Page 137 of I Stop Somewhere Waiting For You

Shannon’s arm shoots out, pointing off toward the service door leading to the kitchen. I don’t wait for further instruction, though she shouts out after me. “He has a gun!”

I don’t stop. I’m running, bolting full speed toward the kitchen with whom I instinctively know is Nicky in pursuit.

CHAPTER 57

JONSIE

Cabir presses the gun to my back as he shoves me forward into the service stairwell. We spill onto the landing as he rushes to the railing, peering over the side before looking up. His gaze frantically alternates between the upper and lower levels before dragging me to the left to ascend the nearby staircase.

“So, what’s the plan? You know there’s nowhere to go, right?” I taunt in hopes it will distract him.

“There’s always a way out, Joanna. You just have to be willing to make your own—” he wiggles the gun pressed into my side “—if one isn’t presenting.”

“Is that what this is? You creating an out? The FBI won’t negotiate with you for me.”

Cabir scoffs, his grip on me possessively tightening. “I’m not negotiating with anyone, and I sure as hell am not giving you up.”

“You’re out of your mind,” I whisper with a slow shake of my head.

“I’m out of my mind?! Me? I love you, Joanna. I love you and I forgive you for everything. Maybe that does mean I’m out of my mind. Not many people would be willing to overlook your little whore escapades.”

“Do you hear yourself?!” I shout in exasperation. Cabir doesn’t respond. We continue to climb the floors in silence as I consider switching tactics. This time when I speak, my voice dips low, my tone remaining calm and steady as I attempt to reason with him. “Cabir, I don’t love you. We will never be together. It will always be Maverick.”

Cabir rips me backward, spinning me in his grasp and slamming my back up against the railing. “Let me explain something to you.” He grips my face, forcing my eyes to meet his. “We are leaving this hotel together, or not at all. Do you understand me?”

My gaze narrows, my jaw clenching in defiance. His eyes I once viewed as warm and inviting are now dangerously dark with desperation. Unfortunately for me, I don’t doubt a single thing he’s promising.

My posture slightly deflates, my dejected spirit silently protesting as I’m forced into submission. Cabir’s grip tightens on my wrist as he shoves me in front of him, his weapon pressing to my back acting as the driving force propelling me onward. We clear several more floors when a loud bang rings out. I recognize the sound as one of the steel doors being thrown open, slamming into the wall behind it.

“Jones!” Maverick calls out as the sound of his footsteps hit the landing several floors beneath us, echoing throughout the stairwell.

Cabir spins, drawing my back into his front as he reverses our positions on the staircase. He plants his hand over my mouth, muffling any attempts to scream. The barrel of his gun digs into my ribs as he begins slowly backing up the stairs, continuing to drag me along.

“Joanna!” Mav shouts once more. “Fuck, baby. Gimme something.”

I panic, my brain running through various responses attempting to select the one that doesn’t result with me earning myself a bullet. If I scream, Cabir’s probably going to shoot me. Though he’s well beyond rational thought by this point, I recognize my best bet in escaping his wrath is to make any attempts to alert Maverick appear unintentional.

Cabir continues along, the speed and angle at which he’s dragging me causes my stiletto clad footing to stumble frequently, which gives me an idea. We clear the current flight, our feet hitting the landing as Cabir attempts to drag me around the banister toward the next stretch of stairs. However, when he whips to the side in haste, my legs kick outward as I ‘lose’ my footing. My left stiletto flies from my foot, flinging up and over the ledge as it plummets toward the basement, pinging off the railings as it drops.

Cabir freezes, his hand still covering my mouth as we listen to the echoing of my shoe’s descent as it hits the basement floor. The echo dies out, the stairwell growing momentarily silent as nothing but the sound of my own breathing occupies the space. For a moment, I almost worry I acted too late. But then I hear it, the distinct sound of hurried footsteps carrying up through the space as Mav closes the distance between us.

Glancing over the edge, Cabir quietly curses to himself as he takes hold of my arm and pulls. His hand falls from my mouth in the process, allowing me to suck in a large gulp of air, fueling my resulting scream. “MAVERICK!”

I hear his steps quicken, almost as though he’s moving at an inhuman pace. He’s gaining on us, prompting me to drag my feet so he can catch up. Mav rounds the corner, appearing on the landing below us just as Cabir halts. I scan the area, taking note of the number eleven printed on the wall signaling we’re nearing the roof. Looking ahead, I find Mav’s weapon trained on us. Cabir readjusts, using me as a shield to prevent Maverick from taking the shot.

Maverick attempts to advance, yet Cabir grips me tighter, pressing the gun against my temple, causing Mav to still in response.

“Cabir,” his voice comes out a sinister kind of calm. “What did I tell you about touching my wife?”

“SHE ISN’T YOUR FUCKING WIFE, BISHOP!” Cabir’s body vibrates with pure unadulterated rage. “And I see you over there, Nick.” Caleb glances left across the way, where I assume my brother is positioned. “So, I suggest you fucking freeze before I blow your sister’s head all over this stairway.”

“You’re not gonna do that, Cabir,” Mav asserts. “You love her, right? You’re not going to hurt her.”

“If she tries to leave me for you? Yes, Bishop. Yes, I will.”

“You hurt her, I shoot you,” Mav warns.

“Wouldn’t change the fact that she’d be dead right along with me.”

---