OUTCAST: A Stepbrother Romance (25 page)

M
y eyes widened in shock
. How could he even presume that?

“
I
t’s not a surprise
,” he said. “He always talked about you.”

“
T
alked about me
?”

“
Y
es
... in a non-sisterly way. He always shared with me how much he admired you... how much you made him feel happy to be alive.”

T
hat’s
how Nash felt about me? Even from way back?

“
L
ike I’ve said
,” Travis proceeded, “I will try my best to keep you safe. Your baby too. But I can’t say the same thing for Nash.”

“
B
ut
...”

B
efore I could finish
, though, the lights suddenly went off. Everyone in the room began to express alarm. People were shouting. I heard the sound of guns clicking. I heard cabinets being opened and huge, large objects being dragged from one side of the room to the other. I heard their heavy footsteps scampering all over the area.

A
nd I began
to panic even more.

S
omething was happening
and they weren’t happy about it.

“
K
eep quiet
,” I heard Travis whisper.

“
F
uck
! What’s this shit all about?” the latino guy screamed.

“
D
on’t anyone touch me
!” Jerome warned. “Am strapped and am gonna blast you with mah gat!”

“
Q
uiet
!” the General’s voice yelled, and immediately, order was restored in the room.

After a few seconds of silence and when everybody’s eyesights have adjusted to the darkness that enveloped the place, the General began to speak once more.

“
H
e’s here
,” he said, “earlier than expected.”

“
O
h fuck yeah
!” Jerome bellowed joyfully. “It’s showtime, gents and fags.” He then cocked his gun.

“
W
hat do we do
, boss?” someone asked.

“
W
e bring this outside
,” he answered. “A shootout in an enclosed space will not be to our advantage. An open area will allow us to spread out and corner that damn rat.”

I
felt
Travis’ hand squeeze mine. I was shaking uncontrollably, something he surely discovered. He squeezed harder, as if he wanted to tell me to be stronger.

“
T
wo files
!” the General instructed. “Walk straight and fast, to the lobby, then disperse and proceed outside.”

I
heard
their footsteps once more, together with the creaking sound of the door they opened. Travis’ hand held mine and he started to lead me towards the exit. I was breathing heavily, something which I tried to stifle. I didn’t want them to hear me. I didn’t want them to remember that I was there.

“
S
omeone bring the girl
!” the General ordered. “He won’t shoot when we have his sister.”

S
hit
.

T
ravis was
quick to respond to his leader’s command.

“
I
’ve got her
, boss. You can count on me.”

T
hey marched through the dark
, narrow corridor of the third floor.  Travis was holding my hand, tugging me along.  There were times when I almost tripped because I could hardly see my surroundings.  I had to hold on to the wall for support, the cobwebs and dust on its surface rubbed off my perspiring hand, forming a mud-like pool on my palm.  It felt sticky and uncomfortable, but I didn’t care.  My heart was beating so fast.  I didn’t know what would happen next.

A
ll of them were armed
, Travis included.  That much I could tell.  They were ready for a gunfight, and they would settle for nothing less than Nash’s lifeless body on their feet.

H
ow would
Nash survive what was to come?  Was he armed, as well?  Even if he was, he was all alone against a virtual army of goons he once called his brothers.  He didn’t stand a chance.   A shootout would only lead to one result.

I
heard the men talk
...

“
H
ow the fuck
did he manage to shut down the power supply?”

“
A
m
gonna fuck that leva up so bad that his own mother won’t recognize his fucking corpse!”

“
T
hree bullets in the head
... nothin’ more, nothin’ less!”

“
G
ive the motherfucker some credit
.  He was brave enough to come for us.”

“
W
hat if he
isn’t alone?  What if that fuckin’ leva brought some backup?”

B
ackup
?  What kind of backup could Nash possibly bring?  The police?  He said so himself.  That wasn’t an option.  The authorities would apprehend the gang members, but they would also have to take him in.  And there was also the matter of the Russian mob who would want to guarantee his death.  Even if Nash was in prison, they won’t stop until they take his life... and that may mean endangering us, as well... me, my baby, my stepmom, my dad...

N
ash wouldn’t want that
.  He always avoided that.  He tried his best to stay away from us, to spare us from such perils.  I know him, so much so that I know he’d rather die than see us harmed.

J
ust like his dad
...

I
closed
my eyes for a bit and tried my best to concentrate.  If the bond we shared was strong, our thoughts would connect even across massive distances... he’d know what I was thinking and I’d know what was on his mind... just like in books, just like in the movies.  Desperation started to sink in when I we started to descend the first flight of stairs and I almost fell were it not for Travis’ strong arm pulling me up.  It was then when I was reminded that what was happening... what was about to happen... everything was real.  Nash was in danger.  I was in danger.  My baby was in danger.

T
he fear
I had only intensified as soon as we reached the lobby.  The space was filled with old, dusty and broken furniture at every corner, but the middle area was barren.  The General went to the center and his men surrounded him.  He began to bark out his instructions.

“
F
our of you
, take the west side,” he said, “four flank the right.  The rest stay with me.”

“
H
’bout the skank
?” Jerome asked.

“
S
he stays with my group
,” the General answered.

“
O
h
, good.  Me and the crab bitch can have some fun times while we be waitin’ for the leva,” the latino guy said.  He began to approach me with a wicked smile on his face.

T
ravis cut him off
.

“
S
he’ll be staying
with me,” he said.

“
W
hat
?  You’re not sharin’ that leva’s whippin’ girl?” the latino guy confronted Travis.

“
S
he’ll be staying
with me!” Travis repeated sternly.  “Stop thinking with your dick for once.  We have a job to do.”

T
he latino guy
gave him one last look of contempt before walking away to join the men who were asked to secure the right flank.

A
few seconds
later and I heard gunshots in rapid succession.  There were screams from the gang members though I didn’t understand what they were yelling.  The four people around me and Travis started to take cover.  The general ordered us to do the same.

“
F
ucking deserter
,” the General cursed, “where did he get his backup?”

“
A
rival gang
, boss, am’a sure of it!” Jerome shouted.  “The motherfucker left our crew to hook up with the Crips or maybe the Bloods.  Am’a gonna kill that bitch leva!  Am’a gonna kill him, boss!”

“
T
he Crips aren’t armed
,” the General calmly uttered.  “The Bloods here don’t accept whites.  That deserter probably called the cops.”

M
y heart stopped beating
the moment I heard those words.  I didn’t know what to feel.  Should I have felt relieved because Nash managed to call the police, and surely, they’d know how to handle the situation?  Or should I have felt a sense of trepidation, knowing that by calling the authorities, Nash would’ve given away a life of freedom?

S
uddenly
, one of their members ran back to the lobby.

“
B
oss
!” he called out, panting.  “He got us cornered!  Shot down Leon and Marty!”

“
F
uck
!” the General cussed.  “Who did the deserter bring with him?”

T
he gang member
just gave him a puzzled look.

“
W
ho did
he bring with him?” the General asked again.  “Damn it!  Answer me quickly!  We don’t have time here!”

“
U
hhh
.... no one, boss,” the gang member answered.  “He... he was all alone...”

T
he General lost it
.

H
e grabbed
the gang member’s revolver and shoved him away.  Then he pointed the gun upwards and started to fire.  Instinctively, I sat on the floor and covered my ears.  Still, I heard four shots, one after another.

“
C
ome to me
, you motherfucking deserter!” the General started screaming like a madman.  “Let’s finish this, you quitter!  Prove to me that you’ve got balls!  I’m right here!  I’m waiting for you!”

B
eside me
, Travis drew his gun and cocked it.  He was ready to shoot at the first sight of his target.

I
wanted
to ask him to rethink his position.  I wanted to appeal to his heart, as I’ve seen a glimpse of kindness there.  I wanted to beg him to spare Nash’s life, for me and the baby I was carrying.

M
y lips began to part
, and the first word was about to escape my mouth...

B
ut Travis
suddenly fell to the ground, struck by a mighty blow from what looked like a blunt object.

I
looked
at his assailant and...

A
nd
...

T
here he stood
... my stepbrother... my lover... my savior... the father of my child. He hovered over his fallen
friend
. He looked at me intently but with a certain level of gentleness, expressing his concern but reminding me that we’re in a very dire predicament and we should move fast. His white shirt had streaks of mud.  He was holding a baseball bat, which he quickly but quietly laid on the ground upon seeing me.  He placed his finger over his lips, gesturing me to keep quiet.

B
ut it was too late
.

J
erome saw
us and he immediately alerted his companions.

“
S
hit
, boss!  The fucking leva’s here!” he yelled.  “Boss, the fucking leva’s here!  The bitch used the fire exit!  Fuck!  Fuck!  Fuck!”

T
he General turned
around and found us. He pointed his gun towards our direction and started to fire.

T
hree shots
.

C
hipping the wall behind us
.

W
e ducked
and ran towards the backdoor from where Nash came from. He held my hand and led me to the exit. I went out first and he quickly followed. He closed the door and pulled the bolt that locked it. I heard them punching and kicking at the metal panel from the other side, screaming and cussing and threatening him with the most hideous acts of vengeance imaginable.

H
e grabbed
my hand once more and we started to dash towards another flight of stairs going down to what seemed like the basement. No. It was the parking lot. Once we reached it, I was surprised to discover that it was empty. Not a single vehicle was in sight. I began to worry about how we were going to escape the premises.

T
hen he hugged me tightly
, tighter than his tightest embrace from before.

“
A
re you alright
?” he asked, the worry in his voice was very much apparent.

I
just nodded
. I couldn’t speak... because of overpowering fear and because my mouth was pushed hard against his sturdy chest.

“
I
t’s not over yet
,” he said. “We have to get out of here.”

I
jerked
myself out of his clasp and confronted him.

“
T
ravis said
that this will only end if you die,” I told him as my eyes began to swell once more. “Tell me that’s not true, Nash.”

H
e didn’t answer
. Instead, he looked around to see if the coast was clear. Then he prompted me to move and keep pace with him.

“
A
t the other end
, there is an entryway,” he said. “It will lead us to the banks of Eltoncrest River. Once we get there, I want you to run... just run... northwards to Lincoln, okay? Whatever happens, just run, Andrea... just run!”

I
was
hesitant to say yes because it would’ve meant that I’d leave him behind if things went wrong... something that I didn’t want to do. But time wasn’t on our side so I just nodded.

W
e rushed
across the parking lot and saw the entranceway he talked about. It looked like a garage door. He pulled what looked like a lever, and the metal divider opened. It made a loud sound... too loud that it could’ve alerted anyone nearby.

A
s soon as
the metal door pulled up and the cold air from the outside swept into us, my fears were confirmed.

T
here they were
, Nash’s former
brothers
, waiting for us, with their guns ready to fire. In the middle of the group was the General, with a wicked grin on his face.

“
F
inally
, a reunion with the deserter,” he mockingly said with scorn.

“
D
rop your fuckin’ nine
, leva,” the latino guy ordered.

N
ash did as he commanded
. He drew his revolver, which was tucked in the seams of his pants, and threw it on the ground.

“
Y
our problem is with me
,” he told them. “Leave her out of this.”

“
Y
ou know how we work
,” the General responded. “We don’t hurt people if they don’t have any business with us. But she... she witnessed everything. She knows a lot.”

“
S
he won’t say anything
, I can guarantee that,” Nash replied, with surprising serenity. “I know her. She won’t talk. You have my word.”

“
A
dying man’s word
,” the General interjected. “Indeed, that means a lot. But she has seen enough. I want her to see more.”

“
W
hat do you mean
?” Nash asked with a tone of worry.

“
W
ell
, she’s seen this much,” the General added, “might as well let her witness the very end.”

O
h my God
.