RYDER (Slater Brothers 4)(72)

My arms were trembling as I kept the gun aimed at Big Phil, my body was weakened and exhausted from the torture he had put me through. The gun was heavier than it looked and it caused my arms to ache from holding it up in the air for just a few short moments.

“Branna, this is not your call, okay? Look at me,” Kane said, his voice firm but soothing at the same time. I flicked my eyes to his. He slowly came to my side, and carefully lifted his hand to mine, but I quickly stepped away when his intentions became clear. He wanted the gun.

“He isn’t worth it, Bran.”

Kane was right… Big Phil wasn’t worth it, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have to die.

“Look what he has done to you.” I snivelled. “To our family!”

“We’re still a family,” Kane assured me. “And he has no hold over me anymore. He has nothing. He is nothing.”

I began to lower the gun, until finally it hung in my hand by my side.

“Good girl,” Kane breathed in relief, his shoulders sagging. “It’s all going to be—”

“Kane!” I screamed when Big Phil pushed himself from the floor, and charged at Kane. Every thing felt like it happened in slow motion. Big Phil grabbed the knife he used to hurt me from the table he rushed past, and sprinted at Kane with the knife-wielding arm raised.

Kane swung around, and grabbed hold of Big Phil’s arm as he began to bring it down in his direction. They both struggled for the knife, and I saw the muscles and veins in Kane’s are bulge as he used all his might to keep Big Phil’s arm at bay. My arm was raised once more and the gun was pointed straight ahead, but I didn’t pull the trigger because I didn’t have a clear shot. I couldn’t risk hitting Kane.

I tensed when the pair of them hit the floor, for a moment there was grunts, and fumbled movements, then the next there was a sharp intake of breath, and everything went still. Kane was on top of Big Phil, but neither of them were moving.

I heard my heartbeat in my ear as I approached them.

“Kane,” I whispered.

Silence.

Oh, please, no.

“Kane,” I said a little louder.

I heard a wheeze then and rasp of, “I’m okay.”

Relief smacked into me like a tidal wave.

I watched as Kane rolled of Big Phil and groggily pushed himself to his feet. He stumbled for a second then steadied himself. He looked down at a still unmoving Big Phil then he turned and walked towards me. Before he could reach me, I dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes when I saw the scene before me.

The blade that was used to stab my thigh and shoulder… it was lodged in the centre of Big Phil’s chest.

“Oh, my God,” I breathed.

“Branna, slow your breathing—”

“Is he dead?” I cut Kane off, my chest tight with fear. “Is he f*ckin’ dead?”

“Yeah,” he replied, calmly. “He took his last breath, and I saw the life leave his eyes. I saw the moment he realised I was going to be the last thing he saw before he died, so I smiled.”

Christ.

“Oh, my God,” I rasped. “He is dead. Oh, we’re goin’ to prison. We’re seriously goin’—”

“We’re aren’t going anywhere if you do exactly what I say.”

What?

“Kane?” I whispered. “I’m scared.”

He dropped to his knees next to me, and his eyes scanned over my body and grew dark when they landed on my stab wounds, spilled blood and other injuries. He carefully reached out and slipped an arm under my legs, and the other under my back.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Sorry?

“For wha—” I cut myself of with a moan of pain when he lifted me up into the air, and the movement caused my wounded limbs to burn in protest. He quickly moved me back to the sofa and gently lay me down.

“You have to call the cops,” he quickly said. “I’m going to leave down the back entrance when you do. There are no cameras in this building, but to make sure I’m not picked up on surrounding business’ cameras, I’ll use the back exit. You have to call them and say you’ve been kidnapped.”

I didn’t have time to argue with him even if I wanted to because he thrust the phone Big Phil used to call Kane into my face, so I grabbed it and dialled 999 before I lost my nerve. Almost instantly someone replied.

“999, what is your emergency?”

“Please help me,” I cried which was very easy to do considering everything that had happened to me. “A man has kidnapped me, I think I’m dyin’. He stabbed me twice and beat me.”

“Ma’am, slow down. This man, is he still close by?”

“Yes!” I wailed and then quickly thought of a lie. “He’s in the buildin’, he left his phone here by mistake and I grabbed it. He said he would be right back though. Please send someone. Please.”

“Stay on the line with me, ma’am. Where are you? Do you see anything that can give us a clue to your location?”

“Me location?” I repeated and looked at Kane with wild eyes.

He held up a matchbox that had the name of the building, but to play it dumb I said, “I’m in the new apartments across from The Plaza Hotel, I can see the buildin’!”