by Ethan Egorov
“Rachelle looked at him coldly for a moment and then her expression softened. “Oh Trent. You don’t understand do you? That time has passed for both of us. I mean, in the beginning had we both worked on it we may have had a chance. Now though, we’re nothing. We’re not even strangers anymore and that’s sad. We used to be so close. I can remember laughing with you in bed until you fell asleep and Trent my God when you sleep you are a thing of beauty. I don’t think you realize just how handsome you are. When we slept together and I watched you dreaming, I often wondered just what you were dreaming about and if it included me. We know the answer though. We all do. You weren’t dreaming of a life with me, you were dreaming about the day that Kristina returned and stepped off of a plane. She confess that out of all the people she’d dated you were the only one for her and that was be it.” She paused for a moment and walked to Trent. She put the gun down momentarily and ran a smooth hand along his cheek. The stubble had already began to form where he’d shaved earlier. She closed her eyes as she felt his jawline once more under her fingertips and brought her index finger to his lips. “You feel just as nice as I remember. 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. “Rach! Rachelle! Wait….What are you doing?! Oh God no…please don’t do this.”
“Haha! Wow. That changed your attitude quickly. Now what’s that about Trent? You were always the strong and silent type. I suppose that even you have your limits to the amount of grisly you can handle. I guess you also don’t want to get grey matter scattered all along your nice suit. I’d have to say that you definitely look better than what I remember and my god your ass looks great in those pants. I guess I should be afraid that offended you, but I’m entitled to my opinion. My opinion is that you look damned good cleaned up and 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? Damn you’re definitely off your rocker. Honey, why don’t you just quit this little charade and hand me the gun. I’ll take you upstairs and I’ll get you some help. Fuck, for that matter I’ll get all of us some help. How does that sound?”
“Sounds like a lapsed Catholic with a head full of guilt trying to make up for lost time. Though … I suppose that’s your MO isn’t it? You do that often, I’ve noticed the pattern. You see, Trent…I was watching you long before I met you.” Trent narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists at his side. He couldn’t believe that she just admitted to stalking him. He was angry, but had a feeling that he should still wait to make his move. “You were watching me? Why?”
“Well I thought you would have figured it out by now. 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 through the years and not even blink. See baby, that’s what money gets you. It gets you respect and also power. Those people upstairs…they’re the crème de la crème of society. They have all the money and all the power. You know though…despite my recent windfall, 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 they will lose their fortunes to trust funds and charities. I’ll be close to the top of the pack then.”
“You’re so fucked up Rachelle. I didn’t know it when I first met you, but you are a sick individual. Give me the motherfucking gun I’m tired of hearing you talk.”
“Hmm… see how that’s changed? Thirty seconds ago you were begging us to have another chance at love. Guess the marriage got stale awfully quick, didn’t it Trenton.”
“Fuck you. Just fuck you if you want to shoot yourself go the fuck ahead and do it… unless you want me to do the honors. I’ll gladly oblige. You see… I’m not scared of getting a little brain matter on my suit after all.”
“Then you’ll miss the ball drop. I think you’ll want to stick around for that. Haha! After all, who knows you may 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? Besides, I missed dessert and I’m simply famished.”
Rachelle motioned for Trent to pick up Kristina from the ground. He did as she asked, not wanting to chance her shooting her just in outrage or even boredom. They made their way back upstairs quickly and Trent once again fought the urge to just tackle her in the middle of the room. He knew though that situation could escalate quickly and they’d be caught in the midst of rival gangs and gunfire. Surely he and Tommy weren’t the only partygoers hiding guns under their nice jackets. Rachelle still held the gun at his back and he gently pulled Kristina in the same direction he was going. He certainly didn’t want her to become an easy target for Rachelle. He was surprised that she hadn’t already been murdered. He was thankful for at least that little convenience.
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 in time to begin the celebration.” Without warning, she pushed the gun into Trent’s back and made him walk back up to the stage where the empty mic was waiting. Rachelle took her place at the podium and quickly placed a button underneath the microphone. She then tapped it for emphasis. “Hello… I’m glad I have your attention. I trust all of you are having a great time. I know that 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. Sure…as you turn your eyes to the balls as it drops, I almost want to call to your attention the clock to the left of it. There’s a counter on it… I assure you it’s accurate and very much in sync with our contraption for the ball drop. This countdown is a little different though. When that clock strikes zero not only will the ball drop, but a bomb that I have strategically placed in the room will explode. I did pull out all the stops though. There’s enough firepower with it to wipe out this entire floor.”
The crowd came to a hush as the clock began counting down the minutes until midnight. Trent had only hoped that it was some type of a joke, but deep down he knew otherwise. She then shot her gun in the air once more, sending screams of fear and panic through the crowd. The crowd attempted to disperse or at least even make an attempt to leave the floor, but all the exits had been sealed. Trent locked eyes with Tommy in the crowd. He was panicked. He saw not only Trent, but Kristina still bleeding, being held at gunpoint by his ex-girlfriend. She had a wild look in her eyes as she continued. “Wow. I do apologize about 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. “In a few swift motions she took off the fur coat that was concealing the glamourous dress she wore beneath it. “Hold your applause until after the show, please. Oh now where were we? Ah yes… the countdown has begun. I suggest that you find your sweetheart and have one final dance to bring in the New Year. Love is bittersweet, isn’t it?”
“Please…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?”
“Pfft. Try a few million. To be honest, it’s more than that, you still don’t get it do you?! You are the perfect man Trent and she ruined it for me. Everyone did, you certainly weren’t interested in spending much time with me since I didn’t have money like other people in your circle.”
“Rach…you have to understand that was business.”
“Lies!” Trent locked eyes with Tommy in that moment. He was still nestled in the front row of the crowd by the ball. It was actually one of his favorite things to do on
the holiday. He loved the shining sphere and the light it caught on the way down. Without warning, Rachelle took the butt of her gun and hit Trent in the side of the face…hard. The crowd gasped and once again there were shrieks of panic as Trent turned back around, stunned by he seemed to be okay as he held his face. Giving Tommy a slight nod, he knew what he needed to do. It was dangerous, but he was going to provoke her. “You know what? You were no picnic either Rachelle. Oh you don’t seem to recall every night when we were at dinner you’d have various guys messaging you all the time. I don’t know what they were after, I can only assume that you were keeping them on your short list for when you tired of me. Ya see, Rachelle….maybe that’s why I was distant too. You know I don’t want to be hurt either. No one does. 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. He was just waiting for the right moment. “What did you just say, Trenton?”
“You heard me. I mean, it’s not a secret anymore right? You were messing around and so was I. God… I mean, yeah we were together a lot but those I could get away, now that was magical. Sometimes I’d even have two or three over at once, just for some variety.”
Rachelle then turned to face Trent completely and he nodded suddenly at Tommy. Tommy pulled his gun out of his jacket and fired a couple shots onto the stage. He missed Trent and hit Rachelle squarely on the shoulder. Trent then hurled Kristina to the direction of the stage steps. “Go… go to Tommy, now!” Rachelle was wounded, but still made a grasp for her revolver. Kristina obeyed his instructions and as Rachelle got off several shots in Kristina’s direction, she easily dodged them and found Tommy. Tommy fired off several 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 of the weapon the trigger sounded loudly in his ear. The ringing in his ears subsided and he suddenly felt nauseous and dizzy. He knew that he’d been shot. He looked over at his arm and closed his eyes in a moment of silent thanks. It was only a shoulder wound and should be easy to patch up. Before he could gain his bearings, one more shot rang out in the lobby, 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. “Come on Trent. Get your ass down here and let’s stop this thing!”
“Good work, Tommy! Hey I thought you were out of shots?!”
“Hah! You don’t remember what we talked about earlier do you? I’m wearing my lucky socks.”
“Fuck. Hahah! Shit, Tommy. I guess you have a point. Where’s the controls for this ball?”
“I guess they’re up in the booth with the lights. Come on let’s go, we don’t have much time.”
The three of them rounded the staircase by the elevator and despite Trent’s bleeding shoulder he grunted and groaned until he reached the lighting booth in the lobby’s makeshift theatre. He saw the ball growing lower to the floor and the numbers on the screen were growing quickly lower. He knew that once they reached zero no one would stand a chance. He looked at flashing buttons on the control panel and shrugged his shoulders at Kristina and Tommy. “I really don’t know what we’re supposed to do. I’ve never worked one of these things before. You just think we should shoot the entire panel?”
Kristina, who had been silent the entire time, glared at him and rolled her eyes. “Jesus Trent. What the fuck good do you think that would do? Look for a red button….or even a button that says stop. Think you can try that before you blow us all up for certain?”
“Fine. You always have to be a know-it-all don’t you. Even with a concussion you have to be right.”
“You’re right. Trust me Trent, if we’re ever going to have a real life together than you might as well get used to that now.”
“A real life… Kristina, you’re talking out of your head again. We’re going to have to get you to the hospital soon.”
“I’m just saying Trent… after tonight’s escapades, maybe it is time we both settled down and tried to at least have some of what would consider a normal life together. We’ll get a house on the edge of the city…maybe even have some children?”
“We’ll sort this all out later. Right now we have a roomful of city officials to save.” Trent pressed the ‘stop’ button and smiled at Kristina when the ball suddenly stopped moving. The timer, however, continued on the clock. “Well what now?”
“Look Trent, it looks it’s asking for some type of password to complete the task.”
“Fuck. What would she have set as a password?”
“I really didn’t know anything about Rachelle. I’m the ‘other woman,’ remember?”
“You’re not really… oh fuck never mind. Um. Let’s see… one, one, one,one.” Trent then pushed the enter button and nothing changed, the clock continued to count down. “Trent the hell are you thinking?! She’s an evil psychopath…it’s not going to be something that 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 only flickered and continued to count down. They were under a minutes and Trent knew that before long he’d be out of time. “Trent! Don’t you pay any attention at all to the women you date?! Think! What’s something that would be meaningful to both of you?”
Trent keyed in one last combination and watched as the counter kept moving. Before he could mutter an expletive that formed in his mouth it stopped. The messages ‘disarm procedures enacted’ flashed across the screen and Kristina wrapped her arms around Trent as they both breathed a sigh of relief.
“What did you type in?”
“Two, zero,zero,four.”
“What’s so special about that?”
“Well not only was it the year that I first met Rachelle, it was also the day that the Red Sox won the World Series. For the first time in over eighty-four years they won it over the St. Louis Cardinals.”
“Jesus, really Trent. 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.”
“Trent?”
“Yeah?”
“Five, four, three, two, one….I think it’s time you kissed me.”
The clock struck midnight and there were no explosions in the building. Though most of the partygoers had already left the building, swiftly making their way down the elevators or out the door when they became unlocked after the bomb was disabled. Trent, Tommy, and Kristina remained in the lighting control box until they saw all the guests exit the building. The remaining guests were escorted out by the police who finally responded to the grim scene. Trent looked at Kristina earnestly and frowned while he touched the side of her head, “Does this hurt?”
“Just a little.”
“Fuck…I’ll make it better… I promise you Kristina, I’ll make this right.”
“Shh…Trent just kiss me. Give me a New Year’s Eve kiss I can remember for years, hell even decades to come.”
The man then pulled Kristina into him, wrapping his arms around her neck. It was the first time in many years since their eyes had met with that same youthful chemistry that brought them together to begin with. Their lips met and Trent stroked the side of Kristina’s temple lovingly. He hated the fact that she got hurt because of his situation, but he was certainly glad that they brought a murderer to justice, no matter how sad it was in the end. He pushed the lingering thoughts of Rachelle to the back of his mind and softly continued to softly caress Kristina’s lips with his own. He was in shock and felt a flood of arousal run through his body. Even with the years between him, she still managed to feel the heat form between them. His grip around her shoulders tightened and he
pulled her into him quickly deepening their kiss. She then put both of her hands on the side of his face and caressed his cheeks, much as Rachelle had in the past. When she pulled away from him she gave him a full smile and took his hands in her own. “Happy New Year, Trent.”
After everyone involved in the terrible incident went to the hospital to be checked out for any serious injuries, Tommy, Trent and Kristina sat in Tommy’s car outside the hospital. They were fortunate that Kristina didn’t have to be kept overnight for observation. Trent had managed to escape the situation with only a flesh would on his shoulder. The ER doc had advised him the bullet simply went through the tissue and thankfully didn’t lodge itself in any vital organs. It even somehow had missed several large veins and arteries which ran through that location.
“So Tommy, where are you headed now?”
“Eh…it’s late and quite frankly I’m too tired even for a quick poker game with the guys. I think I’ll head home and get some sleep. Tomorrow I’ll be probably focus on re staffing the restaurant. If Rachelle were working for our enemies, it’s safe to say that there are possibly others in our organization that’s pocketing some bank on the side too. We can’t afford this so I’d rather start from scratch.”
“Well I understand that. I still can’t believe that she had the capacity to do that. I just thought she left town or something. I swear Tommy, I had no idea she was on the take. None of this would have happened had I been a better judge of character.”
“Eh… sometimes in life, Trent you have to take a chance and actually think with your heart. I understand exactly why you trusted her. I did too. I also thought you two were going to make it…that was until she apparently made her cash and got psychotic.”
