44. Ariel - Gunshot

44. Ariel - Gunshot
My heart hammers in my chest, but I force myself to stay calm.
At least it’s Valek who caught Rheon and me sneaking around and not Ivan or Noctyros. Not to mention Mack, who would’ve shot first and never bothered asking questions after.
Behind me, the werewolf tenses up. Low, menacing growls rumble in his chest. 
I should have realized Valek would be the one to find me. Out of everyone on this ship, he’s the smartest.
I press my index finger to the barrel of the gun. “Let’s not make any hasty decisions,” I suggest. “Think about what would happen if you blew my brains out. Ivan wouldn’t be happy. And then there’s all the blood, bone fragments, and brain splattered over the walls and floor. Who’s going to clean that up? Mindy? Would you really make her clean the remains of her friend?”
“I’m done with your bullshit, Lila!” Valek growls.
Knowing he won’t shoot me, I slowly turn to face him. The gun follows, now pointed at my chest.
“And I’m done with this place,” I tell him. “All I want is to go home. Is that too much to ask?”
“When you’re putting Mindy’s life at risk—yes,” Valek replies.
“I already told you I’ll take her with me. She’s not safe here, and we both know it.”
Valek hesitates for a moment. “This is the only place where I can keep an eye on her.”
“That’s all you can do—watch her. But you can’t keep her safe. Not the way she needs. Be honest, Valek. Does it kill you inside a little more each time she has to fuck a client or suck Ivan’s dick? Is this really the life you want for her?”
Valek finally lowers the gun. “If I let you and Mindy go, Ivan will know it was me.”
Rheon finally speaks. “Not necessarily.”
Valek narrows his eyes. “What do you mean?”
“We can make it look like I was behind the whole thing,” Rheon says.
Valek snorts. “That’s—”
I cut him off. “Smart. If we make it look like Michael helped Mindy and me escape, Ivan won’t have any reason to suspect you.”
Valek considers it. “How would we do that?”
The werewolf steps in front of me. “I’m going to beat you.”
Valek lifts the gun toward him.
Rheon doesn’t stop. “Think about it. It’s the only way to fool Ivan.”
In the few seconds Valek takes to decide, I hold my breath.
“Alright,” Valek says at last. “But only if you keep Mindy safe. She’s the only one… who matters.”
I finally let myself breathe. “You’re not the only one who cares about her. But we need two invitations—one for her and one for me. Do you know where we can get them?”
“I already have them,” Valek says. “I was saving them for the day it was safe to get Mindy out.”
One less thing to worry about.
“Then let’s find Mindy and get out of here,” I tell them.
“All the girls are in their rooms,” Valek says. “I made sure they were safe the moment the lights went out.”
“That’s how you knew I was missing,” I realize.
As we head toward the bedrooms, I ask, “If you like Mindy, why aren’t you coming with us?”
Valek exhales slowly. “I can’t. My sister disappeared two years ago, and every lead points here. She was brought to this ship, and I’m trying to find out what happened to her afterward.”
“I’m sorry about your sister,” I say quietly. “I hope you find her.”
“Me too. Rosie is the best person I know.”
We fall silent as we near the bedrooms. Ivan, Mack, and Noctyros are somewhere on this ship, and getting caught now—when I’m so close to leaving this hellhole—is not an option.
When we reach the room I share with Mindy, Valek pulls a ring of keys from his pocket and unlocks the door.
“Do you have your phone with you?” I ask Valek. 
“When the light went off, so did the signal,” he explains.
“I only need the flashlight. Two is better than one,” I point out.
Valek gives me his phone, and after I turn on the flashlight, I open the door.
The room is dark and silent. Mindy lies curled on her bed, fast asleep.
I move to her side and give her a gentle shake. “Mindy, come on. We’re getting out of here,” I whisper, already scanning the floor for my sneakers.
She blinks at me, still half-asleep. “What’s going on?”
“We’re leaving,” I say, spotting my shoes under the bed. I grab them and shove my feet in.
It takes Mindy a couple of seconds to process my words. “We’re going home?”
She still hasn’t noticed Valek and Rheon standing in the shadows, but when she does, she inhales sharply. “Lila,” she whispers. 
“Don’t worry. They’re with us,” I say, trying to reassure her.
“Are… are you sure?” she stammers.
“Yes. Valek’s helping us, and Michael is a friend. He promised to take us home,” I explain. “Now put your shoes on. We have to go.” Then, to Valek, I say, “Where are the invitations?”
He pats his front pocket. “With me.”
“You’d better give them to me,” I tell him. “In case we get separated.”
Valek pulls out the invitations. They’re made from a strange black material, threaded with golden and silver tendrils. “Don’t lose them,” he warns, handing them over.
With no pockets, I tuck them into the front of my corset.
“We’d better part ways here,” Rheon says to Valek—then drives his fist into him, hard, again and again.
Mindy starts to rush forward, but I catch her arm and hold her back. “It’s part of the plan,” I whisper in her ear. When she realizes Valek isn’t fighting back, the tension drains from her, and she slumps against me, waiting.
When Rheon finally stops, Valek’s breathing hard.
“I need a few seconds alone with Valek,” Mindy says.
Rheon and I step back, giving them space to exchange a few quiet words.
Once Mindy’s ready, we slip into the hallway and make our way toward the deck.
We reach it without running into anyone.
Thunder rumbles in the distance, low and heavy, warning of an approaching storm.
“Eric’s waiting for us on this side of the ship,” Rheon says, nodding toward the far end of the deck. “Come on.”
Big drops of rain start to fall, cold and heavy.
The storm hits fast, the downpour turning into a curtain of water that makes it hard to see more than a few feet ahead.
Rheon takes my hand. “So we don’t get lost,” he says.
I reach for Mindy’s hand in turn.
We’re almost at the end of the deck when two figures step out of the shadows—Noctyros and Ivan.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Ivan asks, raising a gun at me. Beside him, Noctyros is also armed, his weapon aimed at Rheon.
“It’s over,” Rheon says evenly. “I’m taking them out of here, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”
Without warning, Noctyros fires. The bullet hit Rheon in neck.
“Lila belongs to me,” Noctyros snarls.
“No!” I whimper as Rheon collapses to his knees.
I drop beside him, pressing my hands to his neck, desperate to stop the bleeding. “Mindy! Give me your t-shirt!”
Noctyros grabs my arm and yanks me to my feet. Rage explodes inside me, and before I even realize what I’m doing, I attack him. “You monster!” I scream. 
For the second time tonight, a gunshot rings out.
Pain tears through the right side of my torso.

If I am taking my time with the updates, it's because of the heat. I live in Spain and the heat here is terrible. I will try to update in 2-3 days.