A Week Later
The sound of gunfire echoed across the building. It was loud enough to make my guard stand up and draw his gun nervously. An explosion went of somewhere and I could visibly see him begin to sweat. My fingers lingered over the code I had been working on.
"Is it always likes this working for Prime8?" I mused allowed. The guard, who was only there for my protection as said by Lenni, glanced back at me his mouth pressed into a hard line. His fingers flexed over the trigger as another explosion went off, this one closer than before.
I shut my laptop pressing it against my chest as I watched the door. It must be Wrench. Who else would have a plan that involved that much c4? Or maybe it was Marcus. I'd never seen Wrench in the field but I didn't doubt for a second he couldn't handle the work.
"Don't move." The guard grunted before swinging the door open and slipping out into the hall. He made it two steps before a gun went off and he slid to the ground gasping. A second bullet and he was off to meet his maker. I cried out in shock and fear as the blood began to pool in the door way.
"Kitten." He purred lightly, his voice distorted by his mask. "I'm getting you out of here. Let's go." He took the laptop out of my hands breaking it effortlessly across his knee before taking my hand. I stumbled behind him doing everything to avoid the fresh corpse and pool of blood. He seemed unfazed, sneakers splashing through it like a puddle on the street.
"Do you even know where you are going?"
"Not exactly." He said quickly adding, "improvising has always been one of my strong suits."
He pulled me back against the wall quickly shushing me. Pointing towards the corner he motioned for me to listen. I could hear the sounds of guards pounding down the hall, their boots echoing off the cement floors. I turned towards him in fear trying to signal to him that they were coming but before I could do anything another explosion went off. He looked up from his phone at me and I could almost see the smirk that would be underneath his mask.
Taking my hand once again he led me down the hallway only pausing to kick open a pair of metal doors.
I gasped in pain as I threw my hands out in front me trying to break my fall. My mind was still trying to register how I ended up on the ground when the bullet to him passed harmlessly by my head. The next hail plinking uselessly against the grey metal barrier that protected us.
"Are you okay?" He hissed out to me, gun already drawn. I winced trying to support myself on my palms, my left wrist exploding in pain. I managed to get myself up on my elbows, just enough to look at him.
"You're bleeding." I breathed out. He grunted in response reloading his gun and sending off another volley of bullets back at them.
"Can you get up?" The masked anarchist asked. "Or do you need me to carry you?" I doubted that he could even if he had not been shot.
"But you're bleeding." I stammered.
"Don't you go into shock on me." He cursed leaning down to take my face into his hands. "Hey, look at me. Your pupils are dilating."
"I can't breathe."
"Shhh. I know. It's going to be okay though, alright?" He promised speaking softly. His thumb stroked my cheek gently. "You have to stay calm for me. Please." I nodded in response but he was no longer looking his eyes trained back across the front yard. "This is our window, we have to go now. Can you walk?" he repeated more forcefully.
"Yes."
I wasn't sure if that was a lie or the truth until we were running across the courtyard. I cried out in fear hearing a gun shot go off dangerously close. Before I could slow down to duck for cover, he turned grabbing onto my wrists and yanked me forward.
"Keep moving were almost there."
"Almost where?!" I tried to look for some type of cover or a car but my eyes were blurred with adrenaline. All I could see was a mix match field of green and grey.
We ducked around the corner of the neighboring building and I gasped for air leaning against the cold stone. He let go of my wrist hurrying towards the car that was parked five feet away. Sliding into the driver seat, he pressed a button and the car roared to life.
There was nothing I wanted more than to stay there. To press my face against the cool stone of the building, but the distant sound of gunfire spurred me to my feet. In fifteen seconds flat I was in the car and he was pulling away from the curb. The force sent me reeling against the seat and I grabbed at the door handle to steady myself. The action only further inflamed my more than likely sprained wrist.
By the time we pulled up to the cheap motel the pain had subsided but not so much my anxiety. He led the way to one of the upstairs rooms clutching his side tightly. Once inside he collapsed onto the bed groaning.
"You got shot when you pulled me down." I whispered unsure of he heard me. I glanced around the room looking for some type of first aid kit.
"Bathroom." He hissed between clenched teeth. My guess is the adrenaline that had kept most of the pain at bay was now fading. I'd never been shot before but I knew the pain most have been excruciating. I quickly retrieved the first aid kit opening it up on the bed next to him.
"You are going to have to take your top off." He nodded reaching up and undoing his mask taking it off first followed by his clothes. His blue eyes met mine and I froze with the gauze in hand.
"You can gawk later, I know I got those baby blues." He replies sarcastically but I could see the pain behind the response. His hands curl up into balls yanking the sheets off the bed as I press the gauze and alcohol into the wound. And his curses only get louder as I use the tweezers to fish out the bullet. He collapsed back against the bed once I finally got it out panting heavily.
"You sure took your time with that." He laughed tilting his head back to look at me. "Do you like seeing me in pain? Is that your kink?"
I rolled my eyes anger suddenly flaring. I wadded up the gauze in my hand throwing it at him, catching him in the chest. I turned to leave but he grabbed ahold of my forearm.
"I'm sorry, Kalla, please." He whispered sincerely, his eyes boring into mine.
"How the hell did you even find me?" I asked as I finished dressing his wound.
"Tracked your phone to the docks." He sat up so I could wrap the bandages around his torso. I finished by securing it in place with a piece of medical tape. "When your phone went dark I picked up on Lenni's. It didn't take long for me to find where she stashed you. Prime8 are a bunch of script kiddies really." He laughed his smile fading when I didn't respond. "I made a promise to someone once, myshka. A promise to look after you. I intend to keep it."
"I don't need or want your protection, Defalt." I snapped drawing away from his hand.
"Defalt? Really Kalla? I thought we were on a first name basis." He reaches out to touch me again and I swatted away his hand.
"Don't touch me. I have a boy-"
"Oh? That Wrench guy?" He chuckled darkly. "I heard."
"What did you do to him?" My face drained of all color.
"Nothing. Why? Do you want me too?" Jay asked. "It wouldn't be the first time I've killed for you."
"Stop. I didn't-I didn't ask for that. You-you didn't that on your own." I stuttered reeling back on my heels and suddenly I was sitting on the ground.
"You told me you would do anything to get justice for your brother." Jay reminded me slipping his fingers under my chin. I didn't have the energy to knock them away as the memory flooded back. "You wanted him to hurt the same way Brandon did. You called it justice but what you wanted was revenge. And that's exactly what I did for you."
"I didn't want that." My voice broke and I felt the hot tears begin to pour down my face. I could still see the security guard that killed my brother's face in the back of my mind, printed on my closed eyelids. I could still hear his voice, the way he begged me for help as Jay held a gun to his temple.
"You didn't stop me."
"I couldn't." I sobbed and suddenly Defalt was there next to me drawing me against his chest.
"You could have stopped me with a word." He whispered into my ear cradling me against him. His fingers slipped into my hair gently stroking. "Oh Kalla, I don't think you truly know what I would do for you."
"You're crazy." I whimpered. "You're a goddam certifiable narcissistic psychopath. You tried to kill Ray."
"Ray killed my brother and nearly killed me. Did you know that? Nearly gassed me to death." He chuckled brushing away the tears on my face with his thumbs.
"You tried to kill Aiden." I replied stubbornly.
"When have I ever tried to kill your precious fox?" He asked. "I stole from him, I'll admit. He did the one thing I never managed to do, broke into Iraq's mainframe. Then he sat on the information like it was nothing!"
"They were going to kill his sister!"
"How was I suppose to know? No one told me. I wanted the dirt on Blume that was hidden in there. Remember, you and me were going to take down Blume together, just the two of us?"
"You ended that." I sniffled. "Over your insane scheming about ways to kill Ray. You were to busy thinking of ways to draw him out. You forgot, you didn't care anymore." I accused him.
"Brandon was my best friend to Kalla. I never forgot. I did everything in my power to get dirt on Blume including stealing that data. I stole it for you. For your brother."
"No. No. No." I shook my head trying to pull away from him. But even weakened from blood loss he was stronger than me and held me in place.
"Just admit it already Kalla. Everything I've ever done has been for you." His lips pressed against my ear. "I killed your brother's murderer for you. Let Ray live this long for you because he was your 'friend'. Let Aiden live despite him humiliating me in front of an entire crowd of fans. I even screwed over DedSec for you back in Chicago when they refused to help us catch your brother's murderer. I wrote code upon code to sell to whoever would buy it so I could finance us. And when you had your little middle life crisis I even helped you on your way to San Francisco. All I had to do was pay off your Uncle to keep and eye on you and make sure you went where you were suppose to. I gave you time and space when you needed it."
I only cried harder which just made him hum softly. He rocked me back and forth in his arms cooing soothing phrases. There was nothing comforting about it, I was in the arms of a killer. And he wasn't sane enough to admit.