Chapter Fifteen
There was no way this was happening. There was no way that there was a gun pointed at her, ready to fire at a moments notice. Chloe's heart continued to rapidly beat against her ribs, but this time in fear, not anticipation. Her legs were shaky as she tried to stand. She refused to face death sitting down.
"Don't move!" Devin cried as Chloe stood. She paused, half standing, half sitting, unsure what to do. Slowly she straightened up, her eyes not moving from his. Fear clogged her throat, making it difficult to breathe. She could see Sark out of the corner of her eye. His jaw was clenched tightly and his eyes were ice cold as they stared Devin down.
"Put the gun down Devin," he said. His voice was so calm and steady it scared Chloe. How could anybody be calm in a situation like this?
"I don't think so Julian," Devin said, not taking his eyes off Chloe, "either you give me the disk, or I'll kill her." He looked at Sark, "It's your choice." Chloe looked to Sark, her eyes pleading with him. She wasn't afraid to die, not really. It was the pain she feared. As long as he shot her straight in the heart and it killed her instantly, she was okay. But she would not be able to bear the pain.
"Devin please," she said, looking back towards the man she thought she'd known, "don't do this."
"Sorry Chloe," he said, truly sounding sorry, "but this isn't up to me anymore." He looked at Sark pointedly, "It's up to him."
Sark felt as if he carried the world on his shoulders. Why did he have to be the one to hold Chloe's life in his hands? He felt powerless to do anything. He couldn't pull the trigger, it was too risky. He might miss and then Devin would kill Chloe. There was nothing he could do. The only chance he had was to distract Devin long enough to disarm him.
"Why are you doing this Devin?" he asked. Devin looked at Sark quickly before turning back to the woman he held at gunpoint.
"The only reason I ever did anything." he replied, "The money."
"Money?" Chloe cried, "You're going to kill us for some measly dollars?"
"Do you have any idea how much the Covenant is going to pay me for that disk?" Devin asked, glaring at Chloe. "I could retire in France and have anything I could ever want." Chloe was about to say something else, but Sark caught her eye and shook his head quickly, telling her not to say anything more. She ducked her head, and her hair fell around her face, hiding it from his view.
"You don't have to kill us for it Devin," he said, tearing his gaze from Chloe's hidden face, "Just put down the gun and we'll give you the disk." Chloe's head shot up and she glared at Sark, her gaze asking if he was crazy.
"Like I believe that." Devin scoffed. "You'd kill me as soon as I put my gun down. No," he cocked the gun, "I think I'll take my chances this way." Chloe flinched and stared at Sark. He knew he had to do something, but what? What could he possibly do? He and Devin were at a stalemate.
"Devin," he pleaded with his friend.
"If you love her Julian, you'll put down the gun." Devin yelled, interrupting him. Sark closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them once again. Placing his hands in the air, he knelt down slowly and placed the gun on the floor. He looked up at Chloe, who was staring at him as if he had two heads.
"That's..." Devin's words were cut off when Sark quickly kicked his friend's legs out from under him. The gun went off, Devin fell to the ground, and Chloe screamed.
Everything was happening so fast. One moment Chloe thought she was about to die, the next Sark and Devin were struggling with each other on the floor, trying to gain control of the gun Sark had laid down. Heart hammering in her chest, Chloe picked up the gun that Devin had dropped and aimed it at the pair. Adrenaline was pumping through her veins so rapidly that she could not keep her hand steady.
Sark had Devin pinned to the ground and was trying to punch him in the face, but Devin quickly shifted his weight and Sark tumbled off him. Sark reached for the knife that was still in his shoe, but Devin wrestled it from him. He was just about to plunge it into Sark's arm when Chloe was finally able to gain control of her hand. She pulled the trigger, closing her eyes tightly as the gun went off. She stood there, her arms stiff, her hands clenching the gun tightly, and her eyes screwed shut for what seemed like forever. Strong hands gently pried the gun from her hands. She opened her eyes slowly.
"Is he...dead?" she asked, her voice weak and pathetic to her own ears. Sark simply nodded his eyes downcast. Chloe's hands flew to her face, covering her mouth as fat tears slid down her cheeks. "I...I kill...I killed him." she stuttered, looking to Sark to verify it. "I killed somebody." Her body suddenly lost all strength and she swayed. Sark caught her just as she was about to hit the floor and they sat there, holding each other. Chloe wept into his shoulder, soaking the designer jacket he wore with her tears. His arm came around to hug her shoulders, and Chloe let out a yelp as a sharp pain ran through her arm. Sark pulled back.
"My god," he said, his eyes trained on her bleeding shoulder, "Devin must have shot you when he fell." He looked up into her eyes, and Chloe could read the pain in them. "I'm so sorry Chloe," he said, "If I hadn't knocked him down you wouldn't have gotten hurt." He buried his face in her shoulder and kissed her neck gently. "We have to get you to the hospital." He stood and picked her up as if she were a child.
"No, Julian, put me down." She said, "We can't go to the hospital." Sark looked at her, shocked.
"Why not?" He asked.
"If we go to the hospital, the Covenant might track us." She said, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. "We can't let them find us. They CANNOT get their hands on that disk." She could feel Sark swallow.
"You're right." He said, "But what about your arm. The bullet will infect it if we don't get it out." Chloe closed her eyes, thinking about what they could possibly do.
"Get some cloth; tie it around my arm so it'll stop the bleeding." She opened her eyes and stared straight into his. He nodded, put her down gently on the couch, and ran into the bedroom. She could hear the sound of ripping fabric. He emerged quickly and tied a strip of the bed sheet around her bleeding arm.
"Okay," she said, wincing as she tried to move her arm, "get the disk and computer. We've got to get out of here before the Covenant sends anybody else."
"Will you be okay walking?" Sark asked concern clear in his voice.
"He shot me in the arm, not the leg." Chloe teased. Sark nodded and picked up the laptop, which still held the disk in it.
Opening the door to his Ferrari, Sark placed the laptop in the backseat and helped Chloe into the passenger's seat. He pulled the buckle across her shoulder and leaned across her to lock it in. His body brushed against hers and a fire spread throughout him. He looked into her eyes. They smiled at him gently, as if forgiving him for all the pain he had caused her. Leaning in, he kissed her lips gently and pulled away before he got too lost in the feel of her soft lips. He quickly hurried to his side and climbed in.
He was going soft, he could feel it. Sark didn't like the idea; he didn't want to be known as Julian Sark, the softie. He wanted his name to strike fear into the hearts of all those who heard it. So why was he so scared for Chloe? Why did he feel like it was his job to protect her from anything that could cause her harm? He put the car in gear and sped off down the road, driving away from the safe house, and Devin's lifeless body.
It was silent in the car, Sark was concentrating on the road, and Chloe was staring out the window absentmindedly. Every now and then, Sark would cast a glance at her. Every time he looked at her, he could feel her wearing away his rough edges, wearing down his evilness. He hated her for it, but at the same time, he knew he couldn't hate her.
"Sark," her voice startled him, and he had to quickly correct the Ferrari before it ran into the ditch.
"What?" he asked, looking at her quickly. The moon reflected in her eyes, and shone on her hair, giving her an angelic appearance.
"Back at the safe house, did you mean it?" Sark looked at her, confused.
"Mean what?"
"When Devin said to put the gun down. Did you mean it?"
"Chloe, I have no idea what you're talking about." He could hear her sigh.
"Did you mean that...you loved me?" He looked at her. Her eyes were wide, the question clear. He couldn't read how she felt about him, but he could clearly see the yearning for the answer to be yes. He reached over and took her hand in his.
"I don't know Chloe," he replied honestly, "all I know is that I couldn't let him hurt you." He looked at her and she lowered her eyes.
"Oh," she said, her voice slightly disappointed, "Julian," she looked back up at him, "I...I think...I think I love you." Sark pulled the car over to the side of the road, afraid that he would drive into a tree or something from the shock of what Chloe had just said. Her tears shone in the moonlight, and he gently wiped them away with his thumb.
"Chloe," he started, his voice choked with emotion.
"I shouldn't have said anything." Chloe interrupted him, turning her face away from him.
"No," he placed a finger beneath her chin and forced her to look at him, "just because I don't know how I feel, that doesn't mean that you can't tell me how you feel." He smiled, something he seemed to be doing a lot of whenever she was around him. "To be honest, I'm glad you said that. I care a lot about you Chloe."
"You do?" she asked, her voice hopeful.
"I do." he replied. Chloe grinned and leaned in to kiss Sark passionately. "Okay, okay," he said, pulling away reluctantly. Things were going to get...out of hand, if he didn't take control of things. "Now, where are we going?" Chloe's flushed face settled into a thoughtful pose. Silence fell over the both of them as they thought about where they could retreat.
"My parents will know what to do." Chloe said at last. Sark looked at her startled.
"Chloe we can't go to your parents." He said, "We sort of have a...history."
"It's okay Julian," she said, touching his arm gently, "They'll understand." Sark could do nothing against her pleading eyes. He nodded slowly.
"Okay," he said, starting the car back up he drove onto the road and down the highway.
Short chapter I know, but I thought it would be a perfect place to stop the chapter. Please review and tell me what you thought. I know Sark has gone soft awfully quickly in this chapter, but I wanted to show that he does have a softer side to him. Well, I'll let y'all go so you can press that pretty purple button that's calling your name.
Coming up in CONNECTED: Sark meets Sydney and Vaughn once again. How will they take the fact that their daughter might be in love with the notorious terrorist? Stay tuned to find out.
Beautiful Tragedy: It was my intent to leave y'all wanting more. It garuntees me readers for future chapters. Lol.
Neptunestar: Originallly Devin was going to be a good guy, but halfway through writing this story I decided to make him a bad guy. I thought it would make the story more interesting.
Wicked-sista, Sarks-Girl-89, Masta D, Eyghon, JunIonyra, Serendipity9, and Sallene: Thank you all for choosing to read this story and review it.