The Billionaire's Assistant

Chapter 102

"Be cool," said Andy gently, quietly. "Everybody just calm down. What, do you have kevlar in your fucking car?" she asked, allowing Kat to realize that he'd been wearing a bulletproof vest, that that was what had protected him. "You're hard to plan for," Andy went on, pulling Kat to her feet despite her gasps of pain.

"There's no plan," said Jove calmly, taking slow steps towards them with the gun still trained on Andy. "You're gonna let her go and that's it. We're all gonna walk away."

"Not Conner," said Andy frantically, her cool demeanor finally cracking. "Not Michael."

She was backing up more quickly now, pressing the gun more deeply into Kat's head.

"I should just kill her, shouldn't I? Andy asked, beginning to laugh.

Her laugh increased in pitch and volume, a hyena's laugh, joyless and predatory.

"I should just kill her. You're not gonna let me get away, right? You're got your whole little army, right? Your private police force? You're never gonna let me go so I should just kill her, shouldn't I? I should make you feel how I feel."

Kat was shaking with sobs now, barely able to keep herself upright as each tiny step backwards sent an inferno of pain winding up her body.

"Kat," Jove said, ignoring Andy's tirade. "Kat, everything is going to be ok."

Kat was barely able to open her eyes, instead clinging to the sound of Jove's voice as the last bastion of normalcy, of hope.

"Everything is going to be ok," he repeated, taking a step closer that made Andy speed up her backwards shuffle.

"Remember when we went skating?" Jove asked her. "Remember, right around here? Kat," he insisted. "Look at me, do you remember?"

Kat lifted her tear streaked face, meeting his eyes and nodding.

"Shut up," Andy screeched, her tenuous grip on reality seemingly loosened beyond repair. "Shut up, all of you, shut up. You're not here, you're not really here, stop screaming at me. It's not my fault! Stop screaming at me!"

"Kat," Jove called again, competing over Andy's nonsensical ranting to be heard. "Kat, this is gonna end just like that, ok? You're gonna be ok. This is all gonna end just like it did at the rink, you have to trust me."

He took another step towards them, causing Andy to shuffle back more quickly again.

It all clicked in an instant. He wanted them backing up, he wanted them backing up quickly, with Andy unaware, so that they could do exactly what Kat had done that day; flip over the railing. Kat would be expecting it but it would be a complete surprise to Andy, who would likely drop the gun and more than likely get the wind knocked out of her. The fall was high, much higher than the short drop from the rink, but she trusted Jove more than she'd ever trusted anyone. If he told her it would be ok, she knew it would be.

He took another quick step towards them and Andy backed up skittishly, attempting to drag Kat along with her as she had been until she realized Kat was stepping on her own, had taken larger steps backwards than Andy.

Andy stumbled, adjusting her grip on the gun, and Kat and Jove both took their moment, Jove rushing three steps towards them to make Andy scurry back and Kat pushing backwards off her strong leg at the same time, launching both of them over the railing and into the air.