I remain frozen as I was, watching him leave because I know I can’t have him and never will. Doesn’t matter what I feel. Nothing can ever happen between us because of how I am betraying him. All I can do now is let go.
10
TITO
Afew hours earlier…
“Tito, get down!” I dodge a bullet flying at me quicker than I knew bullets could fly and reach for my gun jamming device.
The rough start began when our power outage device combusted nearly ten minutes after being deployed. Guess you can imagine the shock we were in when every light in the building flickered, exposing our location before we got far enough to reach our objective. Now we’re running around the Magdalin, trying to get to an exit that they haven’t locked, carrying faulty devices, and riding on an ever-slimming chance of survival.
“If they catch us, we’re done.” Van grunts as he rips the tip of one of the detonation devices. It finds the enemy and sticks to them before exploding. It’s got a good radius, but it’s not like a normal explosive. This one only knocks out the target. My goal was fewer deaths, so this seemed like a great solution, great if it would work.
So far, everything we’ve tried has gone horribly wrong, and I haven’t a clue why. My team is falling back into old patterns, and we almost have to. The Bratva leaves no trace of their enemy, not even their blood on the floors. I’m nearly halfway to the exit at the end of the hall that’s some sort of fire escape.
“Just a little further,” I grunt, a bead of sweat rolling down my forehead in response as my team picks up their pace, boots stomping on the ground.
“Throw it,” I nudge Van as the time counts down on the quarter-sized body of the mini explosive device.
“I can’t–”
“You’re gonna get us all killed. For fuck sakes, throw the damn thing!” I yell, and he waves his hand around to show me that it’s latched on to him. Fuck. I designed it to be nearly impossible to get off once it’s stuck to the enemy. But he isn’t the enemy, and it shouldn’t have gone off.
The timer counts down to five seconds left, and I have no choice now. I see a corridor to the right of the exit. This maneuver will cost us, but it’s all I can do.
“Get to the exit, and don’t stop running until you’re at the cars,” I yell to my team and grab Van by the arm, pulling him into the corridor just as our team reaches the exit.
“What are you—” Van is looking at me like he’s lost as I tackle him to the ground and bury his hand under the both of us, pulling my shirt up over my nose just as the bomb explodes. A gray smoke surrounds us now. I think this might deter anyone gunning for us, considering the thing sounds like an actual bomb, and the smoke that’s following is rather dramatic. I look down to see Van has breathed it in and is completely knocked out.
On the other hand, I’m holding my breath. The air in my lungs is beginning to burn, but I know this shirt will not protect me, and we will both die if I can’t pull it together. I push past the discomfort and the growing urge to take a deep breath, pulling him up with me. Carefully, I sling him over my shoulder and jog back to the exit. The smoke is still in my eyes, burning them for defying the odds and staying conscious.
Just as I turn my head back to see if anyone is gaining on us, I see the bright flash of a machine gun, and a bullet trail lines the wall next to us. I grab the handle to the exit, but they’ve locked this one too. Quickly I turn back to the corridor, but before I can fully enter, a bullet soars through the air and hits Van. I can tell it does because I can feel it, and then I can see the blood dripping down my jacket.
“Fuck you!” I scream with the first breath I’m able to take, and another round of bullets fires off, getting closer. We’re halfway down the hallway now, and my heart is pounding out of my chest. I pick up my pace and barrel down the hall, but before I can reach the end, someone jumps out of their room with a gun and aims to shoot. For a split second, I think I can turn around, but when I see the man with a machine gun gaining on me, I know I’m in a deadlock.
“Fuck,” I grumble.
“Yeah,” The man with a handgun grins. “Against the wall.” He tilts his head and gun along with his order. I listen to him, carrying Van with me to the wall. This is a quick-thinking situation. The handgun guy has got machine gun guy to stop his rapid-fire, at least that's what I assume because the hall has gone quiet. For whatever reason, he wants to kill me this way or take me to their leader? I don’t know.
Whatever this is, I don’t have time for it, and the only thing I can think to do with the splicer. That's what I call it, anyway. It's a device that's for desperate times. It can hit two targets at once, paralyzing them for up to five minutes. That is, if it fucking works.
“Hands on the wall.” He orders, and I reach for the device in the front pocket, just as he asks this. Slowly I raise one hand, the empty one, and press it to the wall above my head. Van’s body slinks down mine, crumbling to the ground right behind me.
“The other hand!” He yells louder, though I’m right in front of him. I raise it slowly as I hear a machine gun guy getting close to us now. I just need him to get a few feet closer and, now! It’s now, or never, so I turn and shoot, hoping this works, or I’m a dead man. They’re both frozen immediately after, and I feel my heart pounding in every limb. Then, in synchronization, their bodies drop to the floor.
Instinct takes over, and I grab Van once more, quickly observing both of their bodies to see if either of them has a key.
“It looks like you’re the winner.” I bend down and grab the machine gun guy's tag hanging from his belt as he watches me. I know he can see me, knows exactly what’s going on, but he can’t move. Neither of them can. And if this device actually worked the way it was supposed to, they should both be out for the next five minutes. If I’m betting on it, though, the odds aren’t exactly in my favor, considering none of the other devices worked tonight.
I bolt as fast as my legs will take me with Van over my back, and I head back down the hallways to the exit my team went down. Quickly I scan the car on the wall when I’m at it, and it chimes. I grab the cold metal handle and whip it open, bolting down the steps to the bottom level. We head down three flights, and the door is cracked open for us with a rock. My team is safe; that’s what that means.
Nothing else matters but getting away and getting Van some help. He’s beginning to wake just as I exit into the warm evening air. I hear him groaning in pain as I pick up the pace, and I spot our car. One of the boys, Holden, jumps out to meet me halfway, and together we carry Van back to the car.
“What the fuck happened?”
“Some idiot with a machine gun he’s never used was trying to shoot us.”
“Trying? Looks like he got Van pretty good.” Van mumbles something, eyes still closed. It’s probably a snarky remark about me keeping him safe. I tried my best, but my best wasn’t enough. Not even my devices were enough to keep us safe tonight.