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The men reach us within a few steps. I push her backwards, her back hitting the wall by the door just as they grab my arms.
“I’m only going to offer this once,” I growl through my teeth, my eyes focusing ahead like razors. “Let go, or I’ll shred you to pieces.”
They just wait for Gordon’s signal. But, apparently, he’s not done playing with me.
“How does it feel, Zayne, to be completely in some weirdo’s power? This is what those boys must feel in the basements where you keep them. I could do the same with you and your lover right now, are you aware of that? You’re in the basement of a forgotten, dilapidated building, a place no one would think to check for corpses even when they come with dynamite to tear it down. No one will ever find your bodies.” He lets out a sick laugh that travels through me like an icy whip. “Fate has dealt you one nasty hand, hasn’t it, Zayne? That you should find your miserable end in the same place where your journey started.” He pouts theatrically. “But at least you found true love, and neither of you will have to live without the other. You get to share a grave. How many lovers can say that, huh?”
I don’t say anything, all of my senses sharpened to kill. Not having The Order backing me up on this one makes the situation difficult to handle, but not impossible. It’s true–odds are, I won’t get out of here alive. But Sirenna will, if it’s the last thing I do.
I roll my shoulders and my neck, the invitation for him to give it his best shot. Recognizing a beast getting ready to bite, Joseph takes a step back, drawing halfway behind Gordon, but the latter only sighs like he’s turned on.
“Oh, look at you, the dragon to your lover’s Daenerys.”
I arch an eyebrow, signaling that I have no idea what he’s talking about.
“Oh, I get it, big pharma boss is too busy to watch a hit series on HBO. Too bad. That show is something no one should miss in life.” He shrugs. “A lost opportunity, I suppose. But, don’t worry, we’ll make your end epic, every bit worthy of an epic monster, like yourself.”
At his signal, his men make to grab my arms. I bend down like a gunshot, causing them to bang their heads against each other, and swipe the shackle from the floor.
The men groan and tangle with each other, trying to regain their footing, while Sirenna and I inch closer to the door. My body shields her while I swing the shackle above my head, holding it by the chain. Anyone daring to get too close is going to get their teeth knocked out.
Joseph’s eyes widen and he draws even further backward, but Gordon laughs like this is the show of his life, everything he’s been waiting for. At a new signal from his hand the rest of his men cock their guns and point them at me in a perfectly smooth choreography. Dozens of red dots land on my chest and face, causing Sirenna to gasp behind me and reach out to touch my back. She knows better than to hook her fingers into the fabric of my pants though, since that would only hinder my ability to move when the next attack comes.
“Impressive,” Gordon mutters, and this time he means it. He stares at me fascinated, thirsty for every one of my moves. “You really aren’t scared of anything. You’re a legend in the underground, you know? There are stories about how there’s no dangerous situation you haven’t faced. Now I realize, you don’t really care about your life. Which makes sense, actually. After everything you’ve been through, it’s no wonder you’re feeling worthless. And yet–” His eyebrows hike even higher. I wonder whether his men will take their guns down if I hurtle the iron shackle at him, splitting his face into two, or if they’ll go on to answer to Joseph.
“Yet this is different, isn’t it? You have only your half-naked body standing between a dozen guns and the love of your life.” He grips his chin as if he were thinking of a solution. “Here, I’ll make you a deal.” His eyes elongate with the evil that imbues them. “You get to your knees and let me have my way with that pretty body of yours, one last time, and the girl gets to leave. With her rightful husband, but she gets to leave.”
“There’s nothing rightful about that piece of shit,” I snarl. “He’s going down today, and so are you.”
Gordon clicks his tongue. “You always preferred to learn the hard way, Zayne. Your evil genius doesn’t seem to have helped you there. Very well, then. Let’s have it your way.”
At a snap of his fingers, another two men rip from the semicircle and march forward, their guns cocked to take me down if I resist. I can feel Sirenna going taut behind me. I need to get her out of here, but we’re not close enough to the door yet. It doesn’t take a genius to know this is the end of the road for me, but if I can keep them busy long enough, she could reach Declan Santori. She’d be protected. She’d live. I don’t believe Top Boy’s promises any more than I would a snake’s in the Garden of Eden–he’d kill her as soon as I’m out of the way, and everything she now owns would pass into the hands of her husband. But I do trust Santori.
Gordon whistles, and the men lunge at me. I’d normally dash out of the way, but with Sirenna behind me, all I can do is swing the shackle at them. It hits one in the teeth as quickly as a flash of lightning, but the second one gets too close, so I have to duck and punch him in the gut. He doubles over, puking on the ground from the force, and giving me the chance to twist his hand and take away his gun.
Before anyone can even process exactly what happened, I’ve got a red dot firmly planted on Top Boy’s forehead.
He freezes in place. Silence falls, only Joseph’s scared sigh rising into the air from behind Top Boy.
“Give me one good reason not to put a bullet in your face,” I growl.
“You won’t put a bullet in my face,” he says calmly, even though I can tell it costs him effort to keep his cool, “because my men have orders to put so many holes in you if I die, that your lover won’t be able to recognize you. Then, they’ll take turns with her.” He jerks his head behind him. “Joseph here tells me he likes to watch.”
I hiss with aggression, my finger itching over the trigger. This is a fucking dead end.
“Let her go. Then you can have me. Do whatever you want with me. Burn the skin off my face, for all I care.”
“Zayne, no,” Sirenna yelps, and my heart cracks. The sound betrays how deeply the words cut her. I desperately need to save her.
Gordon’s eyes flicker.
Keeping the gun in one hand, I reach behind me with the other, and start inching closer to the door with her. The men move out of the way, probably taking Gordon’s silence as an indication to do nothing yet.
“Tell me,” I say, now that Sirenna is nearly out the door. “Who helped you set up this trap? Was it Marius Loveless from The Order? Or was it someone even higher up?”
“You’ve made some enemies among the powerful, Zayne. So powerful that I’d rather not throw their names around.”
“You’re going to kill me anyway, after you’ve had your fun with me. You might as well tell me.”
