Chapter 27

<Gavin Forrester>

I slowly open my eyes but I don't register where I am immediately. My fingers brush lightly over my temple where I can feel my head pounding; I shudder at the sharp pain and then collapse against some sort of metal wall.

Why am I against a metal wall? There aren't any metal walls in Talon's house...

I blink rapidly and then my blurry vision finally comes into focus. My heartbeat speeds up as I realize that I'm on a rundown plane and there's no Victoria in sight. The plane seems to be travelling at top speed towards some unknown destination but I have a feeling that even if I knew where we were going, I wouldn't want to go. I stand up, my feet wobbling as I force myself to move forward towards the cockpit where I'm hoping there's a pilot.

"He's not going to help you." I flip my head quickly and find Blaze sitting on the floor. "He'll just grunt and threaten to shoot you if you don't go back to the passenger area."

"What the hell are you doing here?" I glare and slowly make my way to where's he's sitting. "I thought Talon sent you away."

"Man, you really have no faith in us do you? We would never leave you alone at that psychopath's house without any reinforcements." Blaze shakes his head and chuckles before turning to look at me.

His left eye is black and there's blood spattered all over the front of his t-shirt. There's dried blood caked in patches on his face and bruises cover his arms.

"You should've left. I didn't want anyone else to get hurt." I mutter and then bite my lip.

This is my battle to fight, not theirs.

"You don't get to make that choice for me or for anyone else. I promised you that I wouldn't leave your side until this was all over and I'm not going to. I don't care about what you wanted us to do; you needed our help, whether you believed it or not." Blaze crosses his arms and then winces, the action obviously paining him.

"Blaze, I just wanted you guys to save yourselves; you know I can handle myself." I drop down next to him and take in a deep breath, willing my headache to go away.

"Gavin, when you went into that house, you weren't thinking of getting yourself out alive; you were thinking about getting everyone else out alive. You taught us to think of others before ourselves. We weren't going to repay you by leaving you to fend for yourself." Blaze looks at me incredulously and then looks dead-ahead at the metal wall. "Either way, it's not like I had anywhere to go anyway."

"I'm sorry about Jeffrey." I whisper, treading lightly on the subject.

"I'm sorry we trusted him." Blaze snaps and then drops his arms by his sides.

"Where is everyone else?" I ask quietly, staring down at my lap.

"When Talon found us hiding out on his property he sent out some guards to take care of us. I forced Ainsley and Carter to go away because Ainsley had a broken arm and I didn't even want to think about what Talon would do to her if she was still on the property."

"Probably swing her arm around like a tether-ball or something." I grumble, ample disgust in my voice.

"Thanks for that graphic image." Blaze's face contorts before he continues with his story. "The rest of us stayed behind to fend off the guards but you can see how well that went." Blaze gestures to his bruises and all the caked blood on him.

"Where is everyone else now?" I expel a deep breath through my nose, the nerves in my stomach intensifying.

"Talon separated us all out so there'd be no hope of us getting back together to take him down. I don't know where he sent everyone else; I just know that he separated us into groups and put us each on a plane to God only knows where." Blaze turns towards me shrugs.

"So, we're just supposed to sit here until this damn plane lands? What if he's already killed Victoria? What if this plane is going to blow up and that's how he planes on getting rid of us? What if," I stand up and begin to pace, my breath speeding up rapidly.

"Calm yourself, Gavin. There's no point in freaking out; what's going to happen will happen and we'll just have to deal with it then." Blaze closes his eyes, his breathing slow and peaceful.

"How can you sleep at a time like this?" I snap and clench my fists.

"Check your pocket, Captain Dramatic. Talon isn't going to kill you; he's just going to make your life a living hell." Blaze says nonchalantly, his eyes still closed and his breathing still slow.

I roll my eyes and shove my hands angrily into the pockets of my jeans. My fingertips brush against a piece of paper that I pull out immediately. The paper is neatly folded and has my name written in it in Talon's sloping script. The writing is normal, as if this is just all part of some elaborate plan.

My fingers shake as I open the letter to its full size. I'm greeted by more of Talon's relaxed script and then I begin to read.

Gavin Forrester-

My best operative and more recently, my greatest disappointment. I thought you really had it in you but I guess even the strongest men can become weak for a woman. You fought valiantly; I admire you for trying to save her but you were fighting a losing battle, as you always have. After seven years you should really know that you can't beat me, even if you think you hold all the cards. I know you think that your love for her can conquer all or whatever crap the world is feeding your head today but sometimes, that just isn't enough.

As of now, Victoria is still alive and she shall remain alive as long as you do something for me. You must turn yourself into the FBI in Washington D.C. within three days of your landing. If I don't receive word that you've done so by the end of those three days, I will kill her slowly and painfully. You wouldn't want to take that chance, Gavin. But then again, even if you do turn yourself in, I guess there's really no telling you'll ever actually see her. Happy travels!

Talon Tenebris

"He can't do this." I roar as I reread the letter.

"Apparently he can." Blaze mumbles softly.

"If I turn myself in than I'll be turning him in too." I point out but I even I know that's not enough to keep Talon from forcing me to do this.

"Oh yeah because that totally stopped him before. Isn't evading the police one of his many talents?" Blaze snorts, his eyes gleaming as he opens them.

"I bet he's already killed Victoria and he's just giving me false hope so I'll turn myself in." I mutter, crumpling the letter in my fist.

"I guess that's a chance you'll have to take if you really love her." Blaze crosses his arms and gives me a serious look.

"Talon doesn't keep his word, Blaze, he's lying to me." I bite my lip, tears burning in my eyes.

"Gavin, you'd do anything for Victoria. Why is this time any different?" Blaze stands up and grabs my shoulder.

"This is about more than Victoria. If I turn myself in than who will be out there to kill Talon? I'm the only one that he's marked as his equal. I'm the only one who knows how to get rid of him." I say, my voice breaking as I think of all the hell I've put Victoria and everyone else through.

"Gavin, here's how I see it. If you turn yourself in than if Victoria is still alive, he'll leave her that way. But if you don't turn yourself in than he'll kill her for sure." Blaze loosens his grip on my shoulder and then sits down, gesturing for me to do the same.

"Whether I turn myself in or not, he's going to kill her. If I turn myself in than he'll kill her because I'm not out there to protect her anymore. If I don't turn myself in than he'll kill her to send a message to me and all other people who think they can outsmart him. Either way he'll kill her; the only thing that will be different is the reasons." I snap, a feeling of hopelessness descending upon me.

"Did you ever think that maybe you're reading too much into this? You're giving Talon way too much credit. He's not this smart." Blaze raises his eyebrows and gives me a half-smile.

"That's the problem; people don't give him enough credit and then they get blindsided. He counts on people underestimating him because it makes it easier to catch them off guard and kill them since they're expecting so little." I roll my eyes and take a seat next to him.

"I guess we know why Talon made you his equal; it's because you know his game and how to play it." Blaze pats my shoulder and then we sit in silence until the plane makes a jerky landing on the ground.

The pilot comes out of the cockpit and points a gun at us.

"Get up, we've landed." He grunts and then locks a bullet into place.

Blaze and I get up hastily and follow him down a rickety ladder, our feet touching down upon the smooth concrete of a private hangar. I look around and recognize it as the one I left just a few months ago while I was escaping with my friends. I feel a pang of regret in my chest as I think of Slick, who died for me, as well as all the people I've left trapped in Barbados.

"Sir, why are we in New York if Talon wants me to turn myself in to the FBI in D.C.?" I ask confidently, my voice not wavering a bit.

"Mr. Tenebris," The pilot sneers, "informed me mid-flight that I needed take a detour to New York because his contact in D.C. was recently arrested. You will require these I presume, Mr. Forrester."

The pilot tosses me some clothes, a pair of sunglasses and my apartment keys.

"Now, I'm told I should leave you to make your own decision about what will happen to Ms. Grayson." The pilot salutes me and then walks back to the plane, slipping inside and out of view.

"What the hell was Talon thinking? There is no way I'm going to be able to get to D.C. in my own car without being caught!" I run my fingers through my hair in frustration as I begin to change out of my dirty clothes.

I toss them on the ground and angrily pull on a t-shirt and a fresh pair of jeans.

"We don't have to take your car..." Blaze interjects.

"If I do decide to turn myself in than I'm going to drive my quality Italian sports car one last time." I state as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"Let's just sneak back to your apartment so you can make a final decision. The longer we stay here, the more likely it is for the cops to come. Not many people can fly planes out of New York City with drawing some attention." Blaze hisses as if he thinks he's being watched.

~~~~~
It takes us an hour of walking, one bus ride and a short taxi ride to finally reach my old apartment building. Blaze and I go into the parking garage so we can avoid the manager at the front desk and then ride the elevator up to the third floor. The doors slide open and I'm greeted by the familiar sight of my black Ferrari. I practically run towards it and when I reach it, all I can do is brush my fingers over the shiny paint on its body. A smile tugs at the corner of my mouth as I examine the car, which is in perfect condition as Victoria had promised.

"Hate to break up the reunion but it's not really safe out here either. Someone else could come up and then," I hold up my hand to stop Blaze's rambling.

"I understand, let's just go." I sigh as I walk away from my car and towards the third floor entrance.

The door is locked as it had always been, with a keypad waiting for me to enter my pin so I can get into the building. I enter my old pin number and hold my breath, hoping against all hope that I'll be let in. The lock clicks and the door opens. I walk quickly through, Blaze following close on my heels.

Apartment 3F. I think to myself as I walk down the hallway. The door of 3F comes into view and my hand immediately travels to my pocket where I stashed my keys earlier. They jingle as I pull them out and slip the apartment key into the lock. I turn the handle and walk into a completely empty space. The walls are beige, dirty and chipped. The place is void of all furniture from when Victoria cleaned out the place for me and there's a cold draft coming from a window that was left open in my bedroom.

I walk around the apartment for a few minutes and take in the place that used to be home. My bedroom, much like the rest of the house is empty, except for a pink throw pillow and a fashion magazine that Victoria left behind in the haste to leave. A smile tugs at the corners of my lips as I pick up her things from the bottom of my closet. I inhale the scent of the pillow, my eyes closing blissfully. It still smells like her.

"Damn, Victoria, I really wish I knew what the right thing to do was. I'd do anything for you but I don't know if turning myself in is worth it. I can't shake this feeling that Talon is playing me, that you're already dead. Once I turn myself in, there will be nobody left to stand in his way, no one left to protect you. My freedom is the only thing keeping you alive but according to Talon, it's the thing that's going to kill you. I'm so lost, so lost and so confused. I just hope that you know I love you and that no matter what decision I make, I'm doing it for you." I whisper to myself, wishing so badly that I could tell her all these things.

"Gavin, if you knows nothing else, she knows that you love her." Blaze says from the doorway, starling me.

"There's no right decision because I know she's going to end up dead either way." I look at him mournfully, the pillow grasped tightly to my chest.

"Have some hope. If she were dead Talon wouldn't have gone through all this trouble to give you a choice. He wouldn't have lied to you and said she was alive if she wasn't. Hell, he even made the pilot take a detour just so you'd have a choice. He would've made the pilot walk you straight into the FBI. He wouldn't go through all of this for nothing." Blaze mutters, crossing his arms over the large bloodstain on his shirt.

"You obviously don't know how he plays this game." I snap, anger burning in my veins.

"You're right; that's all this is. It's a mind game. He doesn't want to kill her; he just wants to torture you and the more you overanalyze his letter, the more power you give him." Blaze walks towards me and picks up the magazine.

"He already has power over me and no matter what I decide, I'm screwed. He's already won the game." I sigh in a defeated way and sink to the hardwood floor of my bedroom.

"You can't think like that. If you really love Victoria, than you'll take the chance that she's still alive and you'll turn yourself in. Otherwise you'll be living constantly in fear of what he's done to her. Just this once you have to stop playing his game and give in. This time there's more on the line than money, there's a human life and not just any human life, it's the life of the girl you love. You can't gamble with her life. The way I see it, Talon made up your mind for you; he knows how to play your weaknesses." Blaze shrugs as if to say 'what choice do you have'.

I have no choice and that's the problem; I always have a choice, I always have a way out except this time...

"You're right; I can't gamble with her life. I've done that enough already." I mutter and brush some hair out of my eyes. "But I can't just give into him; that's what he wants. I could be turning myself in for nothing because for all I know she's already dead."

"This whole thing about 'giving into Talon' is so pathetic, Gavin, you have to get over it and do this because it'll save Victoria, not because it's what Talon wants you to do. Put aside your damn manly pride and make a decision. Wasn't it you that told me you'd do anything for Victoria? Isn't she worth going to prison for? You love her and you're just going to have to put your faith in God because at this point, he's the only one who knows what's going to happen." Blaze looks at me with frustration.

"Things aren't black and white, Blaze. I only get one shot at this and if I mess up than everything will be shot straight to hell. I have to play my cards right so I can save her and get rid of Talon." I pull my hand down my face as I try to think of a way out of this situation.

"Will you stop treating this like some poker game in Vegas? You cannot have everything so you will have to choose what's most important to you and my gosh if that isn't Victoria than I'm going to shoot you myself." Blaze says with a harsh glare.

"Of course it's Victoria but it's complicated. I can't just turn myself in; I have to have a carefully crafted plan that will take Talon straight down with me. I can't just march in there and start spewing out my deepest darkest secrets. I have to share my secrets sparingly so I can have the upper hand; it's the only thing that will get me out of this."

"This is not about Talon; this is about making sure Victoria doesn't get killed and if you spend much more time deliberating than it'll be pointless. Get your act together right now; what are you going to do?" Blaze shouts, standing up forcefully as he does so.

"Get your coat, Blaze, we're going on a field trip." I practically spit as I stomp out the door, Victoria's pillow still in my hand.

I hate making rushed decision but I hope and pray that this one will be worth it...