FIVE

“I can’t believe we’re finally married,” I said to the man above me. I was lying in a soft bed, on my back with the love of my life hovering over me.

“I know, I’ve been waiting for this day since I first saw you,” he purred back, dropping down to kiss me passionately. More kisses were shared and hands roamed over bare flesh, I moaned as he mouthed at my neck.

“Kurt,” he groaned into my skin, sending sparks of pleasure through my body. The bed jolted sharply, I felt myself lift up and hit the bed again, except it hurt, a lot.

My eye’s opened to the dark damp room. I figured I’d been thrown to floor and it had woken me up. The door clanged shut and I could clearly hear the lock. I was left alone. Sitting up I brought my knees up and curled my arms around them. I closed my eyes and recalled the dream. I concentrated on the other man, it had been Warbler, I realised. It made sense, my mind had conjured what it knew I could never have. In normal circumstances I would have easily fallen in love with him but these circumstances weren’t normal and I knew that he’d follow me right into this trap for him, I also knew I wasn’t likely to ever get out of this either, it was the end of the road for us.

I’m not sure how long I sat curled up on myself in that dark, cold, dirty room. My hair and clothes were a mess and my face was probably red from the tears I had been crying. I didn’t care though, for the first time I was hoping Warbler wouldn’t come after me.

The door opened some unknown time later and Sparrow walked in, an evil grin on his face.

“Come on, Princess, time to go greet your prince,” he said, grabbing my arm and pulling me to my feet. He pressed a gun into my side. “Just so you don’t get ideas about trying to escape,” he explained. I hadn’t been planning on trying to get away, I wouldn’t make it far.

I was taken to a large, wooden panelled room. It was completely empty of any future except one wooden chair. I was forced down into this chair and tied to it, my legs tied to the chair legs and my arms forced around the back and my wrists tied together with what felt like a cable tie. Then they tied rope around my torso and the chair. Several people were standing around the room.

“You’re going to lose,” I told them with far more confidence than I felt. Most of them laughed. I scowled at them.

“You’ve got spunk,” one man said, he was middle aged, with greying brown hair and a handsome face. He walked towards me, stopping right in front of me. He stroked a finger down my cheek, he flinched away from him.

“Don’t touch me,” I spat. His eye’s hardened.

“I don’t think you’re in a position to be making demands Mr Hummel.” He grabbed my chin in a punishing grip. “I can see why Blaine likes you so much. He’s my prodigy you know. Very talented, too moral though, I knew he’d never see my side, that’s why I wanted him killed. Unfortunately for you, you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. He should have been killed the night of the raid. Still all this has shown me how much of an asset he would be, so we’ll see how far he’s willing to bend his morals to save you.”

The man released me but continued to look down on me, his face suggesting he was contemplating something. I scowled at him, everything he had just told me frightened me to death. The unfamiliar name had thrown me at first but it hadn’t taken long to work out the Blaine he mentioned was Warbler. I wish I had time to enjoy the knowledge of his name but I didn’t because I was knocked sideways by the completely ill-timed and unneeded revelation that for all my logic and avoidance skills I was completely and utterly in love with him. I realised as that man spoke I would do anything to save Warbler, even if it meant losing my own life.

“There’s something missing,” the man spoke again, drawing me out of my thoughts. “Ah yes,” he said brightly, “a bruise.” I never even had a chance to brace myself before his fist connected with my chin, hard. Despite being bullied constantly at High School I had never been hit before. It hurt, really really hurt. Not as much as when I broke my arm when I was eleven but it still hurt. I liked my lips and tasted blood. The men and women in the room were laughing, except for one who looked at me with sad eyes. I sent a pleading look her way but I didn’t get to sustain it long before I was punched again, this time in the eye. I’m sure the noise I made wouldn’t be considered manly.

“We got him boss,” a voice spoke from the door way. The man in front of me stepped away and turned around, allowing me a view of the entrance directly in front of me. I gasped because held between two men was a barely conscious Warbler. Blood was trickling down his face from a cut above his eye brow.

“Blaine, my boy, how are you?” the man who’d hit me said, walking forward to stand directly in front of Warbler blocking off my view of him and his view of me.

“Bloody brilliant,” Warbler replied with a groan. “Where is he?” he asked back.

“Right here,” the man stepped to the side and Warbler raised his head too look at me. I didn’t want to think about what he saw. His eyes widened in shock then narrowed in anger.

“It’s a trap,” I shouted at him expecting people to try and stop me talking quickly but nobody moved.

“I know, you idiot. Why didn’t you wait for me?” he asked, his voiced pained. I felt tears well up in my eyes. Of course, if I hadn’t been so monumentally stupid he wouldn’t be in this situation right now. It was all my fault.

“I’m sorry,” I sobbed, tears spilling down my busied face. I lowered my eyes to the floor, unable to look at him anymore.

“Kurt,” he replied brokenly. I didn’t have time to decipher his tone before the boss laughed loudly.

“Oh wow, you two are pathetic. I’m going to end this soap opera now, we have some things to discuss, Blaine.”

“I have nothing to say to you,” Warbler spat out.

“Good you can listen.” He signalled the men and the group walked further into the room, the doors shutting behind them. “This organisation does good Blaine, you know that.”

“Then why is there an innocent civilian tied to a chair?” Warbler snapped angrily.

“An unfortunate necessity, I’m afraid. However, if you agree to keep working for this organisation and are prepared to get your hands a little dirty from time to time, he’ll go free.”

I narrowed my eyes, I didn’t really believe that. I glanced at Warbler, he didn’t either. “You’re my best man Blaine. I would be such a waste to kill you and I’m sure the world could not live without Mr Hummel fashion expertise.” The part about me had been distinctly condescending.

“You’re right,” Warbler relied softly. I flicked my eyes to him, unsure as to what part he was refereeing to. He lifted his head and locked eyes with me. “I am one of the best.” With that his beaten down state seemed to disappear and he was a flurry of movements to fast to follow. The two men who’d been holding him ended up on the floor but more charged him.  He kept fight, his style looked like a cross between martial arts and fight club but then I had no real idea about fighting. I noticed the woman who’d looked sad earlier had joined the fray bit seemed to be attacking anyone but Warbler. I was grateful for her. As he fought for our lives I tried to work my wrists out of their binding but they were too tight. I only succeeded in digging the plastic so far into my skin that I felt wetness start to slid down my hands. I gave a quiet cry of despair as I realised all I could do was watch and hope he won.

I watched helplessly as the woman went down, I didn’t know if she was dead or merely unconscious. I hoped for the latter. The boss, who so far had been quietly watching the fight from his position near me, sighed heavily. He fished something out of his pocket. It looked like a letter opener but I didn’t get to see it for too long before it was plunged into my shoulder. I screamed from the shock and pain. My eyes were closed against the pain and when I opened them I had to blink away tears before I could see. Once my vision was clear I wished it wasn’t. I was greeted with the sight of Warbler on the floor. Sparrow stood over him, one foot on his chest, holding a gun pointed at his head.

“I’ll assume you’re answer was no then,” the boss said. Warbler was glaring at him before his eyes flicked to me.

“I’m so sorry Kurt,” he said softly and brokenly.

“You really are pathetic; you let your emotions get in the way, a fatal flaw in this line of work. Well it will be fatal for you two,” the boss said harshly. He twisted the knife in my shoulder and I screamed again. Warbler began to struggle until the gun went off. I screamed, expecting him to be dead but I noticed the blood was pooling under his arm. Sparrow hadn’t shot to kill. He wouldn’t have missed at that range.

“Now now, Warbler, just for that you get to watch you’re little pet project die.” He pulled another knife out of the waist band of his trousers and walked behind me.

I didn’t cry or make any kind of noise. The whole world had narrowed down to the boss, Sparrow and of course Warbler. I looked straight at him, for the first time seeing true fear on his face. Fear for my life just as I feared for his. We would have worked I realised, we would have cared for each other and kept each other safe and well. Tears spilled from those beautiful hazel eyes. I looked into them, wanting them to be the last thing I saw. Even full of pain and fear and something else I couldn’t name they were the most beautiful thing on this earth.

“Any last words Mr Hummel?” the boss asked me. Without breaking eye contact I spoke the truest and best words I could to him.

“I love you.” Warbler chocked closing his eyes for a moment, while I desperately wished them open.

I felt the cold press of metal against the soft skin of my neck. “Blaine,” I called desperately, hazel eyes opened and fixed on mine.

“I love you too,” he said.

Don’t let him die. Don’t let him die. The mantra filled my head, my last thoughts as I looked at the man I loved.