Page 50 of Perfect Chaos

“I love you too, Atlas.” Tears run down my cheeks as I cling to him for a moment, burning it into my memory for the off chance I'll never hear it again.

Ramos clears his throat, breaking the moment. “I hate to interrupt, but we need to move in. If we don't breach at the same time, it's a bigger risk of it going wrong. I wipe the tears from my face with my sleeve before slipping on my mask. I take a deep breath, glancing at Atlas one last time.

“Okay, let's do this.”

Ramos tests the handle to confirm that it's locked before pulling out a tension wrench and a pick from his vest pocket, crouching to his knees. He makes quick work of the lock, standing after we hear the distinct sound of the tumblers falling into place as it unlocks.

He rises back to his full height, easing the door open. We all slip inside after Atlas, who closes the door behind us. He locks it again to decrease suspicion.

The compound is quiet to the point that it is unsettling. You would think you would hear people moving about, but the silence is so loud that unease prickles down my spine. I don't know why, but something feels wrong.

We creep down the corridor, hands on our weapons, ready to draw them if we need to. One guard rounds the corner; Ramos reacts first, snapping the man's neck before letting him collapse to the ground. I'm surprised at how quickly he reacted, but also impressed. It was quick, effective, and didn't leave a mess. We continue pushing forward, each of us carefully stepping over the body.

The next few corridors are empty as we progress through them. We keep pushing forward. Getting closer to where Gavin might be. Before we are able to get to our targeted spot, footsteps rush towards us. There sounds like way too many for us to take head-on. We backtrack to a safe point to hide, but I miscalculate it. I go left, while Atlas and Ramos turn right. The footsteps are too close now for me to correct it and go to them.

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

Shots echo behind me from the direction Atlas and Ramos are. They could be hurt or worse. What am I going to do? My feet begin to pace automatically as my heartbeat jumps to my throat. If I panic right now, there is no way this will end well. I have to calm down. I pull the Glock from the holster at my side, taking a calming breath before stepping out of my hiding spot and heading for the boys.

I round the next corner and walk right into the barrel of a pistol. My heart sinks to my feet. I glance around the area looking for Atlas and Ramos but only see three men in suits staring back at me, with another man in a suit dead on the ground. At least that means there is a chance they are still alive.

“Drop the gun, or I'll put a bullet between your eyes.”

“Seems like I don't have a choice.”

“A female and mouthy. Let's see what she's hiding underneath her mask.” His words sound vile and make me sick to my stomach.

They yank my mask up with more force than necessary. The material is burning me as it drags across my skin. The man in front of me brutally grips my face, pulling me closer to him as if trying to inspect a product he was going to buy. I collect as much saliva as I can before spitting into his face. He lets go of me immediately, wiping my spit from his face as I laugh.

“You little bitch! You fucked up now!” He screeches the words into my face before grabbing me by my hair.

The other two men reach out, trying to grab my arms, and my instincts take over. I reach for my knife, flipping it open and stabbing the man to my right. The blade hits the target, sinking into his thigh before I rip it free. He yells out in pain, dropping his hold on me and trying to stop the bleeding. I spin in the remaining hold, not caring about the pain from having my hair practically ripped out. I refuse to go down with a fight. I swing the blade again, but my arm is grabbed before it connects with anyone. My arm is slammed into the wall repetitively until my grip on the knife loosens, causing the knife to clatter to the floor. Both men, not currently bleeding out on the ground, change their grip on me. One man grabs both arms while the other grabs my ankles.

“I’m sure Vin is going to have so much fun playing with you. He likes playing with things that try to fight back.” It’s the same man as before who says this, his voice making my skin crawl.

I decide to reserve any energy I have left for my encounter with Vin. Something tells me I will need it. I remain completely silent the entire time they carry me to where I assume Vin is. They come to a stop in front of a metal door. One of the goons uses their foot to kick three loud knocks against it; I can’t tell which one. I'm anxious to face whatever is sitting on the other side of this door. My stomach twists in knots I don’t have time to deal with.

“Enter.” The voice is callous and straight to the point, but it’s the same voice I recognize as belonging to the man I threatened with a fork. My body stiffens. He looks somehow scarier in this room than when I saw him on the street. Maybe because we are in his domain this time. I try to keep my face neutral, not wanting to give him any indication of how I feel. If he is as bad as they said he is, then he will be looking for a weakness he can exploit. I don’t want to give him more to use against me. Gavin being captured is bad enough.

Goon number two lets go of one of my ankles to open the door. I use that moment to kick him as hard as I can in the position. My foot connects with his throat. He releases my other leg to clutch his throat as he wheezes for air. Before I can fight any further, another gun is pointed at me. Vin uses the gun in his hand to motion towards the chair in front of his desk. Goon number one tosses me into the chair, then exits the room, leaving me alone with Vin. Vin circles my chair like I am his prey. I hate every second of it.

He leans into my personal space before talking. “I recognize you from the other day. You threatened me with a fork.”

I bite my tongue, refusing to give him any kind of reaction.

“Hmm, not talking. Okay. Let’s go for a walk. I want to show you something.”

When I refuse to stand up and follow him, he yanks me from the chair by my arm. I react instantly, knowing this could be the only chance I have to escape. I have a better chance of winning a one-on-one fight. I thrash in his hold, slipping from his grip long enough to kick at him. My foot connects with his groin. He drops to his knees, cupping himself while I try to scramble away. Vin grabs my foot, yanking me back towards him. He flips me over, straddling my waist. I continue swinging, landing a few punches in the process, but it’s not enough. His hand covers my mouth and nose, cutting off my air supply. My lungs begin to burn as I struggle for a breath. Panic begins to set in and I do the only thing I can think of. My teeth latch down on his palm as hard as I can; the taste of copper fills my mouth. He yanks his hand free, pinning my arms under his legs while calling for guards. The same man from earlier enters the room with a new one I haven't seen before.

“Grab me the roll of duct tape and hurry the hell up. She fucking bit me.” Vin yells it so loud that spit flies from his mouth.

The guard tosses him the tape from his desk drawer. Vin rips off a piece, effectively taping my mouth shut before ordering the guards to grab me. Once the guards have a strong hold on me, Vin stands back up. He heads over to his desk, pulling out a med kit. He bandages his hand in complete silence before closing the kit up and heading towards the door.

“Bring her this way. We got some friends to go visit.”

The men carry me out of the room and my stomach sinks. I don’t know what will be waiting for me wherever they are taking me, but I know it’s not going to be good.

Chapter Twenty-Five