Vengeance (COMPLETED)

Part 36

"No," I whine, pulling away from my boyfriend and calling back onto the mattress. "It can't be time yet. I don't want to go."

"This is worse than yesterday," Atticus sits up straight. "I hated arguing, but at least you came back to me."

"I'll come back to you again, it's just going to take a few days longer."

"Fuck this," he shakes his head. "You're not going."

"I have to go."

"No, you don't. I'm calling this off," he gets up to grab his phone. I hurry after him.

"No, you're not," I grab his phone. "We have to do this."

"No, this is stupid. I shouldn't have agreed in the first place."

"Atticus..." I cup his cheeks, forcing him to look at me. He scans my expression. "I know it's scary. I know it's risky, but we're doing this."

"How are you so okay with this?"

"I'm not," I snicker. "I'm absolutely terrified. I'm scared of getting hurt, facing him, and being away from you... it sucks. I hate it, but it's only temporary. I'm so nervous, I'll probably throw up before we get to the airport. I have to push through— We have to push through. It's for the best."

"I can't even think about you there with him—."

"Then don't. Think about how nice it's going to be to see me again. Think about how strong we are for making it here in the first place. You're putting your trust in me and in this plan, and I'm putting my trust in you to come and save me. And you're so good at that. You've been doing it for years."

"This is different," he argues.

"No, it's not. You're going to find me, save me, and take me back home, okay? Our home, back on the island."

"I'm never letting you go after this."

"Good. Think of it that way — you save me now, and I'm yours forever."

He doesn't respond. He stays silent, contemplating my words. I'm surprised I've even managed to speak to them. I don't know how I'm keeping myself composed. I swear I'm about to burst into tears any second now.

"You're incredible, do you know that?" Atticus says. "You're strong, smart, resilient, and brave. If there's anyone in the world who could do this, it's you. I have to trust that you know what you're doing."

"I don't," I admit. "But we're putting an end to all of this now — once and for all. I can't live in fear anymore. We can't let him control our lives any longer. It's enough now."

"Just... remember I'm coming for you, okay? If you're scared or in pain, just remember I'm on my way."

"I don't know how else I'll get through."

He brings his lips back to mine. This kiss is different. It's less eager and more... cautious. We're both holding ourselves back. Another knock at the door pulls us apart, but we stay in each other's arms for a moment longer.

"I love you," Atticus tells me, his eyes piercing mine.

"I love you too," I try to give him a reassuring smile.

"Be careful, and remember I'm coming for you."

"I'll see you soon."

I turn away. I can't look at him any longer. It's too hard. My skin feels cold the second I'm out of his grasp, but I push through. I can't even think that this might be the last time I see him. I have to keep insisting it won't be — that everything will go to plan and I'll be right back in his arms in just a few days' time. I can't let my fear get to me.

Angelis and I barely say a word to each other as we head to the airport. He knows there's nothing he can say to make me feel better. He eventually hands me a small tracking device the size of a pill, and I swallow it with a gulp of water. It's the second of two tracking devices we're using. The first one is the screen of an Apple watch, sown the pad of my push-up bra. They won't be able to find it if they pat me down, and I can still feel its vibrations when Atticus calls. As soon as Angelis confirms they're working, I go right back to flicking through the images of Vassilis' men, trying to memorise their faces. If I don't focus on the task at hand, I'll start thinking about what's to come. I need to take this one step at a time.

The airport doesn't look too busy from here, but I know it'll be a different story inside. We won't be going in there, though. We've parked as far away as possible, just to make reduce the amount of people who will be seeing us. Vassilis' eyes will be on us either way.

I take a final deep breath before I step out of the car, followed by three guards. They're meant to be getting on the plane with me, but we won't make it that far. We won't even be leaving this parking lot together. I keep my eyes on Angelis as the men grab my bags of the trunk. I came here with nothing, but we've done plenty of shopping. Angelis gives me a reassuring smile from inside the car. I'd love to give him a hug right now, but it just wouldn't be possible. He's not supposed to care enough about me.

The car door slams shut, forcing me to say my goodbyes. This is it. As soon as he's gone, it's all up to me. I give him a small wave goodbye. He nods his head, and then they're off. The car speeds off back to the main road, leaving me alone with the guards.

I'm scared. I'm more scared than I was yesterday. My heart is thumping. My hands shake, but I stabilise myself as much as I can.

"Are you ready?" one of the guards, Niko, asks me.

"Yeah," I nod. This is it. "I just need to find my passport."

Niko joins me over the bags to help me search. The two other men stay on the lookout, their backs turned to us. I unzip the backpack that's supposed to be my carry-on. Instead of my passport, I grab a switchblade I buried in here. I hesitate a second, but I know I have to do this. I just have to. In one swift moment, I pull the knife out of the bag, pointing it up at Niko's throat.

"Don't make a sound," I sneer. He holds his hands up in the air.

"You're outnumbered here," he speaks calmly. "There's no point—."

I yank his gun out of its holster and shoot him right in the stomach. I quickly spin around to the other men, Christos and Giorgio. Christos of them already has his weapon pointed at me. I shoot him in the chest and Giorgio in the arm. I try again, this time hitting him in his side. All three men fall to the floor. Niko and Giorgio clutch their wounds as blood starts to seep through their clothes. Christos lays limp on the floor.

Even though I know it's all fake, I still want to check if they're okay. But I can't. I immediately run away, sprinting towards the airport with the gun hidden beneath my jacket. I was right. The airport is filled with people. Hundreds of them line up behind checkpoints and computers, printing off their boarding passes. I search the area, frantically looking around while trying not to look suspicious. I can't find any of the men. They're supposed to be here. They've been following us all through the city. Why would they not be here? Just when I start to panic, I spot a man with a goatee. I recognise him immediately. I was just looking at his photo in the car, and I'm pretty sure he was the man who watched us argue when Atticus tries to hold my hand. My suspicions are confirmed when he meets my eyes. He knows exactly who I am. He's not alone, either. There's a group of three with him. They start to head my way. My initial instinct is to run. Every bone in my body tells me to find help, but I can't. This is all part of the plan. I agreed to this. I wanted this. I head in their direction until I'm right in their face. I hand myself over to the man I spent years hiding from.

"Take me to him," I say. "I want to see Vassilis."