Chapter 33

Shannon

~~~

Just like last time, Wendy received us at the entrance of the trap house. The only exception was her new attire, she was clad in a matching set of underwear, giving her a less slutty look than when I first met her.

“You seem happy to see me,” she said, eyeing me closely.

I didn’t reply, my gaze settling on my watch. I had no time to waste. She exchanged a few words with Matthew, briefing him of the developments they made over the weekend.

My timer was one minute away from clocking the agreed time I was to find a hiding place. My palms were suddenly sweaty, my heart throbbing against my chest so fast I feared I would lose my breath.

I was counting seconds by the time we walked into the house, my knees weakening and my throat going dry as I alerted Matthew that I needed to use the washrooms. When he led the way instead of directing me to where it was, I knew things were about to go haywire.

Once I bolted the door, my eyes darted around the room, searching for an opening to flee from. The only present window seemed fit for a toddler and before I could think of anything else, I heard the first round of gunshots, freezing on the spot, tears springing to my eyes at the realization I wasn’t going to make it out alive.

I could hear Matthew yell from the other end but the panic in me and the deafening gunshots barely let his words register in my mind. There was no escaping from this. A resounding bang jolted me back, echoing continually in my ears. I let out a scream when I realized the shot was a few feet from where I was now lying flat on the ground.

Someone grabbed my arm, pulling me to my feet and dragging me out to the hallway where everyone was scampering to safety, screams from men and women alike mixing with the raucous gunfires. It took women clinging to Matthew and wailing for his help for me to jolt back to reality; he was taking me with him.

Without a second thought, I bolted in the opposite direction, leaving him struggling to get away from the women. But he caught up with me in no time, firing his gun and missing me by a few inches. Dropping to the floor, I lay my head down and put my hands on my head.

“You’re coming with me,” he roared, jerking me up and shoving me back to where we were heading. I was about to concur when Lionel’s words replayed in my head.

“I’m not coming with you,” I screamed, taking steps away from him while calculating my next move.

“What the fuck did you just say?” He smacked me across the cheek with his gun, sending me to the ground amidst wails. I curled into a ball, ready for his blows as my mind was made; the only place I was going was home.

He tried to get me to stand up but I wouldn't budge, enraging him even more. “You want the cops to find you here?”

Silence.

He suddenly burst into humorless laughter, prompting me to look up at him. He had his gun pointed at the side of his head and for a moment, I feared he would shoot himself. “How could I have been so stupid? I had myself convinced that I was steps ahead of you and your father’s ludicrous agenda of shutting down my organization. You think I didn’t know? I knew the whole time. Why do you think it took you that long to find this place?”

Before I could afford an answer, three gunshots fired close by. It was either his men or the police. I didn’t want to visualize it being the former. He grabbed my leg and began hauling me towards the dark hallway but I kicked and screamed like a lunatic, leaving him no choice but to let go.

“Get the fuck up or I will kill you!” He corked the gun and pointed it at me. “You got me into this mess and I’m not leaving without you.”

My fear was replaced by awe and I resisted the urge to scoff. I got him into his mess? His head must have had multiple screws lose for him to reason like that.

“I said,” he paused to shoot beside me, a yelp escaping my lips as I shut my eyes tight. “Get up!”

I recited silent prayers, hoping I could dawdle enough for them to arrest him. But the ongoing shootout said otherwise, he still had time to forcefully take me away. He reached out to carry me but I kicked him square in the face, earning a growl from him as he pinned me down to the floor and rained blows all over me.

While screaming my lungs out, I worked on getting him off me, biting him wherever I could, and clawing at his face with my long fingernails. Every blow he threw my way felt like a thousand more and I knew he was more likely to win over me but I still revolted.

When I couldn’t take it anymore, I let my hands fall limply to my sides. I was about to give up and get sucked into unconsciousness but I felt his gun grazing my fingers, instantly grabbing it and pointing it at him. He froze, his eyes gawking between me and the gun in my trembling hands, they were so weak I could barely pull the trigger.

I wasn’t intending on firing the gun, I just wanted to shake him up so he could leave me alone. Within a flash, he surged forward and tried to grab it but the force thrust my fingers and the gun fired. His eyes widened, staring into mine as he slowly dropped back. I tried to scream but my voice had lost its use, a hoarse whisper replacing it.

All I could do was stare at him in terror as he whimpered, putting pressure on the wound with his hand while struggling to crawl towards the path he’d been dragging me to. Footsteps echoed to us, getting closer and closer with each second. I thought they’d finally come for me but was shocked to see two of his men’s faces pop into view.

Hoisting an almost unconscious Matthew to his feet and throwing his hands on both their shoulders, they began walking away. I wasn’t sure if they’d seen me or not but I was glad they didn’t bother with me. As if on cue, Mathew ordered them to stop. “We can’t leave her behind. Take her.”

I tried to seat up, ready to put up a fight if need be, but the guys only shook their heads. “We can’t do that, Boss. You’re already a handful to add to that. The cops are seconds from getting here and we have to leave.” With that, they disappeared down the hallway. I couldn't help but wonder where it lead but I hoped the cops would come in time to stop them.