Red

C H A P T E R T W E N T Y

He kept me behind him, shielding my body with his own. We could hear gun shots firing and voices from out in the hallway, knowing it was only a matter of time before they reached my apartment and bashed my door down.

Ace grabbed my waist and pulled me next to him, he placed his finger over his lips, making sure I remained quiet so I didn’t alert anyone to our existence. I rolled my eyes behind his back, he must think I’m an idiot.

“Nikolai wants the package, not him but if he resists kill him.” A voice spoke seconds before the flimsy door flew right off the hinge and crashed on the floor, the woodwork splitting into two.

Two unsuspecting men who I didn’t recognise walked into the room, armed and dangerous. Ace didn’t hesitate to grab them from behind, taking it in turns to snap their neck with his bare hands.

He paused momentarily and glanced my way with regret, assessing my reaction to the cold blooded murder that he just committed but acting is not my forte so I couldn’t pretend to be scared or really react in any other way, to me this was business as usual.

His blue eyes closed over to just slits and his mouth opened ever so slightly, allowing a small slither of air to pass between his two lips.

I could see by the confusion lines dusting his forehead that he was completely puzzled by me. Eventually though he tilted his head towards the door, gesturing silently for me to follow him.

Stealthily he exited my apartment, clutching the gun between his two hands, with his finger resting casually over the trigger. Ace always checked around every corner before he committed to fully stepping out and constantly checked back at me to make sure I was still following.

I looked down at his hands, five minutes ago they were worshiping my body in the best way. His hands were very calloused and slightly rough from all of the physical fighting and handling of weapons.

The firearm almost looked like a small toy in his large hand, it was the wrong size for him yet the way he held it was perfection. It made anyone believe that it wasn’t the gun with the power to end someone’s life, it was he who had all of the power.

The sexiness of him at this moment was indescribable. He was manly, in charge and dominant. I wanted his hands to claim me in every place, I needed him to know my body like he knew his own. I wanted him to take that power and focus it into me. I felt starved of sexual gratification and it’s all I could think about.

My lower regions felt damp. Ace had taunted and teased me but I had been denied my chance at an orgasm. I was no stranger to that feeling but usually I could finish myself off.

Through my sexual frustration everything about Ace turned me on, his hands, the way his muscles clenched under his white shirt, the way he shielded me with his own body. He was in his element and I loved seeing him like that.

His face shown utter seriousness, his eyebrows frowned deeply causing small lines of concentration across his forehead and gave him have a natural scowl.

His lips, they just rested upon his face, no trace of a smile present. His jaw clenched tightly, making his temples move in the most beautiful way. If he felt as unfulfilled and as achingly horny as me then he hid it well behind layers of impassiveness.

We ran into trouble on the third floor, Ace punched a guy clean in the throat using only the palm of his hand and the guy fell to the ground, winded.

I bent down and stole his gun as well as his walkie talkie, Ace eyed me suspiciously. I pointed silently towards the corridor, ready to fire at whoever got in my way.

“Second floor clear” the walkie talkie hummed through static. Both Ace and I entered the staircase and moved to the second floor.

“Don’t fire at anyone unless you really have to, the noise will attract attention.” Ace warned, it took everything I had not to roll my eyes at him. He pulled my body behind his protectively once again and opened the door to the second floor, cautiously stepping out.

“Elevators” Ace suggested as he pressed the button.

“No, they’ll know what floor we’re on and there’s no escape. Stick to the staircase.” I pointed out. He glanced at me, a knowing sarcastic look.

“I’m the expert here Red, elevators.” His tone told me it was an order not to be reckoned with. I huffed out a sigh but followed him anyway even though I knew he was wrong.

“Besides we need to kill as many of them as possible, the elevators let’s us do that in a controlled way.” I pouted moodily as I stood beside him, waiting for his plan to fail. The doors of the elevator closed and I watched each number flash up on the screen.

“They’re in the elevator sir, floor two, no, three, no four. Move out.” The walkie talkie came alive and Ace pressed number one on the buttons. “They’re moving again, going down.”

“This is fun.” He chuckled.

Clearly he liked to play cat and mouse, I liked to fight. When the doors opened on the first floor I stepped out before he could repress any of the buttons.

“Fuck Red! What the fuck?” He called from behind me.

I looked down the corridors, all appeared suspiciously silent but I continued walking anyway. That was until someone grabbed me from behind and held me hostage with a gun to my head. Ace halted his footsteps.

“Drop your weapons, slowly.” The guy ordered deeply.

I lowered myself down to the ground and placed my gun on the floor, with the guy following my every move. Once we both stood up he kicked my gun across the room. Ace had also placed his gun on the floor.

“Here’s how we’re going to play it Ace, Nikolai says you have something that belongs to him, he wants it back. If you don’t tell us where the package is I’ll put a bullet through your girlfriends brain.”

Ace scoffed, remaining cool faced.

The guy holding me was small in size and frame, he was using up most of his energy by holding me in place with his one hand. If I struggled against his hold he would get tired and his hand would cramp up, I could get free in less than five seconds.

“You honestly think I give a shit about her? She’s just some whore from my club.” Ace spoke out, my eyebrows raised to the roof. “Really, kill her. You’ll be saving me a job.” He continued.

The way he spoke was so causal and without care. It made me wholeheartedly believe him.

“Are you fucking serious?” I exclaimed, the guy holding me released a small deep throated laugh.

“I told you the only way out for you was in a body bag. We fucked, that’s it. You’re nothing to me. Kill her, you’ll be doing me a favour. I don’t trust her.”

The guy holding me hostage released the hatch on his gun and I started my struggle against his hold.

“Is that so?” He spoke directly to Ace, gripping my arm tighter just as I wanted him to. “Have any last words for her?”

“I wouldn’t waste my breath.” Ace told us both, not a slither of emotion in his face. More and more mobsters gathered around, enclosing us in with weapons all pointed in our direction.

“Very well.” I watched his index finger nail turn white as the pressure built up against the trigger, waiting for Ace to interrupt but he stood still, not reacting at all.

That’s when I elbowed him in the nose and pressed my foot into his kneecap. The guy fell to the ground groaning in pain and then someone else took over. Both Ace and I fought alone, fighting each man off one by one. When one fell down another one came.

I picked up my gun from the floor, taking each man down in the way I’ve trained for my entire life.

Ace fought along side me and I watched his movements, how precise he was over everything that he did. He fought with so much skill and order, every movement was strategically planned out.

He wasn’t an amazing fighter physically but he was a smart fighter, he calculated his next move before his first move and that’s what put him at an advantage. Sometimes he faked a miss, just to catch them off guard the second time round.

We took down men after men, shot up the whole building and created a blood bath of bodies until there was only two people left.

Ace and I.

Both standing, out of breath, facing one another, armed and ready to fire. He seemed confused and I seemed conflicted.

My eyes didn’t leave his, his didn’t leave mine.

Two guns, ready to shoot.

Two enemies, ready to kill.

Two hearts, suppressing emotion.