Can't Catch Me!

Chapter 27 - Tug of War

Chapter 27 - Tug of War

“You’re engaged to him?” his hand on my waist suddenly tightened and dragged me back into the hard chest behind me. “You’re engaged to Dorkface?”

“Get your hands off my fiancé, Grant!”

“Grant you are hurting her,” Gavin frowned as he stood next to Joel.

I felt the fear flood into me.  It was this morning all over again.  He had warned me.  He had told me that he would kill Joel or Gavin if I tested him again.  And from the look on his face this was testing him.  Yes, given his scowl he was severely tested.

I couldn’t risk them.  They had already proven to me that they wouldn’t risk me - they couldn’t and wouldn’t fight back if Grant followed up on his threat.  It was up to me to save Joel and also Gavin.

“No ring,” I stuttered.  I felt the pain of betrayal sting me as Joel’s face dropped but I couldn’t stop myself. 

“What?” they all said at the same time although the tone they each used was very different.

“I... Don’t have a ring,” I forced the words out as I held my hand up for Grant to see. 

His face relaxed and he nodded, “No ring, no engagement Dork!”

“Cissy, don’t do this.  I love you.  Don’t let him win.”

I felt the tears burning in my eyes as I dropped my face from him in shame.  I couldn’t let Grant kill Joel to spite me.  I couldn’t allow my pride to get the man I loved killed.  He had to win.  I had to let Grant win.  I had no choice. 

“I know you love me Cissy and I won’t give up on us.  Not again. You will be my wife and I will save you.”

 “Shut up Dork and follow the plan before I forget all about Blair and put a bloody great big hole through that massive brain of yours.”

I quickly swung around to glare at Grant who was activating one of the two UGOD’s now attached to his wrist.  He didn’t return my look as he went about preparing for the gate, but he also ignored Joel so I forced down my fear and convinced myself that he was joking.

Joel however didn’t back down.  He stayed tense and when Grant handed him the companion essence device I saw his lips move but didn’t catch what he said to Grant.  However Grant smirked and I heard his smug reply.

“How does it feel to get a dose of your own medicine?” He was focused on Joel and said the words softly but the wind that was now swirling around us blew them to me. 

What was that supposed to mean?  But I didn’t have time to question because Grant was dragging me into yet another gate. 

As the while light tingled against my skin and the darkness of drowsiness began to cloud my vision, I questioned why this didn’t affect the plastic explosive.  Why didn’t this set it off?  If nothing else why didn’t it expel the sensor from Grant’s body?   The gate fixed injuries.  Why didn’t it just see the device under his skin as a foreign body and deal with it?  It mustn’t work like that.  After all if it did I would be dead right?

I woke in Joel’s arms.  I looked up into his face as his hair streamed upwards.  He smiled at me as his arms tightened.  I didn’t need to read lips to know what he was saying to me.  I had missed him.  I had missed this Joel so much.  This was a different Joel to the one that escaped D-zero with me.  His eyes didn’t have the burden that they had carried since we started to run from the company.  His whole face was more relaxed.  He looked like the Joel I fell in love with.