by Lucian Bane
We both stood next to the door that led into the main office compound. Preacher held up three fingers then began to lower them, one by one. When he made a fist, he turned the door handle slowly.
The sound of rapid high pitched ticking sent both of us diving for cover. The explosion rocked my brain and sent me hurling through the air to land…somewhere. I think. I couldn’t feel my body. Fuck, that was bad.
Chapter Sixteen
I bounced my foot, staring at the line of trees where Lucian and Preacher had gone into. Three more minutes. That’s all that was left. The explosion we’d heard had given us heart attacks and it took everything we had to not leave the plane.
“Times up,” Steve whispered with dread.
“Let us go,” Becca said firmly.
Trembling like a leaf, I followed her out of the plane and we swam to shore and ran into the woods with Steve wheezing loudly behind us.
“Where do we go?” I asked Becca, tears gathering in my eyes as I figured out how I would run away to find Lucian. There was no way I wouldn’t. I didn’t care if God himself had ordered me not to.”
She took a step toward me and gave me a fierce look. “Where do you think?”
“Preacher said—”
“Preacher is a fool if he thinks I would ever leave him behind and hide.”
I nodded eagerly. “Right, right, absolutely. I say we find them.”
“I’m with you, whatever you decide,” Steve said.
“Let’s find out what the explosion was. And decide from there,” I whispered.
Becca nodded and we took off.
We reached the compound and crept to the front of it, Becca at the lead. The door was clearly blown off, telling where the explosion had come from. Becca peeked her head into the opening and I waited behind her, my heart hammering, listening. She signaled for me to run across and I hurried past and waited, watching the quiet opening. Flare gun in my hand, we entered the dark interior. Immediately I realized how foolish it was when we were momentarily blinded.
A horrific scream erupted and sent us scrambling to hide. Shit, it was a man’s scream. Thank God not Lucian.
We huddled against a wall. “That wasn’t Lucian,” I whispered.
“Nor Preacher.”
“I think my heart stopped,” Steve whispered, still huffing.
Another horrific scream clawed at my brain and I held my hands over my ears. If he was torturing that man, now was a good time to find Lucian. I whispered the idea to Becca and Steve and we moved quickly through the halls, searching for them.
At the end of the second hall, Duff’s voice echoed all around, sending us running in various directions. I waited for an eternity in one of the many dark rooms, afraid to know what was there. I finally chanced looking around when my eyes adjusted. A lab? Shivers ran along my spine as I imagined Duff playing at a place like this.
Another horrific scream indicated it was safe to run. I left the room and whispered for Steve and Becca, panic rising. What if I’d lost them? What if he got them?
“Becca! Steve!” I hissed, going from room to room, clutching a knife in one hand and the flare gun in the other. One of the doors was difficult to open and I finally pushed through. Looking down, I froze at seeing a poorly sawed off arm. Panic seized me at the idea it might be Lucian. Without thinking, I felt along the wall for a light switch with my knife hand. I hit something and lights flickered on and I choked on the sob that surged up my throat. My eyes roamed the body parts, looking for the head that would identify the male. It was male. God, please—”
“You like it?”
I screamed and ran further into the room then spun, holding my flare gun towards a grinning Jase, blood smeared all over him.
“Please,” I cried, without thinking.
“Mmmmm,” he slid what looked like a short cattle prod over his crotch. “You will sound sooooo goooood begging for your life.”
Somebody yelled behind him and the blade of a knife flashed and plunged into his shoulder. Jase spun and jabbed the prod into the person’s stomach and held it as they shook violently on the floor. Oh God, it was Steve!
I aimed the flare gun at Jase’s head and shot. Bright red bounced off the back of his head and he spun to me. He charged at me like a possessed bull and instinct bolted me out of reach then shot me out the door.
I ran down the halls, screaming until survival said be so very fucking quiet. I found another door and opened it then hid in the darkness, listening for the monster. I searched the room, blinking rapidly in hopes of speeding up my vision. My body shook violently, the tip of the knife clanking against the door several times. I brought my knife hand to my chest, attempting to still it and calm my mind enough to think logically.
I left Steve. I fucking left Steve. Tears flooded my eyes and I clenched them shut.
A female scream erupted then stopped midway. Oh God. Becca. A man’s roar came next and I was sure it was Preacher.
“Taraaaaaaaaa!”
I jolted at the sound of Lucian’s voice and forced my way out of the room, searching for his location even as Preacher continuously roared. Oh God. He was scared.
“I’ll kill you! I’ll fucking kill you! No, please! Don’t fucking do it man, I’ll do whatever the fuck you want. Don’t fucking DO IT!” he roared.
More female screams and maniacal laughter erupted. “You gonna definitely do what I want. But first you’ll watch me have your woman, motherfucker! After I crucify her.”
I raced toward their voices until I was at the room. The sound of flesh being hit over and over reached my ears and stomach. I dared a peek inside the opened door and jerked back, clenching my eyes shut as I recalled the horrific snapshot I’d gotten. Becca tied naked to a wall. Preacher…tied to a chair next to her. There was a third person. Who was it?”
“Ruuuuuun Tara!”
Lucian’s roar ripped through my body. He was the third person. Lucian was the third person. Jase wanted all of us in that room.
I fought down the panic that clawed for my sanity. I had the flares in my pocket. With trembling hands, I dug the second flare out and opened the barrel, my hand shaking as I tried to load it. The fucking flare slipped and hit the floor. Not wasting time to look for it, I got the third flare and held my breath, fighting to slide it in the chamber.
“I do believe we have company boys,” Duff said.
The gun refused to close, something was jamming it. It wouldn’t fucking close. Jase jumped out of the door and shot a hand out at me. I screamed and swung the knife, slicing his midsection. He grinned at me then slammed a foot into my chest. My back crashed into the cement wall and everything flashed dark. The only thing keeping me awake was the horrible sound of Lucian’s screams clawing at my mind.
I grabbed at the iron fingers in my hair, realizing I was being dragged. Reality rushed in and I erupted in screams, thrashing and grabbing for what I could to prevent from being taken to whatever was coming.
“Oh yes, please do fight, I love a challenge.” I was suddenly air-born again and sharp pain speared my back and head at being slammed into the wall. I groaned, fighting to stay conscious, watching his boots come for me.
“Fight Tara!” Lucian roared.
His words triggered my instincts and my body did what it was trained to do without thought. I took Jase down. I took him down hard and he hit the floor, his head thonking the concrete. I scrambled to gain a deadly mount and the monster burst to life and flipped me. Stars shot across my eyes even as my legs wrapped him hard, putting him in my guard.
His large fingers clamped my throat and soon pain erupted in my ribs as he pummeled my side. But my legs refused to let go, like jaws that were locked, even though holding him was likely going to bring my death.
With lusty gasps, he punched my ribs until the pain burned and spread like fire.
“Oh God stop! Stop, fucking stop, please!”
The sound of Lucian’s beg stabbed into my heart. I should have run. I shouldn’t have let
him see this. Even while I knew it was over for me, my body held on in a death grip, unable to let go.
A hellish roar erupted and Jase’s body tensed up with his scream. He climbed off of me and turned, reaching for a skinny metal pipe embedded in his upper shoulder. I spotted my rescuer. Steve. Steve was still alive.
Stumbling in reverse, Steve put a metal table between him and the maniac.
I looked around and my eyes landed on Becca hanging on the wall unconscious. The sight of giant nails in her palms and ankles pumped fresh fear through me. Preacher’s head, hung limp and I finally looked at Lucian.
His pretty blue gaze was nowhere to be found. His eyes were swollen shut. The entire left side of his face was swollen. Rage burned through me and then terror. That I wouldn’t be able to help him.
“You’re going to eat that pipe you fat little bastard. Right after I fuck you with it.” Jase giggled, yanking the pipe out of his back with a growl.
Orange caught my eye at the door. The flare gun. I dragged myself across the floor as Jase beat Steve with the metal pipe until he was screaming.
I fought again to get the flare gun shut, trying to think around my panic and around the horrible thunk sounds of the pipe connecting with various parts of Steve’s body and the whimpered grunts he’d been reduced to. God, it still wouldn’t shut! I opened the gun and finally saw. The flare was upside down! Trembling violently, I removed it and slid it in the right way then screamed, “Jaaaaaaaaaaase!”
I held the gun in my right hand at my chest, laying on it.
“I’ll be right back, my lady is calling me.”
I jolted in terror as he banged the pipe along various things on his way.
“You called, my whore?” He slammed the pipe on my ass and I screamed.
“Look at me honey.”
“I can’t…move.”
“Awwww sweetheart.” He knelt next to me. What’s the matter? You’re not tired already? We just started. I’ve been dreaming of this moment my little Tara.”
I flipped over and aimed the gun at his face, and shot.
He screamed and bolted up, holding his eyes and swinging the pipe blindly. I searched frantically for a weapon as he continued to swing and roar like a mad animal.
“Run Tara!” Lucian’s voice shredded with the plea.
I grabbed a chair and slammed it into Jase. He staggered and charged me and I banged the chair into his back again, causing him to hit the metal table.
The third flare.
I half stumbled to the flare gun on the floor and loaded pulled the third flare from my pocket and loaded the gun, my sobs coming unbidden as Jase roared and searched the room for me, blood running from his eyes.
“I’m going to kill you bitch! No playing nice for you!”
He swung the pipe wildly, searching with his ears. I picked up an empty flare shell and tossed it. Jase jerked and made his way toward the other side of the room. He was clearly blinded and shook his head frequently with a growl while swinging his pipe.
I crept up behind him, knowing that I needed to use the gun at close range. Dreading it. Five feet away. Four…. Three…
I jumped and latched onto his back, wrapping my legs around him. I put the gun to his ear, ducked, and pulled the trigger.
His screams exploded with the shot and my back hit the wall, blasting the wind from me. I hit the floor, and darkness once again raced into my vision. I laid there, listening to the sound of my heart pounding loudly in my ears.
Then the black boots came. Many boots.
“We found them!” a man yelled. “Holy shit,” he whispered before yelling, “Call the paramedics.”
“Cover her,” another one said. “Cover all of them.”
“This must be Jase Duff,” a deep voice said.
“Yeah, and look. I think he took a flare to the eyes. And ear.”
A soft touch removed the flare gun from my hand. “And I think I found the hero who did it.” Fingers pried at my eye lids and I swatted at them. “She’s awake,” he said. “Mam? You’ve suffered a trauma and we’re here to help you. Can you speak?”
I nodded.
“I’m Sargent Brian, can you tell me your name?”
I fought to sit up and he put a hand on my shoulder. “Not yet honey, let’s wait till we’re sure you have no serious injuries.
The pain in my side was excruciating now. “Lucian,” I whispered.
“Lucian?”
“Tara,” Lucian croaked.
“This one’s awake too. Jesus Christ,” the man muttered. “He’s a mess.”
“Lucian, I’m here.” Tears poured down my cheeks. “I’m here. I’m here, baby.”
“She’s here buddy, she’s fine. She shot our bad guy in the ear and eye with a flare gun.”
Lucian chuckled a little before whispering, “I love you Tara.”
Chapter Seventeen
Had we won the million? That was the question of the week. The literal week we spent recuperating in the outstanding Hono-fucking-lulu. The ceremony that would announce the winners of Round Six was to be held a week later. Which…was today, I think.
And really, how ridiculous a thing to wait given we were the only survivors of the fucking game, I thought. But ah, I was then informed, no, we were not the only survivors of the game. Of course I was grateful for that. Turned out the only people who died was the German woman, that poor Japanese slave—fucking master of hers probably sacrificed her—the pilot, the male Australian, and Duff. The rest were captured and made to wish they had died, no doubt. And those nasty details were thankfully lost to us in translation, which was so very fine by me. I had enough nightmares to sustain me for quite a few lifetimes.
I shifted in my seat next to Tara, to ease the stiffness of my back a little. The detective kept talking, but I’d tuned him out long ago. I mean for fucks-sake, we’d been out of the hospital, what, two days? Recuperated a total of five? I didn’t give a fuck what their theories were about Jase Duff, all that mattered was the bastard was dead and he couldn’t hurt Tara or anyone else.
Tara squeezed my hand and drew my attention back to the conversation.
“…you to stay in the area in case we need more information. Other than that, you’re free to go.” The detective stood and offered his hand. “Call me if you think of anything else.”
“We will. Thank you detective.” Tara practically dragged me out the conference room door.
Thank God. Two hours sitting there was more than too many. Especially when we told the whole thing ten times already to ten different people. And why couldn’t they come to us?
We paused for a second on the low steps in front of the building and looked around for Officer Nagao who was supposed to give us a lift back to the Hotel Honolulu our team was required to stay at ‘for the investigation’.”
A big engine revved with an odd whistling note. “Bane! Over here.” Nagao waved through the driver’s window of a massive old truck that looked like it belonged in a junk yard somewhere.
I helped Tara climb in and sat beside her to look curiously around. The interior, including the seats, was plain primer coated metal, with no upholstery or any sort of concession to comfort. The only modern touch I could see was a CB radio tucked up under the dash.
The truck rocked a little when Nagao put it in gear and pulled into traffic. “Hold on, no seat belts.”
About that time my ass slid halfway out of the seat as Nagao accelerated and Tara clutched at my arm to keep from ending up in the floorboard. We scrambled and regained our spots as the engine revved to a deafening roar, then subsided to a less strident rumble when it reached a suitable cruising speed.
Nagao chuckled. “Sorry, Ol’ Bess isn’t much on the comfort adaptations. She’ll get us there, though.”
We quickly caught on to staying in the seat during turns and enjoyed the chit-chat with Nagao during the twenty-minute ride to the hotel. When he pulled up at the front of the hotel, several surprised passersby paused to stare. We mu
st have made quite a spectacle climbing down.
A uniformed doorman trotted up as my feet hit the ground. “Sir, I’m sorry, you can’t park that vehicle here. I have to insist you move it.”
I glared at the guy biting my tongue while Tara gave him her sweet smile. “Sir, could you tell us where we can check in?”
The guy stiffened to ramrod and looked down his nose at Tara. “Excuse me, madam, but this is hardly the Beds By The Hour. I think you need to find another hotel to suit your needs better.”
The insult hit a trigger and I palmed the dude’s chest and sent him sprawling on his ass.
“Ohhh Lucian,” Tara sighed, feeling bad for the dude who clambered to his feet.
“Remove yourself, and her, from the property before I call security.” He pointed at us from a distance and Nagao laughed aloud.
“Lucian, we’ll find our own way, ignore him, he’s old!”
“If he’s so old,” I yelled, “then maybe he should have some goddamn sense!”
“Officer Nagao,” Tara turned, “thanks for the lift. I’ll make sure the folks at Gladiator, Inc. know you went above and beyond.”
The doorman hurried toward the hotel entrance, yanking all indignantly on his jacket.
“Yeah, go tattle-tale, you baby!” I hollered. “Old?” I muttered while my blood simmered as I watched the buzzard jerk the hotel door open. He gave me a glare and I jabbed my finger at him. “I will bury your fucking ass, you buzzard!”
“Lucian!” Tara hissed. “What are you doing? He’s old! Oh, look!” She pointed to another doorman heading our way.
“Mr. Bane, Ms. Reese, my sincerest apologies! Raul is new. And fired.” He gave us a warm smile and bowed. “Welcome to the Royal Hawaiian. Gladiator booked the royal suites for you and your team mates.”
Seemed like an hour later that I finally closed the door of our sitting room behind the last person who didn’t belong there. Which was anybody besides Tara. I turned and watched her, still pretending to rearrange flowers in the big porcelain vase on the coffee table, while keeping a coy eye on me from under her lashes. Her chest rose and fell just a little too fast, betraying her excitement.
