That’ll do.
I reach over, grab it with my good hand, and then swing it around like I’m throwing the hammer in the Olympics. Despite being thin, the mahogany table’s sturdy. It smashes over Pierce’s arm and shoulder, knocking him off-balance again.
I take another step toward the gun, but I feel him grab my ankle, pulling my leg out from under me. As I start to fall face-first, I put my left hand out and turn, landing heavily on my arm. I allow my own momentum to carry me, and roll onto my back, over again, and eventually back to my feet.
I see the gun in my peripheral vision. I lean down, grab it, then stand and spin around to face Pierce.
Shit.
He’s standing, aiming his other gun at me.
Neither of us move an inch. We’re both breathing hard. I can feel the blood trickling down my face. He has blood flowing freely down his arm, presumably from the table breaking over it.
Stalemate.
“Okay, that’s enough,” says Horizon as he steps between us. “Mr. Pierce, lower your weapon.”
He does, albeit reluctantly.
Horizon then turns to me. “You too, Adrian.”
I shake my head. “Not until I’ve put a bullet in that bastard!”
He sighs and reaches into his pocket.
I watch his hand disappear.
Oh, sh—
“Argh!”
I drop the gun and desperately clutch at my head as he activates the device again. I sink to my knees and grit my teeth, trying to stifle a scream of agony.
Oh… my… God!
It stops.
I’m panting. The pain left in my head by that is spreading like wildfire. It’s like a million migraines all at once.
Horizon tuts. “It’s like training an animal… you’ll learn, eventually.” He looks at Pierce. “Take Miss Moss home. See that she’s compensated for the loss of her business.”
I watch as Pierce walks over to her and grabs her arm. She struggles at first, but it doesn’t get her anywhere. He frog-marches her to the door. They pause for a moment, and she looks over at me. I see sadness in her eyes.
Horizon walks in front of her, blocking her view of me. “Oh, and Miss Moss… if you attempt to make any contact with my asset from this moment on, you will be killed without any further warning. Do you understand?”
“Y-yes.”
He steps aside and I watch as she’s ushered out of the suite. The door slams shut behind them.
I slowly get to my feet. I’ve not felt this broken in a long time. Mentally or physically.
Horizon is over by the hot tub again. He looks back at me. “You should freshen up. You look like shit.” He points to his bedroom. “Use my shower. I’ll have fresh clothes waiting for you.”
I don’t say anything. I don’t have the energy to antagonize him further. I turn and stagger over to his bedroom. As I walk past the windows, I glance outside. The bay surrounding the island glistens below me in the sun. The water is a deep blue and crystal clear, even from up here. Beyond that, the city of Abu Dhabi bustles away, oblivious to the shit I’ve just gone through.
Lucky bastards.
11:29 AST
I’m standing under the showerhead, watching as a steady flow of pale, watered-down blood swirls around my feet, before vanishing down the drain. There isn’t much that doesn’t hurt right now. I have a small swelling under my eye from Pierce’s elbow. My head wound re-opened, so that’s stinging like a bitch under the hot water. My hand’s throbbing, too. I shouldn’t have used the cast as a weapon…
But the physical damage I can deal with. It’s what’s running through my head that I’m struggling to handle. I keep seeing Yaz falling dead at my feet over and over again. It’s my fault the kid’s dead.
Or is it?
Yeah… it is. I involved him in all this. When Kaitlyn suggested asking him for help, I should have said no. He’s dead because of me.
So is Lily.
So is Tori.
So is nearly one billion people who died as a result of 4/17.
That’s all on me. I should have done more. I should have…
“Fuck!”
I lash out and slam my fist into the tiles in front of me. I hold my hand there for a moment, absorbing the pain from the impact, glaring down at the wet floor of the cubicle.
An image of Kaitlyn flashes into my mind.
I liked her.
I didn’t, y’know… like her, but I respected her and I admired her. And, hell, the sex was great. I wonder if she hates me for all this? I wonder if she blames me for everything she’s lost?
I smile to myself.
No, she wouldn’t hate me.
What would she say to me, if she were here now?
Yeah, I know…
She’d say I shouldn’t feel guilty because all those things weren’t my fault. She’d say I should stop punishing myself for simply trying to do the right thing.
I don’t know… maybe she’s right. I mean, she was a lot smarter than I am, and she was a damn good therapist. I still owe her three hundred bucks, thinking about it…
Well, I can’t make any promises, because I feel pretty shitty right now, but I’ll try not to continue punishing myself over what’s happened these last few days. I’ve been in a pretty impossible situation. Hell, I still am. But I reckon I’ve done the best I can with what I’ve had.
Now I just have to figure out how to adjust to my new life. I’m definitely not one to give up, or back down from a fight, but even I can see I have no move to make here. I step out of line, Kaitlyn dies, and I die. I ask too many questions, we die. I do anything except what Horizon tells me to, we die.
I made my bed, and now I have to lie in it. I chose this. Well, actually, I didn’t. Horizon gave me a choice, but he didn’t give me chance to answer. He made the decision for me, so regardless of what I would’ve done, this is my life now. I’m a killer. An assassin. The assassin. There’s not really much difference between my life now, and my life for the past God knows how many years, if I’m honest.
Maybe it won’t be so bad after all…
I shut off the shower and step out, wiping the excess water from my face and eyes. I reach out for the towel and—
It’s not there.
I hear a giggle.
Huh?
I open my eyes and see two naked women standing in front of me, both holding towels.
I raise an eyebrow. “Hello…”
They smile and nod, but don’t reply. They step toward me and begin drying me by gently patting my skin.
Well… this is awkward.
I grab one of the towels from the woman on my left and take a step back, quickly wrapping it around my waist. “I’m… ah… I’m fine, thanks.”
They look disheartened, but nod courteously and walk out of the room.
Jesus…
The bathroom is pretty big, considering it’s an en suite. There’s no door, just an archway made of marble leading into the wet room. There’s a basin built into a marble surface a few feet from the shower, with a large mirror running the full width of the wall. I wipe away the condensation and stare at my reflection. I still need a shave, but I look a helluva lot better than I did ten minutes ago, which is something.
I walk back out into Horizon’s main bedroom. A four-poster bed dominates the room, with closets lining the wall behind it. There’s a balcony opposite, the doors standing slightly open. I walk over to it and step outside. The warm breeze feels nice against my body. It’s not as humid as in the city, because I’m looking out over the ocean. It’s almost refreshing — a feeling I’ve yet to experience in this climate.
I take a deep breath and step back inside. Fresh clothes are laid out across the bed. A nice, plain white, short-sleeved shirt, dark blue jeans, and a pair of light brown shoes on the floor. I quickly get dressed, leaving two buttons of the shirt unfastened.