Runaways: A Romeo & Juliet Story

Chapter 28

"Love is blindness, I don't wanna see

Won't you wrap the night around me?

Oh, my love

Blindness"

- Love is Blindness by U2

JULIET

Apparently that friend of Iago's goes by Dick the Butcher which now seems like a perfect way to describe him. Lysander and Iago dragged Romeo away and then The Butcher held me at gunpoint in the kitchen but kept licking his lips and touching his crotch. He said nothing the entire time.

Iago just came back upstairs holding a gun and I can hear Romeo screaming in agony downstairs.

"What do you want? I have money." I say, remembering what Hammer had once said. "Capulet money."

"Capulet money?" Iago laughs.

"Well, what if I told you that Capulet money is paying for this."

I look at them both and think about how much these guys from that shitty town would need to pull this off alone. They don't have it. But my dad does. He's telling the truth.

"What does he want?" I ask.

"He didn't really say. I think we make life hell for you."

I hear Romeo scream again.

"Leave him alone!"

"Romeo? Or we're going to kill him." Iago says, "Butcher, go check on that."

Butcher leaves as Iago gets closer to me. I can smell the whiskey coming out of his pores. I slide further and further back on the floor. Behind me, on the floor, my hand grazes a piece of barbed wire under the table– it was down here for the strawberry patch. I try not to smile with relief and as he gets closer I pull the wire out and slash his face with it.

He drops the gun and we both go for it. With the barbed wire still in my hand I slash him across the face again and this time I get him really good. He falls to the floor and I get the gun and finally I'm pointing it at him.

"You bitch!!! You fucking bitch!" he screams rolling around the floor, his blood dripping all over the everywhere.

I keep the pointed at him.

The Butcher comes back up the stairs and stands there looking at Iago screaming. He looks at me like he's going to rip me apart and charges at me. Before I can think to take my aim away from Iago and onto the Butcher, shots fire and the Butcher's eyes go wide. He looks right at me and drops to the ground.

Behind him Hammer holds a gun.

"What's going on?" Hammer screams.

"Lysander and Evana, they're working with these guys. My dad sent them."

"Where's Romeo?"

"I'll get him, you make sure these guys are tied up just in case."

"You got it." he says, stunned at the scene in the kitchen.

I run down to the basement with the gun. I creep slowly towards the storeroom. Just like before I can see what's happening through that mirror that's propped up just outside the door. I see Lysander first. Romeo's struggling to keep his head up.

Lysander presses his gun into a cut in Romeo's face. Romeo screams and looks up.

When he does, he sees me in the mirror and Lysander turns to look. I shoot first and Lysander falls to the ground.