The way both women scrambled at each other on the floor left Waverly terrified. They were waving the gun around as they each tried to subdue the other to retrieve it.
She'd shouted at her mother three times so far to have her submit, to ensure that no one got hurt but she refused to listen. For a moment she even contemplated intervening but her aunt advised her against it.
"We need to move before that gun goes off," Harper explained, her eyes bloodshot red due to the fact that she was crying. Just like her, Waverly knew the sight pained her heart, also the shocking revelation.
"Where are we going to go, the police are almost here?"
"I just need you to move away from all of this." Harper nudged her off, wiping her nose as she sniffed.
Behind, Ryn was sat on top of Therese trying to pry her hands from around hers that held the gun. They had been tumbling around for a few minutes, and tirelessly the older woman continued to wrestle her.
"Why are you still fighting me," Ryn groaned. "The cops are practically here already."
"I'm not going to jail and I mean it. If somehow I do, I'm making sure that you go somewhere dark, and quiet forever." Therese growled.
Ryn saw the flash of anger across Therese's face before a fist connected above her eye. Falling sideways hitting the ground, she clutched the spot that now throbbed.
"Fuck!" She groaned.
Therese bolted off trying to find somewhere she could use as a short cut to get out of the compound and maybe into a back alley or something.
As she ran the sound of the sirens came closer and closer causing every nerve in her body to go off like crazy.
Shaking off the stars she saw in her vision, Ryn scrambled to her feet and bolted behind Therese. Harper and Waverly gazed as she ran off and they both stared wide-eyed.
"Someone's going to get hurt," Waverly whispered.
"Don't say that. I'm sure Ryn's going to do her best not to hurt her."
"I never meant Therese."
Harper's face stayed blank, she knew what her niece was getting at and it was possible. Only God knew what her sister would do to Ryn.
Trying to push the alarming realization to the back of her mind, she and Waverly walked around from behind the buildings to meet the police.
Their sirens indicated that they were already there and she knew it was just time before they started swarming the place.
"Don't say anything to the cops about what your mom said to you. If they ask why you were here, just tell them that she wanted to see you before she left and before you know it Ryn and I was here."
"So I'm not to say a thing about everything else she told me."
"No, that's going to be between us."
"Okay,"
Continuously praying for the safety of both women, Harper tightened her grip around Waverly's arm as they walked.
They were almost to the front of the factory's compound when a number of police officers in heavily armed gears pulled up to them.
"Put your hands where we can see them!"
An officer yelled and both girls complied. The officers ushered towards them and instantly Harper noticed the two detectives that were at her office.
"Ms Neil?" The pudgy one came closer after recognizing her, silently pleading with his partner and the back up to stand down. They weren't the ones they came looking for and Harper sighed a breath of relief.
"Detective,"
"We received an anonymous tip about your sister." He and his partner surrounded the girls while the other officers started spreading out around the building.
The sight of their guns and bulletproof vests made Waverly nervous.
In the pit of her stomach was actual dread. She knew someone was going to get hurt and because of it, she felt nauseous.
"The bounty hunter that caught her was able to track her down and some moments ago they ran off into the eastern direction."
"Is she armed?"
"I-I don't know but I know Ryn has her gun."
"Okay. I need you too to follow my partner, he's going to get you guys out of this place."
Harper nodded and gripped Waverly's arm tightly again as they followed the younger-looking detective. She kept looking over her shoulder as an obvious nervous gesture and Harper noticed.
"It's going to be okay, I promise."
"Honestly Harper, I'm not too sure about that." The younger girl frowned. She had a feeling it wasn't going to end well.
____________
Ryn panted loudly running across the compound, her eyesight not entirely a hundred due to the swelling from the she-devil's blow.
She had seen Therese making her way out of the factory's ground through a little crack in the battered yet very much intact fence that lead to an alley within the poorer parts of coven.
She figured she'd intercept her on her way through the alley, so she veered off course. Her gun was in her hand ready and waiting just in case.
Muttering profanities as she ended up cutting her flesh on a barbwire fence, Ryn gritted her teeth. In her mind, she made a vow to take a couple of weeks off from chasing the bad guys to focus on herself.
She needed it.
Her shoulder was still very much messed up, now recently she had even more injuries.
How Therese had managed to do all that sprinting with her still-healing leg left Ryn amazed.
Truly this woman was a beast she thought.
Sprinting through the run-down streets, Ryn had already calculated where she expected Therese to surface.
She stood waiting for her at the opening of the alley, her gun gripped tightly between her fingers, but she had no intention of firing it.
In no time she heard the rapid footsteps coming up the alley and she readied herself.
Wrinkling her noise however at the stench she got from this part of the city, Ryn pushed the germ-filled environment to the back of her mind.
The footsteps soon got closer and she widened her stance.
Just seconds before Therese appeared, Ryn swung her fist and it connected to her face.
She heard the loud snapping of bones and she listened as the woman cried out, falling to the ground.
She prided herself in what she'd done, an eye for an eye she thought.
It was only fair to do that instead of shooting her which she was avoiding.
"You broke my fucking nose!"
Ryn laid her eyes on Therese as she sat on the polluted ground.
Her left hand clutching her nose as blood-stained her arms.
She was breathing heavily while trying to hide her pain.
"An eye for an eye but in this case, a nose for an eye. Put your hands where I can see them."
"Fuck off. Why can't you just let me go?"
"Why, so you'll go around doing whatever you want and then covering it up with lies afterwards? Not forgetting to mention completely ignoring the existence of your daughter."
"I don't ignore her," Therese replied.
She was grinding her teeth still holding unto her nose.
"Right, only visiting her when you feel like, it's a big difference I get it," Ryn said sarcastically.
"Then lying to her about why you're such a fuck-up, a what a move Therese."
"I didn't lie to her, it was the truth. Harge is her father and he did rape me.
I wasn't a virgin but I wasn't a whore either."
"Of course not, you being a whore came after you had Waverly."
"Shut up!"
"You could've gotten help and all that you needed but you were too stubborn and you still are. What your sister said to you earlier should sink in. She wanted to help you and she still does."
"Harper doesn't want to help me. She wants to see me incarcerated, there's a big difference Ryn."
She rolled her eyes.
"It doesn't matter. I just need you to put your hands where I can see them and I'm not playing."
Therese hesitated for a moment. She didn't want to comply but knew she hadn't much of a choice.
With a whimper, she started to rise to her feet.
In a quick and well thought out move— although contemplated rather late she pulled a knife from her boot.
Extending the sharp steel blade towards Ryn she backed up.
"I am not going to prison."
"What the fuck are you doing?"
Ryn questioned, confused as ever.
She was stepping forward with each step backwards Therese took.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
"No, I'm trying to get myself freed. I'll do anything to stay out of jail and I mean it. You mean nothing to me and if hurting you means I'll get what I want, then so be it."
"Therese, I have a gun and you just have a knife, tell me who has the upper hand here?"
"Me of course!"
Therese lounged forward on impulse, rushing at Ryn with the knife ready and willing to cut her to shreds.
Unsure of what to do, Ryn panicked.
She was serious about not wanting to hurt her but she hadn't much of a choice.
Before she could've reacted a gun went off, she gasped.
It wasn't her gun.