene and called in the paramedics. Cam was loaded onto a stretcher and taken down to the ambulance, which drove off in a blaze of sirens and flashing lights. A second set of paramedics loaded Victor onto a stretcher as Liz and I were taken down to the second ambulance. Meanwhile, the police secured the apartment and began their investigation.
"We're going to take you to the hospital to get checked out," the paramedic said. She helped Liz and I up into the ambulance before closing the doors and taking off for the hospital.
I held Liz's hand the whole ride to the hospital wondering if Cam was still alive. Suddenly, the fact that he'd paid my rent and tuition didn't seem like something worth being mad about.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Cam
"Oh, shit," I groaned as I rose up through the layers of drug-induced sleep and began to feel the pain. "Fuck, that hurts!"
"Shh, shh, lie still," a voice said as someone moved around the room. I couldn't tell who it was because my eyes felt like they were glued shut and it took an enormous amount of effort to crack them open. When I did, everything was fuzzy, but I could feel a hand holding mine.
"What the hell happened?" I mumbled through cracked dry lips.
"You were shot," the voice said.
"How long have I been out?" I asked as I tried again to open my eyes and focus on my surroundings. "Where am I?"
"You're in Chicago General in the ICU," the voice replied. "You've been out for two days, and we were beginning to really worry."
"Eh, I'm fine," I said as I struggled to try and move my arms. I wanted to sit up. I wanted to open my eyes and see what was going on around me. I wanted to know whose voice that was.
"No, no, no," the voice said, gently holding my shoulder to the mattress. "You are not in any shape to be getting up, Mr. Connor."
"Alex, I need to find Alex," I said, suddenly remembering the events that had led to this point. "Where is Alex?"
"I'm right here, Cam," Alex whispered in my ear as she squeezed my hand. I opened my eyes and focused them on the face next to me. Her blue eyes were bright with tears as she gripped my hand more tightly and smiled. "I'm right here."
"Oh, thank God, you're okay." I sighed as I felt the pain in my side begin to throb intensely.
I groaned as Alex tucked the button that released pain medication in my other hand and said, "Press it when you're in pain, it'll ease it."
I pressed the button, and a few minutes later, I felt the pain begin to ease as I fell back into a groggy, half-wakeful state. I could feel Alex's hand tucked in mine as I drifted back to sleep.
CHAPTER FORTY
Alex
Liz and I were checked out in the ER and kept overnight for observation despite the fact that I pointed out I hadn't been hurt and protested loudly. Mrs. Rikka had been summoned to the ER to tell me that I didn't have a choice in the matter, and her word was final. I grudgingly accepted the edict but requested that they put Liz in the bed next to me, which they quickly did.
Liz didn't talk much as she began an intense process of detox, but it was nice to be near her while the police questioned me and got the whole sordid story before filing me in on the details of the aftermath. Victor had survived the shooting, but was down in the ICU under lock and key. They weren't sure he'd come out of the coma, but they weren't taking any chances.
"What about Cam?" I asked every person who came in the room. He'd been in surgery for most of the day and the doctors said it was touch and go. I nodded when they told me he had a slim chance of surviving, but that he was strong and healthy, so that tipped the odds in his favor. I desperately wanted to see him, but they wouldn't let me visit until they were sure he was out of the woods.
"Someone needs to check on Tesla!" I said to the nurse who came in to do my vitals.
"What are you talking about?" she asked as she wrapped the blood pressure cuff around my arm and pressed the button.
"Cam has a dog, someone needs to go check on her," I said. The nurse assured me that she'd let the firefighters down in the waiting area know.
When they released me the next day, the first thing I did was go down to the ICU and ask to see him. They agreed to a short visit but told me that I couldn't stay. Cam looked very pale under the fluorescent lights. I held his hand and spoke quietly, telling him that everything would be all right but that he had to wake up. When my time was up, the nurse kindly told me that I could come back the next day, but that visiting hours would be limited to short periods until he regained consciousness.
I went down to the lobby and found Newsome sitting in a chair in the corner staring at the television set mounted to the wall.
"How's he doing?" Danny asked.
"He's still out, but they said that's normal considering the amount of damage and the length of surgery," I said. Danny looked like he hadn't slept, and I suggested that perhaps he go back to Cam's house and take care of Tesla.
"Already taken care of," he said as he ran a hand through his hair and then rubbed his eyes. "The chief drove over and brought her back to the station. We'll take care of her until Cam's up and about again. I gotta get back to the station."
"Thanks, Danny," I said, giving him a hug and then watching him head out the door. There were a number of things I needed to take care of, not the least of which was finding out whether Liz and I had been cleared of the cheating charges.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Cam
It took a few days, but I finally came out of the drug-induced sleep to find Alex sitting next to my bed holding my hand.
"Hey, you're here." I smiled as she stood up and leaned over me.
"Of course, I've been waiting for you to wake up so we could talk." She smiled back.
"Where's Tesla?" I asked, suddenly worried that no one had checked on her and unsure of exactly how long I'd been out.
"Don't worry. Chief went and got her, she's at the station with the guys," Alex said as she brushed a stray piece of hair off of my forehead. "Everything's under control."
"What about Leo? He's probably seriously pissed at me," I said, furrowing my brow.
"No, actually I'm grateful that you created a ton of positive publicity, Cam," Leo said. I turned my head and saw him standing in the doorway smiling. "There's no way we could have generated this much interest in the business had you not played the hero."
"I didn't do it to generate business," I said, rolling my eyes. "And I'm not a hero."
"Of course, you are," Alex said as she took my hand and squeezed it. "You saved Liz and I, and you kept Victor from burning down that building."
"And now everyone thinks that kind of security comes standard with CSC services." Leo grinned.
"That's insane," I said, shaking my head.
"Nope, that's good publicity!" Leo replied. "I was able to play it up at Metzler's announcement that he's running for office, and the phone's been ringing off the hook ever since."
"You're an opportunist, Leo." I laughed.
"I'm pragmatic and a damn good businessman, if I do say so myself," Leo replied. "Look, I just wanted to stop in and see if you needed anything. They said you're probably going to be out of here in a few days, but that it's going to be a long slow recovery. Take it easy, will ya? I'll take care of business, and then when you're feeling up to it, you can come in and we'll talk about how we're going to handle this expansion."
"I'm not quite out of the clutches of death and you're talking business," I laughed and then winced.
"Hey, like I said, pragmatic." Leo grinned as he leaned over and gripped my shoulder. The look in his ey
es was serious as he said, "I'm glad you're okay, Cam. Don't ever scare me like that again, you hear me?"
I nodded and smiled up at him as I bent my arm and gripped his hand.
"I gotta run; I have a date with a girl I met at the Metzler shindig," Leo said smiling at Alex and I. "Maybe I'll get as lucky as you two seem to have gotten."
After Leo left, Alex busied herself with straightening my blankets and getting me propped up so that I could watch television. She'd brought her books with her and sat studying while I flipped through channels. Occasionally, she'd look up and smile at me, but neither of us said much. I wasn't entirely sure what to say, and I wasn't sure if she wanted to talk about what had happened.
Around dinnertime, Alex left to go check on Liz. They'd moved her to the detox unit so that she could get the drugs out of her system, but it was a slow painful process of withdrawing given the fact that Liz had been using incredibly potent drugs for quite awhile. When Alex returned, she looked pale and worried.
"How was your visit with Liz?" I asked. Alex shook her head and bit her lip. "Is she okay?"
"She's...struggling," Alex said as she sat down. "I didn't know things had gotten so bad. How could I not have known?"
"Addicts are good at hiding things," I said, reaching out and taking her hand. "You can't blame yourself."
"I do though," she said, looking down at the floor. "She can't go back to school after the cheating charges were found to be true. I feel guilty."
"Guilty that you weren't cheating?" I asked. "Liz made her own bed, now she's got to lie in it."
"Wow, harsh, Connor," she said with a look of surprise. "I'd have thought you'd be a little more forgiving after what's happened."
"Why should I be more forgiving? I'm the one who almost died!" I said, wincing as I felt the pull of stitches in my side. "And that asshole almost killed you, too. Don't forget."