“Are you okay?” he asked me, concerned. As always, his intense voice reached down to touch the deepest part of me. I didn’t answer him. Instead, I just reached out and touched his split lip. “I’m right here with you, Babygirl. You don’t have to be afraid. Nothing’s going to happen to you—not on my life.” He tried to reassure me, and I smiled sadly at him. He inched closer, getting down on his knees until he could kiss the tip of my nose. “I’m righthere,” he said again, fiercely. I took his face in my hands and kissed him. I knew he needed physical contact, even if it was hardly the most opportune moment.
A second, all I needed was a second…
My tongue slid into his mouth and sought his desperately. I could taste the blood filling his mouth and more tears fell down my face. I didn’t want to cry, but I couldn’t help it. I wished I had the power to absorb all that physical and mental pain for him. I tried to tell him that with my eyes, and he seemed to understand because he gave me another kiss, this one innocent and brief. A kiss of reassurance. A kiss to say for him too it was enough to simply be in my presence to be “okay.” He urged me to get up, and my legs shook as I wrapped my arms around his waist. He was unsteady on his feet, his wrists still bound with ropes, but he was trying not to put too much of his weight on me. Together, we made our way over to Xavier under the defeated stares of the lunatics who had ambushed us.
“Luke, cut Neil free. Jennifer and Alexia, get Selene out of here,” Xavier ordered, his weapons still pointed at Player and Bryan. Before I knew it, the two girls had pulled me away from Neil while Luke held onto him so he wouldn’t go tumbling to the floor.
“No!” I cried. I couldn’t leave that place without him. I stretched out my arms, trying to grab on to him. His mouth curved into a smile that contained pain as well as bravery and gave me a look that said “everything’s going to be okay.”
“Go, Babygirl. I’ll come back to you, I promise,” he said in a low murmur. I couldn’t quit staring at him, like I might never see him again, like those bastards might start hurting him again. Just thinking about it made more tears spill from my eyes.
“Go, go, hurry up,” Xavier prompted us. Without another word, Jennifer dragged me toward the exit with Alexia following closely behind.
Outside, we were surrounded by darkness. Only the warehouse in front of us produced any sort of light.
We walked a few feet away and stopped in front of Xavier’s Cadillac, parked in a dirt clearing.
Exhausted, I leaned on the hood and tried to catch my breath.
“Police should be here any minute,” Alexia told Jennifer.
It occurred to me then that had the Krew not come in when they did, Ryan would have shot Neil. They may not have had a moral code or much compassion for anyone outside their circle, but they had shown for sure how much they did value and respect Neil.
“Thank you for…for doing what you did.” I turned to face the girls so they could see the gratitude in my face, and they both scowled like I’d said something wrong. Jennifer ran a nervous hand over her braid and gave me a mocking smile.
“We didn’t do it for you, brat. We did it for Neil,” she said haughtily.
“We all know how much you mean to him. There was nothing else we could do,” Alexia added, her expression considerably softer. I was just about to answer her when the sound of screams from inside the warehouse made me jump. I assumed the worst and moved to go back inside, but Jennifer automatically stopped me with a hand to my chest.
“Just wait here. It’s probably just Luke and Xavier beating the shit out of someone,” she said in an attempt at reassurance that did nothing to calm me down.
The noises coming from the warehouse, which sounded more like animal growls of rage, made my skin crawl.
Neil was still in there, and I would die if he didn’t come back safe to me.
I stared at the warehouse’s entrance the whole time, fear bubbling up to throttle me.
I began to weep with frustration and mentally counted the minutes that passed way too slowly. But then, at last, I spotted Luke and Xavier making their way toward us with Neil between them. He was exhausted and hurt, his head drooping, and the moment I saw him, my heart began to beat again.
Suddenly, he raised his head and his eyes locked on mine.
In all that chaos, Neil was searching forourchaos.
Bright and colorful, joyous and pure.
Cobbled together from candy and fortune cookies, secret smiles and chills of delight, and long kisses.
Made ofus.
“I’m here,” I said to him, and his gaze softened. On his face, I saw theguilt he felt over everything: his past, Ryan’s insane revenge plot, the eager complicity of Bryan and his friends…all the things that had spilled over onto his loved ones. I shook my head; it wasn’t his fault.
He was a victim just like the rest of us.
I began to run toward him; I couldn’t wait a moment longer to have him in my arms.
Meanwhile, I heard the sound of police sirens in the distance.
“It’s really over,” I murmured to myself as I raced toward Neil, and it felt for a moment like the world had been freed from all evil. Suddenly, a dark silhouette lurched into view behind them. I slowed involuntarily as my eyes fixed on the blond head of Ryan, who was at that very moment lifting his arm to aim a gun right at the three men. “Neil!” I screamed and began running again, even faster now with my heart throbbing in my throat.
