The song for this fic is Three Days Grace - Animal I've Become
Fury pulsed in me as I marched down the hotel hall. Even with the hall's cameras on a loop I still had a ski mask on. The mission wasn't just a pay day for me, it was personal. It became personal when Cage Wallace had my partner killed last night.
Lexa hadn't only been my partner in crime, she'd been my best friend. Like a sister even. She'd been my only family for nearly three years except Murphy. We'd found each other in the business and something worked for us. After my Grandmother died five years ago I didn't have much in the way of relationships with people. Now she was dead. And I wanted to know why. I had to know.
My black military boot kicked down the door without reservation of causing a ruckus because the entire hall was paid for so this was the only occupied room. I rushed in with qualms about casualties. Whatever it took. I didn't usually let emotion cloud my judgement but Lexa used to always tell me 'Love is strength'.
"You're a go," Murphy said into my ear comm.
The room stilled at my entrance. Cage Wallace stopped talking to his company of two beautiful women stared at me in knowledge. Lackies prepared to neutralize the threat.
I gunned the farthest two down. When the closest two charged me I put a few in one's foot and smashed his head into the wall, he was out cold. The other one got a kick into my thigh which caused me to take a knee to the floor. I anticipated his other kick to my head, I blocked it with a swift punch in his knee that cracked under my pressure, then I kicked him in the face. Another lacky rounded the corner. She threw a dagger into my forearm. Pain radiated through my arm, but I transformed it as fuel. I yanked it out and threw it into her stomach. She fell to her knees, then tipped over. Their blood satisfied me but it wasn't the blood I screamed for.
Wallace wasn't shaking in his boots in the corner. Nope. He held the one that hadn't run presumably into the bathroom at gunpoint. The other's screams could be easily heard.
I shot out the cameras before I took off my ski mask, my shaggy dark brown hair was a mess. "Let go her, Wallace." My deep baritone voice worked well in my line of profession. Whether it struck fear or only let them know I meant business wasn't clear.
He tightened his hold on the woman. "So you've come to play out your little revenge fantasy, Blake. Not really an option for me." He pressed the barrel of the gun into her temple.
I inched forward, my eyes slid to a pair of sky blue eyes. The look of fear in them stopped me in my tracks.
She attempted not to let her emotions get the better of her, but I could tell a million things were going on behind her eyes. She closed them briefly, then all of that was gone and when she looked at me. She gave the slightest of nods to let me know I could do what I had to in order to complete my mission. All it would take was a single bullet minimum to cut through them both, all of this could be over.
But I couldn't. Something in me wouldn't let me do this. Maybe it was Lexa protecting her on my behalf or something unspeakable. But I couldn't do it. And doing so also wouldn't give me any answers.
My gun shook in my hands. "Why?" I couldn't fathom a reason good enough. "Why'd you kill her?" I yelled.
"Nothing personal, Blake. Just business." He grinned.
I stared him down. My jaw clenched while my heart raced through the roof. I wanted to do was tear a machine gun through the side of the hotel. I wanted to end him. I wanted his blood soaking my hands.
The blonde woman recognized this burning desire in me. She expertly slipped out of the choke hold and removed herself before he realized she was free.
In his distraction, I shot him in the thigh. My attention briefly went to the woman to assess her safety. "Get your friend and get out of here."
She seemed frozen into place.
"Go," I instructed. "Now!"
She snapped into action, grabbed her friend, and cast a glance back at me.
I couldn't tear my eyes away from hers fast enough. My distraction caused me a bullet to the shoulder. That snapped me back into the mission at hand. I grabbed the dagger from the dead girl once I kicked the gun from his grasp.
His face cracked into an evil grin. His laughter followed suit. "You have no idea what you're up against. Your little partner got double crossed the wrong men. She might as well signed her own death certificate."
The business end of the dagger slammed into his thigh. "Don't,"
He groaned in pain. "Isn't that what you wanted? More details for your crusade. Man to man, I've got to warn you that your mission will be over before even starts."
My head shook. I hovered over him. "You're not a man. You're a coward. Hiding behind people to fight your battles, to protect your dirty money and values." I slowly pulled the dagger out of his thigh, to make him feel it I pushed it back in once it was half way out. I ignored the blood that ran down my side.
He cried out.
"All of that crooked shit and you're about to die alone and scared anyway." I ripped it out of his leg, then held it under his chin hard enough to draw blood. "Why'd you kill her? Why'd you kill Lexa?" I demanded through my teeth. I shook off the lightheadedness.
"She knew too much. It's as simple as that, kid."
His nonchalant manner only angered me more. She died for nothing. She died because of assholes like him exist.
"Bellamy, your blood pressure is too high." Murphy said into my comm. "Do whatever you have to do and get out of there."
I wanted to tell him work the cameras and keep a pin on the women that escaped but Wallace attempted to get away so I kneed him in the balls, then drove the dagger into the side of his neck. The mess did little to satisfy me. Watching his life slip away from him gave me a sliver of what I wanted. I just wanted them all to pay.
I removed the dagger so there wouldn't be any fingerprints left behind. When I stood I stumbled a bit but corrected myself. The hallway tilted a bit, it seemed to go on forever. I got the closest I could to the stairs, then wobbled to the carpeted floor.
"Murp..." My consciousness slipped. The sounds of footsteps and bullets sounded around me. I forced my eyes open briefly. My body was dragged into the elevator by the blonde woman. Her golden blonde hair was like a haloed tiara around her. "Princess," The words slipped from my lips, then my eyes collapsed shut and I fell into the darkness that I couldn't escape.
Voices lulled me awake.
"I don't think he should be asleep that long." One said.
A warm hand pressed into my forehead. "He's fine."
"You say that but you haven't left his side since we brought him here,"
My eyes flickered open, then landed on the owner of the hand. It was the blonde woman from before. I hadn't really noticed before but she was very attractive. I couldn't help but stare at her for longer than necessary.
She removed her hand slowly, but not entirely. It went to my hair. "Are you okay?"
The events of the day replayed in my head. I snapped upright with my focus back. Her hand fell away. I took in the small apartment with beachy vibes. Her walls were painted purple and a burnt orange colors. There were a few seashells and beaded room dividers, a tapestry or two. I fine tuned my hearing to pick up the waves not too far away.
"How long have I been here?" I stood and instantly felt lightheaded.
Her hands went to my waist to steady me. "I got you," Her extra warm contact made me realize I was shirtless. She'd bandaged my shoulder.
I looked down at her, knowing I didn't need to be caught up in her at all, but I still got caught up.
She blushed a bit under my gaze but didn't shy away. "You're pretty tough." She propped her hands on her hips. "I suppose most mercenaries are,"
The other woman with dark hair and olive skin brought me a glass of water. "There you go."
"Thanks," I took it and downed the glass.
They watched me, not really saying anything, but there was slight fascination in their gaze.
I took a step forward.
They collectively took one back.
My thumb gestured behind me. "Can I get a shirt maybe?"
"There aren't any that fit you, I checked." The dark haired girl gave me a once over. "I'm Raven by the way." She held her hand out.
I shook it. "Blake," There was no need for them to know my first name.
"Doesn't suit you," The blonde one said. Her hand opened for mine. "Clarke,"
My hand slid into hers. "You'd be the first to say so."
Little sparks tingled up my arm at her contact.
The part of my brain where manners were stored told me to be polite.
"Thank you for bringing me here." My hand still held hers.
"You were passed out," Raven leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. "We weren't going to leave you there. Although, we weren't sure if you would kills us so we probably shouldn't have brought you back here." She eyed Clarke.
I stared over at her. "If I was going to hurt you I wouldn't have let you go." I got caught up again in the icy blue of her eyes. Her body felt extremely warm in front of mine.
She nodded an understanding, then her eyes dropped down to our hands still linked, and she released it in surprise. Her back turned to us as she walked to her opened back door, the summer breeze filtered in.
"You shouldn't have brought me here."
She sighed. "If we hadn't you would've bleed out or gone to jail. Either of those sound good to you?"
I moved close to her with barely an inch of space left between us. "My life isn't worth more than yours. Bringing me here was a costly mistake."
Her eyes went to mine. "Would you like for me to do it over again?"
A small grin came to my lips.
"Ahem," Raven coughed from behind us. "I'm still here."
We turned to her.
She pointed at me. "By the way, your friend called. He's on his way."
My forehead creased. "My friend?"
"Monty something?"
I shook my head. "I don't know a Monty. You must mean Murphy."
She snapped her fingers. "That's it. He's coming. I figured if he was coming to kill us I could zap him in the balls with this." She held up her industrial sized taser.
Clarke and I looked at each other.
"Alright, is it just you two that live here?" I asked.
"Just me," Clarke answered. "Why?"
I searched for her room. "Pack a bag. You're not safe here."
She went to her room and it looked pretty much the same as the living room. "For how long?" She grabbed a duffel bag from under her bed.
I took the liberty to go to her closet and found a smaller bag. I tossed it to her. "Pack light,"
She caught it. For the first time since I woke up there was realization for the consequences of her do-gooder actions.
I offered a sympathetic look, then turned my back while she packed.
"So is there like a safe house or somewhere you're taking us?"
My gaze went to my right, not quite all the way around to face her. "Best if you don't know where."
She made a noise akin to a laugh. "What are the odds this is an elaborate ploy to kill and maim us?"
That made me turn to her fully. "Like I said, if I wanted to hurt you at the hotel I wouldn't have let you go." My voice surprised me by having a touch of sensitivity in it.
We stared at each other.
She went back to packing her bag.
A painful groan came from nearby.
We rushed out to find Murphy on the floor with the taser prongs in the front of his pants. He writhed on the floor with Raven above him.
"Raven, he's with us." I warned, but I couldn't help the laugh that came.
Her eyes widened. "Oh, you're Murphy?" She turned off the taser and helped him up.
He slapped her hands away once he was on his feet, he bent over with his hands on his knees. "Water." He choked out. He looked at me. "Where's your shirt?"
Clarke chuckled.
Raven gave him some water.
I looked down at Clarke. "You got everything?" A hint of amusement on my face.
She nodded, a trace of a smile on her lips. "Yeah," Her eyes traveled down my face.
Mine couldn't help but do the same. For too long I focused on her mouth.
"Still here," Raven commented.
We snapped our attention forward.
"I'll drive."
Clarke grabbed an icepak from the freezer and handed it to Murphy. "Hope this helps."
He pressed it to the front of his pants. "Thanks." He gave Raven the side eye.
She winked at him.
Clarke and I slid into the front of the black SUV while Raven and Murphy got in the back.
"Buckle up," I put the car into drive and pulled out. "Sorry about this," My eyes went to Clarke's for a few seconds, then I put my attention back on the bumpy road ahead of us.
A/N: Maybe a three-shot or something short. Let me know your thoughts :)