Chapter 20
Firebomb
Ron stumble when Von Crooken's guards pushed him inside Snitch Gravel's office, but managed to regain his footing before he kissed the desk.
Snitch Gravel, who was engrossed in some papers, paid him no mind. Nor Von Crooken who marched triumphantly inside and slammed the door behind him.
"Like I said, we have a vermin infestation," he said, the pleasure in his voice disgusting. "You were right to suspect a break in. The brats have been in the building since last night and he's been helping them hide ever since."
"Seriously, Nicholas," Snitch Gravel mumbled, still not looking at them. "Don't you ever knock?"
Von Crooken's face fell and Ron fought a laugh. This wasn't funny. Because he knew Snitch Gravel well enough to tell that he was doing some quick thinking under that impassible mask. Probably thinking how to save his neck.
"Have you heard me?" Von Crooken demanded.
"I'm not deaf. I think I've proven it time and time again." With a tired sigh, Snitch Gravel dropped his papers and got to his feet. The chill in his eyes sent Ron into a trembling fit. "Do I look like a bloody idiot to you?"
"What?" Von Crooken asked, his eyebrows scrunched together.
"When will you stop taking me for an ignorant fool and remember that this is my compound and I know everything going on inside it?" Snitch Gravel shook his head, his teeth gritted. "I know they're here. Ron was supposed to lead them into my trap."
Ron nodded, trying to not seem completely shocked by the words coming out of their boss' mouth.
"But, here we are." Snitch Gravel shook his head. "You blew it again Nicholas. Why can't you trust Ron? He's under my direct order. He only does what I tell him to do."
Von Crooken stared stunned, and Ron had the sudden impulse to punch him in the face really hard. He would've probably done it, had his hands not been tied behind his back.
"Have you lost your mind, boss?" Von Crooken suddenly yelled. "He's one of them! From his cursed last name to his affiliation."
Snitch Gravel shook his head. "I've had it with this." He turned to Ron, his gaze intense, as though warning him that he'd better see beyond the words and chose his answer carefully. "Have you ever disrespected my orders?"
"No," Ron answered at once.
"Do you wish to leave my employment?"
Employment was not the right word to use, but Ron understood how important that question was. Snitch Gravel was asking him to pick sides. And he had no idea what would happen once he did. But he had a feeling that if he said no, his two-faced act would no longer be tolerated. Did Snitch Gravel actually know what he'd done? But if he said yes... would they kill him on the spot.
"It's an easy question," Von Crooken snarled.
No, it wasn't. It was the most difficult question he'd been asked. But if being with his nephews had taught him anything, it was to suck it up and face the danger. So he nodded slowly. "Yes," he finally said.
"Very well." Snitch Gravel nodded to Von Crooken who seemed to get the order, because he rushed over and opened Ron's handcuffs. "You've got a minute. Put it to good use."
Ron knew what that meant. A minute before they'd start hunting him down, too. It made him feel strangely free. "I... Thank you. For everything. And if you ever need me for anything..."
Snitch Gravel smiled, but it was cruel. "How touching. But so stupid." He pointed at his watch. "Tick tock."
Ron nodded and bolted out the window and down the hall, towards the cage room. He couldn't reach it in one minute, but he hoped no one would intercept him. Fortunately, he could soon see the door looming ahead. Unfortunately, he could also hear footsteps behind him. A lot of them
He stepped in and shut the door behind him, propping his back against it. His nephews were already there, Sam analyzing the door that lead to Tom while the others gathered around him like a human shield. Because that's what they did. They respected and took care of each other. And that was exactly what he wanted.
"Guys, we have company!" he called out, then hurried between Billy and Jim and raised his fists.
🔥💥🔥
Angie couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten something. Or when she'd had proper sleep for that matter. But as she stared down at the malevolent men filling up the room, it didn't matter. Because she was minutes away from Tom. And if Sam couldn't get that door open, she'd tear it down using her nails if she had to.
The men took their guns out.
"Smoke bombs," Sam said over his shoulder, unimpressed.
Angie pulled out her smoke bomb from the pocket of her bulletproof vest and threw it towards the incoming men. Smoke filled the room at once, making the air hard to breathe, making it impossible to see. She could barely make out the reddish line at the bottom of the wall where the hidden door was. And, with a triumphant call from Sam, the line turned into a big square. Without giving it a second thought, she charged at the new door.
A shot rung through the room followed by a yell. Angie threw herself to the ground.
"Wow, these guys are stupider than I thought," Kyle said from somewhere to her left.
"Don't shoot, you morons!" Eye Patch yelled. "There's a lot more of you than them."
"Statistics are a bitch, huh?" Jimmy said, sounding amused.
Angie scrambled back to her feet, making her way between bodies, towards the light. Someone came out from the smoke and tackled her from the side. They both tumbled to the floor. Pain shot up Angie's spine as her elbows hit the hard surface. She sucked air through her teeth, but rolled into a crouch. She was completely surrounded by smoke and the little light made it even harder to see; like headlights in the fog.
A body appeared out of nowhere in front of her. She stepped back, but didn't get to raise her arms and defend herself before a fist appeared in front of her eyes. She shut them, bracing for impact. It never came.
Angie opened one eye warily. There was someone beside her, someone who had caught the guy's balled hand before he could strike her. Someone wearing nothing but rags and a determined expression.
"Tom," she breathed.
He didn't look at her, just stared the goon down, his eyebrows drawn together in annoyance. He didn't have his sunglasses. There was a deep gash above his right eye, still bleeding. There was blood everywhere, either still sipping or dried. On his face, on his arms, on the reminder of that scarlet t-shirt. Angie gritted her teeth. Tom didn't have a scarlet t-shirt and he sure as hell wasn't wearing one when he'd been captured.
Tom, pulled the attacker towards him and elbowed him in the face hard enough to break his nose and send him stumbling into the smoke. He threw her one fleeting glance before moving out of her line of sight.
"No, get back here!" Angie rushed after him, but had no idea where she went. Shadows danced around her and she couldn't even tell if they were friends or foes. Her heart drummed in her temples, making it hard to think. She was sure she was being stupid, that she was missing something, doing something wrong, but she couldn't tell what it was. Not anymore.
"Pull back towards the room. Now!" Sam called.
Angie changed direction at once, her feet slipping on the stone floor and hurried towards the square of light. Of course, the room. They'd be able to see in there. Unfortunately, so would Snitch Gravel's men. She cleared the door at a run, spun on the spot and pointed her pistol at the door. William and Jim did the same, and the moment Billy and Ron rushed in, they started shooting towards the smoke covered opening. Screams and curses drifted in from the other side.
"This looks like a freaking dead end," Jimmy said, scanning the room.
"It's not," Tom said.
Angie watched him hurrying behind an old boiler and pulling out a set of rusty keys. He then rushed to the opposite wall and started fumbling against what looked very much like wall, but he obviously knew what he was doing, because seconds later, fresh air swept the room.
"Everyone out!" Sam called.
She rushed to Tom at once, deciding to latch on to him forever and make sure he got out safely. The moment she reached him, she grabbed on to his forearm. He winced, but didn't pull back. He didn't look at her either, and it hurt.
"Come on!" he called, motioning for the others to get out.
Jimmy and Kyle kneeled in front of them, providing cover fire while the others retreated through the door. First Jerry and Jim, then Billy, Ron and William, and finally Sam.
"Get your asses in there and shoot them!" Eye Patch yelled, somewhere between enraged and terrified.
"Go!" Tom yelled at Jimmy and Kyle. "I got this."
The two glanced over their shoulders at him, but seemed to trust him, because they bolted out. Tom yanked the gun out of Angie's hand and pointed it at the boiler.
"Out!" he yelled at her
"Tom, no, what are you doing?"
He took her hand and pulled her against him. There seemed to be fire burning in his eyes, and it gave Angie an inexplicable thrill. Because through all the confusion, the struggle, he was like a firebomb, lighting up the night, destroying everything she used to know and creating something new and wonderful, something worth fighting for. Something she was not going to lose.
"Now," he said quietly. "Trust me."
She couldn't not trust him. So she nodded and hurried out the small door.
A shot sounded behind her, and her blood froze. A wave of heat hit her back and propelled her forward, off her feet.
Flames licked the night sky and screams broke through the ringing in her ears. Sam and Ron kneeled by her sides, flipping her over, forcing her into a sitting position. She couldn't move. All she could do was stare at the fire devouring the building in front of her. Devouring her hopes and dreams.
"Tom!" she yelled. Smoke filled her lungs, sending her into a coughing fit.
"He shot the damn boiler," Ron said between his teeth.
"We have to get in there," Sam said, his voice strangled by panic. "We have to..."
"You can't go in there," Jerry said. "The whole room is on fire."
"That's it, I've had enough," Ron snarled. He bolted towards one of the other buildings.
The others were still talking, organizing, planning, but Angie couldn't hear anything. She just stared into the flames with empty eyes, counting the beats of her heart. They seemed to spell it out every second. Tom's dead. Tom's dead. Tom's dead.
Trust me.
She had, and look how that turned out. "I didn't even get to say I'm sorry."
"Me neither," Sam muttered next to her.
Angie turned to him, the only other person in this world who was probably hurting as much as she did right then. Because Tom was not just his brother. He was Sam's twin.
"Tom's not dead," Kyle said from behind them.
"What?" Sam asked frowning.
"That," Kyle pointed towards a limping figure making its way towards them through the smoke.
Angie scrambled to her feet, but Sam was faster. He charged through the smoke, and for a moment, the silhouette turned into something indiscernible. Kyle, Jerry, Jimmy and Billy followed.
"Okay, okay, I'm alive. Not get off. It hurts like hell."
The voice. It really was Tom. But her legs couldn't move. Her eyes watered as she waited for him to appear. And he did, surrounded by his grinning brothers and cousin. There were ashes and blood on his face, a small smile in the corner of his lips and his walk was a little funky, a little less confident. But it was Tom.
When his eyes fell on her, his smile dropped. Kyle cleared his throat, grabbed Jerry's shoulder and steered him away. Jimmy, Sam and Billy also pretended to be suddenly fascinated with something else and scurried away.
Angie bit her lip, unsure what to do or say. Of course, she knew what she had to say, but how to start? Not so much. Tom reached her, stared down at her, his teal eyes questioning.
"I'm so sorry," she finally whispered. "For everything. For being a right bitch, for hitting you, for not taking your side. For taking this long to finally say it. I..." She bit her lip. Her heart beat so fast, it seemed ready to explode. But she was going to do this because they were not out of the woods yet, not by a long shot. "I'm especially sorry about ruining our first kiss. But I'm going to make it up to you."
He raised an eyebrow, seeming mildly interested. "How?"
She put her hand on the back of his head and pulled him down. "Like this." And she kissed him. He tasted like blood, smelled like smoke, but she didn't care, because he was there, alive.
For a moment, he stiffened, tried to pull away, but she brought her other arm around her neck to hold him there. It worked like a trigger. His arms wrapped around her, crushing her against him and he kissed her back. It felt like someone had knocked the ground from under her feet and she was suddenly flying, burning. Because he was fire, liquid fire seeping through her veins, burning her to the ground.
He pulled away, still holding her, nuzzling her cheek. "We'd better stop before Jerry gets a heart attack," he whispered.
"You're probably right," she whispered back. A chill ran through her body, making her erupt in goosebumps. "Did I make it up to you?"
"A little," he admitted. "You're going to have to do a lot of that to get me to forgive you."
She grinned. "I thought the punishment was supposed to hurt."
"Oh, I'll make it hurt." He leaned over her again, nipping on her lower lip.
She sunk her hands in his hair, grinning. Oh, if he was going to play it like that, maybe she didn't want to be forgiven and would keep on messing up just so he would...
"Hey, love birds," Jimmy called. "Still in a shitstorm here."
"Jimmy!" Jerry said outraged.
Tom and Angie broke apart, Angie still giggling. Because no matter what they had to face from now on, it would be alright. Because Tom was by her side, had forgiven her and it was good enough for her.
So the action has started. I hope you enjoyed this beginning because there's a lot more stuff to blow up before all this is over.
What do you think about Ron's choice? Does it make sense after everything that happened?
Thanks so much for reading, and if you enjoyed it, consider leaveing a vote and comment. Also, sorry about the late update, but I will keep on track from now on. Minor logistics problem (no access to the computer).