Rating: Um…PG13-R
Beta: melanie39.
Disclaimer: I don't own The OC, Ryan or Benjamin McKenzie.
Story: As requested Hero! In peril Ryan! Yeay! All in the title really. Set post finale.
Notes: Short chapter. ..sorry. A huge big wet snog and a thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far.
Heist
Chapter 3
If there was ever a time when Ryan could actually hear silence then it was now. His ears pounded with white noise as he struggled to breathe. It should have been easy. Sandy versus a stranger was not even a contest but when you held someone's life in your hands literally it wasn't such an easy decision, especially when that person was staring at you with such scared incomprehension.
"Ryan?" Ryan heard Seth's voice, sounding incredulous that he was even stopping to think about this.
All Ryan could focus on was the triangle that had formed between the cop on the floor, the guy with the gun and Sandy. How the hell was he supposed to choose one life over another?
He fervently wished he had just stayed outside and put up with the heat because all he seemed to be doing was putting people's lives at risk just by being here.
But still he couldn't move away from the cop.
Ryan could see that Sandy was starting to look seriously worried and the guy was getting more and more pissed that even now he was still stalling. Clearly Seth and Kirsten were starting to panic at his indecision but Ryan found himself panicking more. Maybe he'd been hit on the head harder than he'd first thought because it was like he was locked inside his head - unable to think and unable to come up with a lucid thought to the problem he now faced.
It shouldn't have been hard. This was Sandy, the man who had given him pretty much everything.
The growing tension was broken by the sound of a phone ringing on the cashier's desk. The guy ignored it for a time choosing instead to stare Ryan down but the incessant ringing eventually got to his already frayed nerves.
"Answer the goddamn phone!" he eventually barked when it became obvious that whoever was ringing wasn't going to give up.
Ryan felt the sweat prickle his skin and run down his back. He was grateful for the small reprieve the interruption gave him as the guy turned his attention away from him.
The manager picked up the phone like it was an unexploded bomb. He listened and nodded, making several small 'uhh huh' sounds before holding it out to the centre of the room.
"It's the police," the manager said nervously.
Ryan watched as he slowly lowered the gun away from Sandy, walked over and took the phone. He started to speak instantly.
"I want it known that we didn't shoot first…that was your fucking lot. You caused this…we didn't want any trouble."
Ryan thought he sounded like a petulant kid as he rushed to explain that all this was not remotely his fault. Ryan could only imagine what was being said as the guy went quiet and listened. They were probably asking how many people were down or dead. The guy's face clouded and the knuckles on his hand turned white as he clenched the phone, listening.
"No…you listen to me…. I've got hostages and I'll use them …I want out of here…I want a car and safe passage away or people start to die."
With that he slammed the phone down. Ryan watched as he ran his hands through his hair. His gun slid through his lank mane before it came to rest at the back of his neck as he laced his fingers and started to pace.
Everyone seemed to be holding their breath. The young cashier with glasses started to cry again but this time the tears silently snaked down her face. The elderly woman held on tight to the black woman. Ryan could see that she was going into shock as her whole body was shaking uncontrollably in the frail woman's arms. Everybody was exchanging worried looks with the people next to them. Hearing that the guy wasn't going to let this end simply was not the easiest thing to listen to, especially when he openly threatened violence.
Ryan looked down at the cop. His face was almost translucent white now and his eyes were losing their shine, turning dull. Blood was pooling underneath him and Ryan could feel its warm stickiness seep into the knees of his jeans. Ryan felt bile rise up into his throat and swallowed…no, this wasn't going to happen again. He knew the cop was fast losing the fight to hold on. Ryan looked down at his hands, his fingers beginning to cramp with the effort he was exerting to hold the cop's guts in. He raised his head. He deliberately didn't look over at the Cohens knowing that they would be horrified that he was going to swing the focus his way again. He took a deep breath then opened his mouth.
"If you give them the cop then they'll be more open to negotiating with you." Ryan spoke in a loud, firm voice.
The guy stopped pacing and swung his way. Ryan continued, trying to keep the tone of his voice loud and confident even though he felt anything but.
"The cop is still alive. If you give them him and the women then they'll be more inclined to believe that you didn't mean for any of this to happen."
Ryan could feel three pairs of Cohen eyes boring into him, willing him to shut up. He knew what was going through their minds…that his behavior was all a throwback to the accident, that he was setting himself on a crash course to self-destruction out of grief and self-loathing because of what he hadn't managed to prevent from happening that night.
But it wasn't about that; this had started way before he'd come to Newport and it had nothing to do with Marissa. This was about not letting the bastards get away with it anymore. He'd spent most of his life being trodden on and four years ago he'd made the decision not to blend in with the walls anymore and to fight back. He'd found his voice and his fists and didn't care about the consequence. As long as he fought back, that's what counted.
"If the cop dies then they are going to throw the book at you. Two dead cops? You'll be treated like a pariah. You'll never see the fucking light of day," he continued.
Ryan knew he was playing a dangerous game goading this guy as he was but he was also telling the truth. He'd be beaten black and blue before they even processed him. The guy's eyes hardened as he looked at him but Ryan could also see his brain ticking over.
"He's right!" the businessman spoke up. "They'll go easier on you if you show that you don't want any more people to die."
"I'm a lawyer. Any defense attorney would use that to your advantage." Sandy sighed but spoke up too. "Maybe they will let you negotiate a free path clear if they see that you want to play fair?" he added quickly as he saw the guy's face cloud at the talk of him getting busted.
Ryan knew what Sandy was doing. He was keeping the dream alive in the guy's head that he still had the chance that this was going to end with him driving off into the sunset, even though they all knew that the police wouldn't negotiate.
A man who had nothing to lose didn't care who he hurt. He knew that, Sandy knew that.
The phone started to ring again. The man continued to pace for a while whilst it rang. Everyone stared at him. He walked over to where Ryan knelt.
"He still alive?"
"Just…you haven't got time to fuck around. Tell them that you'll let him go…and the women. You'll still have us but let the women go." Ryan looked over to where Kirsten sat looking terrified. At least one of them might be able to get out.
"Don't fucking push it!" the man spat and stalked to the phone. He snatched up the receiver.
"One of the cops needs medical assistance. I'm letting him go." He glared at Ryan. "And the women. I'm showing you that I want this to end well but any funny business and I will shoot one of the remaining hostages. If I do it'll be on your heads. I've warned you."
He slammed the phone down again and continued to glare at Ryan, leaving him and everyone else in the room in no doubt that he had already chosen who would be sacrificed should the police decide to storm the place.
"All the broads get over towards the door." The women looked at each other nervously, stalling, as if they thought it was some sort of joke. "Move!"
The female cashiers stood up and shakily made their way across the floor. The elderly woman managed to support the black woman with the help of the socialite. Ryan wondered how many barriers today had managed to break down.
"I'm not leaving you." Ryan heard Kirsten's voice. His head pounded and he shut his eyes. And they thought he was stubborn? He started to silently pray for Kirsten to just go.
"Mom, get out!" Seth pleaded.
Ryan opened his eyes and saw Kirsten was still sitting; one hand clasped in Seth's, the other in Sandy's.
"Kirsten…please." Ryan watched Sandy squeeze her hand and look over to where Ryan was kneeling. "Please."
There was a pause before she got up and made her way over to the door. She looked behind her as she walked and locked eyes with him. The implication Sandy had given was clear in her face…don't rock the boat whilst the guy was pissed off with him. She looked frightened for him.
The guy nodded to the businessman and the manager.
"Unlock the door and open it slowly. The women go first, then drag the cop over to the door and push him out."
The men cautiously walked over, both staring at the gun in the guy's hand; Ryan sat back on his heels, relinquishing his hold on the cop. The businessman gave Ryan a look of respect and patted his arm as he bent down. They gently held the cop under his armpits and started to drag him awkwardly across the floor, his blood making a wide smear across the floor. He didn't even make a sound, which Ryan thought was not a good sign. The guy turned the gun on him yet again as they neared the door and ordered the security guard to move away as he was the closest, the guard looked longingly at the door before moving to the center of the room and sat down next to Sandy and Seth.
"If anyone who's not supposed to leave tries anything then Ryan here dies…got it?" The manager and the businessman both nodded.
"Open the door."
The manager punched a number into the keypad and unlocked the door. He stood back and slowly opened it. Ryan could hear the cops outside spring into action. He could hear the crackle of radios and someone bellowing 'hold your fire'. Ryan wondered just how many guns were trained on the building right now.
The women all started to file out. Ryan shut his eyes again not wanting to see Kirsten leave, not wanting to see if the men carrying the cop decided to run. He could hear running footsteps and shouts of the cops outside, then the sound of the door shutting again.
"Lock it."
Ryan opened his eyes and let out the breath he'd been holding.
The guy took the gun away from his head.
"You got lucky…for now." He gave him a swift kick to the ankle as he walked away.
Ryan winced but refused to further acknowledge the action. He bit his lip and looked around the room.
And then there were eight.
The businessman.
The manager.
A male cashier.
The security guard.
Seth.
Sandy.
Him.
And the man with a gun.
They all sat in silence. The guy went and sat on the counter so he had a bird's eye view of them all. Ryan wondered what happened now.
A few minutes later the lights flickered before pitching them into semi-darkness and the air con went silent.
The cops had switched the power off.
TBC.