“Okay, yeah. I got it. Fuck.” The guy bites on his lip again, and honest-to-god, my dick jerks in interest. “I didn’t think it was that bad!”
I cock the gun, taking aim while dust and soot still dance around us. A rush of excitement, of dark euphoria, surges through me. Did I miss this? I’m vibrating, ready for action, my fingers twitching to press the trigger, my legs ready to kick or run or break things. God, I did, didn’t I? I thought I could be normal, that I could lead a life of simple things focused on helping people and making amends. And for a while, I even managed to do that.
But it was all fake, all pretend, and thanks to this infuriating stranger, this farce is coming to its end. Now, it’s time for me to reclaim my place back in therealworld, away from this fantasy I’ve been living out for the past ten years.
“Yeah, well. It is. And it will only get worse.” I crack a smile of my own, can’t really help it as a familiar rush of adrenaline lights me on fire for the first time in forever. “Welcome to Hell. I hope you are ready.”
2
Tommy
Thisisdefinitelytheright person. And I am positively crazy, because,fuck me, as scary as this has been, it’s also kind of fun? Yep, I must be insane, but in my defense, it looks like ‘Father Gabriel’ over here is having a hell of a good time like me if the madman grin on his sexy face is anything to go by.
Also, why the hell didn’t anyone warn me that Nikolas Stavros isn’t just a legendary ex-mercenary, but he looks like a supermodel plucked right out of the page of a magazine?
I adjust myself in the middle of this insanity.Sigh. Seriously? I expected a balding old dude in his fifties with decaying teeth and a beer belly. Not this big, muscular man who couldn’t be older than forty and who can most likely lift me one-handed, cage me against the wall and make a mess of me until the morning.
“Hey, did you hear what I said?” Nikolas demands in his deep, grumbly voice.
Fuck, even his voice is sexy as hell. “Huh? Oh, yes! You count to three and I run to your room to retrieve the hidden bag. Then we leg it.”
Nikolas grabs my shoulder and shakes me, eyes glimmering from the adrenaline in his blood. “Why the fuck are you still here then?”
Oh, shit, did he count down already? “Oops?”
He rolls his eyes, then shoves me toward the door. “Just go!” Then he opens fire.
I run as if a dog is chasing me. I take the stairs two at a time, mess up the passcode the first time, then the second and third, all the while chaos reigns downstairs.Bang, crack, boom.“Oh, shit, shit. What was the code? 4-1-5-0-8-0?” Another beep, and I get locked out. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
What do I do now?
In a moment of unlikely brilliance, I kick the door and actually manage to break it. Good thing it was just as old as the rest of the church, because I don’t exactly pack a lot of strength. Or size. I am… compact unlike Nikolas, on the smaller and cuter and sassier side, the exact opposite. It’s both a curse and a blessing, depending on the circumstances I find myself in.
In a frantic race against time as gunshots pierce the night, I dig out the bag from the hidden wardrobe compartment and run back down. Nikolas is using the altar for cover while four men are advancing on him. The fifth one is writhing on the ground near the hole as if possessed, clearly too wounded to stand.Nice.
I catch Nikolas’ gaze as a break in the fire ensues, waving the bag at him. “I got it!”
“Jesus!” He launches at me, toppling me over on the ground just as a barrage of bullets flies too close for comfort. “Are you fucking suicidal?”
Am I? I study the holes in the wall that the bullets left behind with a tremble in my throat.Nope, definitely not suicidal. “Sorry. I… This is my first time in a gunfight… But I’m a fast learner, I promise.” I add a wide smile for good measure and to show my willingness and enthusiasm in mastering this questionable skill if it means staying alive.
“Christ.” Nikolas grabs the bag while herding me toward the mostly broken first row of pews. Yep, I think he approves.
The bullets keep trying to get us, so we mostly crawl there, and by the time we can catch our breath, my elbows are busted. But I don’t complain despite the nasty sting. I’m just glad I’m alive, so a little pain and blood isn’t a big deal. As long as I avoid thinking about them.
“The only exit is at the back. They are blocking it. We’ll have to improvise,” Nikolas says, scanning the surroundings with narrowed eyes.
Does he have a plan? Do I want to know what it is?
My heart beats even faster. Ah, who am I kidding—I want to, let’s go! This is dangerous. I could die. But despite all that, I’m kind of maybe having fun. “Okay… You can distract them, and I’ll shoot them down?”
My suggestion earns me a side-eye from the fake priest. “Can you even shoot?”
I consider that for a moment, folding my fingers and leaving the index one out. “Maybe? I used to play a lot of shooters online.”
Nikolas does the sign of the cross and kisses his black rosary, mumbling under his nose. “Someone have mercy on me, please. What did I do to deserve this?”
Now, now, why is he being so overdramatic? Yes, it sucks to be waken up in the middle of the night and have bloodthirsty men blow a hole through the wall of your church, but how was I supposed to know they would do that? I’d have called beforehand if that was an option and I wasn’t literally being run down by these lunatics. But hey, at least we are the only two people and there were novictims, only property damage. He should thank me for my perfect timing.
