Hold Me Down (Peterick) ➳ Book 3

Twenty Two

Halsey gave him a less than pleasant smile as she stared down at him. She didn't say anything; Patrick wondered if this was to be another awkward encounter until she got bored and left. Or maybe she was trying to intimidate him into taking. He wasn't sure what she wanted, and he wasn't going to give away anything she didn't know he knew.

"I've always hated you," she said, breaking the silence.

Patrick refrained from flinching at the cold tone in her voice but only just. Was he supposed to ask why? He couldn't see the harm in it; he expected to be dead soon. So he looked into her eyes and asked, "Why?"

"Why?" She laughed. "Because. Once upon a time I was happy. I had a boyfriend, but he was too obsessed with killing you! Not on his own orders of course. I couldn't see Josh ever wanting to actually kill anyone. That's probably why he got Dallon to do it.

"That long legged freak would do just about anything for a decent price. Seems like he couldn't do it either, but he still wanted his conditions met. So he kidnapped me just to save his wife and kids; what a shame they're not around anymore."

The hatred in her eyes told Patrick that she'd eliminated them. Who else had fallen prey to her?

"Then there was Tyler. He did enough damage to me the first time we met, but soon after Kobra Kid reanimated me I was put in contact with him again. While I was supposed to be guarding you, I was receiving orders from him. He was in charge of all of this since the beginning, you know. He was Blurryface."

"Tyler?" Patrick couldn't believe it.

"I know. Sweet, timid, little Tyler. Not as innocent as you'd think. He's got a dark mind, full of sinister thoughts. Well he did."

"Did? He's dead."

Halsey nodded. "In an act of idiotic romance, Josh so valiantly pulled a Romeo and Juliet. In this case, however, Romeo was murdered by a cunning Juliet who couldn't live without him despite his flaws. And so, once again the star-crossed lovers will lay together in eternal damnation. Though maybe not. After all, Josh's final act was to protect you, so maybe he ended up on St. Peter's list."

Patrick wasn't sure what to say, what to think. People he'd known were so far from what they'd been and the world was shifting on an axis it never had before. Things were changing. The world was at war again, and it's victors wouldn't be kind.

"So you hated me because of Josh's obsession with me? So why not just kill me? Why drag this game out?"

"I'm waiting," she replied with a sinister smile. "I'm waiting until your dearly beloved Pete is close enough. I'm waiting until that bastard Ryan can watch. He could've stopped your painful death. If he had just answered one of my calls you'd be like Tyler: drowned in a bottle of sleeping pills and suffocated by someone with a poor concept of love."

"Ryan's dead."

"What?"

Patrick nodded. "Ryan died in a palace attack. No one could save him. No one knew how to turn him. Maybe that's why he didn't answer. And the Killjoys, they vanished."

A white lie among the truth couldn't hurt him anymore. He'd be dead by the time she ever figured out he lied.

"But what do you mean by "someone with a poor concept of love"? You're not talking about you, are you?" he asked.

"In fact I am."

"I didn't know—"

"We had feelings? You haven't payed close enough attention to Frank and Gerard. Yes, Patrick. They are Killjoys. Guess they didn't stray very far."

"I didn't—"

"Doesn't matter. You'll be dead soon. No need to defend yourself. Back to your question. I agree, it's odd. Not something you'd expect. But I did until I met Hayley.

"I did everything to save her, but she still died anyone. Tell me, Patrick, how can you know what love is when you can't find the person who's gonna live?"

Patrick though for a moment, letting the answer come to him. When it did, he sighed. "Because you don't. You don't know who you're going to love. You don't know how long you're going to have them, but the thing I learned with Pete is that when you've found it time doesn't matter.

"I could lose Pete right now, and while I'd be beside myself with grief, I'd know it was real. I'd know it was beautiful while it lasted. I'd know it was worth it.

"Remember when people had weddings? They'd exchange vows, promising themselves to the other. There was one line that always stood out to me: "In sickness and in health" and that's what you don't see. You loved Hayley in sickness. You loved her in health, and because of that it was real."

Neither of them said anything for a while. The sun was peaking over the horizon, promising a beautiful day. Patrick stared out the window. This would probably be his last time seeing the sunrise.

Just as the first bits of light danced along the floor, Halsey moved.

She stepped around him and untied his hands. As he massaged his torn up wrists she got to work with the rope around his ankles.

"In exactly three minutes this building is going to be blown up. You have until then to find a hiding spot. After the explosion count to one hundred and leave. Don't come back."

"What about you?"

"I'm dead either way."

"Come with me."

"I can't," she said.

"But—"

"Go find Pete."

He hesitated once more.

She nodded, and this time he hurried down the stairs and out the door.

Patrick made it a few blocks before the explosion happened. He braced himself against a wall and counted to one hundred like Halsey had said. He glanced around, noting the spot filled air was perfect cover.

As Patrick took off down the street he couldn't help but think, This was not how the world was supposed to end.