My body shakes with anger as I pull the knife from my pocket and flick it open. Threatening me was one thing, but I wouldn’t let him threaten Atlas. He let out a sound that can only be described as a manic cackle.
“What are you going to do with that? Kill me? You don’t have what it takes. You’re nothing more than a worthless broken doll.”
My body moves instantly. The moment he said I didn’t have what it takes, was the moment he signed his own death certificate. There’s no hesitation as I stab him with the knife. That’s when I feel it, the warmth of his blood pouring over my clenched fist that’s now holding the knife that’s currently plunged in his throat. It’s like my brain shuts off, the only voice I hear doesn’t sound like mine. It’s happy with what I did.
The smell hits me next, a mix of metallic and something that smells an awful lot like piss fills the air. A smile cracks across my lips as I watch him panic. It feels broken and cracked, like it doesn’t belong on my face. He’s trying to speak, but it comes out in a bloody gurgle. He thrashes against his restraints, getting one of his arms free.
His fingers wrap around my wrist, trying to remove the knife. I push it in further as he claws at my forearms. He’s fighting for his life. Not that it’ll do him any good at this point. His nails dig in hard enough to break my skin, but it only adds to his blood that already drenches my arms.
“Not so strong now are you, Trevor?” I twist the knife just a little and he thrashes with panic, but he doesn’t fight long. His eyes meet mine for a brief second. It’s clear the moment he realizes he’s not getting out of this alive. Several emotions flash in his eyes before they land on regret. His hand drops limply to his side as life finally drains from his body.
I expected to feel terror– regret even– but as I stare at the man I just killed, I no longer feel anything.
Suddenly, the warehouse door is thrown open and I let go of the knife handle, quickly drawing the gun stashed in my waistband. I just killed one person. I’ll not hesitate to kill another.
I’ll be getting out of here alive one way or another.
My finger twitched on the trigger as the intruder rounded a stack of wooden crates. I pulled the trigger but aimed right next to his head. I know the eyes staring back at me, but why are they here?
Chapter 21
Atlas
It took me way longer to find her than I wanted to. By the time I tracked down the warehouse, Trevor’s car had already been here for fifteen minutes. My stomach drops to my feet as I prepare myself for what I might see here. She’s been gone for twenty-four hours. I don’t even know if she’s still alive, but I know either way, Trevor won’t be after this. Gavin is in my earpiece but I no longer hear him over the sound of my pounding heart.
I know he has a drone in the sky to run thermals and keep an eye out for any trouble, but I don’t wait for him to tell me what I’m running into. I already wasted enough time. I draw my gun and throw open the warehouse door.
I duck down when a bullet buzzes right past my head. I go to return fire but stop dead in my tracks. It’s not Trevor shooting at me. I’m frozen for a second, my brain trying to catch up to what I’m currently seeing.I came here to rescue her but there’s a gun aimed at me, and she’s the one holding it.
She’s drenched in blood but I can tell it’s not hers. I glance around to take in the scene. There doesn’t look to be anyone else here, well besides Trevor’s dead body. Her knife is still sticking out of his neck as blood continues to pool in a puddle at his feet. Damn, I just missed all the action. She doesn’t seem to be in shock or upset over his death either.
She looks every bit of the name I gave her. The chaos was palpable. You could feel it in the air– an electric feeling. Like any sudden movement would cause the air to spark. I’ve never seen her this unhinged.
My dick twitched at the sight of the carnage she unleashed. I don’t know what that says about me, but I didn’t care to dwell on it. She could shoot me right now and I’d probably smile. She was bathed in his blood and looked like the queen of hell. I’m not exactly happy she had to get her hands dirty, but she made my job easier by taking him out. Now I just had to talk her down so she’d let me take her home.
“Lower the gun, Emily.”
“Why the fuck should I?”
“Because I’m not here to hurt you.”
“Then why the fuck are you here? How did you find me anyways? Trevor mentioned you were keeping something from me. Are you in on this?”
“I came to save you.” Her smile was manic as she put her finger back onto the trigger but pain flickered in her eyes before she masked it.Seeing that look on her face started to unravel me. My composure was starting to slip away.
“Clearly, I don’t need you to save me. Why would you risk your life to do that anyways? You don’t even know me.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Chaos.”
The gun shook in her hands a little, almost like she wasn’t sure what to believe before she raised it to my head. “How do I know I can trust you?” Her voice cracked on the last two words and I couldn’t hold back anymore. No matter what the fallout will be from this I can’t keep the truth from her anymore. She can hate me, but after everything that’s happened, she deserves to know.
“Oh Darling Chaos, don’t you fucking get it? Haven’t you figured it out yet? Those memories you’re missing belong to me. You belong to me! You might not remember, but I could never forget. You own my soul, Chaos. Whether you remember that or not! I know I’m in that head of yours somewhere. I see the recognition flicker in your eyes before it vanishes again. It’s torture. My heart breaks again every time it fades.”
Emily
It’s too much. I squeeze my eyes shut to try and block him out but the opposite happens. Memories start flickering behind my closed lids like an old movie projector. Flashes of this man that feel too real to have been figments of my imagination. Too many thoughts and images fight for control. My hands shoot up to cover my ears. The cold metal of the gun barely registers against my warm skin as I press in againstmy temple. I want it all to stop but it doesn’t– Image after image, one memory to the next.
Every single one involves him. All the dreams I was having lately weren’t dreams, but memories that were locked away. His voice is bouncing around my psyche like a skipping CD. It’s suffocating.
