A hand clamping my mouth shut wakes me and I try to scream but I can't. I know by the smell that its Darrell.

What the fuck is he doing in my room this late.

Oh, please god let it not happen. He fishes me out from the bed, and I see it when I focus. Red dots everywhere as subtle sounds ring in the dead of the night. I listen as Darrell drags me away into the hallway. Its silenced guns.

Hope rises in my chest.

They have come for me.

There are soldiers in the hallway and everywhere inside. I count 10 heads by the time he gets me downstairs with his hand on my mouth and a gun on my temple.

He drags me to a door I hadn't seen that passes the office. I try to scream but he lightly taps me with the gun. Soldiers are covering us and as we disappear in the small passage, I hear guns in the house and a lot of footsteps.

They close the door behind us, and we continue walking. We come out what I'm assuming is the shed. It has a covered car and I think we will use that as a getaway car, but it isn't.

Adrik pulls me to another door, and I see the Jeep he is going for. Him and his men give each other instructions and guns don't stop ringing inside the house. The men give us covering and Adrik and I run to the standing Jeep with others on our tail.

But just as he is opening the door, multiple guns cock behind us. Adrik has his five soldiers, but there are many many more who are here for me.

I know I need to calm down. He is a man who knows he has no way out if this is any indication.

However, I'm not in a better position, I still have a gun that's off safety on my head. The bullets would still get to me faster. I would laugh if my life wasn't in the line. The men all have masks, and I can't see who's who.

"Popov, its over." My father's voice comes from one of the masks. I can't explain the relief I feel hearing my father's voice. But it is short-lived when Adrik pulls me to lean on the car where you can see everything. Unless there is a sniper somewhere in the trees. Which wouldn't be a good spot.

"I don't think so, Clark." His voice comes out confident, but he is trembling slightly.

"Let her go, you can still get a generous pay off." Mason's father says

"Fuck yourself."

"There is no way out, Adrik. You are alone and your uncle has abandoned you."

"You are lying, he wouldn't."

"He's the one who gave us this location."

He falters and I feel the tremble.

One of the masks removes it and I see Bas's face illuminated by the lights in this yard. He doesn't lower his gun, and he looks eerily focused on Adrik. Nothing like the nice, nerdy guy I know.

"You are lying!"

"Adrik, you are alone, it's over. Let her go and you can still live."

"You think I won't do it, but I will."

"Adrik, you don't have to go down this dangerous path. Make different choices than your father." Mason's father says in a calm tone, hand not lowering.

"A different choice would be to kill her right now. My father failed to take you down but if I killed her, then even if you kill me, I would have gotten everything I wanted." He taunts but his words are icy, and the temperature drops a few more degrees.

The tears I have been holding back burn me harder. I blink.

I can't cry.

If I cry, then they will lose it and I don't know what will happen. I look into Bas's eyes. I need to calm myself. I try to find the eye in the storm that's behind his eyes. I try to focus on my breathing and our eyes stay on each other. He seems to understand what I need because he nods slowly.

"Adrik." A shaky woman's voice comes from somewhere behind the men surrounding us. I feel him stiffen.

"Mama?"

"Let the girl go, son." She comes into view, and someone removes the cover over her face. But there is more than one person in covering. There is a woman too, late 20s and almost my size but thicker. she is gagged with a cloth, and she has tears running down her face. My heart breaks for her. They too are caught up in the fight they most probably never asked for.

He trembles from behind me.

"If you let her go now, we will let your brother and sister go too. Just let her go." Jose's voice comes a little shaky.

"Do you think I'm stupid, huh?"

"Don't do this, my boy. Your father-"

"Don't make their case, mama. Father would have wanted me to finish this."

The mother shakes her head. The woman looks weary.

"You are misinformed. Misled by a man you should have never looked up to." Jose's father says.

"You were never going to get anywhere anyway, your uncle lied to you." Bas's father says from next to Bas.

"Viktor was never going to give you that seat, he used you to mend his soiled reputation. He was going to kill you after he got in back with the high table."

"That's not true. My uncle has taught me everything I know."

"He isn't here, is he? He doesn't care for you; he just wants the seat for himself. He plans to kill you after."

"Stop! I will fucking blast her brains."

"Oh, come on be smarter than that."

"Fuck off."

"So loyal even to the man who killed your father."

"Stop lying!"

"We are not. He admitted it himself when he approached us to cut you out of the deal."

"I don't believe you."

"Okay, I am pulling out my phone." Jose's father pushes his screen.

"That fucking broker, I knew he was a loose end; I suspected he'd snitch. The boy thinks he has what it takes in this world. I should have killed him that night. But he hasn't been completely useless, he's been resourceful. He is the one who came with the idea of taking the girl and I thought he couldn't do it, but—"

The recording stops.

"It's true. We can still let you go, Adrik. Just let her go." My father says

"M-my uncle, he taught me everything. He couldn't have...you are lying."

"Did he teach you to kidnap women and nothing about honor?" Mason's father asks.

"I'd be careful if I were you, Bianchi." He grinds out.

Silence.

"We will let you go; you have our word."

"No, you will kill me as soon as I let her out of my hands. I'm not stupid."

"If we were hostile, we would have brought your young siblings too." Mason's father says

I feel a sharp intake of breath.

"Where are they?!" he demands, shaking a harder now.

"We have them. Little Nina and Dan can be back in school by tomorrow if you let her go now." Bas's father says

Silence.

The minutes feeling like an eternity.

I feel every sweat bead forming on my skin. The kind of fear I feel is unlike anything I've ever felt. It is utter terror. Toe shrinking, hair raising, heart stopping terror.

My baby.

I feel Adrik trembling, his breath is also coming in more frequently in my ear. He's scared.

"Adrik, you won't make it if you do anything stupid. I will hang you by their intestines if you fucking do anything stupid." Mason's says coldly.

"Diavolo, you don't have the power here." Adrik's voice comes out steady even though I feel the large gulp of air he just pulled.

"You can take your siblings and we can all go our separate ways." Bas says with a calm tone

"I didn't know you had a mouth, Bastard. Oh, are you finally out of Mason's ass." Adrik taunts

None of them flinch.

A few minutes pass in silence. Tensions are high and I bet you could hear even a hair drop.

I need this to move forward. Me and my child are tired.

"Adrik, its over. Just take what is offered." I say for the first time. I am glad my voice comes out confident and not filled with the terror I feel inside.

Silence.

"Where are my siblings?" he asks finally.

"They are in the boat."

"Let my mother, siblings and cousin go and I will give her to you." He says finally.

My father nods.

One of the soldiers who has his mother lets her go. She walks closer and they let her. She has tears running down her face. She stands in front of us.

"Otpusti yeye." Her mother says with a tremble in her voice. 'Let her go.'

"Nyet, mama." I feel him shake his head.

She nods then she reaches for the gun. I cry harder because if anything goes wrong.

"Don't do that." My father says moving closer with his gun pointed at her head.

She doesn't touch it but she opens her hands for it.

"Malen'kaya mysh'" there is a stare down between them for long seconds before he lowers the gun. 'Little mouse'

He gives it to her, and she turns and gives it to Jose who takes it like she stole it. they secure the other soldiers and take their guns too.

In lightning speed, she is moved out of the way, and I am pulled from him. My father collects me in his arms and the relief I feel melts my face with tears. He pulls from me and looks me over.

"I'm so sorry, baby girl." He hugs me again and kisses the top of my head.

I hear the commotion behind me, and I look. I see Adrik being dragged away and her mother wails for her child. The scene is heart-breaking. my father lets me go and other pair of hands holds me.

I see Jose's worried face. He crushes me in a hug that is almost painful. He pulls and holds my face in his hands.

"Are you okay?"

I nod quickly. Another pair of hands grabs me, and my sobs are just flowing uncontrollably at this point. They all surround me, and I cry. They all pull away.

"Sweetheart, we need to finish this." Mason says and I know there is no other way. It's not like I can offer him any forgiveness at all. I nod and Leo, Jose and mason kiss me before they go to the direction of the house. Where I'm guessing the torture session is about to commence. Bas just kisses me and holds me in his arms. But I want to see it. I pull from him, and I look up to his glistening eyes.

"Let's go."

He gives me hesitant look. I pull from him, and I walk.

When we enter the living room, the furniture has been moved and there is an open space in the middle and Adrik is already bloody.

"What is she doing here, Bas?" Mason's father asks.

"I want to be here." I answer as they all look my way. They try to protest.

"I deserve to be here too."

I watch as they take turns pummeling him over and over again. It is gruesome. I had never seen any of them in this space. I watch them slice him nonfatal wounds and I watch for over an hour.

When they all circle him with their knives, I know this is the kill.

"No!" I stand.

All of them turn to look at me.

"But, sweetheart, he can't li-"

"I know. But he's my kill."

Mason's mouth opens then closes.

I stare in his orbs. "He wanted to hurt peanut."

I stare at the man whose face is beyond recognition and can barely move and his chest rises and falls in struggle. I feel nothing but loathing and so much rage for him.

"Baby girl, this isn't for you." My father steps to me, trying to talk me down.

"I have to agree with Sean, Zahara. You are carr-"

"All of you have had your chance. But it's my kill." I say sternly

I look at each of them before I stare at Leo. We stare each other for a moment before he takes the gun from one of the soldiers and hands it to me. I feel the cold steel in my hands and Bas brushes my shoulders and kisses my temple before he lets me go.

They all watch me as I move forward. I feel terrified but my rage propels me forward. I stand over the man whose fate was sealed the day he thought he could come against The Pentagon and The Syndicate. They have taken down worthier foes and he thought he could do it. Fucking idiot.

"You should have stayed hidden in the shadows. This is for peanut, mother fucker."

BANG

BANG

BANG

BANG

BANG

BANG

BANG

______________________________