"Who says I’m here to save you, Elaine?"
"What?"
The word leaves my mouth before I can stop it.
It sounds small and Confused, liek I didn’t hear him properly.
I stare at Aaron, waiting for him to fix it, to say sothing else, to take it back.
"Aaron... this isn’t the ti to joke around," I say, my voice unsteady despite how hard I try to keep it level.
"Just...just untie ."
I pull slightly at the ropes again, like showing him will sohow push him into action.
"Co on."
He doesn’t move though, doesn’t even blink and fr a second, I think maybe he didn’t hear .
Then.....
He laughs.
It’s a short, dry sound but it feels wrong...pletely wrong.
Sothing in my chest tightens.
"Aaron...what’s goin on...."
"I’m the reason you’re here." He says no hesitation, no room for misunderstanding.
My brain stalls.
"Uhmm m...what?"
He exhales like I’m exhausting him, like I’m the one making this harder. Then he turns his head slightly, glancing over at the driver.
"That one," he says, almost casually.
"Wasn’t part of the plan."
The driver shifts in his chair, rope tightening against his arms as he instinctively pulls.
"What the hell is he talking about?" he snaps, his voice sharp with anger now.
Aaron ignores him Completely, like he’s not even there.
"He just got unlucky," Aaron adds, almost as an afterthought
"Wrong place. Wrong ti kinda thing ."
My stomach drops heavily.
"What... what do you an?" I ask, my voice quieter now.
Like if I say the wrong thing, he will snap.
Aaron’s eyes flick back to and sothing changes.....Gone is that calm, controlled look I’m used to, there’s sothing else there now sothing darker nd colder.
"Stop acting confused," he snaps.The sudden sharpness in his tone making flinch.
"I’m not...."
"Yes, you are," he cuts off.
"Like you don’t see what’s right in front of you."
My heart starts racing again, faster and louder this tim.
"I don’t....Aaron, I don’t understand what you’re saying....."
"Exactly."
His voice drops into a low dangerous tremble.
Then he moves fast, hs hand reaches behind him, pulling sothing out.
A gun.
My breath catches instantly as everything in goes still.
He steps closer, so cloae and then....he points it at directly. The distance between us suddenly feels suffocating.
My eyes lock onto his and that’s when it hits .....the look in them..... there’s pure hatred in those eyes, not just anger or frustration. Deep reall Hatred, It knocks the air right out of as I’ve never seen him look at like that.
Not everr.
"Aaron..." my voice cos out barely above a whisper.
He doesn’t respond but his finger tightens slightly on the trigger.
Okay maybe I should stop talking I realize as My heart slams hard against my ribs.
For a second..... a terrifying second.... I think he’s actually going to do it.
"Maybe I should just end it right here," he mutters.
His voice is almost calm.....like he’s just thinking out loud.
"Would save everyone, especially a lot of trouble."
My stomach twists violently as my body tenses against the ropes.
I can’t move.
All I can do is stare at him.....then... a hand grabs his arm in a firm grip pulling it slightly away.
"Don’t."
Another man steps into view, ii hadn’t even noticed him before.
My heart stutters again thinking about how many thy re.
"The boss won’t like it if she ends up dead," the man says, his voice steady.
Aaron’s jaw tightens and fr a mont, it looks like he might ignore him and pull the trigger anyway. But then.... He slowly lowers the gun.
Not fully but enough that the pressure in my chest eases just a fraction.
I suck in a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
Okay....:They don’t want dead, atleast not yet. That thought settles in quickly and io latch onto it imdiately.
If they’re keeping alive..::: tht ans I have so ti.
I can work with that.
My mind starts moving again as I glance at the other man, the one who stopped Aaron. He’s watching now.....carefully as I shift slightly in the chair, letting out a small wince.
"Hey," I say, my voice quieter now and less confrontational..... more strained and his eyes narrow slightly kn .
I lift my hands as much as the ropes allow, just enough for him to see.
"They’re too tight."
He doesn’t move.
I swallow and try again letting my voice dip just a little.
"I’m not asking you to untie ," I add quickly.
"Just... loosen it a bit."
I flex my fingers weakly.
"They’ve gone numb."
That part isn’t acting. At all.
"And my hands are starting to swell."
He glances down at them.....the discoloration is obvious now. The Purple is starting to creep in and the skin is stretched tight.
He hesitates.
I see it....that small flicker of uncertainty and I press just a little more.
"If I lose circulation..." I say softly.
"I might not be much use to your boss."
That gets to him I see it in the way his jaw tightens.
He looks back at Aaron briefly and when Aaron doesn’t say anything the man sighs under his breath then steps forward.
"If you try anything," he says, his tone low.
"You won’t get far."
I nod quickly
"I won’t."
And I an it, not now atleast and nt like this....i need a plan first.
He moves behind .
I feel his hands carefully at the rope as he loosens it slightly. Mot much but enough and the mont the pressure eases.....pain explodes through my hands, like thousands of pins stabbing at once.
I gasp softly, my fingers twitching involuntarily as blood rushes back in.
"Shit....."
I clench my jaw, forcing myself not to make too much noise as relief hits right after I felx my fingers slowly....testing
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