by Sophia Gray
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” she huffed out as she hunted her phone down, finally finding it on the floor just inside the entranceway. “Jesus Christ, what is it, Kimmie? What’s going on?” Nyssa snapped into the phone after answering.
“Nyssa! It’s Katrina! She knows, okay! She knows! I’ve been trying to reach Sebastian all day to warn him, but I can’t find him. Is he okay? Are you okay? Has anything happened?” Kimmie asked in a rush.
“Whoa, whoa, Kimmie, slow down,” Nyssa said. “Take a breath. Maybe a couple of them. Start from the beginning. Tell me what’s wrong.”
“Katrina. Some little bitch heard you talking to me about the pregnancy and told her. She freaked out and called her dad to put a hit on Sebastian!”
Nyssa felt the bottom of her stomach drop out as panic swept through her, but then the next second she shook her head at herself, swallowing the bile that crept up her throat. It’s okay. It’s all okay, she reminded herself. “Okay. Well, so what? Right? It’s like you said earlier. Fuck Katrina. Sebastian will protect me. And he doesn’t need Giustini, either. We’ve figured it all out.”
“That’s just the thing, Nyssa! Katrina figured it out somehow. She knows that Sebastian has a way out of the Giustini business. She knows and she told her dad and he’s coming for both of you! I heard him!”
“Fuck,” Nyssa murmured, slowly walking back to the bedroom. “Okay, Kimmie, you need to get out of there. You need to get out of there as soon as you can, okay, and come here. I’ll text you the address.”
“Okay, okay, just—please—be safe, Nyssa! Please!” Kimmie panted into the phone before hanging up.
“Shit,” Nyssa said out loud to herself before sitting down on the bed to gently shake Sebastian awake. “Baby,” she whispered. “We’ve got trouble.”
She quickly explained the situation to Sebastian, who didn’t look anywhere near as concerned as Nyssa felt, at the very least. “I’ll get some guards over here, twenty-four seven, to make sure that the place is always protected. Will that help you feel safer here?”
Nyssa nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, that sounds good. Thank you, Sebastian.”
“You’re welcome,” he whispered, leaning in to kiss her cheeks.
A few minutes later, a familiar face showed up at the door, sweating furiously as she barged into the apartment the second Nyssa opened the door. “Jesus Christ, water? Can I have some water? I ran all the way here.”
“Yes, of course, come here, I’ll get you some water with ice,” Sebastian said, rushing to help Kimmie find a seat right next to the kitchen.
“Did anyone see you leave, Kimmie?” Nyssa asked, putting a hand on her friend’s shoulder to get her to calm down a little.
All the same, Kimmie kept panting desperately for breath, shaking her head as she wiped her sweaty face on the sleeves of her jacket. “I don’t think so. Everyone was kind of in a rush, you know, trying to avoid Katrina when she’s on the warpath. She’s… out for blood. Blood from both of you. She’s not going to rest until she gets it.”
“Well, then, she’s going to be sorely disappointed,” Sebastian said as he returned with a tall glass of water for Kimmie. “Here you go. Drink up.”
“Thanks,” Kimmie said. “Sebastian, can I ask you an honest question?”
“Shoot,” Sebastian said, going up to lean against the front door.
“How did you put with Katrina for so long? I mean, don’t you hate her? I know all the girls at the brothel do.”
Sebastian smiled. “You know, hate’s not a word I like to throw around lightly. So I’m not sure I’d say I hate her. She’s just… a rotten person. She’s got weeds where her heart should be. It’s impossible to love someone like that.”
Kimmie made a clicking noise from behind her tongue, her eyes darting from Sebastian to Nyssa and back again. Nyssa got a sinking feeling in her chest that Kimmie was about to say something inappropriate. If she knew her old friend, something ridiculous was about to come out of her mouth.
“What would you be able to love in a woman? Hypothetically, of course,” Kimmie said innocently, sipping at her water with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.
Nyssa slapped her forehead with her hand in embarrassment, hiding her eyes while her face went hot. Goddammit, Kimmie, she thought, feeling her heart thunder in her chest like the stomping feet pulling a chariot. You couldn’t have just kept your mouth shut for once?
But when Nyssa finally got the courage to drop her hand from her face, Sebastian was grinning. His whole face looked full of light, like there were stars hiding behind his eyes, powering the engine of his heart. “Well, hypothetically… I like my women humble. You know, down-to-earth. Real. I like something I can hold in my hands, not someone I have to keep yanking down from a pedestal. I want someone… kind. Simple. Someone like…”
He trailed off, smiling and blushing a little himself, and Kimmie cleared her throat and began to talk about some mindless brothel gossip. Nyssa knew she was changing the subject on purpose, sparing both her friend and Sebastian from embarrassment. But still, she couldn’t help but feel gratitude for her friend’s silly actions. She knew what Sebastian wanted now, for sure. It wasn’t Katrina. It had never been Katrina.
It was her. It was them. Even with the world outside threatening to barge in and hurt them, for at least a moment, Nyssa couldn’t help but feel safe and loved.
Chapter Nineteen
“I’m just going to go out for a few hours,” Sebastian said about a day later. “I’ve got some business to attend to downtown. It won’t take long.”
Kimmie, who had been lying down on the couch trying to take a nap, bolted upright, her face contorted with worry. “What? No. You can’t go. It’s not safe out there.”
Nyssa nodded. “She has a point. You know Katrina and her father are out there looking for you. Why not just stay here until they run out of steam?”
“Because I’ve got to keep my business running if I want to take over the city,” Sebastian said, walking over to Nyssa and cupping her face in his hands. “Don’t worry. I’ll be careful and I’ll keep someone with me at all times. I’ll be back before you know it.”
Nyssa wanted to argue with him, but she knew him well enough by now to know that he wasn’t going to be swayed. “Go on,” she said with a teasing smile. “Get out of here.”
Kimmie sighed loudly behind them, but both Sebastian and Nyssa ignored it, melting into a brief kiss before Sebastian turned and headed out of the condo. One of the guards Sebastian had called over the day before came in, shutting and locking the door behind him. “Hello, ladies,” he said with a tight uncomfortable smile. “I’ll be looking after you this evening.”
“Yeah, you better,” Kimmie said before getting to her feet and heading toward the kitchen. “I’m going to get a drink. Who wants a drink? Nyssa? Hunky guard guy whose name I don’t know? Anybody?”
“I can’t drink, remember?” Nyssa said.
“Oh, right, the whole bun in the oven thing,” Kimmie replied, slapping her forehead. “Duh. No alcohol for you, then. Okay, well, sexy guard guy, that means you’re drinking with me now.”
“I actually should stay sober. I need to watch over you guys and make sure that nothing—”
“Pfft! Bullshit!” Kimmie interjected as she found the nicest bottle of wine in Sebastian’s condo. “Listen, I’m here alone and I’m scared and I’m out of a job now, so you’re not going to make me drink alone. It’s just not happening.”
Nyssa smirked at the hapless look on the guard’s face. Kimmie did always know how to manipulate men to get what she wanted. But on the other hand, Nyssa thought she could detect real despair hiding within Kimmie’s voice. With that thought, Nyssa followed Kimmie into the kitchen, dropping her voice so the guard wouldn’t hear as she whispered, “Are you okay? You sound upset. Do you regret coming here or something?”
“No, no, of course not!” Kimmie said, shaking her head fervently. “You’re in danger, Nyssa. I wouldn’t rather be any
where else, believe me. But it’s just…”
“What? What is it? What’s wrong?” Nyssa asked.
“You’ve got this brand-spanking-new life, you know? And I’m so happy for you, believe me,” Kimmie said as she poured out two glasses of wine for herself and the nameless guard. “It’s just that I don’t know if I have a place here. In the long-term, I mean. I obviously can’t go back to work at Katrina’s, but I’d rather not go back to working on the street, either. I’m just… stuck.”
“No, you’re not, Kimmie,” Nyssa said. She reached out and grabbed her friend by both shoulders, forcing her to look her in the eyes. “Kimmie, I’m not going to leave you behind. I promise. You saved my life. You risked everything to help us. There’s no way I’m going to let you go back on the streets where someone could hurt you.”
Kimmie smiled sadly. “It’s where I belong, though, isn’t it? I’m not like you, Nyssa. I don’t have a knight in bright shining armor ready to come sweep me off my feet and save me from this life we’ve been living. It just doesn’t work that way for me.”
Nyssa struggled to come up with a counterargument. She knew that Kimmie felt like she was doomed to live the same shitty life she’d always led, but Nyssa refused to accept that. “You belong with me,” Nyssa finally said as sternly as she could. “Here. In my new life. I’m not going to take no for an answer, Kimmie.”
Kimmie bit on her bottom lip, considering Nyssa’s offer. “It’s just—what would I do? Like with my life? How would I even spend my days? All I know how to do is fuck, and I can’t exactly do that here. Not that I even want to anymore.”
Nyssa racked her mind to come up with an answer, but before she could land on anything a sharp knock rang out from the front door, making Kimmie jump about three inches into the air in alarm.
“Hey, relax,” Nyssa said, rubbing her friend’s arm soothingly. “It’s just Sebastian or one of his guards. Maybe they forgot the key or something.”
“You’re probably right,” the guard said as he walked over to the front door. “Hello—”
Thud.
It took Nyssa a few moments to realize what had happened, her brain struggling to fuse the different pieces together to figure it all out. But finally, it clicked. A thick muscular arm reached into the room and knocked the guard on the head with a lead pipe. The guard was now on the floor, cradling his head, while a man in all black stepped into the condo, leaning over to smash the pipe over the guard’s head several more times in a row.
“Oh, my God,” Nyssa murmured. She felt frozen to the spot as the intruder looked up at her, smiling maliciously. She could read in his eyes all the things that he wanted to do to her, all the things that were about to happen. Sebastian was gone. The guard was knocked out cold. She was fucked.
I’m dead, Nyssa thought. I’m fucking dead.
Chapter Twenty
“Run! Run, Nyssa, come on!” Kimmie shouted in Nyssa’s ear as she grabbed her by the shoulders, forcing her into motion. “Come on!”
Nyssa stumbled after Kimmie, following her down the hallway until they crashed into Sebastian’s bedroom. Nyssa could hear the intruder running after them, but she felt frozen to the spot, her whole body completely limp and useless as she watched Kimmie throw herself against the door. “Fucking—not—fucking—today!” Kimmie grunted out as she locked and latched the door closed right as the intruder turned the last corner and dashed toward them.
Thud. The intruder knocked his body against the door, which creaked a little under his weight but held firm. “Come on, help me with this,” Kimmie said. She struggled to move the dresser out from its place against the wall opposite the door, but Nyssa moved to help her and together they managed to shove the dresser against the door.
“Do you think that will keep them out?” Nyssa whispered. Her heart was pounding at the base of her throat and in both of her temples, but she felt weirdly numb, like her body had run out of adrenaline and had no other alternative to keep her alert even in the most frightening moment of her life thus far.
“Not for long,” Kimmie said, and as if on cue, someone slammed against the door again, grunting in frustration as it held up. Nyssa felt like she could feel the vibrations of the intruder’s body rocking through the whole room. She felt like she was going to be sick, but she couldn’t afford to throw up right now. Not when Kimmie was tearing the room apart, clearly freaking out.
“What are you doing?” Nyssa asked, watching helplessly as Kimmie ripped the sheets off the bed.
“Looking for a weapon,” Kimmie said. “That door isn’t going to hold up for very much longer, and we’ve got to have something to defend ourselves with.”
Nyssa’s stomach turned over. She placed a hand over her abdomen, wishing she could feel the weight of her child inside of her. But it was too soon for that. Too soon, and too late. They were going to die here, together, before they even got a chance to meet. Nyssa should have known better than to hope for anything different. She was always going to end up here, on the wrong side of a weapon, someone bigger and stronger than her standing over her useless body. This was what she was meant to do, how she was meant to die. Like helpless prey, stuck in a corner with nowhere left to run.
But even though Nyssa felt like she couldn’t even move, Kimmie kept looking, tearing the room up from top to bottom. “Come on, I know Sebastian has to keep a weapon in this room somewhere,” she muttered to herself as she tore his closet apart, throwing various items of clothing across the room as she searched every inch of the closet frantically.
“Kimmie…” Nyssa sighed out.
Kimmie didn’t turn around, still sifting through clothes to try to find something she could use to defend them against the intruder. “Yeah? What is it?”
“I just want to say…” Nyssa trailed off, unsure of how to articulate herself clearly. After a few seconds of struggling, she gave up, walking over to Kimmie instead and wrapping her arms around her shoulders. “I love you, Kimmie. Thank you for… for being my only friend. For being my sister. Thank you. I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Kimmie whispered. Her hand came up to touch Nyssa’s, giving it a reassuring squeeze before she shrugged out of Nyssa’s grasp. “We are not fucking dying today, honey, okay? You hear me? So save your good-byes for another day. I’m not going to let you die.”
Nyssa smiled sadly, jumping a little as she heard another set of footsteps head down the hallway. “There’s more than one of them now,” she whispered, straining her ears to try to hear what the intruders were mumbling about on the other side of the door.
“Fuck this,” Kimmie said, turning to the nightstand and knocking over all of Sebastian’s belongings to the floor. “There’s—got—to—be—something… yes! Yes, I found it!”
Kimmie turned around with a small black gun in her hands. She pressed one finger to her lips and arched her head toward the door, wordlessly telling Nyssa not to announce the presence of the gun to the intruders, who could definitely hear them. Nyssa nodded as Kimmie walked past her, going up to the door, which was rocking back and forth in its hinges with the doubled efforts of the intruders trying to break in with the force of their bodies.
“Fucking—bitches—gonna die!” one of the intruders yelled from the other side of the door. The next second, Nyssa heard a loud crunching sound, right before the dresser wobbled on its legs and then tipped over to the ground, revealing a foot wedged in the middle of the door. Somebody had kicked their way in.
“Kimmie…” Nyssa said. She didn’t know what to say that hadn’t already been said, but she needed to say something, to hear her friend speak at least one last time. She needed just one last sentence to give her the strength she needed to die bravely rather than on her knees.
“I love you, Nyssa,” Kimmie said softly, reaching behind her back to give Nyssa her hand. “I love you. Now get down!”
All at once, the intruder kicked the door again, sending it tumbling to the ground, while Kimmie’s hand shoved Nyssa to t
he bed, right before a gunshot went off. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.
“Shit,” Nyssa cried into the pillow. The whole world was dark around her, her vision suppressed by the pillow around her eyes, and she couldn’t hear anything other than the ragged sound of her own breath. What had happened? Had they killed Kimmie? Had Nyssa died already, too? Was that why everything felt weirdly calm and peaceful, because she wasn’t located in her body anymore but sandwiched somewhere between Heaven and the void?
Nyssa finally realized there was an ache in her back, like a cramp that just wouldn’t go away. She had felt it earlier that morning, too, but with all the activity she’d forgotten about it until now. I guess that means I’m not dead, Nyssa thought, feeling her lungs burn a little with the effort of breathing so hard into the pillow.
