by Ethan Egorov
“Okay, the room’s not spinning any longer. I think we can do this.”
Guess that’s important too.
“You better not just think. Come on, let’s get back upstairs before Rachelle figures out that you’re gone.”
Trent and Kristina quickly made their way down the long hallway to the edge of the building where the secret passage was located. Trent lifted the heavy door once again, and Kristina squinted against the light. As they reached the entrance to the secret passage, they heard a faint click.
They’d been discovered.
Kristina
Trent and Kristina froze. Kristina knew that sound all too well, and she knew Trent did too. Rachelle had them dead to rights, and the only thing that was going to keep them alive was Rachelle’s mercy or her patience.
She eventually saw Rachelle hovering in the shadows. She had an otherworldly look in her eyes and, at that point, bore no resemblance whatsoever to the woman he once fell madly in love with.
“Listen, Rachelle,” Trent said, stepping in front of Kristina. “I don’t know what you’re doing, but if I were you, I’d drop that gun really quickly. What the fuck happened to you?”
Trent, don’t try to be the hero and get yourself killed. That’s not what we need right now.
“What do you mean?” Rachelle said, laughing at Trent. “What happened to me? Oh, don’t you know? You happened to me. Life happened to me. Do I need to go on?”
Rachelle was obviously unstable, even beyond just pointing a gun at them. If Trent was trying to calm her down, he was doing a miserable job. Kristina kept a low profile, hoping and praying nothing happened until someone else heard what was going on— or luck looked favorably upon them somehow.
“Listen, Rachelle, you don’t know how long I looked for you. I didn’t know what else to do. You didn’t return my calls or messages. It was just like you didn’t care anymore, and if you didn’t, why should I?”
“Why the fuck should I have cared about us, Trent? Both of us knew we had an expiration date. If anything, I should have left you earlier. That little tart that you’re standing in front of? I think we both know she’s the only one who could truly have your heart. Lucky for you, I found other things. I should be grateful to you. You’ve made me foolishly rich.”
Trent took a step toward Rachelle with his hand out. Kristina pegged him for getting shot in the next few minutes, but if he could at least stall for a little bit of time, maybe help would come.
Either way, Kristina was rapidly beginning to accept death as inevitable. She wasn’t going to stand by, not when Trent was not helping the situation.
“Stay back!” Rachelle screamed. “I will fucking drop you right here.”
Kristina moved forward, but in her attempt to do so, she failed to account for how badly the drugs had gotten to her, and she could barely stand upright.
“How sweet,” Rachelle said with an eye roll. “I suppose you found my pet rat, after all, Trent. You have no idea how long I’ve dreamed of killing her. Every time you’d show me a picture of her, and I’d see your eyes get that familiar twinkle in them, I felt sick to my stomach. You can say otherwise all you want, but I know you always wanted a life with Kristina. It’s a pity she won’t have that effect on anyone else.”
A shot rang out. Kristina lurched for the nearest surface and took cover behind it. She had not been hit, but it was clear there was nothing Kristina could do now to help herself.
“Rachelle!” Trent roared. “You just need to calm down. We can talk about this. We can talk about what happened.”
Kristina bit her lip, telling herself that whatever Trent was doing, it was to protect the two of them. Whatever he needed to do—hell, even if he needed to kiss her—he needed to do it, no questions and no hesitation.
“I can be that good boyfriend you wanted,” he said to Rachelle. “I can do that nine to five thing if you want. I can be that man who comes home every night for dinner and asks you how your day was. I can be that romantic that buys you flowers on our anniversary and remembers what your favorite flavor of ice cream is. I’ll stop the business. I can stop getting my hands dirty for you. I know I can, Rachelle . . . if you just put the gun down.”
Kristina glanced over the edge. Rachelle looked at Trent coldly for a moment, and then her expression softened. Kristina slowly began to believe they might have a chance to catch her off-guard and escape.
And then Rachelle spoke.
“Oh, Trent. You don’t understand, do you?” she said, albeit with less tension than before. “That time has passed for both of us. We know the truth. We all do. You weren’t dreaming of a life with me, you were dreaming about the day that Kristina returned and stepped off a plane. She confessed that out of all the people she’d dated, you were the only one for her.”
Did Trent really feel that way about me? I knew he had feelings for me . . . but that strongly?
Rachelle paused for a moment and walked to Trent. She put the gun down momentarily and ran a smooth hand along his cheek. She closed her eyes as she felt his jawline under her fingertips and brought her index finger to his lips.
As long as she’s not shooting, that’s all I care about right now.
That’s really all I care about.
Kristina was annoyed and triggered by Rachelle playing with Trent in front of her, but she kept repeating those same words in her head.
“You feel just as nice as I remember,” she said, then she glared at him. “I’ll take that one with me to the grave.”
Trent’s eyes bulged out in horror, and his mouth dropped open as Rachelle suddenly put the gun to her own temple.
Do it! Come on!
“Rach! Rachelle! Wait . . . what are you doing?!”
Trent, what the hell? Let her go!
“That changed your attitude quickly,” Rachelle said with an amused stare. “You know, if we didn’t have such pressing business, I’d try to take you home tonight.”
“Business? What the fuck are you talking about, Rachelle?”
“Well, I thought you would have figured it out by now,” she said, taking a couple steps back. “You see, Trenton, I’ve made a lot of money off of you through the years. Money that’s in a hidden location that you’ll never get back mind you, but I’ve made enough that I could throw several of these little bashes over the years and not even blink. And yet, despite that, I’m still the bottom of the barrel in this city’s society. That is, until quite a few members of the city council lose their lives and, of course, their fortunes to trust funds and charities. I’ll be close to the top of the pack then.”
Jesus Christ . . . she’s going to kill everyone here. And for who? For what? So she can have money? So she can have a reputation?
“Give me the motherfucking gun,” he said in the kind of tone that a stern teacher might use. Trent, apparently, was having the same doubts about her as Kristina was.
“Thirty seconds ago, you were begging us to have another chance at love. Guess the marriage got stale awfully quick, didn’t it, Trenton? Before you do anything rash, though, Trent, may I suggest you consider the ball drop. I think you’ll want to stick around for that. After all, who knows? You may be the only person who knows the code to stop the bomb from exploding in time. So, what do you say that you, your sick little girlfriend there, and I all go upstairs for the final act? I missed dessert, and I’m simply famished.”
Rachelle motioned for Trent to pick up Kristina from the ground. He looked at Rachelle with such rage, he could have hit her right then and there. But this new threat, this new discovery, was something Trent could not ignore. For now, unless he wanted people to die, which he did not, she had him trapped.
And as for Kristina, she knew they had no choice but to comply. It was one thing for her and Trent to fight back, but it was another to realize so many people in the city could lose their lives tonight if Rachelle finished her task. For the time being, they had to play along with her game until they saw a chance to break free.
Trent did as requested. They made their way back upstairs, and Kristina had to fight the urge to tackle Rachelle in the middle of the room, even though she knew she was in no shape to do such a thing. She knew the situation could escalate quickly, and they’d be caught amid rival gangs and gunfire if she did anything to trigger any violence.
She hated that she had put Trent in this spot. She hated that she had put the entire city in this spot. If she had just listened to her gut and not taken the job . . . but her desire to see Trent again had won out.
Perhaps she was wrong about what she said at the restaurant. Perhaps her reasons for going to New Zealand were not to see something new but to avoid seeing Trent. Perhaps it was time she stopped running.
Once she figured out something here, that is.
The trio arrived back upstairs to see that the party had been moved to the main lobby, and there were groups already forming underneath the giant golden, glittery ball the hotel had supplied for their magical New Years’ Eve experience.
“Well, looks like we’re right on time to begin the celebration,” Rachelle said with a cackle.
Rachelle pushed the gun into Trent’s back, keeping it tucked close to her body, and made him walk back up to the stage where the empty mic was waiting. Rachelle took her place at the podium and quickly hit a button underneath the microphone. She then tapped it for emphasis. Kristina could scarcely believe what she was seeing— Rachelle apparently losing her mind in real-time. And for what? Trent?
“Hello,” she said with a smile. Kristina’s heart rate began to accelerate, terrified of what was about to happen. “I’m glad I have your attention. I trust all of you are having a great time. I know I am. I was hoping to craft that unforgettable experience for every one of you, and I think I’ve found a way to do that. As you turn your eyes to the ball as it drops, I also want to call your attention to the clock to the left of it. When that clock strikes zero, not only will the ball drop, but . . .”
Is she really about to do this? Is she really about to say what I think she’s going to say?
“A bomb that I have strategically placed in the room will explode. And there’s enough firepower with it to wipe out this entire floor. Have fun trying to escape!”
Rachelle shot her gun in the air, sending screams of fear and panic through the crowd. The crowd attempted to disperse or at least try to leave the floor, but all the exits had been sealed. Kristina locked eyes with Tommy in the crowd. He was panicked. Kristina racked her brain for a solution, but she struggled to find one. She had to imagine Trent wasn’t in a much better spot mentally.
“Wow. I do apologize for the lack of fresh air in the room. It seems when you seal exits, it creates quite a heatwave. Forgive me while I get a little more comfortable. For now, though, hold your applause until after the show, please. I suggest you find your sweetheart and have one final dance to bring in the New Year. Love is bittersweet, isn’t it?”
Trent, with the gun pinned to his back, couldn’t do much of anything. Still, he tried to talk his way out of the situation as best he could.
“Rachelle, you don’t have to do this. When they catch you, they’re going to lock you up for life. You’ll never feel the wind in your hair again on those car rides you like to take. Are you really going to throw away your freedom for, what, a few extra bucks?”
“Try a few million,” Rachelle said with a sarcastic chuckle. “But you still don’t get it, do you? You are the perfect man, Trent, and she ruined you for me.”
Fuck you, bitch. I didn’t do anything. You’re just fucking psychotic.
She saw Trent lock eyes with Tommy. He was still nestled in the front row of the crowd by the ball. He gave Tommy a slight nod, as if fully aware of a plan that could work. Kristina sure as hell hoped he had something in mind because any movement out of the ordinary from either of them was going to end badly.
“You know what?” Trent said suddenly. “You were no picnic either, Rachelle. Maybe that’s why I was distant too. Hell, who knows, maybe you were fucking just as many guys as I was chicks while we were together.”
Rachelle suddenly froze as she stared at him as if her eyes would burn a hole through his body. Tommy stood as still as he could in the audience.
What the actual fuck are you doing, Trent? Are you trying to get us killed faster?
“What did you just say, Trenton?” Rachelle said.
“You heard me. I mean, it’s not a secret anymore, right? You were messing around, and so was I.”
At the moment that Rachelle turned to strike Trent, Tommy pulled his gun out of his jacket and fired a couple of shots, hitting Rachelle squarely in the shoulder. Trent then hurled Kristina in the direction of the stage steps. Kristina, dizzy and still affected by the concussion, could only fall in the direction that gravity took her.
“Go now!”
Rachelle was wounded but still made a grasp for her revolver. She got off several shots in Kristina’s direction, but she missed, and Kristina fell toward Tommy. Tommy fired off several more shots in Rachelle’s direction, but she returned fire and swung her gun once more directly in Trent’s face. There was a struggle as they both tried to gain control of the weapon, but before Trent could gain complete control, a shot sounded loudly in his ear.
Thankfully, it was only a shoulder wound. Before he could regain his bearings, one more shot rang out, and Rachelle fell to the stage in a crumpled heap. Tommy stood guarding Kristina, holding a smoking gun as the clock continued to count down. They had done it.
They had killed the woman responsible for all the heartache and trouble of the last few days.
But unfortunately, they had not ended the threat entirely. And if they didn’t move, she would have the final laugh in Hell.
“Come on, Trent,” Kristina said, gathering herself. “Get your ass down here, and let’s stop this thing! We don’t have much time!”
Trent
The three of them rounded the staircase by the elevator, and, despite Trent’s bleeding shoulder, he reached the lighting booth in the lobby’s makeshift theatre. He saw the ball descending lower to the floor and the numbers on the screen were decreasing literally by the second.
He looked at flashing buttons on the control panel and shrugged his shoulders at Kristina and Tommy. He wanted to save the day and stop the bomb from going off, but he feared pressing the wrong thing and ensuring everyone’s death.
“I really don’t know what we’re supposed to do,” Trent said, careful not to press anything that he didn’t understand. “I’ve never worked one of these things before.”
“Look, Trent,” Kristina said, apparently having gotten enough of her senses back. “It’s asking for some type of password to complete the task.”
“Fuck,” Trent said. Of course, there would be a password. “What would she have set as a password?”
“I really didn’t know anything about Rachelle,” Kristina said. “I’m the other woman, remember?”
Trent ignored the comment and tried punching in random numbers, but nothing seemed to work.
“Trent, the hell are you thinking?” Kristina said, panic evident in her voice. “It’s not going to be something simple. It’s going to be something personal.”
Trent scrunched his face for a few moments before he plugged in a series of numbers. The same thing happened, the timer flickered and continued to count down. They were under a minute.
“Trent! Think! What’s something that would be meaningful to both of you?”
Trent keyed in one last combination.
The counter kept moving. They had failed. The bomb—
And then, it stopped.
The message “Disarm Procedures Enacted” flashed across the screen. Kristina wrapped her arms around Trent as they both breathed a sigh of relief.
It’s over. Finally. This shit is over. No more nonsense.
“What did you type in?” she asked.
“Two, zero, zero, four.”
“What’s so specia
l about that?”
“Well, not only was it the year that I first met Rachelle,” Trent said, a little embarrassed to be admitting such a thing to his current romantic interest. “It was also the day the Red Sox won the World Series.”
“Jesus, really, Trent?” Kristina said, but even she was laughing now, overjoyed to have avoided utter catastrophe. “A baseball game, that’s what you chose to share with her on a personal level?”
“Well, it was also the year I met her. I can’t help it if that year was already culturally significant for another reason.”
Why am I even worried about explaining this? This shit is over. I can focus on the good stuff now.
“But, you know what?”
“What?” Kristina asked as a wry smile crossed her face.
“Five, four, three, two, one, I think it’s time you kissed me.”
The clock struck midnight, and, not surprisingly, there were no explosions in the building. Kristina stood where she was, smiling, waiting for Trent to make a move of some kind.
“I promise you, Kristina,” Trent said as he leaned against the console, Tommy having already left to care for the people down below. “I’ll make this right.”
“Trent,” she said. “Just kiss me already.”
It was the first time in many years that their eyes met with the same youthful chemistry that brought them together to begin with. Their lips met, and Trent stroked the side of Kristina’s temple lovingly. He pushed the lingering thoughts of Rachelle to the back of his mind and continued to softly caress Kristina’s lips with his own. Even with the years between them, she still managed to feel the heat form. His grip around her shoulders tightened, and he pulled her into him, quickly deepening their kiss.
When she pulled away, she gave him a full smile and took his hands in her own.
“Happy New Year, Trent.”
Tommy, Trent, and Kristina sat in Tommy’s car outside the hospital. They were fortunate Kristina didn’t have to be kept overnight for observation. Trent had managed to escape the situation with only a flesh wound to his shoulder.
