Chapter 25

<Ainsley Griffin>

"Ainsley, we're here." Slick whispers as the car pulls up in front of Talon's crack-house headquarters.

I grab my gun and make sure a bullet is already locked into place. The gun clicks and I step out of the car, my face a stony, emotionless mask.

I furrow my brows and watch as my comrades gather around me. A deep breath escapes my lips and then I begin to speak but the determined, authoritative voice coming from my mouth is foreign to my fear-riddled being.

"This is the beginning of the end for Talon. We're going into a serious situation and I'm not going to lie to you; it'll be hard but pay attention and you have a chance to make it out alive. Pick a partner, someone you can count on to get you out of this alive. Stay close to that person and stay close to me. Also, you can only shoot when absolutely necessary; we want to keep the causalities to a minimum." I mutter and wipe off my sweaty hands on my jeans.

My group splits up into pairs and then looks at me expectantly. I grab onto Slick's arm, my fingers shaking slightly. He pats my hand lightly and smiles at me.

"Stop shaking, you won't be able to shoot straight. Should I tell Gavin operation destruction is about to go?" Slick raises his eyebrows and waits for my command.

I nod, the memory of Gavin's gentle kiss still lingering on my forehead. It wasn't a romantic kiss in the slightest but it was comforting and made me realize how much I'd miss him if either of us died tonight. He's like a brother to me...Good lord I hope we both get out of this alive.

I shake all other thoughts from my head and tune back into reality just in time to hear Gavin affirm that he heard the message. His part of the plan isn't supposed to start until an hour after ours, because we need to make sure he has his bargaining chip in place before he goes marching into Talon's house.

"It's time. Stay silent and stay low." I hiss at my team and then beckon for them to follow me to the front doors of Talon's headquarters.

I type in the security code I remember from when I worked there and then I hear the heavy locks click, signaling me that the doors are now accessible. I kick them open and walk down the dim hallway, gun pointed out in front of me. I reach the open space of the first floor before the rest of my group and find only two guards which surprises me considerably.

"Keep your weapons out in front of you." I bark and walk towards the guards. "Hey you."

The pair of them turn to face me, their eyes widening.

"Operative Griffin, what are you doing?" The larger guard, whose name is Ed, glares at me.

"Exactly what I told you I was going to do that day I left. I'm going to destroy Talon Tenebris." My neck stiffens and I'm suddenly aware once-again of the shaking in my hands.

"Sure, funny joke." Ed snorts but there's an element of fear in his eyes.

"Up against the wall, both of you." I snap and point my gun directly at Ed's head.

They comply and spread their legs as if I'm some police woman.

"Slick, take away all their weapons and cuff 'em, with their own cuffs." A smile crosses my lips as I watch them be stripped of their weapons.

The beginning of justice.

Once they're cuffed, Slick pockets their keycards and looks at me for orders about what to do next.

"Jack, take these scumbags outside." The smile leaves my face as the man to my left grabs the two guards and leaves the room. "Slick, get out the explosives, we have to set them up."

Slick does as he's told and begins to wire the explosives all around the room. Within a few minutes, the whole room is a tangle of wires and almost military-grade explosives. Satisfaction blooms in my chest at the fact that in less than an hour, the brain of Talon's operation will be gone.

"It won't go off until you press this button." Slick mutters and hands me a small remote with one button.

"Good, let's go empty out the rest of the building." I state in a clear, calm voice.

Everyone nods in agreement and follows me up to the second floor where all of his weapons are supposed to be. In no surprising turn of events, all the weapon cabinets are cleared out. He knows we're coming for him...He's scared...

I smirk and motion for Slick to wire a couple more explosives. Guns, still pointed forward, all of our group continues up to the third and final floor, the observatory. We're greeted by more guards and a whole room of computers.

"No one is supposed to be up here without authorization." A gruff guard with close-cut gray hair glares at me.

"That's cute." I smile coyly and then my features harden once again. "Up against the wall or I'll shoot all of you."

"Now that's adorable." The guard crosses his arms, completely underestimating my power.

"Fine." I huff and allow my finger to hover over the trigger. "If you won't get up against the wall than I'll make you."

With that, I pull back hard on the trigger and send a bullet flying straight into the guy's foot. He writhes in pain, tears welling up in his eyes.

"I said up against the wall. You have five seconds before you all suffer the same fate." I hold up my hand and start counting back.

The effect is almost immediate. The rest of the people in the vicinity walk slowly towards the wall, their hands up in defeat. My armed comrades strip them of all their weapons and belongings before cuffing the guards and the tech-nerds.

My army begins to take Talon's cronies down, two at a time due to the fact one guard and one tech-nerd are sharing the same set of cuffs. Once the last person leaves, Slick and I hook up the rest of the explosives to the computers. Slick attaches the last wire and then motions for me to follow him quickly out of the room.

"There's a few cinderblock buildings across the street; we have to get to those before you press the detonator." Slick breathes heavily as we run down the stairs towards the ground floor.

After making sure that the whole building is deserted, we join our group outside, completely out of breath from running. Everyone is guarding Talon's employees and there's something enjoyable about them being the ones restrained, the ones being dependent on others for their escape.

"Get everyone across the street and behind those cinderblock buildings." I shout and begin running, the one-button remote grasped tightly in my hand.

I make sure everyone gets behind the building before I begin counting down, each number bringing me closer to taking Talon down, bringing me closer to being free.

"In ten seconds, this place is going to light up like a Christmas tree. Ten, nine, eight," I say more to myself than to anyone else.

"Seven...six...five..." Ed, Talons least-capable guard, mutters from behind the wall.

"Four, three...two," Slick whispers from right next to me.

It's lights out Talon, it's one step closer to you being finished. You're going down in flames and there's nothing you can do.

"One," Slick and I holler.

He presses my hand down on top of the red button and the loudest bang I've heard in my life fills my ears. Cinderblock and metal mingle with the explosives and go flying in different directions all over the deserted area.

Slick pulls me harshly down to the ground and covers me with his muscular body. I hold him close and pray that we survive the explosions. Bangs continue on for the next few minutes and then the flames start. The whole building seems to erupt in orange flames that lick every inch of wood in the place. Explosions from the heater and other appliances ensue, heightening the fire and causing it to spread.

"Ainsley, we have to get out of here, before the fire gets us." Slick shouts but I can barely hear him thanks to the sounds of the explosions from earlier.

Noticing the fact that I can't hear, he drags me up off the floor and gestures for everyone else to follow suit. We race back to our cars and drive towards Talon's house, our ears still ringing and our clothes smelling strongly of smoke and explosives.

"Gavin, it's done. Operation Rescue is a go." I shout into my earpiece.

I strain my ears for Gavin's response but it's hopeless because I can barely hear myself think. I throw my earpiece into the cup-holder of my car and continue driving manically, an insane gleam in my eyes.

~~~~~

<Gavin Forrester> 

"It's a go." I mouth to Blaze from behind the trees to the left of Talon's front gate.

He nods and uses a hand-signal to tell the rest of our group that it's time. We make eye-contact and I mouth words of thanks to him. He inclines in his head in appreciation as our men head out from the cover of the trees and towards Talon's wrought iron barrier.

Both Blaze and I step out at the same time. I grasp his arm and he turns to me, courage clouding the fear in his eyes.

"Together?" I ask, my hand still on his arm.

"I'm not leaving your side, Gavin; friends don't let friends kill murder bosses alone." He smirks and then holds out his hand.

I shake it bracingly and then we both sprint over to the congregation by the gate. I pull out two of Victoria's bobby pins and I create a lock picking device like I did the night I escaped from Attica. I wiggle the makeshift device around a little and then the gate squeaks open, adding noise to the once silent environment.

"Guns out. We're about to enter a war-zone like you've never seen." I hiss and lead the group onto the property.

Blaze and I look at each other, nod our heads, and then break into a run towards the front door. A thundering herd, our group makes it way, closer and closer, to Talon's sanctum and to Talon himself. About halfway to the door, shots break out and put us all back on our guard.

We knew we wouldn't get in there undetected. I somersault to narrowly miss a bullet and then I dive behind a tree, flattening myself against the large trunk of it. Blaze does the same a few feet away and then lets out a deep breath.

"Well, we can't just stand here and let them kill our army." I snap and poke my head out from behind the safety of my tree.

I look through the scope on top of my gun and zero in on a target that's right in front of the door. Once he's locked in my sight, I pull back on the trigger with all my might. I watch the guy drop to the ground and I feel no regret. Talon taught me that one should shoot to kill, that one bullet should be enough. It's only fair that I demonstrate these skills on him and his cronies.

The guards look around, trying to locate the source of the bullet. I retreat back to my tree and hide there until I hear the shooting cease. Oh no, they aren't getting away that easy.

Gun out in front to guard my body, I run the remaining quarter mile towards the front of the house. The guards eyes' grow wide when they see me, almost as if they never expected to see me in the flesh.

"You're Gavin Forrester..." They cower away and drop their weapons at my feet.

Oh it's so good to be feared.

"Really? I had no idea." I roll my eyes, a sarcastic smile on my face.

"You're a legend, sir." A short, awkward guard gazes up at me with something that's unmistakably admiration. "You're Talon's best operative; the only one he fears."

"Did Talon not tell you who you were supposed to be on the lookout for?" I ask, my eyes narrowed.

"Talon doesn't tell us anything except to shoot anyone that comes on the premises, Mr. Forrester, sir." The short one answers, seeming to be the only that knows how to speak in my presence.

"Sounds like him." I mutter and lock another bullet into place.

"Please don't shoot us, sir." The guards all cover their faces' and back away from me.

"Is Talon inside?" I question, swinging the gun menacingly at my side.

They all nod, their hands shaking with fear.

"I will spare your lives, for now." I lower the gun and the guards all drop to their knees in gratitude. "Only because I came here for Talon, not for you low-lives."

"Oh thank you, Mr. Forrester." The short guy squeals and looks like he's on the brink of kissing my feet.

Creeped-out, I back away from them and point my gun at the ground. I almost trip over the dead guy in front of the door but I stop myself just in time. My legs lower into a squatting position and I take the knife, bat and gun from the dead guard.

"Get your asses up against the wall." I shout abruptly and the men comply almost instantaneously.

I pat them down individually and take all their weapons, cuffs and means of communication away. Blaze comes and helps me to handcuff all of their hands behind their backs. I turn over the three guards and force them to sit down on the ground.

"You make one move and my comrade will shoot you. Am I clear?" My teeth grit as my eyes travel from each guard to the next in turn.

They all shake their heads fiercely and screw their eyes shut, afraid of what I might do to them next. I snap and point at one of my armed colleagues. The man walks towards me and I gesture towards the guys. He understands and points his gun at them as he walks over.

"Talon's date with destiny is long overdue." I grip my gun tighter and tilt my head towards the front door.

"Let's give that bastard a taste of his own medicine." Blaze agrees and locks a bullet into place.

"You can kill anyone else you find but Talon is mine." I grin, my nerves finally subsiding slightly.

I hold my head high and my gun straight as I march over to the wooden front door and ram my shoulder hard into it. My shoulder is in excruciating pain but not as much pain as Talon's about to be in. The door breaks free of its hinges and my group piles into the large foyer.

"I was wondering when we'd be expecting you." My head snaps and I find Talon, surrounded by heavily armed guards, sitting on his couch without a care in the world.

"Sorry I'm late, had to make sure your headquarters was fully blown to smithereens." I sneer and grasp my gun tightly, pointing it straight at Talon's head.

"That was a nice touch, I must commend you for that." He sighs serenely.

His lack of emotion and anger intensifies my own. Fury courses through my veins and I have the sudden urge to break anything and everything that I can get my hands on.

"Look at me, you bastard. I said look at me." I scream, sweat beading on my forehead. "I want to see the expression on your face when I kill you."

He turns and his dark, beady eyes make contact with mine.

"Your bravery is refreshing but you can't kill me. You couldn't last time and you won't be able to this time; it's inevitable. Just put down the gun now before you get yourself killed." Talon glares at me, not a trace of fear in his voice.

"I made a mistake last time, I should've killed you when I had the chance, before everything got worse, but you can be damn sure you won't be that lucky this time." I grip my gun tighter, determined to not let him faze me.

"Ah, yes, Gavin. You would love that wouldn't you? You'd love to get your revenge wouldn't you? Well, you seem to be forgetting one important thing...I'm not going to lie down and let you kill me like a dog that's already lost the fight. If you want me dead, than you're going to have to fight for it." He gestures to his guards, who are now advancing towards me. "Boys, don't kill him; I'd like that pleasure but take out as many of his friends as you'd like."

"Well, now you seem to be forgetting on important thing, Talon. I shoot to kill and I never miss a shot." I raise my gun and take out a whole row of his guards.

"You're still my best operative; I would've expected nothing less." Talon smiles, completely unafraid of me or the gun in my hand.

Shoot him, when he least expects it. The voice in my head says but I ignore it and continue to take out his guards. If I take Talon out, it's going to be him on his knees, begging for mercy. One guard comes at me and I recognize him from the footage as the one biting Victoria's neck.

A feeling of pure rage burns in every part of my body, consuming me from the inside out. He assaulted my Victoria, he hurt her and abused her; he's going to pay hell for that. I bring up my bat and slam it hard into his stomach, causing him to collapse and keel over onto the floor.

"That was from Victoria." I state and shoot him in the leg.

"You've gone soft, Gavin; why didn't you put a bullet through him? Oh, that's right, silly me, I forgot, you're too damn weak to." Talon cackles and I send a bullet flying right over his head.

He ducks and narrowly misses getting a bullet to the brain.

"I thought you never missed? Surely you wouldn't've missed an opportunity to kill me again?" Talon looks at me in mock surprise but now there's a twinge of fear in his voice.

"That bullet wasn't supposed to kill you; it was supposed to shut you up." I turn away from him and beat a guard to my right senseless.

~~~~~

"You should've put down the gun when I told you to, Gavin. See what happens when we don't listen." Talon chides and shakes his head disappointedly. "If you'd put the gun down than we both would not have suffered so many losses."

"At least all the men I lost chose to put their lives down in the name of justice; yours died defending to disgusting likes of a devil like you." I huff and try to yank my arms from the grip of the two living guards that are restraining me.

"That's cute; you think your words affect me. Too bad I don't care what you think." Talon grins insanely as he turns to face me. "Quit moving, they'll only grip you tighter."

"It's cute that you think two incompetent guards can hold me back." I smirk, sarcasm dripping from my tone.

"You're still restrained, aren't you?" he answers calmly, enjoying every second of having me trapped.

"Not for long." I hiss and then spit on him.

He doesn't respond, just wipes the spit off and glares at me.

"I'm glad you're getting your frustration out. I'd hate for you to die in anguish." A smile spreads across his lips, a completely mental smile that would give Freddie Krueger a run for his money.

"I'm not going to die tonight, Talon, only you are." I clench my fists, my pent-up fury threatening to spill over.

"Says the guy that's trapped." Talon retorts, an edge of danger in his voice.

"Go to hell." I exclaim, venom laced in my tone.

"You remind me of someone..." Talon says, completely disregarding my previous comment.

"Your mortal enemy, perhaps?" I drawl sarcastically, annoyed at his stupidity.

"No, you remind me of Victoria. Ah, but of course, she was restrained just how you are now. However, she's suffering a fate worse than death at the moment. She's being tortured and wishing for nothing more than to die. At least I'm allowing you a quick death instead of making you beg for one." Talon smirks, knowing full-well that he's hit the only effective nerve I have left.

"Don't you dare talk about her like that, you bastard." I seethe and forcefully attempt to wrench myself from my captors grip.

"Speaking of Victoria, why don't we go check on her? Yes, what a good idea, we can use my video feed." Talon claps his hands excitedly as he leads everyone to the living where at least ten video monitors are set up.

He signs in and a live video of a dirt room with a girl in it comes into view. I turn my head away, not wanting to see what more he's done to Victoria.

"Look at her, so peaceful, so weak." Talon muses and then turns to face me. "Don't you want to see your girlfriend?"

I shake my head and look unblinkingly at the wall. Then I feel a hand squeezing in on my cheeks and forcing me to look at the video monitor. The horror that meets my eyes makes me want to throw up.

Victoria is lying on the ground, bruised and bloodied, her face void of any expression. I have half a mind to believe that she's dead but for the sake of my sanity, I choose to believe that she's sleeping.

Her hair is thrown behind her, revealing her bitten neck. I shudder as my eyes travel up and down her half-naked body. It's caked in mud and brutalized to an almost fatal point. Tears fill my eyes and I have to bite my lip to keep myself from crying in front of Talon. Don't show him how weak this is making you.

"She's beautiful, like a diamond in the ruff." He gazes at the lifeless form that is Victoria with something disgustingly resembling pride.

"You appalling excuse for a human being! How dare you talk about her like this? How dare you stand there and be proud of what you've done? You have put her through hell, you have beaten her, abused her and terrorized her and yet you can still stand here with a smile on your face? You make me and the rest of the world sick, Talon Tenebris and I swear I will put you through so much pain. You are going to suffer for what you've done to her, you are going to suffer for what you've done to me and you are going to suffer for what you put everyone in your company through. I will not let you get away with your life." I shout, spit angrily flying from my mouth as I practically break through my restraints.

"Don't you see? You're the one that's doing this to her because you weren't man enough to come and confront me. You hid like a spineless dog, trying so desperately to avoid your fate but fate has a funny way of catching up with you. It will not be ignored, Gavin." He chuckles lightly and continues to stare at Victoria.

"You're so lucky I'm restrained, so lucky, you insignificant piss-on." I expel a deep breath through my nose and will him to come closer to me so I can squeeze the life out of him.

"An implied threat; how very kind of you, Gavin but in your position, I wouldn't dare threaten the man who can make Victoria's pain even worse than it already is." He stares intently at me and seems to be waiting for me to make a move.

I remain silent, my face contorted with rage. He's found my Achilles heel, my one weakness and he's not going to let it go until I'm dead or he is.

"I knew that would shut you up. One move and I'll put her through hell." Talon threatens, his eyes narrowing as he maintains eye contact with me.

"Like you haven't already." I mumble and snort in disgust.

"Did you say something? It'd be in your best interest to answer with 'no' by the way." He crosses his arms and raises his eyebrows expectantly.

I shake my head slowly and watch him heatedly, hatred consuming my whole being. He laughs and presses a button on the keyboard in front of him.

A deafeningly loud alarm begins to go off and I feel inclined to cover my ears before remembering that my arms are being held captive by a couple of buffoons.

However loud the alarm may feel up here, it seems to be ten times worse for Victoria. Her blood-curdling screams are mixing with the alarm and causing the pain in my heart to grow. Her blood-stained hands flatten her hair against her ears and she sits up, tears streaming down her face.

"Let me out, let me out; don't let me die, please let me out." She shrieks and an all-consuming rage burns white hot in my veins, more prominent than before. "Please."

Her half-naked body is shaking with fear which seems to put her in more pain right now than the alarm is. Every breath she takes in is shuddering and soon she abandons covering her ears altogether in favor of nursing her ribs. I wish I could call out to her, I wish I could hold her and tell her that everything's going to be okay but I can't and that kills me.

"Stop it; can't you see she's in enough pain as it is?" I shout, my voice cracking at the end as I continue to stare at her.

"That's the point; you really are the dimmest bulb in the batch." He laughs like a maniac and then makes the alarm a fraction louder.

Victoria continues to cry and then I feel tears wet my cheek as well. Seeing her in pain again, after watching those fourteen hours of footage, was the last thing I wanted. I just wanted to put an end to Talon and get her out of this awful place. I didn't want to stand by helplessly and watch Talon hurt my princess.

And the worst part is...she doesn't know I'm in this house, that I'm here to save her. My princess is still under the impression that she's completely trapped, completely alone. I'm so close to her but still too far to save her.

"Mr. Tenebris, we found these people standing guard around the perimeter inside the gates. They're with him." A scrawny looking guy points to me and waits for Talon's order of what to do next.

"Well, by all means, bring them in; any friend of Gavin's is an enemy of mine." He coos and gestures for the new captives to be brought to him.

What a sweet sentiment, my fair jackass...

The guards drag in the rest of the army and finally, Slick and Ainsley. Our eyes meet and she just nods solemnly like she knew this part would come. I take in a deep breath, my chest tightening with fear and an ample amount of guilt.

"Ah, Ms. Griffin. I knew you weren't cut out for my line of work. However, I didn't expect you to turn to something as petty as this stunt put on by Gavin Forrester." Talon shakes his head disapprovingly and then turns to Slick. "I haven't had the misfortune of meeting you yet and your name is?"

"One quarter of your worst nightmare." Slick replies smoothly, not an ounce of fear shining through his confident façade.

"You have a lot of nerve talking to the infamous Talon Tenebris like that." Talon snarls, Slick's words surprisingly effecting him.

"Someone only becomes infamous if decide to fear them. If you pretend like they're nothing, like they don't scare you, than they fade away but you just can't have that can you? People paying attention to you is a drug, it's what gives your life meaning. If no one cared about you, if no one feared you, than you'd be nothing but a very, very sick man." Slick spits and casts his venomous glare into Talon's soulless eyes.

Please don't kill Slick, he's new to this. Please don't kill him...

My eyes screw shut and then I hear Slick cry out in pain. My eyes shoot open and I'm greeted by the sight of Slick crumpled in a heap on the floor nursing his side. He writhes in pain and spatters blood all over the floor. I wrench my captors towards him and kneel down next to my dying friend.

"I'm so sorry I let this happen to you." I blink back tears as Slick removes his hands from the wound, crimson blood dripping all over him.

"It's not your fault. Just get her out of here." He whispers, a smile crossing briefly over his lips before it's replaced by a cry of pain.

Blaze is struggling right next to me, trying his hardest to get near Slick. I hear his anguished huffs as he finally makes it next me.

"Hey buddy," Blaze grins, his tears dripping off the end of his chin. "It's all going to be okay. You're going to be fine."

"The two of you are the best things in my life; I'm glad that I get to die with you guys near me." Slick mutters, his breathing becoming shallow.

"You're not going to die; we're going to get you out of this." Blaze sobs, completely breaking down as he realizes that he's a few minutes away from losing one of his best friends.

"No, you're not." Slick shakes his head painfully and lets out another shallow breath. "My time here is done and now God is taking me away to a better place"

For as long as I can remember, Slick has had immense faith in God. He's never doubted him and I think that made Slick a stronger person. It's cruel and ironic, though, to think that God would let someone as faithful as Slick leave this world in such a painful way.

I guess God has his reasons and I just have to have faith that things are meant to work out this way, no matter how much it hurts. There's a lump in my throat and hot tears rolling down my cheeks as I stare at my peaceful friend. He smiles up at me and then at Blaze.

"Don't cry for me; things can only get better. I know, someday, we'll see each other again." His eyes stare directly at me as he draws in a breath. "I love you guys, don't ever forget that."

"We love you too, man, we love you too." Blaze chokes out, his eyes are puffy and red from crying.

"I died doing something selfless, I died doing what was right. I just hope God can forgive me for all the wrong I've done." Slick murmurs, sweat from trying too hard to hold onto life pools on his forehead.

"He will, Slick. He knows you're a good person, we all do." I bite my lip and watch in pain as Slick's movement slows down.

"I'll see you soon." He whispers and begins cough, blood staining the front of his shirt, and then his eyes gloss over.

His body lays motionless on the floor and the atmosphere is silent. I get up off the ground and tap Blaze with my foot so he'll do the same. He stands grudgingly and glares daggers at Talon. His muscles are tense and rage is burning red in his eyes.

"You complete and utter jackass, I will kill you with my bare hands if I have to. You're going to be put through hell for killing him; I will make sure you pay for it. You thought you'd already met your worst nightmare oh but Talon that was just the beginning. There is blood to be repaid." Blaze yells, his chest heaving with enraged breath.

"Shut up, Blaze, please." I mutter.

"I will not, Gavin, he just killed our best friend." Blaze casts his angry glare at me but I'm unfazed.

"And I don't need to lose my other best friend. You saw what happened to Slick, I don't want that to happen to you." I cry out, my voice breaking in the middle.

"Good boy, Gavin, I'm glad you understand how the game is played." Talon slow claps, drawing my attention back over to him. "I actually have another game we can play, now that I think about it and it involves Victoria."

"Bring. It. On." I hiss, my brown eyes narrowing furiously.

"Guards, please release Mr. Forrester. Now Gavin, you only get to play this game if you can behave yourself." Talon's eye widen like he's waiting for me to respond.

"I think I'll manage, Mr. Tenebris." I cross my arms to try and stop them from shaking.

"Okay then, bring up Victoria. I think she'll be very appreciative of the surprise I have in store for her." Talon laughs darkly as two guards stalk off to retrieve Victoria.