How About Seven? ✔

45. Heart of Courage

Standing behind Jasper, Damian moved.

In one swift motion, he snapped out a beautiful roundhouse kick against the side of Jasper's head. The sound of impact was satisfying, and Jasper staggered. Damian wasted no time in following up with another kick in the ribs, causing the taller man to double over. Next he lunged for Re, but Re was quick - he sidestepped Damian and whipped the Beretta around.

He fired, but Damian was already in the midst of a dive toward Re's knees. With no attention on me, I began to work on my zip-tie bindings. The plastic cut relentlessly into skin as I moved, and I winced.

Meanwhile, Damian and Re had both fallen to the ground. The younger one clawed for dominance while Damian resisted, grim-faced. With one hand pushing down on Re, Damian pulled out his gun with some difficulty and was about to point it at Re's forehead - until I felt the most vicious hair-pulling yank to beat all hair-pulling yanks against my scalp. The force was so strong that I was pulled off my knees before landing heavily on my (already sore from the earlier blast) derriere. I felt several strands of my hair being ripped out.

Two clear gunshots echo around the space and merciless steel dug right into the soft flesh in between the underside of my jaw.

"Move a muscle, and she dies," Jasper seethed. His gun pressed harder against my flesh.

Damian froze. 

Jasper's breath was hot and stale in my ear. "So. Been cheating on me, have you, sweetheart? I thought after what happened with Mr Hood and Emrys you would know better."

It was bad enough that I was being so helpless - but now I was also being used as a bargaining chip. Jasper looked back at Damian. 

"Damian. Blackcroft." Each syllable was spat as if it was poison in Jasper's mouth. "I should have known better than to trust the person who blackmailed his way into my mission. Twice now, you've gotten the jump on me." Jasper reached up to touch his temple, where a nice little bruise was already forming. "Impressive. It would have been more impressive if you had taken me down properly, however."

Jasper's grip tightened on me. "I have no use for traitors. Drop the gun. And raise both hands."

Damian wasn't looking at Jasper. He was looking at me. I held his gaze, desperate, trying to wreck my brain to think of something - anything! But my mind had gone dull, and the earpiece in my ear was silent.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. I'm so sorry, Damian.

He shook his head almost imperceptibly, and his lips formed, a smile, just. I watched him, watched his lips move, and they mouthed something I would never forget.

Tell my brother hi when you see him.

Damian dropped his gun. 

The second he did, Re rose beneath him like an avenging archangel and pummeled him right in the side of his face. The gun was kicked away as Damian twisted around, and fell. The younger boy was screaming, and there was this sort of inhumane look in his eyes, almost as if he couldn't bear the idea that he had been outsmarted and outpowered. He held his gun like a club and drove the butt-end of it into Damian's face, blow after blow after blow, and I watched blood splatter the dirty bunker floor.