Khaos, the adrenaline junkie he is, chose a grenade. Yes, a fucking grenade. The possibility of offing himself was always on the table.
Pulling my own personal gun out of the band of my pants, I had to make it at least look like I came prepared. I was plenty prepared… to let my player flee and make it look convincing.
“Ready?” Like the natural born thoroughbred Vic was, he looked us over.
Pushing past him, I was really testing the hate in our love/hate relationship.
“I’ll see you guys in a few hours.” I tossed the words behind me like a bad memory.
“Few hours? Losing your touch, Reaper.” Bowen refused to call me Jason or Grimm; he preferred Reaper.
Stalking into the woods that kissed the manicured lawn, I knew Teresa wasn’t stupid. She was going to head for the fence and a way out. That’s exactly where I would find her.
Everything was quieter than normal. The sky was turning into the kind of transitional colors that would fade into black.
I needed to confirm with Abigail she actually did what I needed her to. I normally would have done that hours ago, but the questioning never came up, like my mind and body already trusted her.
Without my consent.
Looking behind me, I tried to see between the trees to spot the other guys or other members. The coast was clear as I pulled my phone out and pressed her name, watching it dial her.
It kept ringing, and I started to panic with only an hour until the plane was supposed to be here.
“Hello?” Pulling my phone away from my ear, ready to hang up, I heard her voice come through. “Grimm?”
“Is the plane set?”
With a heavy exhale, she answered, “Yes, it’s ready. Next time you might wanna give me your contacts. Wait, why are you whispering?”
Stepping on breaking sticks with each movement, I gave up being quiet. “Thought you had them. You worked for Vic.”
“He is surprisingly private. I handled Clave business, nothing else.”
I went silent, semi-lost in her voice and semi-listening for footsteps that weren’t mine. I had a player to find and free before anyone came looking for me.
“Grimm?”
“Yeah, I’m here. How did you get the plane?” I didn’t actually need to know, but I was grasping at fucking fake straws just to keep her on the phone again. Something about her voice and the almond eyes with bushy eyebrows coming to fruition in my mind was keeping me calm better than Xanax.
“It’ll be in the clearing at nine, Grimm. I have to go. I have a date.”
The word date rang in my ears as the silence from her end caused me to be mute. She had a date? A boyfriend? Both? I didn’t expect to want to know anything about her but her name and number so I could have her do shit I didn’t want to. Something about hearing she had a date grinded some kind of gears inside me that were rusted over.
Without another word, I pressed to end the call abruptly.
I heard dead leaves crunch, and I hadn’t moved. Looking around carefully in the slate of the night sky rolling in heavily, I knew she was hiding, close by. I could hear her breathing hoarsely and strained, even though she was trying not to. I wasn’t even sure it was my player when I tucked the gun back into the back of my pants. I didn’t want to scare anyone more than I was probably going to have to.
I crept around the thick tree, quietly—the way I was good at, being a silent, for-hire killer.
Getting a good look at her, I confirmed she was, in fact, my player. Her dirty blonde hair, puffy vest, and Lululemon outfit screamed SoulCycle class.
Her entire Facebook revolved around cycling and conspiracy theories. She ran a blog on the side dedicated to how fucked the world was, and I couldn’t disagree.
The world was fucked, and the ones doing the fucking weren’t even a normal kind of cult. We worshipped God instead of hailing the devil. How fucked up is that?
Slipping beside her, I watched her peer around the opposite side, while she shook and tears soaked her skin.
“I’m not gonna hurt you…” My voice made her jump, and I was surprised.
“What do you want from me?”
I had to bite down a laugh at her question. It was always the same questions: Who are you? What do you want? Are you going to kill me?
“I’m not gonna kill you. Calm down.” Clamping down my hands on her shoulders, I held her still from running away.
The tears that she stopped shedding built up in clumps and all decided to release at that moment. “Why? What is this place? Who are you?”
See? Always the same questions.
“I’m a monster. You should be scared. I’m tired of killing people who hate us just because you hate us. That’s all you’re getting out of me.”
She thrashed against my grip and cried even harder. At least she wasn’t talking anymore; that made this easier. Her open palm landed against my cheek with so much force that it gave me the illusion I tasted blood. Her nails caught my cheekbone digging scratches into my unmarked skin there.
“Stop!” Pulling out the Ziplock bag with one hand I held it between us. “This is a passport and enough money to get you settled for a while, and there is a plane coming to get you.”
Her tears puddled, but didn’t spill from her lower lashes. “You aren’t going to kill me?”
For someone digesting conspiracy theories all day, every day, she wasn’t really catching up like I had expected. Pushing her forward, still in my grip, I guided her to the opening in the field beyond the tree line where the helipad was located.
“No, you don’t deserve it. Hold on, though. I need to make it look like you died. I can’t have anyone asking questions.” I stopped her from walking, while she still shook in my hands, looking confused. Handing her the gun, I let go of her arm and said, “I need you to shoot me in the shoulder or arm.”
“What?! No! You said you were letting me go...” Her voice shook erratically in the air as I closed her fingers around the neck of the gun.
“It’ll look like a struggle. It’ll explain shit. I’ve been shot before, I can take it Teresa.”
Looking at the contents of the Ziplock bag that I had pushed into her hands, she saw her new name but the same face she was used to. “Sarah? I don’t understand. I was leaving the smoothie bar, and I woke up here.”
My hands cupped her face. “I’m sorry, okay? These people are the ones that made me a monster, and I need you to listen to me before this gets out of my control. We don’t have much time before my brothers are done with their players.”
“I’ve never shot a gun. I don’t know what—”
I held the gun’s neck to my shoulder and looked her in the eyes. “You don’t have a choice, Sarah. Do you wanna survive?”
Closing her eyes she pumped the trigger, and without any warning, the bullet snapped though my bicep muscle. It took my breath away, and the beating of my heart that was pretty steady ran wild. I had saved her and managed to punish myself all in one try.
“Come on…” My jaw locked, and I managed to pull her along with my good side. It was bleeding down the inside of my hoodie leaving trails of heat.
“Oh, my God! I shot you. Are you okay?”
I almost felt bad at her twisting to paw at me and check my wound. I had been shot back at school. It was part of our training when we were learning to be monsters.