All at once, I’m swaying like a tree branch caught in a storm. I can feel the railing in my clammy grip. Blinking away the dizziness, I try and steady myself, but my legs are still wobbling, my knees knocking together. When the guy behind me places a gentle hand on my shoulder to steady me, I almost let out a scream. If I didn’t think I might tumble down the stairs right this second, I would shove him away.
“Just take it slow and find me that drive. No need to get yourself all worked up, sweetheart. I’m not going to hurt you unless I absolutely have to.”
“What about the guys? Are they safe? Are you going to hurt them?”
“Only if they do something stupid. Now isn’t the time to be a hero. As long as they follow directions, I promise nothing bad will happen.”
I swallow down my fear and give him a tiny head nod. Taking the last step up, I start down the hall and into my room. My feet are heavy as I head straight for my desk. With trembling fingers, I open the top drawer searching frantically for the drive. Pens, pencils, sticky notes, everything inside that drawer goes flying.
Every second I can’t find it feels like an eternity. Fear rapidly mounts, and for a moment, I wonder if maybe it’s lost.
What happens if I don’t find it? No. I can’t think like that. I’ll find it. No matter what. When my fingers scrape against the back of the drawer, I start to think of another place I might have put it… but as I move across the back, and to the other side, my fingers graze against something metal and tiny.
Sweet baby Jesus.
Wrapping my fingers around the small device, I almost sag to the floor in relief. “Here it is. That’s it,” I’m basically panting as I hand it to him.
He smiles, and it leaves me feeling cold rather than warm. “There you go. See, that wasn’t so hard, was it? Let’s go back downstairs. You walk ahead of me,” he orders and points his gun toward the door. I’m only feeling a little better as I walk out of the room, down the hall, and then the stairs. When we enter the kitchen again, I find all three brothers staring at me. One gaze more intense than the next, and I force the tiniest smile because right now, that’s the only way I can let them know that I’m okay.
“Got it,” scar face tells tattoo guy, a satisfying grin appearing on his lips.
“Great. Well, thanks for having us over at such a late hour,” the man snickers. “I hope it goes without saying that we were never here, the video never existed, and you forget the name Xander Rossi for good. I don’t have to tell you what happens if you don’t, right?”
“We’ll be happy to forget this whole thing,” I say quickly, wanting this moment to end.
“Perfect. You mind seeing us out, lover boy?” he asks, looking to Oliver. The way he’s looking at him gives me the creeps and makes me feel like something bad is going to happen. Everything inside me tells me not to let Oliver go with him, but as Oliver gets up from his chair, I find that I’m stuck in place, my feet sinking into the wooden floor like it’s quicksand.
With Oliver leading the way, I watch as the three men walk to the door, the dreadful feeling that something bad is about to happen only expands with each step they take.
Just before Oliver reaches the door, scar face steps in his way, and without saying a single word, he pulls his fist back and punches Oliver in his stomach, the force of the blow causes him to stumble backward.
“What the fuck?” He wheezes out, doubling over, pain etching deep into his features. He wraps an arm around his stomach just as the second guy delivers another hit, this one onto the back of his head. Oliver slumps forward, landing on the floor in a heap.
My heart sinks into my stomach. I have to do something. Looking to Banks and Sullivan for some type of guidance they both wince, and give me a head shake. I can see they want to do something, but the risk of me getting hurt outweighs what Oliver is going through to them. I don’t care, though, not with Oliver on the floor.
“Stop!” I scream, and jump up from the chair, my body floods with adrenaline, letting me move at speeds I didn’t know were possible. I’m across the room in seconds, but the guys are right behind me, grabbing me by the arms, and hauling me backward before I can tend to Oliver.
Scar face swings around then, pointing his gun at us. He shakes his head as if I’ve somehow disappointed him by not staying in my seat.