Withstanding Me (23 page)

Oh, fuck!

My mind quickly starts thinking of where to put Winter. If I don’t think of something, she’ll get herself killed. My eyes quickly snap to the floor remembering the crawl space. I start dragging her to the utility closet.

“Storm, let go of me!”

Like hell.

“I think Tatiana went to the crawl space; help me fucking look for her!”

There, that was convincing, right?

“Shit, okay.”

Awesome. I almost breathe as I flick on the light, dragging her inside the closet. “Just in case they come, and we’re looking.” I answer her questionable stare.

“Come on.” I pull on the crawlspace handle and lift it up. “Follow me.” I whisper as I duck inside. When I see she’s following, I wait for her to get all the way crouched down, and then I shove her hard and bolt back through the opening.

“What the fuck Storm! What are you doing?” She screams. I reach for the door to try closing it and have to keep pushing her head back down. “You’re gonna get yourself, and your fucking baby killed!”

My tone shocks her, and she pauses just long enough for me to close it. She starts pounding on it. I look around the room for something to set on top of it. Nothing. Fuck, this is gonna suck. I take a deep breath and move quickly, dumping the metal utility shelves and all of its belongings on top of the crawlspace door. It’s loud, and the gunshots are ringing closer. I flick off the light, and open and then close the door behind me. Shadow comes bursting in, slamming the door behind him.

“Where’s T?” he huffs.

“I don’t fuckin know!”

Shit, this is not happening.

“The others had to pull back into the other building. I’ve called Braxxon.” He takes a deep breath before releasing. “FUCKING FIND HER.”

Shadow’s freaking out. Oh god.

***

Chapter 31

Storm

I take off running up the steps, and I’m halted as a blade presses against my throat. Oh, shit. Someone got in here when I was in the utility closet, that much is clear. “Where’s Winter Belov?” A deep Russian accent spits out as my gun is removed from my back pocket.

I close my eyes and prepare to die. “I don’t know.”

The blade presses against my throat harder, piercing my skin open. I gulp and immediately gasp, and it’s removed. At first I think it’s about to plunge into my throat, but the Russian groans. I pull back to see Mace fighting him to the ground, stabbing at his back.

“GOOOOOOO!” He shouts.

My feet take off running up the rest of the stairs and around the corner. “Tatiana,” I whisper yell repeatedly.

“GET AWAY FROM ME!”

My skin prickles and I take off toward her screams. She’s on the third floor, and my fucking feet can’t move me fast enough. I reach for the gun in my back pocket and remember the fuckin Russian took it. I can’t go back for it. SHIT!

I spot a hallway lamp and wrestle the cord from it as quickly and quietly as I can. Once I have it wrapped securely around my fingers, I tiptoe into the room I hear Tatiana’s screams coming from. A huge Russian is cornering her; I don’t even wanna know what the fuck is running through his head. All I know is I have to stop him. I pray silently that Tatiana doesn’t give me away. So far, she hasn’t seen me, and he can’t hear me over her screams. I close my eyes and reopen them, and then take off running, jumping onto his back and wrapping the cord around his neck as tight as I can.

“GRAB HIS GUN!”

Tatiana is shaking and screaming so loud while the Russian throws me about. They make these fuckers with steroids, extra strength.

“T, GRAB HIS FUCKING GUN!”

Damn that girl!

“IF HE STOPPED MOVING I COULD!” She screams back as I try and tighten the cord around his neck.

Fuck it!

“GO! LOCK YOURSELF IN ONE OF THE BEDROOMS!” She shakes her head ‘no’. “NOW!”

The Russian rears back his whole body, ramming my back into the wall, taking the breath outta me. Tatiana takes off running. Thank God.

I wrap my legs around him and tighten my hold as I continue to strangle him. Why won’t he just give up already? Just when I think I about have him, he reaches back and flips me over his shoulders. I fly across the room, landing on a nightstand and rolling onto the floor. I see his boots coming before I see him. He grabs me by the hair and yanks me up into a standing position as he snarls in Russian. I knee him in the balls, and when he gives way, I try to escape by climbing over the bed. He grabs a hold of my right leg and pulls me back. His hands wrap around my neck when he’s got me close enough. I start clawing at the bedspread as I gasp for breath, when out of the corner of my eye, I spot a gun handle from underneath the pillow. Oh Sniper, I fucking love you, you paranoid fucker! I claw for it and claw for it, finally getting it in my grasp. If I had breath, I would scream because I don’t know where the fucking safety is on it. I throw my arm up and start beating him in the head with the gun handle, my movements loosening his grip around my neck enough to where I can rear back and head butt him. He groans, and I fling myself forward and roll off the bed. I quickly scamper back up and start throwing shit at him as I try working the safety on this gun. As he blocks the shit I’m hurling at him, he’s searching around for his gun. My eyes land on it first and I dive for it, dropping Sniper’s on my way. The Russian lands hard on top of me. I elbow him in the nose when I have the gun in my hand. He starts cursing at me in Russian again, and I push myself backwards as I take aim. A piercing sound rings out, and the Russian’s brains splatter across the room.

“STORM?”

Mason!

“I’m here,” I croak, my voice hoarse. He enters the doorway and drops down in front of me. I’m gasping for air, and he surveys the room. “Oh shit baby! You fought, you fucking fought back!”

I nod my head yes, as I rub my throat. “Tatiana!” I gasp and take off on my hands and knees until I can get upright.

“MACE!” I scream out hoarsely.

Oh god, oh god.

“We’re back here!” Mace yells back.

When I stumble through the door of the room, I stop, and Mason slams into my back.

“It’s not our blood.” Mace answers quickly and points to the right. “It’s that motherfucker’s!”

Berry, Rap, and Winter. I take off, bounding down the steps, one floor after another. When I hit the landing, my ankle almost gives out as I run and bang on the bathroom door. Rap calls back that everything is okay and I fly towards the utility closet.

“ANGEL!” Braxxon roars.

“She’s in here,” I call back as I work, removing all the shit I threw on top of the crawl space door.

Both Mason and Braxxon run up to the door. “Where the fuck is she?” Braxxon curses at me.

“I locked her in the damn crawl space. She was trying to play fucking Rambo.”

Braxxon pushes me outta the way, and when Mason picks me up by my arms, I give way and start bawling. Fuck, what a nightmare.

“It’s okay.” Mason croons.

“No it’s not. I couldn’t figure out the safety on Sniper’s gun,” I gasp through my tears. “I almost died. That’s not okay.”

Mason stiffens beneath me.

“WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?” Winter yells as Braxxon helps her outta the crawlspace. “GOING AROUND SAVING EVERYONE BUT YOUR FUCKING SELF!”

He stiffens more beneath me.

“I… I promised Mason I wouldn’t let anything happen to them.”

Rap and Berry come out of the bathroom. “Storm threw us into the tub, and took off after Tatiana, Mace, and Winter.”

Mason pulls away and stares at me.

“She tried strangling the Russian that was trying to rape me too,” Tatiana says, while coming down the other side of the hall.”

Motherfuck!

“I FUCKING PROMISED!” I scream, jerking away from Mason and walking towards the downstairs couch.

“Storm,” Mason growls low as he sits beside me. “What are they talking about?”

“Don’t ask me to make promises and not expect me not to fulfill them Mason,” I say while rubbing at my neck. I lift my fingers and see blood.

Hearing the sirens, I cringe. Fuck, all this and now the cops?

“What did I fuckin tell you about your life meaning just as much as theirs?”

I look into his brown eyes and say. “They’re important to you, so they’re important to me.”

He flinches. “You’re important to me too Storm, not just them.”

I say nothing. I just blink and lay my head back. I’m too emotional to be sharing feelings right now.

“Wait! Where’s Piper?” I fling myself up.

Mason puts his hand on my chest. “She’s fine. Sniper found her hiding in one of the cars.”

I let out a breath before realizing two other people are missing. “Bom Bom? Creamy?”

Shadow snorts. “Those bitches took off!”

Good for them.

“I’m so fuckin pissed at you,” Winter hisses behind me.

“Get over it. Your ass is pregnant.”

I’m tired of this shit.

“LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE! ALL OF YOU! SEND THE FUCKING COPS TO MY ROOM!”

And I walk my pissed off ass up the stairs to my room.

***

Chapter 32

ZZ

The following afternoon…

I’ve left Storm alone. She needs time. I think. But I gave her last night after the cops and coroner left; I also gave her this morning. If she wasn’t hurting and pissed off at everyone, we’d be celebrating the fact we had no casualties for the first time. This woman put her life on the line for my entire family. Not once thinking about herself. That is straight up fuckin love. I knock on her door, and push it open when I hear her sniffling.

“I’m not mad at you ZZ; you can go away now.” She mumbles from the bed, and the breath rushes from my lungs. I feel my heart pound fast when she calls me ZZ.

This isn’t happening. She’s not fuckin pushing my ass away now. I kick off my boots and crawl into the bed beside her. I wrap my arms and legs around her and nuzzle my chin into the crook of her neck. “It guts me when you call me that.”

She sniffles some more. “I don’t know what you want from me. You ask me to protect them, and I did. Then you get mad at me!”

Jesus Christ she’s killin me. I loosen my hold, and rolling her onto her back, I lay on top of her. I run my fingers through her bangs and then look down into her eyes. I try to keep my focus off of her neck. It’ll just piss me off. “I didn’t think you would take it that far Storm. No matter what, I always want you to take care of yourself too. Always.” Her blue eyes blink at me.

“The Russians you went after?”

Of course, she tries changing the subject. I don’t know what this shit is where she’s not wanting to share her feelings now, but it’s pissing me off.

“The rest left; they’re not coming back. Stop changin the fuckin subject.”

She shrugs underneath me and I slump, placing my chin in between her tits. I’ve really gotta fix this.

“I love you.”

She gasps and then starts pushing me away.

What the fuck?

“You don’t fucking love me,” she screams jumping up from her bed. “You don’t say shit like that!”

Jesus what did I do?

She throws a glass of pop at me, drenching me from head to toe. What the hell?

“Storm, stop,” I say calmly as I shrug outta my cut and fling the damn pop off.

“NO! TAKE IT BACK!”

Oh for fucks sake.

“Not happenin darlin. I love you, plain and simple. Deal with it.”

A candle flies at my head, and I duck. Shit, she’s on fire.

“TAKE. IT. BACK!” She seethes.

“No.”

What is this shit? I withstand her; she withstands me? I’m sick of it.

“You only think you love me because I keep saving our fuckin family.”

I start moving for her, and she starts backing away.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

I shake my head with a laugh. “That right there is one of the reasons I love you.”

She stops moving. “What reason?”

“Because you just called my family yours babe, one of my reasons.”

She gasps and starts backing away again. What the fuck is this gonna take?

“I love you.” I say again.

“STOP FUCKING SAYING IT!”

Oh, fuck it!

I advance on her. If I have to use force, I will. I slam her back against the wall and cover her mouth with my hand as I lock her between me and the wall. Her blues eyes widen with shock. “I fuckin love you, Storm. I fuckin love you hard, baby. Deal with it. I love every single thing about you. Your tiny little figure, your black and blonde hair, that cute little nose stud, those pouty little lips, those big blue eyes, the way you love me, the way you love
our
family. You’re not giving up. I won’t let you. You once told me that’d I fall in love, and it would be with you. You remember that?” She nods under my hand. “You took me, a man that didn’t do love, and you owned me Storm. You fuckin own me!” I remove my hand and her body flings into mine, her hands moving quickly tugging off my shirt. “I love you.” I need to hear her fuckin say it.