Everett leaned in to kiss her. “Depends what my publicist says.”
Devin pulled her head back. “Wait. Are you kidding?”
Everett looked surprised. “What…”
“You’re still getting married?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“But you didn’t say you weren’t.”
“I’m saying I don’t know.”
Devin shook her head. Typical. Just when she thought there was something between them. Everett had to be Everett.
Devin couldn’t look at her. “Yeah. Great. Whatever…”
“Devin, I’m saying I don’t know… Can’t that be something?”
Devin couldn’t believe she was starting to feel hurt. What a waste of time. She looked at Everett. Beautiful Everett. Everett who had almost died a few minutes ago. Everett who could have been shot at any point this evening. Her Everett whom she loved. Her Everett.
Everett seemed to read her mind. Or see something in her eyes. Because wordlessly she walked over to Devin again, put her hands on her waist, looked into her eyes, pulled her in and kissed her hard.
Devin kissed her back. Like she never had before, like it was all they had and maybe it would be. Suddenly Everett’s hands were all over her. Everett pulled her down and they slowly lowered to the floor, kissing and hands all over each other, crashing into some music stands as they went.
Devin lay down and Everett lay next to her, leaning over her with her mouth on Devin’s, her tongue deep inside, running her hand across Devin’s breasts.
Devin realized what was happening. “Wait,” She whispered. “This is crazy. No.”
Devin felt Everett’s soft fingertips slide up her outer thigh, under her dress. Devin wanted to say how inappropriate this was. Unprofessional. Wrong. But words were not high on the list of things her mind was capable of as Everett’s mouth started to caress Devin’s throat and then her tongue slid up the side of her neck as she lifted her mouth to Devin’s.
She spoke with her lips right on Devin’s lips. A whisper.
“If we’re going to die I want to go out fucking you.”
Everett’s hand slipped in between Devin’s legs.
“No” Devin was thinking. “This is crazy. No… No.”
Devin felt Everett’s hand arrive at its destination.
She saw Everett smile in surprise. “Oh my God, you’re so-”
Devin shoved her tongue in Everett’s mouth. She kissed her deep and hard. All the while thinking - This is wrong. We shouldn’t do this… No… No.
Suddenly Devin gasped as two of Everett’s fingers slipped inside her.
“Oh, God…Yes.”
So much for no. She grabbed on to Everett’s shoulders as Everett slammed her fingers up inside her.
It felt so intense, Devin thought for a moment she might pass out. She looked at Everett and grabbed her face, thrusting her tongue in Everett’s mouth, the two of them moaning softly.
She felt Everett’s body rocking back and forth with the force of her thrusting hand.
“Oh God,” Devin whispered.
Everett put her mouth right on Devin’s ear. She ran her tongue along the inside, which made Devin catch her breath. Everett whispered in her ear.
“You know I love you.”
Devin closed her eyes. The only thing that felt better than what Everett was doing to her was what she was saying.
“Oh God,” Devin whispered again. She let everything in her mind just go. The yesterdays, the lack of a tomorrow. She let herself just be in love with this gorgeous woman who was owning her body right now.
Everett kept her mouth pressed against Devin’s ear as she rammed her hand inside her.
“I love you,” She whispered. “I love you, Devin.”
Everett kept her hand moving inside her. But now she looked right in her eyes.
“I do, baby,” Everett said desperately. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” Devin whispered.
Suddenly Everett kissed her so hard and so deep that Devin couldn’t take anymore. “Oh fuck…” Devin whispered desperately as she came, feeling herself tighten again and again around Everett’s hand.
“Oh my God, Baby…” Everett whispered at the intensity of the climax.
Devin lowered her shoulders down onto the floor, laying back. She felt Everett’s body press against her as Everett pressed the weight of her body against her and kissed her mouth gently - softly running her tongue across Devin’s lips, then inside her mouth. It was perfect. Perfect.
Devin felt Everett pull her hand out slowly. She kept her mouth on Devin’s as she did, kissing her gently and softly.
Devin closed her eyes as Everett lay down next to her, putting her head on Devin’s chest and her arm around her waist. Just like so many other times but today was different. They were supposed to be over.
Devin felt a rush of emotion wash over her. It was so many things all at once - all the love and all the hurt of the past two years, the thought she was going to lose Everett a little while ago, the knowledge that in another way she already had. It all came up and out directly from her heart. And she started to cry.
Everett looked up at her. She propped herself up, leaning on her elbow, stroking Devin’s face. She wiped away a tear.
“What?” Everett said.
Devin shook her head. She couldn’t speak.
The tears had started and they weren’t about to stop. Devin put her hand up over her eyes.
They lay there a long time like that. Devin crying silently and Everett just letting her cry.
Finally, Devin felt like the tears were stopping. She lay there in the quiet stillness for a moment, then let her arm drape over her head onto the floor behind her, almost like surrender. She closed her eyes a moment and took a deep breath. A silent softness crept over her. A knowing.
She lifted herself up to sitting, wiping away a stray tear that had fallen down her cheek. She spotted something and reached over and grabbed a small flannel polishing cloth in an open violin case nearby, using it to dry her eyes.
Devin smiled a bit, holding the cloth out to Everett. “Here…your hand.”
“Oh,” Everett said absently. “Right.”
Everett dried off her hand. She tossed the rag aside and leaned in towards Devin. “What is it?” she said.
Devin shook her head. It took her a long time to talk.
Finally she looked at Everett, at that face she had loved so long. Those beautiful green eyes that had looked so deep inside her to a place she didn’t know could even be seen.
Everything she had felt for Everett may have been true. It was true. But it wasn’t returned.
“Everett…” Devin spoke softly. “You love me…you just don’t love me enough.”
“What do you mean?”
She turned to her. “Do you - you don’t love me enough.”
Everett didn’t say anything. Finally she did. “Don’t say that.”
“It’s true though.”
“No, Devin…”
Devin looked around. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Took a deep breath. She was going to go on and if she was going to go on she was going to need to survive this.
“Okay, we’ve got to find a way out of here.” She stood up and brushed herself off. “You’ve got movies to make. And I’ve got a life to lead.”
Everett reached up and took her hand. “Baby…”
“…I deserve to be loved, Everett.”
“Devin-”
“Enough. I deserve to be loved enough.”
Now it was Everett whose eyes filled up. She turned away.
Devin saw a tear fall. Everett turned back to Devin, she wiped away the tear. Because she too knew it was over.
“I’m sorry…”
Devin knew she meant it.
“…Me too.”
84
Bronco Bennett stood on Hollywood Boulevard looking up at the theater. The explosion had made it impossible to get in thro
ugh the roof. Even though none of his men were killed, it was still a failure. His phone rang, it was Esteves. He had to pick it up. His job was on the line.
“Yeah…. I know… Believe me, chief, I know. I tried to tell Milner it was a bad idea…Yeah. Okay, I’ll keep you posted.”
Bronco pressed End Call. He reached into his jacket pocket for his cigarettes. Who was Esteves going to believe, anyway? One of his own men or a suit from Washington.
Bronco saw Milner heading across the street towards him.
“Any other ideas, Bennett?” Milner barked.
“Look, you little shit,” Bronco snarled, “I had to try something. Don’t fucking tell me I was wrong to try it. Besides I didn’t hear you protesting.”
Milner looked like he was going to lose it. “That’s because you didn’t listen, Bennett.”
Bronco Bennett pointed his finger in Milner’s face. “Don’t fucking think you can talk to me like that, you Washington asshole.”
“Don’t threaten me, Bennett.”
“Oh, I’ll threaten you all right. In fact, I’ll do more than that.”
Bronco saw that bitch with the blond ponytail from before. One of Milner’s men. Woman. Whatever. She was walking across the street with another guy towards them.
Bronco turned back to Milner. “You’re out.”
“What?”
“Gone. Fuck off. You’re out of here. It’s my jurisdiction and I want you gone.”
Bronco turned to the blond bitch who was handing Milner a piece of paper. Milner looked at it.
Bronco pulled a cigarette out of the package, put it in his mouth, lit it and exhaled a plume of smoke. He looked at the blond. “And you – ponytail. I told you to get lost an hour ago. You’re out of here.”
“No, actually, Lieutenant,” She said with a smile. “I’m not out of here... You are.”
“Fuck off. Like I have time for this shit?”
Milner looked at him smugly. “Actually, she’s right. You’re out of here. You’ve been removed.”
Bronco made a snorting noise, as he did smoke came out of his nose and mouth. “Yeah, right. I just spoke to the chief. We’re good. So who the fuck gave you the right to kick me off the case?”
The blond girl with the ponytail smiled again. “Well we go a little higher than the chief, Lieutenant Bennett…”
“Like?”
“Like the President. Maybe you’ve heard of him. Man who runs the country. Lives in a big house on Pennsylvania Avenue.”
Bronco looked at them incredulous. “What? Bullshit.”
Milner turned the paper around for him to look at it. It was a fax sent from the White House complete with the white house seal. “Right here,” Milner said. “I’ve been petitioning to get you off this case since the takeover started. So now you can officially fuck off yourself.”
Bronco Bennett could feel the rage building in him. He wasn’t sure what to do with it. He flicked his cigarette away onto the street. He felt the blood start to pump in his veins. He felt his head start to pound. He felt like he was going to get one of those rage blackouts he hadn’t had in years. He turned to Milner. And before everything went black – just before – he pulled back his fist and slammed Milner hard in the face. Then he retracted his fist and did it again. Then a third time. Then everything went black.
85
Devin Jones stepped from the small room into the orchestra pit with her gun drawn; she crouched low. She looked out into the theater. Empty. She motioned to Everett who made her way over to her.
“Okay, I’m thinking we go back where we came from. We’ve got to find a place to hide you. There’s got to be another closet, unused… something.”
Devin was thinking on her feet. She was alert and alive.
“Come on…”
Devin jumped over the side of the orchestra pit into the audience. She helped Everett over too.
Everett looked up at the stage remembering. “God… to think this evening of hell started with a dance number.”
Devin smiled. She barely remembered that now. She had been so distracted by Lori Plom waving to people she knew in the crowd, and texting all the while eating some pistachios, that God knows where she found them. Then there was her hot and heavy makeout with Everett moments before.
“I didn’t really notice…”
“How could you not notice?”
“I was thinking about you.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. Oh. Let’s go…”
Everett was still remembering. “God, when those dancers came out dressed like film reels and the cowboys and Indians, the whole history of film crap… but with a fog machine. How cheesy was that?”
Devin stopped suddenly. ‘What did you say?”
“What… film reels, cowboys and Indi- oh, sorry. I meant Native Americans. Sorry.”
“No… there was a fog machine?”
“Yeah. Don’t you remember? Filled the whole stage?”
Devin felt a surge of hope. It was something. “Fog machine… We need a fog machine.”
“You planning on doing a dance number?”
“Yes, if we get out of here. I promise I will… But in the meantime… Everett, a fog machine is essentially a liquid nitrogen canon.”
Everett looked skeptical. “Okay….”
“And there is only one way to actually defuse a bomb. And do you know what that is?”
“I’m an actress, Devin. Of course not. We aren’t exactly science majors.”
Devin smiled. She looked around the theater for the best way backstage or under the stage.
“The only way to defuse a bomb is by freezing it.”
“Like put it in the fridge?”
“Okay, you really are an actress.”
Everett laughed.
Devin looked at her. “Sure. Or by spraying it with liquid nitrogen.”
She glanced at Everett.
“We have to find the liquid nitrogen.”
86
Richard came down the stairs from what was left of the third floor. Right now it was a pile of rubble blocking the door.
One of his guys, Len was on his radio with someone.
Richard shook his head as he made his way down the stairs. “They’re going to pay for this… Fucking pay hard for this.”
Len finished talking into his radio. “Right. Got it.”
He looked at Richard; they started down the stairs together.
“Boss…”
Richard stopped. He looked right at Len, then impulsively grabbed him by the throat.
“Don’t give me any more bad news, Len. Do you understand? Do not tell me anything I won’t like.”
Len looked freaked out. And he should have been. Richard knew he was one move away from crushing this guy’s windpipe. The only reason he didn’t was he needed him. He’d already lost no fewer than seven guys. Not counting Vidic. An impulsive kill Richard was starting to doubt right now.
“I understand” Len managed to squeak out.
“Good…”
Richard let go of his throat and patted his face. He was starting to get seriously stressed out. Not much had gone right the whole night according to his year long planning.
The two of them started down the stairs.
After about ten steps, Richard relented. “Okay, what?”
Len hesitated, didn’t want to say it.
“Len… What?”
Len sighed. “They’re dead.”
Richard smiled. He started down the stairs. “Finally. Something went right. Devin Jones and Everett Cale dead. Good! Finally!”
Richard turned around. He realized that Len hadn’t walked down the rest of these steps with him. He looked up the stairs at Len who looked like he was going to heave if he had to give him the news.
“You just said… they’re dead,” Richard reminded him.
Len was nodding. “Yeah. I did.” Finally the words came. “Not them. The two guys who took them to the stage.”
Richa
rd felt himself just about explode. What the fuck? “How is this even possible? How fucking lame are these losers we hired?”
“Our guys are good, Richard.”
“Don’t tell me. Don’t say anything like-”
“She’s just better.”
Richard shook his head as a warning to Len. “Why’d you finish that fucking sentence?”
“I don’t know…”
“I do. You’re a fucking blabbermouth. You’ve got a big mouth. And I would shoot you in the mouth right now, but I need you. So fucking get it together. And get these guys together. We have half an hour to get this job done.”
Richard rubbed his face. Like he was trying to wake up.
“Okay, fine. She’s going to kill two of our guys? I’m going to kill 8 of those celebrities. Those are fair numbers, don’t you think?”
Len nodded a little hard. Richard could practically hear the marble rolling around in there.
“And this time I’ll do it myself,” Richard said.
87
Devin reached into her bra and pulled out her cell phone as she and Everett made their way back through the orchestra pit into the under stage corridors.
Everett watched her. “I like where you keep your phone. I should call more often.”
“Hey, they didn’t find it. So I’m doing okay.”
Devin stopped as they got to the door. She handed Everett her gun. “Can you hold this?”
Everett took it from her gingerly. Devin noticed. “Everett can you at least act like someone who can handle a gun? What did I spend all those weeks teaching you on the damn movie?”
Everett smirked.
“AND how to handle a gun,” Devin said.
Everett watched Devin tapping away on her cell phone. “What are you doing?”
“I can’t believe I’m saying these words – I’m texting my publicist. I want to get a message out there. I need to mess with them.”
“Them who?”
“That Richard guy and Sis Warren.”
“Sis Warren… why on earth would she -?”
“I have a few ideas…”
Devin kept texting her message.
Everett touched Devin’s arm gently. “Can you do me a favor? Can you just text that I’m still alive?” Devin looked up and saw Everett’s eyes well up. Clearly this was still heavy. This was still scary. They weren’t out. Not by a long shot. And they might not be. “I want my Mom to know I’m still alive,” She said quietly, clearly trying not to cry.
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