The showroom is dark. Bel can see the shapes of the cars out of the corner of his eye. He can see the closed doors to the garages where the cars are customized, and the office where Kam makes calls to important sellers all around the world. There's a hulking shape of a man in one corner, his face hidden in shadow, but Bel recognizes him. It's the Gorilla--the member of Gulf's security team who could probably squash Bel to a bloody pulp without even trying.
Gulf is standing in the middle of the floor, with Kam at his feet. He's not in his tux anymore; he's changed into more casual clothes. He's still smiling, and that smile sets Bel's teeth on edge.
"Nice of you to join us, Bellamy." This time, the sound of his full name on Gulf's lips doesn't just send waves of irritation pulsing through Bel's body, but rage as well.
Even in the dim light, Bel can see that one of Kam's eyes is totally black. Blood streams from his temple, his nose and one corner of his mouth, and his face is a mottled combination of purple, blue and red. There's bruises and scrapes along Kam's arms too, one of which is wrapped around his side, like he's trying to hold himself up.
"You said you wouldn't hurt him!" Bel is shaking again, and this time he knows it's rage.
"What I said was that there wouldn't be another mark on him," Gulf pats Kam's shoulder, and Kam winces aloud. "You don't want to make a liar out of me, do you, Bellamy?"
"Let him go, you son of a bitch!" Bel darts forward, ready to tear this jackass open with his bare hands. The Gorilla moves to intercept him, but a flick of Gulf's hand sends him back to his shadowy corner.
"Oh, I should be very careful of the words that come out of your mouth, if I were you, Bellamy. No need to make your situation worse than it already is."
Gulf flicks his hand a second time. The Gorilla moves to the opposite wall, and there is the snick of a lightswitch. The showroom lights come on.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bel halts, his entire body turning to a chunk of ice.
Now he sees why Kam has not been moving.
There is a gun in Gulf's hand.
A gun that is resting against Kam's temple.
"You want your boyfriend back, right, Bellamy?"
"Why the hell else do you think I came?" Bel fights to keep his voice steady, but he's not sure if it's working. The way Gulf keeps saying his full name is grating on his last nerve. His fists are clenched so hard he can feel the nails digging into his palms.
Look calm, Bel. All you have to do is look calm. Gulf is the one with the gun, not you.
"Then let's keep this really simple, shall we?" Gulf is grinning at him. "Like I said, your dad hurt some very important people to me. I don't like it when people important to me get hurt. I'm sure you can understand that. But I can be reasonable if I need to be."
"You call this reasonable?"
"Stop stalling, Bellamy. I know you have what I want."
"You'll use that gun anyway, so what the hell's the difference?" It's all Bel can do not to launch himself in Gulf's direction.
No sudden moves, Bel.
Keep him talking.
"Smart boy." Gulf's going to savor this moment as long as possible. "The difference is you get to decide where the bullet goes: into your body, or into the bodies of your sister and your boyfriend. Your choice."
