Nocturne

by Heather McKenzie

  She stood between me and what I wanted most, and our eyes locked. Our guns aimed at each other’s hearts. Now in full light, I could see what I hadn’t before—bloodshot eyes, dark circles, and heavy lines around her mouth. Her makeup was packed into her skin like she’d pressed it in with a putty knife; she was an ogre dressed up as a woman. No. She looked nothing like me. My finger feathered the trigger.

  “Think carefully about that, Kaya,” Rayna said, and she gave a chin nod to where Thomas stood next to me.

  I was so focused on her I’d failed to notice his hands were up in self-defense while a man in a suit held a gun to his head. Two of Rayna’s idiots marched toward Luke, and I bit my lip to keep my aim steady.

  “Geez, how many cockroaches do you have working for you?” I asked, not faltering or shaking even the slightest. “Did I miss the cereal box coupon for ugly buttheads in cheap suits?”

  She grinned. “Let’s just say your father has pissed off enough people to give me an endless supply.” She glanced at Luke, who hadn’t moved or even lifted his head in the slightest. “Ah, Luke Ravelle. A traitor to The Right Choice Group. It’s such a shame you had to let this female compromise your mission. She’s not worth it. I can guarantee you that.”

  Luke remained quiet. Eyes cast downward. Broken.

  “Secure his hands and feet,” Rayna ordered the idiots who were wisely tentative to approach him. “You know what he’s capable of.”

  I kept my eyes averted from him as her orders were carried out, my gun aimed at her heart—I couldn’t waver. I couldn’t let emotions distract me. Not now.

  “Henry’s here, too, isn’t he?” she said. A crazed grin pulled at the corners of her mouth. “I had planned to slice you up and send parts of you to him in those nice little blue jewelry boxes he likes so much. But I guess I can just shoot a hundred holes in you instead and save myself the postage.”

  Luke exploded from where he’d been kneeling. The two men flanking him were spared only because of his restraints. They had the advantage, one slamming the butt end of a pistol to the side of his head, the other giving him a swift kick to the abdomen. Luke was pushed back down to his knees, and now there was a trickle of blood on his temple. I could barely look away from it.

  Rayna noticed. “Hm…what if I just shoot him first?” she said, and then her aim shifted from me to Luke.

  The air involuntarily caught in my lungs. I fought to breathe. When Luke lifted his hanging head, his eyes were void of any light and filled with nothing but rage and hurt. The amount of pain I’d caused him was obvious, yet after all I’d done, he still wanted to fight for me.

  As I’d fight for him.

  I kept Rayna in my sights; I could shoot her now. I wouldn't miss. But what about the man next to Thomas, and the two men flanking Luke? I could take out one, but not all three…

  “I don’t care what you do to him,” I said, motioning to Luke. “He’s nothing but a lowlife kidnapper.”

  Rayna’s eyes lit up. “Oh, really?”

  Clearly, she wasn’t buying what I was selling. The beads of sweat breaking out on my forehead were giving me away, along with the shaking in my legs.

  Her eyes glowed acid green. “He is gorgeous. No wonder you’ve fallen for him. It’s such a shame to let a man so beautiful go to waste. I was going to try to rehabilitate him. Remind him why he joined forces with The RCG in the first place, but…” Her eyes lowered, and the veins protruded at her temples. “I don’t feel like it.”

  The unmistakable sound of a trigger clicking into place brought me to my knees. She was going to kill him. My whole body went into complete panic.

  “No! Don’t hurt him, please!” Without further thought, I dropped my gun to the snowy beach and put my hands up in defeat. I would beg for his life. “Please, it’s me you want. Don’t hurt him. Let him go. It’s all my fault. Just focus on me, all right?”

  Rayna was delighted to see me beg. “Gladly,” she said, and returned her aim to my chest.

  Luke bolted to his feet again, valiantly trying to shake off the men holding him, but a blow to the stomach doubled him over. Another hit to the head sent him unconscious to the ground. My stomach came up in my throat. Our lives were about to end, and all I could think about was that he would never know how I truly felt. He would never know I’d been lying to protect him. And that I had failed.

  Thomas was saying something, but I wasn’t listening. I took in a deep breath, hoping my death would be quick and painless but knowing in my heart that was wishful thinking. I braced myself, closing my eyes.

  “I have waited so long for this,” Rayna said, and a shot was fired. Then three more so fast they were almost indiscernible.

  But I felt… nothing. No pain.

  I tentatively opened my eyes; Luke was still unconscious, but the idiots next to him were dead and bleeding out into the snow. Thomas was still standing, appearing unharmed, but Rayna… she was on the ground before me in agony. The gun that had been in her hand was now a few feet away, and so were her fingers. She was staring, mouth agape in a choked scream, at her mangled hand.

  Thomas stumbled backward. “What the—?”

  The man in the suit next to him had dropped to the ground, too, and there, marching toward us appearing annoyed with a gun in her hand, was Sindra. She barreled out of the trees, slightly flushed and completely in control. Not even remotely breathless, she thrust out a hand and pulled me upright.

  “Here I am cleaning up after you again,” she said bitterly, but her eyes weren’t digging in to me like daggers. There was something else there I’d only caught glimpses of when I was a child. “Are you hurt?” she asked.

  I was in shock at her appearance, her aim, and by the tone of affection in her voice. “No.”

  Sindra seemed relieved. She moved to block Rayna, who was squirming toward the beach and making distressed whimpering sounds. The snow around her had become a gruesome red from her mangled hand, and her makeup-streaked face contorted in agony when she stared up at my petite, bronze- skinned rescuer.

  “Geez, you’ve sure been a pain in the ass, Rayna,” Sindra said, not displaying a hint of sympathy for the woman cowering at her feet.

  Rayna gasped for air, cradling her mangled hand while slithering toward her discarded gun.

  “You bitch,” she screamed when Sindra kicked it out of her reach.

  Sindra scanned our surroundings, then checked her watch. “I can’t believe you would hunt down your own child, Rayna. I thought you’d have given up this revenge crap by now.”

  Rayna’s lip curled into a sneer. “And I thought you’d be way prettier.”

  Sindra shrugged her shoulders as if it was a waste of a breath to even reply. She turned to me, eyes darkening, and I could tell I was about to get a scolding. “Rescuing a kid from a fire? Really? That’s not smart, Kaya. It’s got you into a huge mess. That little act you pulled was on television, you know. Broadcast all over the world. That’s how this trash,” she motioned to Rayna, “found you. That’s how he found you.” She pointed to Luke. “Good Lord, child. Now everyone this side of the equator has seen your face. Thank heavens your father was diligent about not letting you be photographed so the public doesn’t put two and two together. But John Marchessa? He’ll know it’s you.”

  I was too numb to reply. Thomas was motionless by my side, incredibly steady considering the amount of sedatives in him and the fact I’d pointed a gun at his head. He reached for my hand.

  Luke moaned. He sat up, leaned back on his heels, and blinked the world around him back into clarity. When his blue eyes fell to Thomas’s hand possessively over mine, I quickly pulled away. Luke’s gaze softened. He looked at me like he knew, like he understood everything. Like my words and apologies weren’t necessary. Like everything would be okay…

  “Anyway, do you want to end her, or shall I?” Sindra said, patiently waiting for me to take the gun from her outstretched hand.

  All I wanted to do was run to Luke, but I would fini
sh this first. I pointed the gun at Rayna’s forehead while she sat on the snowy beach, bleeding and in torment. I was hoping to see some desperation or hear her beg for forgiveness… anything… but there was only pure, gut-churning hatred in her eyes. There was nothing there redeeming. Nothing there worth saving. I knew what I had to do.

  Thomas’s hand was on my back, either leaning on me or supporting me. I couldn’t tell which. His words echoed—make sure you can live with yourself afterward.

  I tried to pull the trigger. Damn it, I tried… but I couldn’t. My hand just shook. I was pointing a loaded pistol at the woman who had tried to kill me, and all I could see… was me. Not the physical resemblance, but someone once innocent. Someone molded by the circumstances forced upon her—someone poisoned by Henry.

  I couldn’t do it.

  “Ah. That’s why I adore you, Kaya,” Sindra said, her voice tinged with pride. “You’re good inside, despite your Lowen upbringing.” Her hand reached out and gently took back the gun from me. “You have solid morals.” She aimed at Rayna, not even blinking as she shot her in the head. “I, however, do not.”

  An arm as big as a truck circled my waist. My feet were lifted effortlessly off the ground. My desperate call to Luke was blocked when a hand with an iron grip clamped over my mouth. I didn’t even have to look to know who was dragging me off the beach and into the trees. I knew his smell, his touch, and everything about him. And I fought like the devil was dragging me to hell.

  “Quit it, Kaya. He’s here…” Oliver said in a breathless whisper. “And if you call attention to us, we’ll all be dead.”

  All? He meant Luke, still kneeling by the water’s edge, and Thomas, still stuck like glue to my side.

  I quit struggling.

  The birds that had returned to the shoreline took to the sky. The wind disappeared. Not one living thing made a single peep. Not even the leaves rustled in the presence of such evil. Oliver sought cover, the thick brush enveloping us and his hand remaining over my mouth. “Don’t move and don’t say a word,” he whispered. Next to me, I saw Thomas nod obediently.

  Sticks and thorns dug into my knees, and the air making its way into my nose smelled of whatever soap Oliver had used last. In seven heartbeats, the beach became overrun with Lowen Security. The badges on their army-green jackets gleamed gold. Luke was surrounded, then the man I hated most in the world walked by him, smoothed his silk suit, and carefully avoided getting muck on his expensive shoes. He strode to where Sindra awaited him, diamonds dripping off his hands, and glossy jet-black hair catching the waning sun. His eyes scanned the dead. When they fell on Rayna’s body, a slight grin came over his imperial face. It made me hate him even more—if that was possible. I’d been the recipient of that grin… the day he’d placed the tracking device around my ankle was one of those times. That gleam in his eyes that said ‘gotcha’ was hollering now, even though “where is my daughter?” was the first thing out of Henry Lowen’s disgusting mouth.

  I was waiting for Sindra to point and give us away. But, to my surprise, she lied.

  “No idea at the moment. She must have taken off this morning. There is no sign of her here. I’ve checked the entire perimeter.”

  “And Oliver?” Henry asked, noting the top of the shack where smoke from the fire had sputtered out. With nothing but a hand signal from him, four armed men stormed the small space.

  “Gone, too,” Sindra replied, her tone rigid. “I haven’t been able to contact him in a while, but I would imagine he knows exactly where Kaya is. He will report back to me as soon as he has her. He’s still under my complete control so you have nothing to worry about.”

  Oliver flinched, and every muscle in his body tensed. His hand tightened even more over my mouth. My teeth cut into my lip.

  “This is a mess,” Henry said. “Get it cleaned up immediately.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Henry stared long and hard at Sindra, as if trying to figure out what was different about her, because, indeed, there was something.

  “What aren’t you telling me, Sindra?” he asked intuitively, and the two guards flanking him became even more alert.

  I couldn’t see Sindra’s face, only the back of her head, but her expression wouldn’t have changed. “I don’t keep things from you, Henry.”

  Henry continued to analyze her with intense scrutiny. “Right. Then find my daughter. This has taken long enough. I shouldn’t have to come out here to check on you. Do your job or else…”

  Sindra nodded. “Of course.”

  Henry turned to leave, guards in tow, and took a few steps past Luke before stopping. He stared down to where Luke sat, still hunched over, bleeding at the temple, and studied him while the world became even quieter yet. Luke’s eyes lifted, his baby blues staring at Henry like he was nothing more than a pestering mosquito. The disgust Luke had for Henry was clear on his face, and a pin drop could have been heard while the wheels in Henry’s evil mind spun. I prayed Luke would look away, and I desperately hoped Henry would walk away. I almost breathed a sigh of relief when Henry shook his head and turned. But instead of going back to the hole he came out of, he spun around to face Sindra where she remained cemented to the snow.

  “Who is this?” Henry asked, pointing a manicured fingernail at Luke’s golden head.

  “Just one of Rayna’s employees. I’ll take care of him,” Sindra said, but her tone was far too casual.

  Oliver was squeezing me so tight now I could barely breathe. He didn’t have to—I was frozen in fear.

  Henry’s head tipped to the side, still studying Luke as if he were a piece of a puzzle close to coming together. “Who bound his hands and feet?”

  “Rayna,” Sindra replied.

  Henry cracked his neck. He always did when his curiosity was aroused. “Why would she cuff her own man?”

  I could tell by the way Sindra shifted from one foot to the next that she had become nervous. I’d seen her do this when Henry confronted her about things she’d let slip when I was younger… Who gave Kaya candy? Why does she only have one guard with her? Who said it was okay for her to have a pet? Except this time, Sindra shifted back to the other foot, which meant she was extremely nervous.

  “I’m not sure,” she answered.

  Henry bent down before Luke. “What is your name?” he demanded.

  Time stood still while Luke stared stoically at Henry, completely disregarding his question. Henry waited, his patience only good for a few seconds, then he abruptly stood and turned to Sindra.

  “Shoot him,” he ordered.

  I couldn’t contain the scream that gurgled in my throat. Oliver’s hand tightened, but I’d made some sort of noise. I fought against the arms holding me, shaking the branches around us in the process. Every armed man on the beach pointed their guns in our direction.

  “You’re going to get us all killed,” Oliver hissed in my ear.

  Thomas bolted upright. I felt the effects of panic and lack of air taking over my head as he walked slowly out of the protection of the shadowy leaves toward the beach, hands in the air. Now I quit struggling. Quit making any sound as all the guns on the beach were trained on him. Sindra gave the order for the men to stand down, but her eyes had momentarily widened in what seemed like horror when she saw Thomas. Quickly regaining her composure, she gave a casual yet irritated nod to where he stood.

  “Sir, that is just Thomas. He’s a recruit in training.”

  The guards relaxed, but my mind spun… How did Sindra know his name? Why was she protecting him, too? There was a second of silence while Henry regarded Thomas—only a second—but it felt like eternity.

  “What happened to your head?” Henry asked.

  Thomas seemed confused until he remembered Ben’s blood on his face and torso, and the goose bump protruding from his forehead. “Oh,” he said casually. “Tripped and hit a rock.” Then, he added quickly, “Sir.”

  Henry’s perfectly waxed eyebrows arched in disbelief. “Has he been sniffing aro
und this place as long as you have, Sindra?”

  “Yes,” Sindra said, shifting her weight to her other foot.

  “Well then, Thomas, do you know who this man is?” Henry made a sweeping gesture to Luke. Fighting to remain upright, Thomas stared hard at the love of my life, then cleared his throat. “I think I heard someone call him Luke.”

  Henry’s eyes lit up. “What?” With an incredulous look, he let out a laugh that made my skin crawl. “Are the Gods smiling down upon me today?”

  “Sir?” Sindra said, as confused as I was. Thomas wavered as if realizing he’d made a huge mistake.

  “Oh, I know all about Luke. And it would make sense to see him out here, where Kaya apparently was,” Henry said, his sick grin stretching right to his earlobes.

  Sindra balked. “I don’t know what—”

  Henry waved a hand impatiently. “Davis gave us some very valuable information. Apparently, Kaya will do anything for one of her kidnappers. She’s fallen for the one named Luke—head over heels in love—and right from the horse’s mouth that came! Yes. It would make perfect sense he would be here.”

  The light came back on in Luke’s eyes. He glared up at Henry, then at Thomas standing mere feet from where Oliver and I were hiding.

  Henry clapped his hands in anticipation. “So, I’ll ask you again, boy. And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll have the right answer.” Henry stepped closer, not caring at all now about his shiny leather shoes connecting with a pile of mucky, red snow or parts of Rayna’s fingers that were mere feet away. “What is your name?”

  Oliver’s muscles tightened around me even more. I was screaming in my mind at Luke to not answer. Praying he would lie. Lie like his life depended on it—because it did. If Luke spoke the truth, it would only be to protect me.

  Luke straightened up. “I am Luke Ravelle.”

  Eyes widening, Henry beamed as if he’d won the lottery. “What? Ha! Oh my, this is excellent. Excellent! My daughter’s kidnapper—the man she’d die for—is right here, and mine for the taking. Oh, Mr. Luke Ravelle, you have certainly made my day. You are going to come in very handy.”