Already Gone - By John Rector Page 0,70

want to kill yourself over her, that’s up to you, but you’re not going to fuck this up for me.”

He starts to say more, but there’s a knock at the door, and we both turn to look.

Two of Gabby’s men come inside. They see Carlos lying on the floor and stop.

“No, not him. In the kitchen.” Gabby looks at me and holds up one finger. “Stay here.”

He walks away, giving instructions to the men.

I don’t listen.

Instead, I stare out the window at the lot and the swirling snow, fading in from the black sky. I think about Diane, and what Gabby said. He might not believe her, but I do, and nothing he says will change that.

Down below, Briggs’s men get into the two trucks and start the engines. I still don’t see Diane. Every part of me wants to run down and find her, but if I go without Carlos, Briggs will know what happened and things will turn bad.

All I can do is follow Gabby’s lead.

I stay at the window and watch Briggs walk back to the town car with Hull, and I feel my stomach twist.

I turn to the kitchen and start to tell Gabby that they’re leaving. Then I notice the industrial gate at the lot entrance start to move, locking everyone inside.

I yell back, “The gate is closed.”

No one answers.

I hear the three of them shuffling around in the kitchen, then Gabby’s voice. “You got it?”

Something heavy hits the floor.

A minute later, Gabby comes back into the living room, swirling his drink in his hand. The two men follow him out, carrying the metal oven door that Gabby had hung on the wall.

For the first time, Gabby’s plan starts to come clear.

“What are you doing?”

Gabby opens the door and watches the two men ease their way down the stairs, slowly. He doesn’t look at me until the men are out and the door is closed.

“Where were we?” he asks.

“What are you going to do?”

“Only what needs to be done.”

I start to ask about Diane again, but Gabby stops me. “I’m looking out for you, Jake, and you need to trust me. You’re too close to see that she’s lying to you.”

“She’s not lying to me.”

“Even if that’s true, she knows too much about me, and I don’t trust her.” He pauses. “I can’t let her leave here tonight.”

It takes a minute for what he’s saying to sink in, but before I can say anything, I hear someone yell outside in the lot, then a gunshot.

I look out the window and see Gabby’s men pulling everyone from the SUVs, taking their guns and leading them to the dock.

Hull is lying on the ground, pressing his hand against his stomach, trying to sit up.

Mathew Pavel is standing over him, watching. He’s holding a gun in one hand. He lifts it, slow, then fires once into Hull’s head.

The snow behind him turns dark.

I don’t see Briggs, and I don’t see Diane.

“You’ll thank me one day,” Gabby says. “You will.”

I move past him.

He reaches for my arm. “Don’t, Jake.”

I pull free and grab the silver handgun off the chair where Gabby dropped it and head for the stairs.

I expect him to try to stop me, but he just stays at the window, sipping his drink, watching.

– 44 –

I hear several more gunshots as I hurry down the stairs, taking them two at a time. Every muscle in my body screams at me to stop, but I ignore the pain.

Halfway down my foot slips and I fall backward, hitting the stairs hard, then there’s nothing. When I open my eyes again, I’m lying at the foot of the stairs, staring up at a dark ceiling, my vision fading in and out.

Gabby’s gun is lying next to me. I reach over to pick it up, then feel hands on my shirt, lifting me, slamming me against the wall.

Alek Pavel is in front of me, holding me up. One of his hands moves to my neck, and I feel my feet leave the ground. I can’t breathe.

He watches me struggle, silent.

I grab his hand and try to pull away, but my ribs shift in my chest, and I don’t have the strength.

Alek’s breath smells like peppermint and sour milk.

He leans in, whispers, “This isn’t over between us.”

My legs twitch, slapping against the wall.

I can’t stop them, and I close my eyes.

Behind the slow rhythm of Alek’s breathing, I hear a soft click. Then my feet touch the ground and he lets go.

I