Second Chances? – Chapter 26
By MyNameIsCAL
-Max's POV-
Fang was slipping my wedding band back onto my finger when the doors to the courtroom burst open. Men, all wearing black, charged into the courtroom, following them was the one person I never wanted to see again.
Roland.
Fang took a step in front of me, a smile slipping from his lips. The men in black closed the doors, standing in front of them.
"W…w…w…what are you doing?" the judge exclaimed.
"Stopping the wedding," Roland smiled cruelly, shooting the lone security guard here.
"It's too late," I said.
Roland took a few steps towards Fang. He held a gun in one hand and a briefcase in the other. There were only a few people other than Fang and me in here. Iggy and Ella would be our witnesses, and there were two other couples waiting to be married.
Without any kind of warning, Roland dropped the briefcase and pulled out a knife, driving it into the side of Fang's leg. Fang stood his ground still. As Roland drove it deeper, Fang howled in pain.
"Max, if you could come with me, I'll let everyone else in here go," Roland demanded. "Including your sorry little husband."
Fang shook his head, still standing, the knife sticking out of his leg.
"And where are you going to take me?" I shook my head, grabbing Fang by the arm. "As soon as we walk out of here, the cops will swarm you. You'll never walk out of here a free man."
But Roland seemed to really believe in what he was saying. "We'll get far away. Away from this monster you've just married. Run off to Europe, wouldn't' that be grand?"
Fang collapsed to the ground, leaning up against the judge's stand.
"Ah, well, let me give Fang something as a going away present, what do you say, Max?" Roland kneeled down in front of Fang, pointing the gun at Fang's forehead. "Don't move."
With one hand, Roland opened up his briefcase and pulled out a syringe. One of the men that came in with Roland walked over, grabbing Fang's arm and turning it over.
"You can't run from who you are," Roland whispered, "You will always be a monster."
The man squeezed Fang's arm. You could see the veins starting to surface now. They were going to inject Fang with something.
"No, please, Roland, what are you doing?" I took a step towards him, but he pushed the gun against Fang's hand.
The man took the syringe from Roland and pushed it into Fang's arm, plunging it down slowly. Fang's eyes slipped in an out of focus.
"I say we hit him again," Roland said after a while and I watched as Fang was injected with the substance again.
"No…" Fang grunted, but made no attempt to fight.
"Roland, stop," I pleaded.
"I will, if you come with me." He held his hand out to me.
Fang's eyes refocused and he kicked Roland with his good leg. Roland fell back, but the man that had just injected Fang had his own gun pointed to Fang's head now.
"You can't get away with this," I said to Roland, meeting his eyes. "The cops will come and they'll get you, even if you killed all of us."
But Roland laughed. "You know, I have the whole goddamn courthouse under my control. I paid a couple of people to keep the cops away. I've got all day and all night. But by then, we'll be gone. Come, now, Max, before I have to hurt anyone else."
I stared at him, showing no sign that I was going to give in.
"Okay, then we'll sit here and wait," Roland grinned, taking a seat in an empty chair. "And we can watch Fang die a slow painful death, then again, maybe he won't feel a thing, now that he's high."
And then out of the corner of my eye, I caught Fang looking at me, struggling to keep conscious.
"It was heroin," he muttered, taking a deep breath.
"I bet you're enjoying it," Roland interjected.
"You son of a bitch," Iggy said loudly.
Roland turned to face him. No, Iggy, you idiot, I thought. One of the other men came and pointed a gun to his head.
"Say it again!" Roland shouted madly. "Say it again! I dare you!"
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Iggy spat.
Roland picked up his chair and swung it at Iggy, knocking him out. Ella let out a squeal, watching Iggy fall to the ground. Please don't hurt them, I wanted to plead. Iggy was going to be a father. But Roland didn't know that. I had to turn his attention away from them.
"Don't hurt them, Roland. They haven't done anything to you," I begged.
My begging made Roland listen though. He turned back to me. "No, of course not, Max."
I watched him make his way back towards the briefcase. He turned it around with his foot, showing us the inside. It was full of syringes, filled with heroin. Fang sucked in a breath as he saw them.
"How long can you resist?" Roland asked, pushing the briefcase closer to Fang. "How long until you need it again? Shall we wait to see? I think three hours is the longest, but I think that you won't even last half of that."
Fang lunged out to grab Roland, but with a swift step back, Fang was too drugged and too weak to do anything to Roland. After a few minutes of standing, looking satisfied, Roland took a seat in another chair. Ella caught my eye, looking more scared than I had ever seen in my life. The other couples in here, they cowered away near each other. The men Roland had brought with him showed no interest in them though. That was a small victory.
"At least let me try to stop the bleeding," I said, looking up at Roland.
He frowned. "Alright, go ahead."
I pulled off Fang's belt and wrapped it around his leg, hoping it would at least slow the bleeding.
"You're gonna be okay," I whispered, tightening the belt.
He murmured something, but I didn't comprehend. After I finished, I took a seat next to Fang and he leaned on me, shaking. His eyes opened and closed, going from his leg, to the briefcase, and to Roland before closing them again.
Time began to tick by slowly. I was hoping Roland had been lying about making sure anyone that could help us stayed far away, but he wasn't. We sat there in silence, all of us looking around nervously. Roland's men stood silently, hard faced, scanning the room like something might just pop out and attack them. How could Roland possibly orchestrate something like this? I didn't understand.
It was hard not to think that this was my fault. If I hadn't divorced Fang, if I hadn't sought out to find a distraction, I never would have been in this position. Fang was shaking constantly now, mumbling to himself, his eyes fixated on the briefcase.
"You need it," Roland would say every now and then. "Then take it."
Fang shut his eyes, sweat dripping down his forehead. I reached for a syringe.
"No, what are you d…d…doing?" he stammered.
"Just…save yourself the pain now," I muttered.
He grabbed the syringe and plunged it into his arm quicker than I could blink. The empty syringe dropped to the floor and he leaned against me, calmer now.
"So you're assisting him now?" Roland looked disappointed as he stood. "Well, I'm growing tired of this."
Roland took out a knife, heading towards Fang. He kneeled down in front of Fang and turned his arm over, revealing scars.
"You're pathetic," he hissed, placing the knife over one of Fang's scars.
Fang didn't even flinch when Roland pressed down, creating a cut. This was torture. How could no one notice there was something going on here?
"I'll go with you," I blurted out.
Roland stood, leaving Fang's arm dripping with blood. "Excellent."
"Let all of them go first," I added.
He motioned for the men to start filing out, and they did. Well, Roland, I guess the trick is on you now. Fang, disoriented and obviously high, caught my attention. There was still an unspoken understanding between us.
"Good, alright, let's go," I said, taking Roland's hand.
This excited Roland. He motioned the other couples out. Only Ella sat there, staring, confused.
"Now…" Fang's voice came out so softly that I barely picked up on it.
And as if in one movement, I twisted Roland's arm, causing him to fall to his knees. Fang pulled the knife out of his leg, throwing it so it hit Roland in the shoulder. With a kick to the chest, Roland was out cold. He didn't even have time to whimper in pain.
Fang kicked the briefcase away, causing it to shut close.
"Ella, call 911," I ordered, kneeling down next to Fang. "And then call home."
Fang grabbed my hand. "I'm sorry, Max…"
I shook my head. "All that matters is that you're gonna be okay."
And I sat there, his head rested on my leg, stroking his hair, until the cops came with the paramedics.
Complications. Ah, there must always be complications. But I do promise that Fang will be okay.