Stillness

Stillness
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I am currently working on completing this story by Valentine's Day. I know updates have been few and far between, so I decided I would go ahead an publish a couple a week until that day. That being said, please do not harass me about this being the only chapter in months. Your comment will be blocked. and your in my memory for all time. If you are wondering why the asteriks - my New Year's resolution is to be kinder and ignore the noise.

TINY

The gift has been given - I type out and hit send, creeping around the far side of the beach house where all is quiet and all guards have fallen. An affirmative buzz vibrates against my chest, where I've pocketed my cell phone and I take it to mean that Ruby is in place.
Ten minutes ago, I heard the boat's engine die, telling me that Damien was down beneath the pier waiting, now it was time to wait for Romany to step out.
But, when I creep up on the backdoors of the villa, what I see has me stalled.
When the fuck did Mickey get down here?
And does Ruby know?
Catching sight of Antony carefully creeping toward the exit, I keep my gun trained on him as I silently crouch just low enough to avoid notice. Delgado has his gun pointed at someone on the couch, his eye twitching angrily as Mickey's voice muddles through the walls toward my ears. I can't hear what he's saying, but... I know that tone. I've only ever heard it a few times and it's always right before Mickey strikes.
Oh shit.
Something is off.
Just then, Don Angeletto comes around the opposite side of the house, phone in one hand, both hands up in surrender. He whispers, "I will have my son. I was promised him."
Promised by who?
I don't know, nor do I give a fuck, when I urge him back with the shift of my pistol and a shake of my head.
He growls low, "Check with your boss! Alex said-"
Again I don't talk, just shake my head, cutting him off.
Because first of all, Alex is not my boss. My boss is inside. And second, my only goal as of last night is to get my baby girl away from here alive. No matter who I have to cross to do it.

ROMANY

The sound of Santos stepping aside sends fear barreling into my gut, but as much as I want to look his way, to maybe catch his gaze with my own so that my eyes can scream thanks a lot asshole, I don't do it. The cold press of Delgado's gun to my lips and the fact that he has yet to take his eyes off me prevents it.
A slow twitch of a smile crosses Degado's lips as he says, "You know, Scavo, many people have always said that DeMarco was the bad one. The uncontrollable one. The wild one. That he is the reckless one, not you. But do you know what I always said?"
Mickey's voice comes out flat, "No. Nor do I give a fuck."
Delgado spits, "I said, DeMarco is the safe one, because at least he can be bought. But I've always known the wild card was you. Because you care about nothing and no one. Low and behold, here you are. Throwing your life away... for a whore."
Mickey's footsteps sound again as Ruiz's hands slide a bit lower along my back. Suddenly, I can see Mickey in my peripheral and I release a low, unconscious whimper as my body yearns to shove him away. Out of danger. It's all I can do to remain seated when I want to scream for him to stand back. "This is your last warning, Delgado," Mickey says softly, "Understand me when I say, I didn't even want to give you the first one."
Delgado starts to laugh, and somewhere in the back of my mind a red alert has started to blare, because anyone that can laugh faced with the kind of end that's coming for him isn't operating with a full set. As in programming incomplete - please update - missing files detected.
But that's not the problem, is it, Ro? No. The problem seems to be that you're the price he's willing to pay the ferryman to cross. You.
"Looks like I was wrong, eh?" Delgado growls, his eyes shifting toward Mickey even as he presses the barrel of his gun more heavily into my lips. "It appears you do care about something after all. What a shame."
What happens next happens so quickly that it doesn't even register to me at first. Glass shatters, people scream, one minute there is a gun to my lips and the next the world explodes with color my ears ringing as I'm being shot in the face with what feels like a water hose and the very moment it hits, my head is shoved down into my lap and my gun arm is lifted, my trigger finger - squeezed. It sounds like the end of the days as someone begins screaming and cursing and the horrible sounds of a man griunting and the snap of bones cracking fills the space.
I can't see shit! Not really, but what I can see, I am covered with. And... it appears to be blood.
Holy Mother of God!
Is that mine?
"Get her out of here, now!" Ruby's voice sounds and suddenly I am being lifted into a pair of strong, familiar arms and raced out of the house.
"Keep your head down and eyes closed. I've got you, baby girl," says a voice I know too well.
Suddenly, I know, the arms that carry me are covered in dragons of ink and I don't listen, tipping me head upward to meet dark brown eyes, I reach for him, Thadeus, placing a hand on his face and drawing his gaze in my direction as we reach the middle of the pier.
"You saved me," I tell him.
He shakes his head. "It's not over til it's over, baby girl." He stops running and places me on my feet. "Get on my back," he commands. "Quickly."
The sound of about a dozen gunshots rends the air and I try to glance over my shoulder, but he doesn't let me.
"On my back!" he shouts, grabbing my face in his hands. "Now. Okay?"
All I can do is nod and do as told, thoughts of Ruby flooding my mind.
I knew she was up to something.
I knew she'd ever abandon me like that.
But have I just abandoned her?
The moment I climb on Tiny's back, he leaps into the hole, keeping his back to the villa as we descend beneath the dock. Somewhere in my head I begin to wonder why that is. But... the moment he begins to climb down the ladder... I know.
A sound like rushing wind fills my ears, followed by the kind of stillness that I will never forget.
And then...
BOOM!