Outside The Ropes: OtherSide Of Fear Part 45

"Theyre lying," Gage yelled, pain cracking his voice and shredding my heart. "Dont believe him."

Rusnak pushed me to the door, and when I struggled against going, he hooked his arm around me and dragged me. Terror tore through me. I didnt want to leave Gage, even if I was useless.

I was yelling something. So was Gage, I could see his lips moving. But so was the entire room. Everyone was yelling, a thunderous roar that exploded everything else. I was in flight, body moving, struggling against Rusnak with everything I had. Gage was struggling in the chair they had him in, and it tipped to the side. He landed with a crack, but his lips were still moving, saying something I needed to hear. But then I was pulled around a corner, and he was no longer in my vision. His voice echoed in my head though.

Dont believe him.

Dont say anything.

I love you.

I dont think he actually said I love you, but thats all I kept thinking. Hearing. Its all I wanted to say to him. I love him. I love him. I love him. Hoping my chant evoked something. It felt like the world to me. But it was powerless. Useless.

Rusnak had my arm jerked high behind me, a heat searing through my body from it, but I couldnt feel anything beyond the torture of imagining what was happening to Gage.

He turned us into a side room and closed the door. Only then did I realize Cherry was with us.

"What are you doing?" She had a cigarette in between her lips as she paced the small empty room.

"I cant question them together. Theyll support each others lies. And Ive got to get to the truth." He tossed me to the floor. "Stay down," he warned when I went to move.

His hands smoothly undid his belt, pulling it off in one, quick, threatening movement.

"What the f.u.c.k are you doing then?" Cherry pulled the cigarette from her lip, blowing out hard.

"Getting the truth." He stepped towards me and looped the belt around my neck.

My hands came up to grip under the strap, to keep it from tightening, and I tried to rise to my feet.

"Tcht, Dont fight this." He pushed my shoulders, holding me down on my knees. "I told you, fighting will only make it worse. For you. And for him." He met my eyes, waiting for me to acknowledge his words.

"Why question her when you know it was her? She was always shady, but after the car accident she flipped. Shes the one with a vendetta out for everyone. Not Gage."

He didnt look away from me as he lowered down on his heels, still higher than me. "Im going to find out for myself. And if its true, Im going to find out how far she went." He turned his focus to Cherry. "Then Im going to question Gage. Go tell them to expect me soon. This shouldnt take long." He dropped his gaze over me. "Oh, and Cherry, tell them not to hurt him, not until I tell them to."

Rusnak rose to his feet, pulling the belt with him so it tightened around my neck. The smooth leather and buckle bit into my skin and made me gasp, cutting off my air as he pulled tighter.

Cherry lingered at the door a moment then stepped out.

Rusnak slid one hand over my cheek, wiping my tears with the tips of his fingers. His other hand kept a firm, tight grip on the belt.

"See, I made them stop. Theyre not hurting him right now, and youre here, away from them."

It didnt ease any of my pain, not when I couldnt see for myself, not when it was only if Cherry gave that message. And if they believed her.

He loosened his grip on the strap, dragging his other hand over my cheek and down my neck till he slid them under the clasp, tugging it to give me more s.p.a.ce to breath.

"I always thought your mother would destroy me, back then." He mumbled as his fingers slid between the leather and my skin, moving around my neck. "But it was you. You make me break all my rules." He sighed, dropping his fingers away. "And you still f.u.c.k me over." He jerked the belt.

I dropped to my knees in a blinding burst of pain. I would have dropped farther, but the leather leash wouldnt allow it. My hands pressed to the ground to try and get my balance, to hold myself up so I wasnt hanging by the belt. But it was hard to focus without air, my muscles drained, vision turning red.

"Would it stop if I killed you?" He gripped my shoulders, holding me up. His hands were no longer pulling the belt, but it didnt loosen.

I scratched at it till I hooked my finger inside it and pulled, giving me air that I gulped in.

"What did you tell them?"

He didnt stop me, so I kept pulling at the belt till it was no longer looped around my neck. It dropped to the ground behind me.

"I didnt say anything." I barely made a sound.

His grip tightened on my arms, fire growing in his eyes.

"Anthony wanted information, but I didnt say anything," I continued.

He jerked me forward and back. "I know thats a lie. Youre the one that tipped them off about Viktor. Why?"

"I didnt." My only plan was denial.

He pushed me, dragging me back till I slammed into a wall. "Im trying to help you. But I cant if you keep lying to me. Do you even know the things Ive done for you?" He dropped my arms and stepped back but pulled out his gun at the same time. "But you dont care. All you care about is him." He stretched his arm out, gun directly in my face. "I should kill you." He sucked in air. "Better yet, I should kill him." He dropped his arm, gun pointing down as he took another step back. "Ill kill him and then you."

"I know you killed Shadows men for me," I blurted it out, doing anything to keep him here instead of carrying out his threat.

He watched me with cat eyes. "They were never supposed to touch you."

I read between his words, realization dawning. "You sent them?"

He looked to the wall like he could see Gage on the other side. "They were supposed to find him." He turned back to me, something sparking in his eyes. "See, I can be honest. Lets play a game. A truth for a truth." He stepped closer, bringing his gun up under my chin. "Ill know if youre lying."

And I could see it in his eyes; he would kill me either way. There was no getting out, and as the realization settled, everything else disappeared and I stopped shaking.

"Who is Shadow?"

He smiled at my question or maybe at the new strength in my voice.

"Thats not the right question. Its what is Shadow?" He raised his eyebrows at me like it should all make sense. "Its never been a person. My turn, what did you tell the FBI?"

"Nothing." A crack of the gun to my cheek nearly knocked me over. My head was forced to the side with the arc of the swing, but I managed to stay on my feet and straightened back up.

"Ill start with something easier, what did he ask you about? What information was he after?"

"Shadow. He wanted information on the girls and the trafficking. He said it was international." I resisted wiping the blood I could feel pooling at my lip. "What is Shadow?"

Excitement was building in him, his eyes growing bright and breathing shallow. He stepped closer to me, one finger swiping my bottom lip, gathering blood on it. He sucked the tip of his finger into his mouth with a smile. "Its grown larger than we ever dreamed. And with the connections I made in prison, I was able to merge my business with them. Did the agent say who they thought was responsible?"

"Gage. Then once they arrested Ian they said they caught Shadow."

His eyes narrowed and he moved suddenly. I braced for impact, but felt nothing. He had both hands pressed against the wall, caging me between them and his body. "But they didnt. Did you tell them they didnt?"

"Whos in charge?" I ignored his question. It was my turn. "Who do you answer to in Shadow?"

He shook his head, watching my lips. "No one. Not anymore." He dipped towards me, his hands coming to either side of my head to hold me still as I tried to pull away. The gun was still in one hand, the side pressed against my head. His lips took mine, sucking on the bottom, not caring that I fought against it. He left no room to fight; his body pressed me firm into the wall. A threatening heat radiated from him. He broke away, pulling my lip between his teeth. "I dont answer to anyone. Im in charge."

He looked like he could devour me, the animalistic hunger in his eyes chilling me but giving me confidence as well.

"So will you kill me? Since you make the rules?"

"I should. I need to." His hands re-gripped the sides of my head, forcing it back against the wall. His lips brus.h.i.+ng mine as he spoke, "But I want to consume you." Then he was back on me, closing over my lips with his own. His hands traveled down my body, and he ran the gun just under my waistband as his other hand slid up my s.h.i.+rt. His lips moved to my neck and I could feel his control breaking as his fingers groped. The grip on the gun relaxing as he fumbled to touch me.

I slid my hands over his arm as if for balance, as if in the heat of the moment. I was waiting for the perfect time, about to make my move when the door flew open and Alessandra stormed in.

Rusnak broke away, pressing the gun into my stomach as he looked to his wife.

"You weak b.a.s.t.a.r.d," She spoke level, even though she had slammed the door open seconds before. "Couldnt keep your c.o.c.k out of it. Fall to your knees at the first sign of p.u.s.s.y?" She lifted her gun. "Ill do what you cant." She took a few steps in, going to the side of Rusnak.

"Calm down," he commanded. But she looked calm, frighteningly so. "Put the gun down."

"What is it about you that makes these men lose their s.h.i.+t? They all forget their roles. And for what? A traitorous, snake in the gra.s.s, wh.o.r.e?" She was stepping closer, anger rising, arms stiffening as her finger hovered on the trigger.

"Dont," Rusnak tried again, hesitating with the gun still pressed to my stomach.

I s.n.a.t.c.hed it from him, flipping it in my hand the way Blake taught me and shooting it all within a second.

Alessandra dropped the gun, clutching her bleeding hand. I whipped towards Rusnak, lining up his head in my sights as I stepped away from him.

"That was fast. Youve gotten better than I remember." He didnt seem scared at all.

I side stepped to the gun on the ground and picked it up, aiming that at a screaming Alessandra.

"Youre still weak with that trigger. You should have shot to kill," Rusnak kept talking.

He took a step, and I fired the gun, dropping it to hit his shoulder.

He staggered back, clutching his bleeding arm.

"That was a warning. I dont want you dead. Not yet." I looked to Alessandra. "Get down on the ground."

She had her hand cradled to her stomach, and her eyes were filled with a burning hatred as she sunk to her knees. But when she moved her other hand to her waistband, I shot her. In the head.

She fell back, dropping the gun she had reached for. It slid over the ground.

Rusnak made a strangled sound like a wounded animal.

"I warned you. Both of you." I couldnt look at her, but I didnt feel bad for what Id done. I had to do it and having done it fueled me, removing my own doubts. I slid the gun I shot her with into the waist of my jeans and picked up the smaller gun that she dropped, never taking my eyes or aim off Rusnak.

"Walk to the door." I didnt dare get close to him as I made the command.

He walked slow, watching me all the while.

"Where are we going?" he asked, walking in a wide path around his wife.

"Back to the main room. Go."

"Think this through. Theyll kill you on sight." He paused at the door.

"Not with you blocking me." But I was seeing the holes in my plan.

Firing from the next room had me moving, not caring about a better plan. One. Two. Three shots. Then silence.

I had three guns, and Rusnak at the end of one of them. That was going to have to be enough.

"Go," I commanded, but Rusnak still walked slow.

And I still wasnt willing to get close enough to push him. I knew he was quicker than me.

I heard the commotion in the hall but wasnt at the door yet.

"Where is she?" Gages voice was savage.

"Im here. Im fine," I yelled to him, almost crying out in my rush of relief. I couldnt see him and who may be with him, but I wanted to make sure he didnt take any risks when I had the leverage.

"Stay still," Gage demanded and Rusnak stilled at the entrance of the door.

He glanced towards me before looking back at Gage. "Im not moving."

"Regan, Baby, are you hurt? Can you come out?"

I was moving towards that voice, the strain of it filling me, pulling me. But I still kept my gun raised, not losing my head enough to make myself weak to Rusnak.

"Back up from the door," I directed him.

"Do it," Gage confirmed.

"And what about you, Cherry?" Rusnak questioned with a sneer. "Youre choosing his side? I made you."

That took me off guard, and when I turned the corner, I saw she was standing with Gage, gun aimed at Rusnak.

"I make myself." She raised her chin, gripping her gun with both hands. "You only brought me here."

Rusnak moved in a snap as she spoke, reaching for the gun in my hand and bending my wrist in the process. But I didnt let the pain interfere, and I brought my other hand up and shot into his stomach. But his head snapped back with another bullet in the center of his forehead.

He dropped to the ground, and I stepped back, unable to look away. Still not believing the sight. Hazel eyes staring at me, shock frozen on his features. Anatoli Rusnak. Lifeless. Dead.

Arms wrapped around me from behind, and I collapsed into the warmth, the familiar smell and feeling of safety, of home. I clung to him, letting his strength hold me up. The relief was painful as it racked my muscles.

"Oh G.o.d." He pulled back, looking at me. "Youre bleeding?" His eyes continued their frantic scan. "But only there, you werent shot? I heard gunfire."

"Alessandra." I nodded into the room but held him tighter so he couldnt go check, not wanting him to leave my side. Not wanting to let him go. "Shes dead. What about you? I heard shots."