"I knew it, I freaking knew it!" I yelled. "You had to be playing us, you had Jake with you all along, and you were gonna kill all of us no matter what happened!"
"Well, what are you waiting for? Hand him over!" said Ringo. "And the girls!"
"I'm afraid I can't do that," said Alexander.
"Oh yeah, and why not?" yelled Ringo again, fired up. "Are you that stupid? Is that it?"
"I'd hold your tongue if I were you, Mr. Starkey," said Alexander. "Unless you want something bad to happen."
"Lemme tell you, something bad'll happen if you don't stop this shit right now!" said John, stepping up next to Ringo. "You're not hurting anyone else here, or anywhere else for that matter!"
"I like your spirit Lennon, but I must say it's useless," said Alexander. "At least I have you where I want you…it all worked out quite perfectly, I must say."
"And how?" I cut in. "Are you planning on killing us?"
"I could do that, couldn't I?" asked Alexander coolly.
"Oh no you won't, you'll see!" said Jake, trying to get up, but Alexander pushed him down again. I saw then that his disguise was completely gone, and I saw his sandy brown hair and clean-shaven face for the first time in months.
"Leave him alone!" Maureen tried to scream through her gag, but it came out muffled. Her eyes still flashed and I could tell that if she weren't tied up, she would let all of her pregnant rage out on whoever got in her way.
"Shut up you!" Alexander snapped. Maureen didn't say anything back, but he still stared.
"Now sir, if you're done talking and telling people to shut up, are you going to do something about it?" asked Jane. "Because honestly, I'm getting bored."
"Oh, right, do forgive me," said Alexander. "Now…which one of you shall I kill first?"
"How bout yourself, sir," sneered Paul.
"Now, why would I want to do that?" asked Alexander. He kicked Jake, who was attempting to get up, and walked over to face me. "What about Miss Cohen here? She's already in some pain; I shot her earlier. Maybe I should finish the job?" George go in front of me, and while still holding me up, shielded me protectively.
"If ya wanna get to her, you're out of luck man," he growled. "Cause you're gonna have to go through me first!" As Alexander began to approach George and I, something broke inside of me. It felt like rage, courage, love, fear, something, I really didn't know, but the emotions and feelings flooding out of me were about to take control. Finally, after a moment of simmering, I burst.
"Oh, hell no!" I yelled in all of my Brooklyn-accented glory, stepping out from behind George. He was still holding me up, but I was that close to jerking away. "I do not have to take this crap, ya hear! Goddammit, I'm from fucking New York!"
"What's that got to do with anything girl?" asked Alexander, furious and confused at my sudden outburst.
"Oh, it has to do with a helluva lot, I'll tell you that!" I burst out. "Man, I wasn't raised to just lay back and take it like a little bitch! I swear, you even think about touching my friends and I'll rip ya to shreds like a chunk of deli meat!"
"Oh…damn…" muttered John, who had obviously not been expecting any of that to fly out of my mouth. Alexander, however, laughed, looking very amused.
"That's all very cute Miss Cohen," he said. "But I'm afraid that won't happen."
"Oh, and why the hell not?" I said, inching away from George. "You're a goddamned bastard ya know! You've killed, you've tried to kill my friends, the man I love, you shot me in the fucking leg for God's sake! Now be a doll and tell me why it won't happen!"
"I would calm down if I were you Miss Cohen," said Alexander, just about to lose his temper as well. "Or else you'll die much faster!"
"Oh, hell!" I screamed. "I beat you down once in Austria, I can sure as hell do it again! I'm comin' over there!" Not noticing any more pain in my leg, and not caring that I may fall over and not be able to get up by myself, I broke away violently from George and lunged at Alexander. I threw myself at him, my fists flying, and Jake got up and ran over to Maureen and Cynthia while Alexander was distracted. I swung and kicked, not even paying attention to the pain I was in or where I was hitting Alexander. At first, it seemed I was winning, but then, as quickly as I ran and jumped at him, I felt a sharp pain in my face and a loud crack. Blood spurted out of my nose and I flew back into George's waiting arms. Right as Alexander flung himself up, I saw Jake quickly freeing Maureen and Cynthia from their bindings. The three of them rushed over to me, and Alexander looked furious.
"You get back here you bitch!" He screamed, staring me down and pointing a shaky finger at me. His eyes flashed and his teeth were gritted and grinding with anger.
I wiped the blood away from my face and glared back.
"Oh, up yours, Alexander!" Maureen shouted. "Yes, I've been waiting for that all fucking night, I have!"
"Me too!" Cynthia shouted, stepping next to Maureen. "Next time, you should be more careful in choosing the people you chose to imprison! Are you ready Mo?"
"Never more ready!" said Maureen. Both women drew back their arms with a closed fist, and at the same time, let loose and punched Alexander right smack in the face, knocking him back once more.
"Run!" Jane shouted as Alexander fell. John grabbed Cynthia and Ringo Maureen, and we dashed away. George took me and picked me up, as the fight with Alexander had ruined my leg more than it had been before. We all shot down the stairs and around the corner. We stopped against a wall, breathing hard and trembling.
"Did we lose him?" asked Ringo, out of breath.
"Looks like it," I said, peeking around the corner. I turned back to the group. "Are you okay Jake?"
"A little beat up, but I'm okay," he said. "Sandra, I think your nose is broken."
"Yeah, it is," I said, touching it gingerly. I flinched at the sudden pain, but sucked it up. There was worse to worry about right now.
"I was so worried about you," said John, pulling Cynthia close. "But I have to know—is Julian really okay?"
"Yes, he's fine," said Cynthia. "I left him with Brian and Richard. Nothing's going to happen to him there."
"How in the world did you get here before us?" asked Ringo, holding Maureen.
"Well, it was actually my idea," said Maureen.
"Why am I not surprised?" asked Paul.
Maureen gave Paul a dirty look and continued. "Right after you all left, I kind of grabbed Cynthia and got the hell out of that hotel," said Maureen. "You all were kind of dallying out by the car, trying to figure things out, but while you were doing that, Cyn and I made a run for it. Yeah, we got here before you, but we were obviously seen before you too…"
"You could have been killed you know," said George.
"Yeah, we know, but we're here and alive, and that's what matters," said Cynthia. "Let's get out of here."
"We can't yet," said Jane. "Alexander's still up there! We need to get rid of him before we leave."
"Jane, are you suggesting we kill him?" asked Paul.
"Well, not really, but now that you mention it…" said Jane.
"Hell, I'll help you," said Jake. "After everything he's done to me."
"I think that should be a last resort," I said. "We should just get a hold of the police…"
"How are we gonna do that?" asked John.
"I dunno…" I said. "Maybe call Brian and Richard back at the hotel and get them to get the cops over here?"
"But I don't see a phone anywhere, do you?" asked John.
"Oh, come on John, Sandra's onto something," said Cynthia. "And there's a phone in that other room, the door's open, I can see it."
"What are you waiting for?" asked George. "Go on and call them John!" John dashed to the room with the open door, snatched up the phone and dialed the hotel's number. "So now we wait, I guess," said George again.
"You girls hit him pretty hard," I said to Maureen and Cynthia.
"Well, when he ties you up like that, you kind of get mad enough to beat him up," said Maureen. "It's only natural. Thank you for freeing us by the way Jake."
"It wasn't a problem," said Jake. "Thanks for taking him out."
"Okay, it's done," said John, rushing back over from the room. "Brian knows…he's a right mess, but he knows, and he's gonna bring the coppers around here."
"Great," said Paul. "Well…what do we do now?"
"I think we should stay here," I said. "Ya know, make sure Alexander's still here for the police."
"Yeah, and get murdered?" asked Jake. "Great idea Sandra."
"Well, she's right!" George snapped. "Sure, he's a dangerous man, but that's why we've gotta keep tabs on him!"
"Yeah, you're right," moaned Jake. "Look…I've just…just been through a lot."
"We all have," I said. "Let's just…I dunno, explore. Maybe we'll find something interesting."
"I swear Sandra, you're gonna be the death of us all," said Jake, but I could tell he was joking somehow. I rolled my eyes and nudged him, and we all walked off.
"So what exactly are you hoping to find here Sandra?" asked Paul, peeking around anxiously as we walked.
"Nothing in particular," I said. "Just wanna distract myself from being too nervous." Led by me (because no one else would dare go in front of me) and George (because without him, I wouldn't be able to move), we went on forward.
"Sandra, this doesn't feel right," whispered Jane as we went through the dark. "It's like…like he's watching us or something."
"I agree with Jane…this is a little freaky," said Ringo.
"Just relax guys, everything's gonna be fine," I said. "The cops are gonna be on their way soon, and with the way Maureen and Cynthia nailed Alexander, he's gonna be out cold for a really long time."
"I hope you're right," said Ringo, gripping Maureen's hand like a small child in a theme park. As we walked on and on, the hall seemed to get darker and darker. No one said another word out of fear that maybe Alexander was just around the corner. All I could hear was my breathing and the beating of my heart. Yes, I wasn't as nervous as everyone else was about Alexander, but I took comfort in the fact that the last time I saw him he was knocked out cold by two vengeful young women. A part of me wanted to turn back and stop wandering, but my one good leg kept moving, and I pulled a reluctant George along. Suddenly, there was a sound.
"What was that?" gasped Jane, jumping further into Paul's arms. She was obviously very nervous.
"Probably just one of us," I said.
"Oh, I don't think that was one of us," said Cynthia.
"Will you all relax?" I asked, getting frustrated. "Man, the guys aren't scared!"
"I believe that's quite the contrary," said George, who I felt gripping my arm even tighter than before.
"Ah! There it was again!" Jane said, this time louder.
"Jane, if you're any louder, then whatever's out there is gonna get us!" said John.
"Sorry," Jane whispered, still looking around wide-eyed and frightened. I had to admit, I wished she would have stopped, because she was making me nervous as well. And to think she was so plucky and eager to head into the belly of the beast with me was so terrified of walking in the dark with a huge group of people. It was silent for a while after that, and I was beginning to think that noise we all heard may had been in our imaginations. But then, as quickly as I was starting to relax, there was a whoosh and a cold, scary feeling, and a muffled scream. We all yelped and ducked and ran all over, and once the commotion was done, one dark thing was realized.
"Jane's gone!" Paul shouted, clutching at his head.
"What do we do?" asked Maureen.
"Look for her, that's what we do!" said Jake. "And kill that son of a bitch!"
"That sounds like a challenge," droned a cool, calculating voice. Our heads snapped in the direction it came from, and I saw Alexander, his face bloodied, with a broken nose like mine, courtesy of Maureen and Cynthia, and he was holding a thrashing and struggling Jane, a gun up to her crimson head.
"Hey, you keep your grimy hands off of her, ya hear!" Paul yelled, rushing forward. John grabbed his shoulders and held him back roughly.
"How about a deal?" asked Alexander, having a tough time holding onto the extremely resilient Jane. "A trade, if you will."
"Oh yeah, trade what?" said Ringo.
"I will give you back Miss Asher," said Alexander. "If you give me Mr. Woods." He cast a dark look at Jake, who glared.
"Over my dead body!" said Jake.
"Oh, how cliché," laughed Alexander. He jerked Jane closer to him, who attempted to bite his hand, but missed. "We can both win if we cooperate here."
"How do we both win?" I asked. "Either way one of our friends dies! Give Jane back or else you're gonna be the one to go!"
"Ah, there's that spirit again!" said Alexander. "Are you going to beat me up again Miss Cohen? Come on now, why don't you sacrifice yourself to save your dear friends, come on now!"
"Like hell she will!" Jane screamed. "Don't do it Sandra!"
"Oh, why I oughtta!" I shouted, going forward, but George, who still had his grip on me, pulled me back.
"If you even touch her, you're in for it!" George growled.
"Ah, yes!" said Alexander. "That's right! You're in love with her! How sweet is this?"
"That's right, I do!" said George. "More than anything, and I'm not ashamed to say it!" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jake bow his head and draw a sigh. I had forgotten his feelings for me.
"What's the matter Jake?" asked Alexander coolly, glancing over at him. "Why do you look so upset? You should be happy for your friend who's found love! Oh, well…unless…" He finished with a greasy smile.
Jake looked up slowly. "Okay, I'll admit it," he said. "I'm in love with Sandra. It hurts so bad to think of her with someone else, but when I see her that happy, it suddenly makes it okay." He turned to look at me. "You can choose, but I can see you've already chosen. When I see you, you just brighten my day, but I'd never want to see you unhappy, even if it made me the least bit happy. And let me tell you something Sandra, I'll stand right there next to you with George if anyone tries to hurt you! And that goes for everyone here—Alexander, if you need me to save Jane's life, I'll throw myself in there."
"Is that a sacrifice?" asked Alexander.
"Yes, yes it is," said Jake.
"Jake, don't do it!" I found myself screaming. Tears pushed at the back of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.
"Jake, you bloody moron!" Jane yelled as Alexander pushed her violently out of his grasp. "You better have a plan!" Jake just gave her a melancholy look as he walked slowly to Alexander, as if he was on death row. "Oh no…" Jane whispered as Paul took her back into his arms.
"Jake, you're a right nutter!" said Ringo. "Get back over here, whatever happened to you wanting to kill Alexander? This is suicide!"
"This is all I can do," said Jake. "This is all my fault anyway. If me dying can make this right, then I'll do it."
"Yeah, and who's to say that he won't shoot all of us once he snuffs you, eh?" asked John. "Let's all gang up on him!"
"Listen to us Jake, it's not worth it!" I said. "Get back over here, let's finish him together!"
Jake turned back to me to look at me with those huge blue eyes. "Sandra…I—I'm really sorry…" he said, choked. "I—I really do love you."
"Are we ready to end this now?" asked Alexander, playing with his gun. "I'm getting bored."
"Let's do it," said Jake, turning back to him.
"Close your eyes then," said Alexander.
"No thanks," said Jake. "I'm a man dammit, and I'm gonna go out like one."
"Fine," said Alexander, shrugging. "We can do it your way." He cocked the bullet. "Get ready." I gripped George's hand, sobbing as Alexander aimed the gun right at Jake's head. Jake just stood there like a noble statue gazing the barrel of the gun right in the eye. I admired him at that very moment, but at the same time I wanted to smack the living daylights out of him. My heart pounded as Alexander went to squeeze the trigger…but before anything could happen, there was a loud BANG that didn't come from any gun.
"Okay Mr. Jameson!" shouted Brian from the doorway, bashed open, with Richard and a bevy of police. "Put that damn gun down and fight us like a man!"