"Adelyn?" he called out as the light flickered on and off. His eyes focused on Kyle, who had his arms around Adelyn while his gun rested on the floor by his feet. He then turned his head to where Pertel had been standing before... only he was now slumped on the floor, clutching his shoulder in pain.
Before Justin could even make a quick grab for his gun, he noticed Colby on his knees, pointing the barrel of the gun straight at Justin's head.
"Forgive your brother," Colby croaked. "He's not as ruthless as you are."
"He's a kid," Justin told him, not even flinching at the sight of the gun. "And if you thought he could replace me, then you belong in a mental institution. What did you do to get him here anyway?"
"Same thing I did for you," Colby said, giving him a crooked grin. "Handed him a wad of cash."
As Colby reached for his glasses, Justin looked down and noticed that Colby's entire shoulder was stained with blood. He had hit his target... almost. "Enough to pay for all the classes he's missing while doing your dirty work?" he asked.
"That and more," Colby assured him. "He's just as dedicated as you, too. All I have to do is hand him the cash and he'll do whatever I say. It must run in the family."
Justin heard Pertel moaning by the door, but kept his eyes locked on Colby. "So that was how you did it... since you're filthy rich anyway, we probably didn't even make dents into your fortune."
"Too bad you're not very bright, Justin, or you would have realized how indispensable you really-"
A forth shot sounded within Justin's ears, and when he opened his eyes again, Colby was on his back, lying in a puddle of his own blood. Next, his eyes moved to Kyle, who was clutching his gun and shaking violently, a look of pure fright on his face.
Justin blinked to make sure he was seeing things correctly. His eyes widened when he realized that in fact, he was. His little brother had shot a bullet straight through Colby's gut. But was the madman still alive?
"Justin?" Kyle's voice practically squeaked, snapping Justin out of his trance. He almost stepped on his gun as he stumbled to where his brother stood. For a moment, they just stared at each other, afraid to move. Kyle set down his gun, and when he looked back, Justin threw his arms around his little brother and pulled him in for a tight hug.
"Fair warning," he mumbled against Kyle's shoulder. "I'm bringing you home to Mom."
Kyle pulled away and looked at his brother with tears in his eyes. "What happened?" he whispered. "I thought I was helping you. Colby made it seem like you had lost sight of your goal and I would be doing you a favor if I helped you come back."
"Colby was wrong," Justin assured him. "And we're both going to be okay."
Kyle bit his lip, nodding as Justin gave him a reassuring slap on the back.
Behind Kyle, Justin noticed Adelyn struggling to slip the rope from her wrists. He went over to help her, first peeling the tape from her mouth. "I'm sorry," he said as he untied the knots. "You have no idea how sorry I am."
"You'll be even sorrier if you don't move out of my way so I can call an ambulance," she said, grabbing his arms and pushing him to the side. "Pertel is bleeding. I'm not even sure if he's conscious!"
Justin and Kyle followed her to Pertel's side and all three of them knelt down.
"Apply pressure to his wound," Adelyn instructed while she reached around Pertel's belt for his walkie-talkie. "Don't let go until the medics get here, Justin."
Their eyes met for a fleeting moment, and Justin didn't question her. He put both hands down on Pertel's shoulder and pressed down while Adelyn called for help.
"Is... is he going to be all right?" Kyle wanted to know from behind Justin.
"I don't know," Justin replied honestly as he stared down at Pertel's pale face. His whole shirt, and now Justin's hands, were covered in blood. "I hope they're hurrying," he said when she put down the walkie-talkie. "This doesn't look good."
Adelyn took her partner's hand in her own and pulled it to her heart. "Hang in there," she whispered.
Blake Pertel opened his eyes and looked around. At first, everything was fuzzy, but as things got clearer, he realized he was in a hospital bed... and that's when the whole night came flooding back to him.
The dark, dismal basement and the flickering of the solitary bulb; Justin's brother holding onto Adelyn, and the look of rage in Colby Wyman's eyes as he pointed his pistol directly at Blake. He remembered the sound, falling to the cold ground, and then the dizziness that took over his body.
He must have made it through, though, since he could feel his fingers and toes, and not to mention the wrenching pain that radiated from his shoulder. He put his fingers to where it hurt most, only to find a large gauze bandage.
That bastard, this was all his fault! If Blake wouldn't have been so worried about Adelyn roaming the mansion with her freakish boyfriend, then he would have never followed them in. He would have never gotten shot and he wouldn't be lying in some godforsaken hospital bed unable to do anything.
A tap sounded on his door, disrupting his thoughts. Blake didn't say a word, but the door opened anyway. He frowned when he saw Justin's curly hair and mysterious blue eyes.
"I came to see how you were doing," he said.
"Apology not accepted," Blake replied. "We could have all been killed."
"Hey," Justin said as he shut the door behind himself. "I never said I was sorry. Besides, if anyone should be sorry, it's you. Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't you supposed to stay outside? Colby took one look at you and panicked."
"Maybe if you wouldn't have wandered into the basement, I wouldn't have had to follow you," Blake shot back. "Face it, Justin. You're wrong."
Justin sat down on a chair by Blake's bed and leaned back. "Whatever, Mr. Friendly. I knew exactly what I was doing. You were the one who was confused, and don't you forget it."
Blake sighed. "I have a feeling that if I tried, you wouldn't let me."
"So you admit it!" Justin exclaimed, bolting upright. "I'm right!"
"I said no such thing."
"You didn't have to," Justin claimed. "It was written all over your face."
The door opened and Adelyn stood there looking at the two men. "Are you two still arguing?"
"Ask Prince Charming," Blake told her. "He started it."
"If Officer No Brain would just admit that I'm right and he's wrong, then there wouldn't be a problem," Justin said with a smirk as Adelyn sat down on his knee.
"Quit harassing him, Justin," she said, taking Blake's hand in her own and giving it a light squeeze. "Can't you see he's in a hospital bed?"
Blake sighed once more as he listened to the two of them bicker back and forth. At least he wasn't dead... though, maybe he'd be more comfortable six feet under instead of on the hard hospital mattress, a throbbing pain in his shoulder and an awful pain in the ass... Justin to be specific.
Justin wrapped his fingers around Adelyn's hand and pulled her to the floor's waiting room. "It's over," he said as they flopped down on a couch.
She rested her head against his shoulder. "Is it? Colby's hanging onto life by a thread... and I hope he pulls through. He deserves to pay for what he did. Plus, I'd like to question him."
"Your klutz of a partner is all right, Kyle's safe, home with Mom..." he stopped, looking down at her with a smile. "And you're mine."
"Watch your mouth, Justin. I don't belong to anyone," she reminded him, and then paused for a moment. "But my heart does... and it's all yours."
Justin kissed her gently. "It's over, Miss Adelyn, and we won."
Want to know? Read on!!
Next: Book 2; Phil's story- Beating the Odds.
Book 2: Breaking the Ice
Email me: irishgirl982@yahoo.com
Paying the Consequences
Justin {Fiction}
My Fiction
I'll Never Stop {Fiction}