Page 71 of Grave Games

That was one way to put it. “Let me go to my brother so you can help Romeo and Ajax.”

“Honey, trust me, those two can handle Slash, no worries.”

“But it’s not just Slash in there, Ashtray. Marvel’s in there too, and he’s got a gun and a score to settle with Romeo. If anyone can pull dirty shit in a fight, it’s Marvel.”

“What?Marvel? Fuck me.” In a flash, Ashtray dug for a phone but still kept one arm firmly around my shoulders to keep me in place. “Tyr, mayday, mayday, we’ve got Marvel and who knows who the fuck else in the compound. Flood the place with—”

Another shot rang out, this one from behind us and Ashtray lunged forward, almost knocking me down. He went face-first into the pavement, and before I could even register what that meant, I was grabbed again, this time with rough savagery. I knew even before he spoke that the blood-chilling, dark presence surrounding me like a suffocating miasma belonged to Marvel.

My personal nightmare.

A sharp pain bit into my side, and I knew without looking that it was the muzzle of the gun he’d used to take out Ashtray. One twitch from me or one spasm from him, and a bullet would tear through my body, and that would be it. He’d kill me, and he’d laugh while doing it. Too well I remembered Marvel’s capacity for cruelty, a cruelty that I’d often dreamed of destroying with my bare hands. Choking, shooting, stabbing, hitting him with my pickup… I’d dreamed of it all, but never once did I imagine that I might once again be his helpless victim. It was enough to make me cry tears of pure rage.

Wait.

Stabbing…

“Romeo!” Marvel let out as ear-piercing screech, while at our feet Ashtray lay unmoving. Horror locked my throat in place at how still he was, but just as all hope began to trickle away I saw my brother stir. “Romeo, you motherfucker, I’ve got your woman!”

I nearly choked on a hysterical laugh. With Marvel’s jaw wired shut, he had so much trouble with Romeo’s name it basically came out as “Womeo.”

“If you want this cunt to live through the next five minutes, you’ll get your ass out here!”

Grimly I tried to keep the panic from closing a fist on my mind. I snuck my hand into my jacket pocket, hiding that sneaky movement by overtly struggling against his hold. Knife, knife, knife. I put it in my pocket, didn’t I? Where the hell was it?

“Stop moving, bitch.” Wetness sprayed my cheek, and I realized it was Marvel’s drool as he took shelter behind me like the coward he was. “I got no problem shooting you dead. Just look at all the bodies on the ground. You wanna join ‘em, just keep this shit up.”

“You’re going to shoot me anyway.” At last, my fingers closed around the sticky grip of the knife Romeo had given me. With more desperation than finesse, my thumb flicked the snap on the sheath before sliding the knife carefully free. “Somehow I always knew it would come down to this. You are truly my personal nightmare.”

“Everyone’s gotta have a hobby,” Marvel said almost cheerfully before screeching out once more through his wired-shut teeth. “Come on, Romeo. You gonna stay hidden like the fucking coward you are, or are you gonna come out and play?”

“Playing is for children. I don’t play.” Romeo emerged from the shadows directly in front of us, his arms held loose at his sides, his eyes so hot they seemed to glow even through the darkness. “And look at you, having the fucking nerve to call me a coward while you hide behind my woman. By God, I’m going to enjoy doing my version of an autopsy on you, you unworthy shitheel. I’m going to go looking for your guts, your balls and your spine, in that order. I’ll even keep you alive while I’m doing it, just for kicks. That’s how your last night on earth is going to be spent, Marvel. I swear it.”

Oh, God. He would do it, too. I could hear it in his voice.

The muzzle of the gun bit into my side so hard it made me cry out and struggle to get away from it, and again I used the movement to slip my hand holding the knife out of my pocket.

Now, all I could think about was being so scared I’d drop it.

Please, God. Please, please, please help me do this. Help me not miss.

But… wait.

If I stabbed Marvel, I could startle him into pulling the trigger.

I didn’t want to die.

What’s worse? Getting shot, or watching Romeo get shot while you could have done something to prevent it?

I knew.

Of course I knew. I knew, because…

“I love you.” I looked into Romeo’s eyes, wishing it wasn’t so damn dark. I wanted to see his face, because this might be the last time I’d ever get to see it. I wanted him to see me, so he knew that no matter what happened, I was okay with it. “I love you.”

Through the gloom, I thought I saw his eyes widen in immediate, terrible understanding.

I brought the knife up and stabbed it down and back behind me where Marvel’s leg pressed against mine. I used every ounce of force I had, fueled by years of rage and humiliation at this one monster of a man, and the impact of it jolted through my whole arm even as Marvel screamed in my ear.

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