I dusted imaginary dirt off my bare legs and hands while I tried to calm myself down and prepare for whatever was coming.
“Why exactly have you got your leather thongs in a bunch?” I asked, trying to sound as cool as possible, but my voice squeaked.
They both looked a little confused by my question.
“You’re both clearly alive and you both tried to kill me. So I’m not sure why all the schoolyard bullying tactics are necessary.” My voice sounded stronger, and I wanted to give myself a little pat on the back for that.
They remained silent.
“I mean isn’t killing each other in The Race all in a day’s work for you guys?”
They stayed silent as they walked towards me and then circled me like hyenas moving in for the kill.
“Why are you doing this?” My voice quivered.
Elena stood behind me. I felt her breath on my neck. I tried to remain calm. I didn’t move.
Snezhana stood in front of me. Her breath stank of garlic. I met her smug glare with a rebellious stare of my own. At least I hoped I did. I hoped I didn’t look like a scared bunny rabbit.
“This not personal,” Elena said with her thick Spanish accent as she thrust a knife into my liver and twisted it. “It is business.”
“You talk too much,” Snezhana said with a snarl as she plunged her knife into my stomach.
As I sunk to my knees, they walked away and so did all the other Runners and Patrons.
My blood ran down my back and stomach and flowed across the marble floor while they all pretended as though nothing had happened. Music played once more. I heard glasses clinking and conversations starting up while I held my guts in.
I coughed up blood. It tasted metallic.
I didn’t want to die.
It hurt.
My brain slowed down as I fell back onto the floor.
Sunil held my head.
I don’t know where he came from.
I was cold and my skin tingled.
It was weird.
I was dying and it was all so fucking pointless.
Von Zimmer knelt next to me and held my hand.
It didn’t hurt so much anymore.
“Mein Gott!” Olga screamed.
“Can you save her?” Sunil asked the ashen faced Doctor standing next to Olga.
“I am not sure,” he said kneeling down. My blood stained his pants red. “Her blood is black and she is losing too much of it too quickly. They knew precisely where to stab her to cause the most damage without taking her head.”
“Is it possible?” Von Zimmer asked.
“It will be difficult,” Doctor Mannheim said while sticking his fingers in my stomach cavity and pushing my guts back inside.
“Fuck. That hurts,” I groaned.
“Is she worth saving?” The Doctor asked Sunil, ignoring the look of pain and fear in my eyes.
“Yes,” Sunil said, stroking my head. “She is better than any of them. She only needs time.”
“We must hurry then,” Mannheim stood up. “We have to get her back to my lab within the next hour.”
“The chopper is on its way,” Von Zimmer said looking down at me and squeezing my hand.
“That was quick,” Sunil said.
“I left instructions with Kurt to stand by. The moment I saw those two walking towards the two of you, I made the phone call,” Von Zimmer said.
“I’m so sorry about your Runner,” A woman’s voice said. It was a clipped, elegant, high-class English voice.
Von Zimmer stood. His tuxedo slacks were soaked in my blood and stuck to his legs.
“Victoria,” he said with a curt nod. “This is not over.” His voice was cold and calm.
“When will you realise that you are beaten my love? You are no longer the head of the Organisation. You don’t belong here anymore. You don’t have any power. You’re like a dog who keeps returning to an owner who no longer wants it. It’s rather pathetic, Sweetie. It’s time you crawled away and hid in that drafty castle of yours and leave the Organisation in more capable hands.” She smiled. “Good chat,” she said, patted him on his shoulder, and walked away.
I heard her heels clip-clip across the floor.
Pity she didn’t slip in my blood.
My vision blurred and I heard Sunil say my name.
Olga called me Liebchen.
Then there was nothing.
No pain.
No sound.
Just nothingness.
14
The smell of coffee wafted through the air while a soft wintery light danced across the bedroom floor. Olga sat on a chair next to my bed watching me while she sipped coffee. Having someone watch you sleep is a little on the creepy side, especially when you’re supposed to be dead.
“Liebchen, Du bist noch am Leben,” she cried.
I think she was going on about my still being alive. Clearly the woman had a thing for stating the obvious. I was obviously still alive, barely, but I was breathing and I could feel my heart beating, but the question was how.
Yeah, yeah. I know. The good Doctor’s machine probably had something to do with it. I’m sorry, I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time believing that you can bring someone back from the dead with that kind of damage to their body. It has to go against the laws of nature. I also don’t like the idea of being a reanimated corpse. I didn’t feel like a zombie, but I didn’t feel normal either.
It took a few moments for my brain to register that I was in abject agony. The pain was actually a relief. If I could feel that, then I wasn’t a walking corpse. I was still very much a human being. I was alive and breathing, with a beating heart. Zombies don’t have hearts that beat, do they?
With that realisation came the tears.
Olga handed me a tissue and made some sniffing noises of her own. She was shedding her own tears and patting my hand.
“You’re awake,” Sunil said as he strode into my bedroom.
“You people really have a gift for stating the obvious,” my voice croaked.
Sunil smiled, nodded, and swallowed something. I like to think he was trying not to cry.
“Ah! Fräulein,” Mannheim said walking in and looking very pleased with himself. “Are you experiencing any discomfort?” the Doctor asked as he checked my pulse.
“Everything hurts like a motherfucker,” I said.
“This is a good sign,” Mannheim said with a nod. “It will take a few more sessions before you are back on your feet, but we will get you up and running in no time.” He put my hand back on the bed and patted me on the shoulder in a paternal sort of way.
I looked at Sunil and then at Doctor Mannheim. “How am I still alive?”
“The chopper arrived, much to Kuznetsov’s frustration, he even tried to stop Kurt from landing it on his grounds but the other Patrons said that it was within Von Zimmer’s right to get you back to his territory and there was nothing he or Victoria could do about it.” Sunil spoke quickly and with great excitement. “We flew straight here and the Doctor performed a few scientific miracles. It’ll take a while, but your body should heal within the next few weeks and then we’ll get started on training you properly. I’ve got some new methods I want to try. I promise I won’t let you down again.”
I nodded. I didn’t know what to say or how I really felt.
“She needs her rest,” Von Zimmer said. He leaned against the doorframe. He wore a tailored three piece suit and looked the perfect gentleman as always.
The rest of them filed out of the room after patting my leg, or hand, or shoulder, offering me shy smiles and respectful nods to Von Zimmer.
“Thank you for saving me,” I said once the others had left.
He nodded as he walked towards me.
“I think there are times ahead where we will have to save each other’s lives many times. I will protect you and I hope you will do the same for me,” Von Zimmer said.
“I’ll try,” I said with more conviction than I felt.
I took it and we shook hands.
“We have a deal,” he said with a smile.
After letting my hand go, he plunged his hand into his jacket pocket and fished out a small silver box and handed it over. It was wrapped with a thin ribbon and tied with a bow.
“What is this?” I asked
“It’s almost Christmas,” he said with a smile. “Please open it.”
I untied the ribbon with unsteady fingers and removed the small lid. Inside was a silver chain and sword pendant encrusted with rubies and diamonds dangling from it. It was beautiful. I was rendered speechless.
“Now you must get your strength back. There are interesting times ahead of us.” He smiled again and without asking me how I liked the gift, he turned and walked away.
Even though he stood straight and tall I couldn’t help but think he looked like a man with the world on his shoulders, a man who was preparing himself for war. A war he’d dragged me into. It was a war I was ill-equipped to fight and one I wasn’t sure I’d survive. But it was a war I was going to have to help him fight, whether I wanted to or not. My life was now completely intertwined with his. If he fell, so did I. I’d already died once, it wasn’t something I wanted to do again.
I took the necklace out of its box and put it on. The diamonds and rubies sparkled against my skin. As I snuggled back into my warm bed and fluffy pillows I made a silent promise to myself that no matter what happened next, I would survive.
I was going to fight!
And those fuckers who thought they could simply dispose of me without a second thought would get the biggest surprise of their lives. They’d pissed me off now and I was going to get them.
I drifted off to sleep with a smile on my lips and revenge on my mind.
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Did you love Training Days? Then you should read Besieged by Joan De La Haye!
Joanna has survived the wilds of Siberia only to find herself under attack from all sides as well as from within the safety of her Patron's inner sanctum.
With a war brewing and attempted assassinations, will she be able to save herself and those closest to her? Most importantly, will she be able to keep her head in a fight to the death with no rules?
Read more at Joan De La Haye’s site.
Also by Joan De La Haye
The Race
The Race
Training Days
Besieged
Retribution
Standalone
Fury
Requiem in E Sharp
Shadows
Burning
Oasis
Sliced and Diced
Watch for more at Joan De La Haye’s site.
About the Author
I write horror and some very twisted thrillers. So I invariably wake up in the middle of the night, because I’ve figured out yet another freaky way to mess with my already screwed up characters.
I’m interested in some seriously weird shit. That’s probably also one of the reasons I write horror.
I’m deep, dark and seriously twisted and so is my writing.
Read more at Joan De La Haye’s site.
Training Days Page 6
