Black Iris

Damaged goods

"Hey," I heard Gwen say, and Jordan and I finally pulled away. Jordan wiped at her eyes as I turned.

"Hey," I said. Gwen looked like she had been crying too. Maybe in the restroom inside. Or maybe during the interview. I hadn't noticed, and I didn't know. I suppose it didn't really matter.

"I wanted to say... thank you. You didn't have to come today. Or stay. And I know it wouldn't have been easy, with everything I put you through," she said.

I shrugged. "It's not so much about how easy it is. It's about how important it is. This was important."

She nodded. "It was. Still, thank you. Whatever happens next, it was good to see you again."

Jordan practically hissed, lurching forward and causing Gwen to flinch. She instantly winced, clutching her side as Jordan spat, "This wasn't a family reunion."

I grabbed Jordan's hand, drawing her back, watching Gwen cover her clear pain and nod.

"I know. I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that-"

"It's fine," I said. "I knew what you meant."

Jordan cast me a sideways glance then continued glaring at Gwen.

"So... are you two...?" Gwen asked, looking at our hands.

"None of your fucking business," Jordan said.

Gwen nodded. "No, I know. Whatever you are, I hope you... heal. From all this. You especially, Ophelia."

I nodded, not knowing how else to respond. Jordan didn't snap at her again, just retreated back beside me. Gwen bowed her head.

"Well I should-"

"Go?"

And the voice was dark, vaguely familiar, and scary as fuck. Gwen's face flooded with fear, and we both turned to look.

From the darkness emerged two burly men, and a smaller, stout man between them. I recognised him, but I couldn't place where from. In the semi-darkness, his sinister grin was something from my nightmares.

"I agree, ladies. I believe it's time for all of us to go, don't you think?"

And at the word, the two men lunged forward, one grabbing Gwen and the other Jordan. Jordan opened her mouth to scream but the one at her side wrapped his free hand around her mouth and hissed, "shut up, bitch."

I felt my adrenaline kick in, glancing at the library doors. Could I make it?

"Uh, uh, uh," the short man said noticing my gaze. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said to me, looking at the man holding Jordan.

I looked at him again, and horror curled around my chest as I noticed what I hadn't initially, a sleek black gun in his other hand, pressed against Jordan's side. When I looked across at Gwen and her captor, it was the same story.

"Not a peep out of you, or you know what I'm gonna do with this," the man holding Jordan said, poking the gun into her side. She nodded, and he withdrew his hand.

"Alright," the short man said. "Shall we get this show on the road then?"

And with a poke from the guns, Gwen and Jordan started moving. Gareth raised an eyebrow at me and I reluctantly started following, across the carpark to the black van we'd noticed on the way in. So it hadn't been Bella's van after all. How the fuck we hadn't picked up on that sooner, I didn't know. But when we were shoved in the back of the van, there was no news equipment to be seen. Just surveillance shit. It looked like a proper rig, too. It made my skin crawl.