Crushed (35 page)

The guards upstairs did not have guns on them, only tasers. The gun shots that had been fired were not from security, which meant an entirely different threat was behind them.

Sophie held in a scream as she ran through the darkness.

There was no way of knowing what was chasing them now.

*  *  *

Robert had entered the basement through a hidden entrance outside of the museum. It was this entrance which he helped them escape through now, leading them out into a dark alleyway.

Even though they were outside, they kept running. Sophie squeezed the hands holding her own, trying to gain some kind of support from Robert and Luke. Her heart felt like it was going to burst.

In the end, it was Sophie's fault they finally had to stop. Her lungs were screaming for air, and she couldn't move another step without collapsing. She had no idea how far away they were from the museum, only that she was done running, and surrounded in darkness.

All three of them stood panting as they waited for their breath to come back to them.

"What...was that?" Sophie said between gasps of air. "It couldn't have been the guards."

Luke and Robert shared a long look. Sophie scowled at both of them, hating the silent conversation they were having.

"Who do you think it is?" She asked heatedly.

Robert stared down at her, his eyes cold. "Max." He answered.

"What?" Sophie clutched her sides, which were burning from the run. "Don't be dramatic."

"It makes sense." Luke added. "If he suspected something, trapping all three of us in the same area would be ideal for eliminating us at the same time."

"Why would he kill his own thief?" Sophie shot back.

"Collateral damage. If Luke died killing me, his sacrifice would be worthwhile." Robert straightened his posture, glaring down the alleyway.

"That's insane." Sophie placed her hands on her hips. "You realize that's insane, don't you?"

"Sophie, he could be right. I thought this mission was suspicious from the beginning." Luke's voice was low.

"You're trying to tell me he sent us on a hunt to steal a painting, to really steal a different painting, to actually collect us together so he could kill us all. Yeah, that's perfectly plausible."

She reached up to loosen her tie, and pulled off her overcoat, tossing it to the ground. She was fed up with feeling both exhausted and uncomfortable. Sometime during the chase, she'd also lost her fake glasses.

"This is ridiculous." She muttered.

"Let's get out of here." Robert frowned as he grabbed her hand again.

Luke reached into his suit and pulled out a hidden pistol. Sophie nearly jumped at the sight of it.

"Put that away!" She almost shouted. "Why do you even have that?"

"In case something like this was to happen." He answered, his face cold. "I'm not going to let them touch you."

"Luke, calm down. I think we all need to just think this through."

"Sophie, we were shot at." Robert reminded her. "That hardly gives us the room to calm down."

"You think I'm not freaked out? I've been in this situation before." She motioned to Luke. "I clearly remember when it was him pressing a gun to my head. I don't particularly want to be reminded of that night."

"I wasn't going to shoot you." Luke sounded pained by her bringing up the past.

"I know that now, but waving around a gun isn't the right way to deal with this."

"So we wait for them to find us?"

"No, we just don't go running out into the street with a weapon pointed at strangers." Sophie scowled up at him. "I don't know why you're both paranoid."

"We know Max better than you. This is how he operates." Robert sounded like he was fed up with her argument.

"Well, I know reality, and this situation doesn't seem real." Sophie crossed her arms, tossing away Robert's hand. "Luke, seriously, put the gun away."

He looked like he was about to listen when the sound of footsteps to their right caused them all to freeze.

"Luke..." Sophie hissed, but he was already pointing the weapon in the direction of the stranger. "Stop!" She shouted as he pulled the trigger.

The sound of the gunshot at such close range was deafening, and Sophie instinctively screamed as she cupped her ears with her hands.

She fell to the ground, shaking in shock. Robert was yelling something at Luke, but it felt like they were miles away from where she was.

Sophie glanced up to see a body hit the ground, writhing in pain. Luke hadn't killed them, but hit them directly in the leg.

She heard the person groan, but it wasn't the kind of voice she'd thought she'd hear.

It was younger...much younger than she'd thought. Robert and Luke were frozen in place, though Sophie didn't hesitate as she crawled over to the figure.

They were curled into a ball, clutching at their leg in pain.

With shaking hands, she lifted the person's head. It was too dark to see them clearly, so she leaned in to hear the boy whisper her name.

"Sophie." His voice was faltering. "I just wanted to help."

Tears streamed down her face as another scream built up in her throat.

The boy lying in front of her wasn't as stranger.

It was Rylan.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

There will never be enough words to perfectly sum up the pain behind a breakdown.

"Oh, God." Sophie whispered as she took in Rylan's wounded leg.

The only description she could put towards her state at that moment was numb.

The situation in front of her was not real. It was like watching a movie, where the characters were all distant and untouchable.

This boy couldn't be her Rylan. He couldn't be in front of her, because that was impossible.

Impossible. Impossible. Impossible.

No matter how many times she repeated that in her mind, the truth was unavoidable.

Here he was, lying in her arms. Rylan, sixteen years old, and lying in the middle of an alleyway, staring straight into death's door.

It was the thought of him dying that finally melted her shocked stupor. Her hands reacted instantly, searching for the gun wound, and trying desperately to prevent the blood from leaving his leg.

With wide, terrified eyes she pressed her hand on the wound.

"Stop." She moaned. "Stop bleeding." Her hands were shaking, and she didn't know what else to do.

"What have you done?"

The question came behind her but Sophie didn't care who was speaking.

The only thing in her eyes now was Rylan.

"Hello? Cleo? We've had an accident." She'd barely registered Robert speaking into his phone. His voice was strained, as if he was hanging on to the last shreds of his composure.

"Sophie." Rylan asked, his eyes shut tightly.

She couldn't explain how much it killed her to hear his voice. His agony was obvious from how weak his voice was. She could tell he was struggling to stay conscious.

"Everything's going to be fine."

Here comes the first lie. Sophie thought, clenching her teeth.

Her grandmother had said the same thing when she'd become sick. She'd promised she wouldn't leave Sophie by herself, and everyday she'd reminded her that things would be okay.

At the time, both of them had known it was a lie.

Now, it seemed like Rylan understood she was lying as well. It was evident from the way he seemed to be giving up the fight.

"Don't let them take me home." He begged softly. "If she sees me like this...it'll just kill her."

Sophie's mouth dropped open. How was it possible that at a time like this, he was still thinking of Gwyn?

How can you ask me to rob her of what might be your last moments together? Her heart screamed in her chest.

The situation was too cruel to be real.

"Sophie." Robert placed a hand on her shoulder, motioning for her to step away from Rylan.

She refused with a dark glare. She was not going to move one step away from the boy in her arms.

Robert didn't accept her refusal. He lifted Rylan out of her arms, as the boy groaned in protest.

"We have to get him to a doctor. Cleo's making preparations as we speak." Robert's voice sounded like it was growing stronger.

Sophie stood up to argue with him, her hands covered in Rylan's blood. Her eyes searched Robert's face, but what she found stopped her immediately.

Robert's face was darkened by tears.

It's my fault, he seemed to be saying. I have to fix this.

He turned away from her, sprinting down the alleyway. Sophie took a step after him, only freezing when she remembered she wasn't alone.

She turned her eyes to Luke, who was standing only a few feet away.

His gun was at his feet, and his eyes were focused on it, as if it were a snake.

When he lifted his gaze to her, she found Rylan's agony mirrored in his expression.

Luke hadn't been shot, but he'd done something he would never forgive himself for.

At this moment, Sophie knew Luke needed her. She was his only support, his only friend. The rational side of her mind knew he hadn't meant to shoot Rylan. However, she wasn't feeling the least bit rational.

Her emotions had consumed her thoughts, and right now she was angry. So angry she couldn't bare to look at him any longer.

Without saying another word she darted after Robert, following him down the alleyway to the spot where he'd hidden his car.

She arrived in time to see Robert loading Rylan into the back seat. Before he could shut the door, Sophie slipped into the car, propping Rylan's head onto her lap.

Robert didn't question her presence, but rushed around to the drivers side. In seconds they were shooting down the road, flying by cars like an emergency vehicle.

"Explain." Sophie ordered, clenching her fists as she glared at his reflection in the rearview mirror.

"I brought him." Robert replied with difficultly. "He begged me to, he said I needed help. He was supposed to stay in the car, to stand guard."

It was a fools task, and Rylan had known it.

"This wasn't supposed to happen." Robert hit the steering wheel as hard as he could with his hands. "He wasn't supposed to get hurt."

Sophie sat in silence for a few moments. "What now?" She finally asked. "Will he be okay?"

"I won't let him die." Robert replied. "I'll die before I let him leave Gwyn."

Sophie closed her eyes, and hugged Rylan close to her.

All she had now was hope.

*  *  *

For situations like this, Cleo had a doctor on call for them. Robert didn't go into detail on how skilled he was, but Sophie knew he had to have been the best of the best.

They couldn't risk going to a hospital without being questioned about the wound. Their only choice was to create their own makeshift hospital at home.

The doctor arrived a half hour before they did, and by that time Rylan had lost so much blood Sophie didn't know if it was possible for him to survive. She'd done everything she could to stop the bleeding in the car, but her efforts were worthless. She wasn't a doctor, and she had no idea what to do.

When they'd arrived home, Sophie was the first to make it to the front door. The doctor's van was parked in the driveway, alerting them that they weren't alone.

The moment she knocked, the door swung open. Gwyn stood in front of her, face pale and hands shaking.

Sophie's expression gave everything away. No matter how much she wished to hide the truth, it was impossible in front of Gwyn.

"Who was it?" Gwyn asked as she clutched the door tightly. "Who...?" The doctor had refused to give her any details about his task.

She brushed passed Sophie to stare into the black driveway. The front porch lights flickered on and like ghosts emerging from the night, Robert appeared carrying an unconscious Rylan. Blood had seeped through Rylan's jeans, soaking not only his clothing, but Robert's as well.

The silence that surrounded the four of them was agonizing. Then, with a small whimper Gwyn whispered, "No." She slid to the ground, blocking the entrance to the doorway. Her eyes filled with tears that streamed down uncontrollably. It was as if her worst fear had been realized, and Sophie had no way of offering her comfort. Teddy's small footsteps could be heard clunking down the staircase, but the sound had no affect on Gwyn.

Sophie realized it was her job to take control, and lifting Gwyn out of the way, she rushed into the house to stop Teddy before he encountered Rylan and Robert.

"Hey, Bud, let's go to your room." Sophie tried to control her voice.

Teddy watched her with conflicted eyes. He seemed worried about a fear he couldn't name. "Gwyn..." he began. Sophie knew he was confused. He wanted to ask where she'd been, what was going on, and why everyone was so serious. He had so many things he wanted to understand at once, that he couldn't form just one single question.

"Everything's fine." Sophie whispered encouragingly. "Let's just get you back into bed. It's getting late."

There's the second lie. She closed her eyes briefly, willing away her negative thoughts.

Teddy grabbed on to her hand. "Tell me the truth." He ordered, and Sophie could not deny him his one wish.

"Everything will be fine." She corrected, hoping he would be satisfied with her new answer. "Even if it's not fine now, we'll make it better. That's the truth."

Teddy nodded, but the moment they began walking up the stairs, Gwyn's screams began.

"Not him! God, please don't take him from me too!"

Sophie had never heard Gwyn raise her voice like this, and the sound of her high-pitched scream sent chill-bumps up her arms. Tears began to fall down her own eyes as guilt clouded her composure. It had been so easy to forget that Gwyn was only a child...and Rylan too had years before he would become an adult. They had both seemed so mature, but in reality that was just a mask. They were both young ... too young to have to deal with the situation that faced them now.

"God...God!" Gwyn continued to wail, her sobs following them up the stairs.

Teddy's hands tightened around Sophie's, as she felt him begin to shake. His whole base of comfort was collapsing before him. The pillar of strength that he found in his sister was crumbling with her breakdown, but he was struggling to remain brave for her.

"I can go by myself." He said when they had reached the top of the stairs. "Go help her." Teddy's lip quivered as he spoke.

"I can stay with you if you're scared." Sophie had no idea what she was supposed to do. Robert couldn't handle Gwyn and Rylan on his own, but Teddy couldn't be forgotten either...he was so young...they were all so young.

"Go." He released her hand, and turned towards his bedroom door.

Sophie hesitated before Gwyn's screams returned her to reality again.

"Rylan...please...don't do this to me. You promised. You said you wouldn't leave. Please, you're all I have left. God, don't take him from me, you can't be that mean."

As she rushed into the living room Sophie's heart felt like it was being wrenched out. Rylan laid strewn upon the couch, his leg gushing dark red blood. Robert stood to the back of the room, speaking into his cell phone hurriedly. Gwyn sat holding Rylan's hand, and the scene of them together was almost too much to bare.

They were only children. Two kids who had fallen in love because they needed each other. Rylan was Gwyn's protector...the only person in the world she'd come to trust completely. She was his support, his reason for continuing on. Now, they were broken. All because of one stupid decision.

"I'm sorry." Sophie found herself whispering to Gwyn, but her voice was too quiet.

"Take her away." Someone ordered from the doorway. A man dressed in black walked into the room, taking command instantly.

Cleo's doctor was just the professional Sophie had expected him to be. He'd obviously seen situations like this before, and he was ready to begin his work. He lifted Rylan off the couch, and carried him to the kitchen, where a makeshift operating room had already been prepared.

Robert followed the doctor into the kitchen, but Sophie and Gwyn were not allowed to enter.

Before letting them go completely, Sophie reached out to grab the doctor's arm. "Can you save him?" She asked, her voice tight.

"He'll be fine." The doctor promised as he shut the door to the kitchen.

Sophie reached out to Gwyn now, squeezing the young girl tightly.

She couldn't help but wonder if the doctor's reply had been just another lie.

*  *  *

The night was long.

There was simply no other way to describe the stretching hours of time that passed after they'd last seen Rylan.

Gwyn was a shell of herself. She hadn't said a word since the kitchen doors closed, and didn't look like she had the strength to move.