CHAPTER 39 - BEATRICE
My knees are freezing on the cold pavement. The barrels of the guns lain on my head on either side, constricting me from moving, are even colder.
I don't know how long I am kneeling there on the pavement for, but it feels like an eternity. Nothing and nobody moves. In the distance, I hear cars driving past, the elevated trains rumbling throughout the city, and the chatter of millions of people enjoying the weather. And no one looks in our direction down the long, dank, dark alleyway. My body shivers with cold. I can already feel the stillness wanting to take over me. A week of starving, torture, and now this - I won't last very long. My fingers start to go numb and my teeth are chattering so dangerously hard, it's a wonder I still have teeth in my mouth.
"W-why do we have to sit here so long?" I manage to gasp out. "Are we -."
I am cut short by the sound of running footsteps. They are getting nearer. I open my mouth to scream, but one of the guards taps the barrel of his gun to my forehead. I shut my mouth and lower my head to train my eyes on the pavement.
"Beatrice!" a voice shouts from the opening to the alley. I spin around and tears come to my eyes. Three men come out of the shadows, armed with weapons and flashlights.
"Tobias!" I scream. He's here! He came! Get me out of here, now!
"Beatrice!" One of the three figures breaks free and sprints in our direction. The guards step in front of me to block Tobias off, but that doesn't stop him. He raises his weapon and takes aim. I close my eyes and hear a loud bang. And another bang. Two thuds hit the ground. I don't want to open my eyes.
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"Beatrice!" Tobias' voice snaps me out of my trance, but I am still shaking violently. A pair of warm hands grab me and pull me into a wall of muscle and I hear a heartbeat through their jacket. The arms caress me tightly and I wrap myself into his embrace. Our breaths come out shaking and labored. My tears make his skin slippery.
"Tobias…" I whisper. My tears fall onto his skin and his arms hold me even tighter than before. I feel something warm land on my forehead and realize with a shock that Tobias is crying, too. He pulls away and grasps my face with his warm palms. Our foreheads touch.
"You were gone. Gone, Beatrice. I couldn't find you. I'm so sorry," he whispers against my eyebrows. My fingers suddenly feel warmer. I look up and into his tear streaked face.
"What do I have to forgive you for? You searched in vain for me," I cry into his chest. My forehead is against his neck and his arms are wound tightly around my waist.
"I love you. I always have."
Without moving any part of my body, I smile.
"I love you, too. Tobias, I love you."