Chapter 30

<Gavin Forrester>

The plane touches down in Barbados a few hours later; the pilot lands in an inconspicuous wooded area about fifteen minutes from Talon's house. I'm first off the plane and I count my whole squad to make sure no one went AWOL. Once I'm satisfied, I lock my gun and turn towards the sea of faces staring back at me.

"There is hell to pay. This is not going to be easy because Talon goes down without a fight. He is not going to sit there like a dog and wait for us to kill him; if we want him gone, then we are going to have to put up the largest fight of our lives. We are all about to make a sacrifice and I hope you all know what you're getting yourselves into. I want you all to know what you're laying your lives down for; you have a right to. Talon has been harassing and terrorizing for far too long. He has killed countless people, he has kidnapped and extorted like it's the air he breathes. That man could be the one thing to destroy the fabric of this society and that is why he has to go. We are laying down our lives for the benefit of all people." I finish my monologue and clutch the gun tighter.

"You say that as if you're actually going to die." I whip my head around and find Ainsley walking towards me from behind a tree.

"What have you been doing all this time? I thought Talon sent you away." I say, my body rooted to the spot.

"Carter hijacked the plane and turned us right back around. He was not going to leave this place until Talon was gone. He wanted to wait for you, though, because he knew you had more right than anyone to face Talon one last time." Ainsley smiles fondly, a gun clutched in her hand.

"You guys are crazy." I shake my head, my eyes studying her.

"We started this together and that's how it's going to end." She retorts and walks towards me.

"There is no way to change your mind is there?" I smirk and tilt my head towards her.

"No chance in hell, Forrester." She returns my smirk and stands right next to me.

"Move out troops." I motion in the direction of Talon's home, my unit moving out almost immediately.

Ainsley rushes to catch up with me as I break into my assassin run. We arrive in front of the wrought iron gates within a few minutes and I stop my unit to make sure everyone made it. After one more through search, I pick the lock on the gate and send my troops inside.

"Don't get yourself killed," Is all I say to Ainsley before I begin running towards Talon's house.

I catch up with Chief Grayson, who's running with ease as if he does this every day, which, to be fair, isn't very far off from the truth.

"We'll get her back, sir; I promised to protect her and I never go back on my promise." I shout as we draw nearer to the front doors of Talon's house.

Chief Grayson nods slightly and then picks up speed. We arrive right in front the doors, a complete and totally silence enveloping my unit.

"The point is not to kill. The point is to save Victoria, but I will not stop you from killing those who cross you." I mutter to my group before ramming my shoulder into the front door.

The door breaks free of its hinges and I'm thrust into the foyer, my gun held out in front of my face. The house seems to be sleeping, no guards are out and there is no Talon around tot aunt me. I gesture for my people to search the house for Victoria and any company we may run into.

"Go to the basement," I mouth to Chief Grayson who escapes right before Talon makes an appearance.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to come back for Victoria. I must say, it was quite longer than I expected." Talon chides, his tongue clicking on the roof of his mouth as he gives me a disapproving look.

"I got a little hung up." I mutter and aim my gun at him. "Why don't you come down and fight me like a man?"

"There's no need. You're going to die like you should've the last time." Talon dismisses me, his eyes narrowed.

"And the time before that and the time before that. I seem to be very good at escaping death by your hands, Mr. Tenebris." I lock a bullet into place, my aim never leaving his overgrown head.

"That was luck, pure and simple." Talon rolls his eyes and crosses his arms across his chest.

"The first time was luck; every time after that was skill." I sneer, mocking his earlier tone.

"You made a grave mistake coming back here." Talon shakes his head, not at all enthralled with my comebacks.

"You think you can scare me; you think I'm afraid of death? Talon, the weak fear death. The weak hide from it, but the truth is, we're all going to die. There is no use in pretending otherwise. I am not going to run from what's meant to be and when my time comes, I will accept it."

"You're bluffing." Talon narrows his eyes as if he doesn't believe me.

"No, I'm scaring you, Talon. There's nothing you can take away from me, there is nothing left for you to control me with. I'm free and that's eating you alive." I hiss and then Talon does the unexpected; he begins to walk down the stairs towards me.

He reaches the bottom and stands square in front of me.

"You want a fight? Then a fight you shall get, Mr. Forrester. I am in the business of granting people their wishes." Talon grins manically and pulls a gun out of his pocket.

I lock a bullet into place and aim the gun right at his cold, dead heart.

"Let's us begin." He chuckles and brings his gun up in front of him.

~~~~~

"I have the upper hand," I whisper in Talon's ear, my arm coiled tightly around his neck. "You aren't getting away this time. You are alone and you are going to die like the spineless dog you are."

His breathing is shaky and there is sweat beading on his forehead as he tries to avert his eyes from my uncaring glare. Talon's face is reddening and he looks like he's very close to passing out. I loosen my grip a little, but not enough to let him go free. I continue to taunt him, each word stabbing him like a knife; the way he's done to countless people over the years. I hear a door open in the distance, which means that my unit has made it to the basement where my Victoria is being held captive. This gives me the strength I need to finish off Talon, to finally rid the world of him. I kick the back of his knees and he drops to the ground, gasping for breath.

"You're going to die like a coward, down on your knees, begging for mercy you won't receive." I state as I aim the gun at his back, a perfect shot right to the cavity that's supposed to hold his heart.

"I'm not going to beg, Gavin." Talon exhales a deep breath as if he's accepting his fate.

"You're a coward, Talon and you're going to die like one." And with that, I pull back on the trigger and send a bullet flying right towards him.

Blood splatters across his white dress shirt, like the blood that has been stained on my hands since my first mission with him. He falls forward, his breathing slowing as the life finally leaves him.

"A hero dies standing up, facing the one who wishes to kill him. A hero dies with a fight; a coward dies exactly like you." I whisper as I drop my gun next to him.

I collapse on the ground and bury my face in my knees. The moment I have been waiting for years is over and I feel empty. I don't feel relieved or happy; I feel empty, like I'm suddenly without purpose. The one thing that drove me has been completed and now I'm left to pick up the pieces of a life so broken I can't comprehend how to continue on. Tears wet my cheeks as I hear some more people join me in the room.

"So, it's really over?" Blaze asks as he sits down next to me, a hand rubbing my back comfortingly.

"He's gone." I whisper, my voice barely audible.

"You did it, Gavin." Blaze comments, his voice filling the silence in the atmosphere.

"Then why do I feel so empty?" I look at him seriously, brushing a few tears from my eyes.

Blaze is about to respond when I hear a piercing cry come out from behind me. I whip my head around and see Victoria, supported by her dad and a few guards, sobbing in the doorway. I stand up and rush towards her. She holds out her arms for me and I pull her as close as possible, my embrace supporting her frail figure.

"It's all over." She whispers in my ear.

"It's all over." I confirm and place my lips gently on her cheek.

"Thank you for coming back," Victoria murmurs softly in my ear, her tears dotting my neck as well as her cheeks.

"I told you I'd never leave." I tuck a piece of hair behind her ear and then she passes out in my arms. "Victoria?"

"What the hell happened to her?" Chief Grayson shouts as he rushes over to his daughter.

"Talon's deprived her of everything for the past month. Call the emergency number." I reply and sink down to the floor, setting Victoria gently on the marble floor.

Her dad is on the phone and talking to a dispatcher within a few seconds. I brush some hair out of her eyes and allow my fingers to linger on her cheeks.

"It's all going to be okay." I whisper to her lifeless figure as Chief Grayson hangs up the phone.

"They'll be here in a few minutes." He snaps, his anxiety and fear shining through his usually firm façade.

"All we can do is wait." I mutter and continue to run my fingers through Victoria's hair.

Flashing lights and wailing sirens alert our group that the paramedics have arrived. They wheel in a gurney and immediately put Victoria on it before rushing out the doors once again. Madame Armstrong comes through the door next, flanked by a team of policemen. She begins to direct them and explain the situation, thus giving me and Chief Grayson a way to escape. We slip out the door and are about to curse our lack of transportation when Ainsley rolls up in her SUV. She unlocks the doors and lets us inside, speeding towards the hospital after the ambulance.

~~~~~

I've been pacing the linoleum floor of the hospital for the past two hours, my thoughts giving me a headache and my anxiety causing me to shake. Victoria has been in surgery for the last two hours as they try to mend all her broken bones and bruised internal organs. I've bothered the nurse at the front desk every few minutes and she always says the same thing, that she has no updated information. Not knowing freaks me out, but I once I know, there will be no going back.

"Gavin, please take a seat." Chief Grayson calls tiredly from a chair in the corner.

He's been here as long as I have, but he's much better at hiding his anxiety. I oblige, much unwillingly, and take a seat in the chair next to him. I will the shaking in my body to stop, but it has plans of its own.

"Please calm down, son." Chief Grayson pats my leg and then we both go silent.

"I'm sorry I didn't take better care of her, sir. I really do love her." I say with complete sincerity.

"I know and there was really nothing you could do; Talon would've gotten his way eventually." Chief Grayson sighs, but I know he hasn't forgiven me yet for what happened to his daughter, not that I expected him to.

"I'll never forgive myself for what happened to her, sir." I reiterate.

"May I ask you to do something? Not for me, but for her." Chief Grayson looks at me seriously, his gray eyes boring into mine.

"I would do anything for your daughter." I respond immediately. "Anything."

"Let her go." He states slowly, each word piercing my heart with a slow, painful burn.

Those three words had been plaguing the depths of my mind since I got on the plane back in D.C. I had thought about them, I thought about what would happen, but I never thought they'd be demanded of me. Chief Grayson must've registered the confusion on my face because he proceeds to explain further.

"When she gets out of this hospital, she's going to need to move on with her life. You will serve as a constant reminder of what she suffered; she's already going to be reminded of this every day for the rest of her life, but you'll only make it worse. I know it sounds blunt, but you need to understand." Chief Grayson pleads as if he thinks I don't already get what he's implying.

I fought so damn hard to get her back and now I'm going have to leave her, for good...

"I don't want to make her suffer. Hell, that's the last thing I want to do and I will do everything in my power to make sure the rest of her life is as good as she deserves." I retort, my voice breaking at the prospect of leaving her again.

"You're a good man, Gavin." Chief Grayson sets his hand on my shoulder. "Victoria is lucky to have someone who loves her enough to choose her happiness over their own."

I just nod, no words coming to mind; the only thing running through my mind being: I have to leave her...

~~~~~

"Sir, Ms. Victoria has just woken up." The nurse from earlier taps my shoulder very early the next morning.

"Go see her." Chief Grayson gives me a small smile. "I'll come see her after."

I nod and follow the nurse down the hallway towards whatever room holds my Victoria. It's not that hard to figure out though because it's the only one guarded by federal agents and Madame Armstrong. The nurse stops in front of the guards and leaves them to deal with me. Madame Armstrong gives me a small smile and opens up the door.

"She's still very fragile, be careful." She opens up the door quietly and lets me slip inside.

I walk, my footsteps echoing on the linoleum floor of her room as I make my way towards her peaceful figure that is wrapped in blankets on a hospital bed. I sit down in the chair next to her and reach out for her hand. She grabs mine and holds it close to your heart.

"Talon gave me quite a beating down in that basement." She sighs and leans back on her pillows. "They said I was lucky to be alive."

"I would never let you die, not for me." I whisper and scoot closer to her bedside.

"I knew you wouldn't, I always knew you'd come back, but it was God who made sure I survived all those nights in that basement. He didn't let me go insane, he taught me how much I could survive and he brought me back to you, Gavin." Victoria turns towards me with a smile; a soft, dreamy smile, induced by the morphine in her system no doubt.

"When two people are meant to be, God will make sure they come back together." I agree and kiss her hand gently. "I thank him every day that you're still alive and that I was lucky enough to meet someone like you."

"I love you, Gavin, I always will." Victoria murmurs, her eyes locked with mine.

"I love you too." I whisper, my voice broken and barely audible.

Chief Grayson's words echo in my head. Let her go.

I grip her hand a little bit tighter and try to push those words form my head. Not yet.

"You look troubled, Gavin, what's on your mind?" Victoria asks, confusion contorting her facial features.

"You've been through so much and you deserve to be happy, to be free." I respond slowly, exhaling with each word.

"I have you, that's all I need." Victoria brushes some hair from my eyes. "But I have a feeling that's not what you mean."

"I don't want to hurt you anymore than I already have," I begin, each word feeling like a punch in the gut.

"Then don't, Gavin, please don't do this." Victoria pleads, but I know what I have to do.

"I'm saving you, I swear this is for the best." Tears fill my eyes as I hold her hand.

"Don't play superhero, don't save me; just stay." She whispers in a breathy tone, tears spilling over her cheeks. "Just stay."

"I can't; the only way you'll ever move on is if I'm not around. You don't deserve to be traumatized by the hell I put you through for the rest of your life. All I've ever wanted is for you to be happy, for you to live the life you deserve..."

"I don't want to live my life if I'm not next to you." Victoria drops my hand and pushes herself up into the sitting position once again.

"Please don't do this, please, Victoria. I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't love you with all my heart. I want you to move on, I want you to be happy and the reality is, you won't be until you've forgotten this part of your life." I bite my lip and force my tears to stay inside.

"I am never going to forget this, Gavin, but I would be able to cope if I had you with me." She hisses, her cheeks burning with tears.

"I don't want you to just cope, I want you to live. I don't want to be a reminder of all you've suffered; I want you to have happiness and if leaving is the only way to achieve that, then I'll do it." I mutter and gaze directly into her eyes. "This is for the better."

"Better for who?" Victoria mumbles bitterly. "You know, I always hoped that you'd swoop in and save me, but deep down, I always knew you'd end up hurting me. It's just who you are and I'm in no position to make you change."

"That's not fair..." My voice trails off and suddenly I can't form a sentence.

"Nothing's fair in love and war. Someone always ends up getting hurt." Victoria looks and me and sits up all the way. "I'm tired of being the one that gets hurt."

"I'm tired of being the one doing the hurting." I reply, my calm voice contrasting with the turmoil that's plaguing my insides.

"Then don't leave me." She whispers.

"I don't have to go yet." I agree, my walls breaking down as I see her sink back into the pillows.

I walk over to her bed and lean over her small frame. My hand slips under her neck and I bring her head close to me, our lips a mere centimeter apart. A smile plays on her mouth as her eyes hold my gaze captive.

"I know you're going to leave, Gavin, but kiss me one last time and pretend you're not." She murmurs in a soft, gentle voice.

I close the distance between us and it's like nothing's changed. We're still Gavin and Victoria and we're still in love, no matter what's to come. My fingers tangle up in her hair as her arms snake around my neck, holding me close as she continues to kiss me. My eyes close slowly, my mind savoring the moment, which is sadly drawing to an end. She pulls away from me, tears still staining her cheeks. I hold her in my embrace and we don't say anything for longest time. I don't want to leave her, she doesn't want me to leave, but that's exactly what I have to do. I set her down gently and stand over her bed with a broken smile.

"Please stay," She whispers. "I can't lose you, Gavin."

"You need to move on; you need to be happy." I say, forcing the words out around the aching in my heart.

"Can you please stay until I fall back asleep? At least then I can pretend this was all a dream..." Victoria turns on her side so she has a better view of me.

I nod and take a seat in my chair by her bed. I grab her hand and hold it in my lap as she situates herself to fall asleep. She's out within a few minutes, her slow steady breathing taunting me and reminding me that it's time to leave. I stand up and untangle my hand from hers. I bend down and place my lips gently on her forehead.

"I love you," Are the last words I say to her and then I walk out the door without looking back.