Caleb throws what looks like all the guns and weapons they have in their arsenal into the back of his car.
“Are you sure we need that much?” Blaine asks. “We’re only three people.”
Crystal gulps. “I think I only count for a half, tops.”
“Darling, you have that all wrong,” Blaine says, and he chucks me a knife in a way that could’ve stabbed me, but I manage to catch it. He winks. “See?”
Sighing, I tuck it into my pocket. “Isn’t there a side entrance we can take to get in without getting in danger? There has to be an easier way than this.”
“Nope,” Caleb replies, throwing even more in a box. “Torres has every exit guarded, and he probably knows we’re coming because he’ll force Ares to talk.”
“And then he’ll tell those Bonesmen all about us,” Blaine adds.
I shiver in place. Ares saved me and then killed those people for me.
I have to save him.
I push Caleb aside and steal more knives from his box, as well as a gun, loading it up. He looks at me like he can’t believe his eyes.
“What?”
“You’re serious?” he asks.
“Dead serious. He’s in there suffering because of me, so I’m gonna be the one to pull him out, and if I have to kill a bunch of people to do it, then so be it.”
A grin slowly spreads on his cheeks. “Now you’re talking my love-language.”
“I’m already in love!” Blaine professes, running up to me to hug me so tightly I can barely breathe. “Oh, I trained you so well, darling. I’m proud.”
I physically have to pry my own body out of his hands, and I pull out my phone. “I’m not done yet.” I dial the number of one of my best friends. “Penelope, I need your help.”
“What’s up?”
“Ares got taken by his father who’s probably going to kill him.”
“What?” She sounds shocked. “Wait, but you and Ares—”
“Exactly. I don’t want to ask too much, but since you helped free Lana … please.”
“Don’t. I don’t need a please. You don’t even need to ask. I’m coming. Give me five.”
She hangs up before I can even reply. Well, guess that’s settled.
“Hey.”
I turn around to see Kai Torres from the Phantom Society standing behind us, peering into the car.
What is he doing here?
“Well, hello there,” Blaine muses, winking at Kai, who is unimpressed. “What brings you to the Tartarus House?”
“Where’s Ares? He’s not picking up his phone. I’m worried.”
“Ask your goddamn father,” Caleb growls back.
“Father?” Kai frowns. “What does he have to do with this?”
“We killed a bunch of those Bonesmen fuckers to free Crystal.”
“So what? So have I,” Kai responds, shrugging.
“Yeah, well you’re not the one getting punished now, are you?” Caleb retorts, grinding his teeth. “Since your father has a favorite son and one he wants to murder.”
Kai’s eyes widen. “What?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know,” Caleb growls, clutching a knife, ready to fight.
“Wait,” I say, stepping between them. “Maybe he doesn’t.”
“Bullshit,” Caleb quips.
“Calm down, Caleb, we might need him,” Blaine says.
“Caleb, please,” I say.
Caleb takes in a deep breath through his nose, then retracts his blade. “Fine.”
“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” Kai says. “All I know is that my father sometimes summons him after he’s done some shit.”
“Do you know what his father does to him?” I ask.
“He scolds him,” Kai says. “It’s not like they’re on good standing. Ares hasn’t exactly been … willing to live by the Torres rules.”
“Rules,” I scoff. “Your father hasn’t just been scolding him every time he makes him come to his office.” I don’t know if I’m the one who should be telling him this, but I feel like I have no choice. “He hurts him. Physically.”
Kai’s face contorts. “What?”
“He never told you?” Caleb asks, frowning.
“No.” Kai shakes his head. “My father woul—”
“Believe me, he would,” Caleb responds. “Every fucking time Ares makes a decision that doesn’t benefit his screwed-up vision.”
Slowly but surely, the anger begins to take over every inch of Kai’s face. “No. I don’t want to believe it. If that’s true, then …” His fist balls. “I need to see this for myself.”
Blaine snorts. “Good luck getting in.”
“I’m a Torres,” he says.
“You think your father will let you see what he does to Ares?” Blaine asks. “There’s no way any of us are getting in there quietly.”
Kai’s eye twitches. “Who says I’ll come quietly?”
He pulls out his phone and walks off to make a call, and I don’t know if this is going to go well, but maybe he’ll assist us. We can use every bit of help.
“Guess that’s it,” Caleb growls.
“Can’t we bring more Tartarus guys?” I ask Blaine.
He shakes his head. “I don’t want their deaths on our hands. We can do this. I have faith.”
“Faith won’t stop your head from rolling,” Caleb growls back.
“You think I’ll let them get close to me?” Blaine flashes his katana from the umbrella he always brings with him wherever he goes. “No one touches this delicious body.”
“Gag,” Caleb says, making me chuckle.
“Hey!” Penelope’s voice in the distance makes me turn my head.
“You’re here!” I yell, but then my eyes widen when I see three familiar faces behind her; Felix, Dylan, and Alistair have all shown up too.
“Who summoned those sickos?” Blaine asks.
“I did,” I say, smirking.
“You rang?” Dylan says as he approaches, throwing a lighter up and down. “It’s been too long since our last barbecue.”
Caleb furrows his brows. “Barbecue? Are you for real?”
“Of course, I am,” he responds. “Caleb something …”
“Preston,” Caleb grits, visibly annoyed. “How could you already forget—”
“Because I don’t care.” Dylan narrows his eyes.
“Well fuck you too,” Caleb retorts.
“I just have poor memory, don’t take it personal,” Dylan mutters.
Alistair waves at me and smiles awkwardly. “So who are we killing?”
“Well, that’s one way to say hi,” Blaine says, then he focuses on the last of Penelope’s boyfriends. “And who are you?”
“Felix,” Penelope says.
“I’m only here because of her, so I hope for you it’s worth my fucking time,” he says, cracking his knuckles. “As long as there’s people to kill, I’m happy. Where are we going?”
“That’s all I wanted to hear,” Blaine muses. “Torres Casino downtown.”
Dylan makes a face. “Wait, isn’t that Kai’s—”
“Yes,” I reply. “It is. Is that a problem?”
He shrugs. “Not my problem if Kai hates us all.”
“He won’t,” I say. “He already knows.”
“And he’d let us bust up the place without making a fuss?”
“Yes.” Kai’s voice makes us all turn around.
And I’m not the only one shocked that both Nathan Reed and Milo Fletcher have also joined him.
“This had better be worth it, if I have to join up with those fuckers again,” Nathan says, as he approaches me, and I run to hug him.
“You came,” I say.
“Of course, I did. I told you, you call me when you need help, and I’ll be fucking there. I don’t fucking care what it is.”
“Fuck. Not these guys too,” Alistair says, rolling his eyes like he’s already tired before the fighting has started.
“Wait, you have some issues with them?” I ask Alistair.
“Duh, they’ve been fucking around with Felix’s sister,” Dylan answers.
“Hi, Blaine!” Milo says, waving like he’s happy to see him.
When I pull back and see Nathan staring at Felix and Kai at Dylan, I just know this whole thing is going to be awkward as hell. Half of these guys hate each other’s guts, and the only thing keeping them from slaughtering each other is us girls.
“Don’t start fighting, please,” I say.
“I won’t,” Nathan promises.
“I can’t promise I won’t,” Felix quips.
“Play nice,” Penelope tells him.
“You still owe me a finger,” Nathan grits back.
Kai throws him a glare, making him back down. “Don’t. Not now.”
“So who are we killing?” Milo asks, throwing around his nunchucks like he’s mentally preparing himself.
“Wait, what about Crystal?” Dylan asks.
“What about me?” I reply, folding my arms.
“Well … isn’t this like a little too much for you? I mean, you don’t have to come. It must be a shock to see us with all of these weapons,” he says, pointing at the weapon’s stash.
I shrug. “Nope.”
Alistair frowns. “None at all?”
I fish two knives out of the stash and chuck them at both of them, catching them off guard.
Dylan smirks. “Whoa, where’d you learn those moves?”
I point at Blaine who grins smugly and then wriggles his brows.
“I’m impressed,” Alistair says.
“Thank you, thank you.” Blaine bows.
“Hey now, don’t take all the credit,” I say, shoving my elbow into his side.
A motorcycle drives up to the Tartarus House, and black hair spills from a helmet as it’s pulled off. “Did I hear the word kill?”
Lana commands attention the second she steps off her motorcycle and approaches the group, and I hug her too. “Thank you.”
“Don’t say thank you yet. I haven’t killed anyone.” She snorts. “But I’m ready for whoever we’re going to murder.” She opens up her coat, revealing all the weapons she brought with her.
No wonder those Phantom boys wanted her so badly.
“And I can’t wait to watch you do it,” Milo says, all swoony.
God, I love my friends.
“We’re going into the Torres Casino,” I say, and I show everyone a picture of the location in Crescent Vale City on my phone. “There will be a ton of guards at every exit, and they’re heavily armed.”
“Right. No problem.” Dylan says, licking his lips.
“We’ll butcher them,” Felix adds, chucking his knife up and down.
Butcher? Jesus. Wish Penelope would’ve warned me about her guys.
“Hello, has no one thought of our disguises?” Lana says.
“Disguise?” Alistair frowns.
Lana gives him a deadpan look. “You think you’ll get away with murdering everyone at a casino downtown?”
“Oh shit … I hadn’t actually thought about that,” Dylan mutters, tapping his lip.
“I had,” Caleb says, and he pulls a few masks from the car and chucks them on the ground. “Grab one each.”
Penelope picks it up from the ground and stares at it. “Is this what I think it is?”
“This has the Bones Brotherhood emblem on it,” Milo says.
“Yes. Exactly the point,” Caleb says. “Do I have to spell it out?”
Lana begins to smirk. “You want us to pretend we’re Bonesmen to set them up against each other.”
“Smart,” I mutter.
“Bet you didn’t expect that from me,” Caleb says with a smug grin.
Blaine holds up the mask with two fingers and sniffs, then winces. “Ew, I’m not wearing this.”
“Blaine,” Caleb grits.
“It stinks!”
“He’s right, it does smell,” Milo says, making a face when he smells it again.
“See?” Blaine makes a face. “This is going to ruin my skin.”
“Do you have a better idea?” Caleb raises his brow.
Blaine rolls his eyes and sighs out loud. “Fine. But you owe me a new cream.”
“Fuck your fucking cream,” Nathan growls, putting on the mask. “How does it look?”
“Excuse you, darling,” Blaine mutters under his breath.
“Looks good to me,” Penelope says.
Dylan, Alistair, Lana, Milo, and Felix all put on their mask as well.
“This had better not take all fucking day,” Felix snarls. “Get in, kill people, get out.”
“Are we doing a kill count?” Nathan asks everyone, licking his lips.
“Most definitely,” Blaine responds.
Dylan’s eyes sparkle. “Count me in.” He shoves Felix in the side. “What about you? You game?”
“I don’t play, I win,” Felix growls back, making everyone grin.
“You wish,” Lana quips, getting them all hyped.
“Oh, it’s on,” Caleb says.
“Kill as many as you like, but don’t touch my father,” Kai growls. “I want to speak with him.”
“Why?” Alistair asks.
“Because he’s the reason we’re there in the first place,” I say. “Now let’s go get Ares.”
Ares
Another strike with the bullwhip has my knee caving in on me, and I slowly collapse but crawl up from the floor. I will stand. Each time he hits me, I come back up to my feet despite the searing pain.
THWACK!
Another one has me roaring out loud.
“Get on your knees, Ares, and maybe I will spare you.”
Blood rolls down my back in streams.
“Fuck you,” I hiss.
THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!
I fall to my knees and crawl right back up again, but the second my feet push up on the ground, I collapse onto the floor.
It’s too much.
My body can barely take it anymore.
I’ve already disassociated long ago, but now I’m on the brink of letting go. Of just drifting off into nothing and surrendering to my end. Even though it didn’t come by her hand, at least I know I did the right thing. If he truly intends to kill me, then I hope it’s a swift death because I can’t stand this pain much longer.
BANG!
I suck in a breath.
That sounded like a … gunshot.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Multiple.
The sound of screams beyond the door makes me blink rapidly.
I look up at the door and the guard standing in front of it, wondering what’s going on behind that door.
“What’s going on out there?” my father growls at him.
The guard pulls out his walkie-talkie and says, “Update.”
“Shots fired, shots fired, three down! We need backup.”
My eyes widen, and I lift my head.
“Who is it?” my father growls.
“Details!” the guard yells into his walkie-talkie.
“Group of fucking young kids, barely twenty, and there’s two, no three fucking girls too!”
My heart comes back to life, and I get back up from the floor, invigorated by the mere idea.
It’s them.
