Seeing Red

Chapter 7 - Alan

Katarina took in the sight before her, fists balled up and teeth gritted.

It hadn’t been fair; that was obvious. The three men were big, bulky and obviously had the advantage of being hidden. Not only that, Joe and Sandy had been outnumbered at the time.

She looked down at Sandy, and swallowed hard. The brunette was on the ground, panting slightly and holding her leg, an expression of pain written on her face. There was blood all around her- it was wonder she was still alive- and one of the men was leaning on her, pushing even more weight on to her battered body.

And then there was Joe. His blonde hair was once again, matted with blood. There were scratches all over his face, arms legs- any bare skin was marked. The look he was giving the men made her far for the worst.

She heard one of the men clear his throat and she turned her attention to him, talons fully extended. Leaning forward slightly, she was about to spring towards him and tear his throat out when he spoke.

“I wouldn’t do that,” He smiled, his yellowed teeth making her cringe. She relaxed, putting her hands down and resuming a passive stance. The man nodded, continuing on his warning.

“Sweetheart, before you can even jump at me, your friends will be dead.” Katarina stood still, hand inching towards her pocket. She just had to keep him talking.

Taking a deep breath, he continued on his speech. “See, my men here have guns. And so do the ones hiding behind you. You’re at a disadvantage.”

Katarina shook her head. She had the gun now, all she had to do was point, aim and-

“And I suggest putting the gun down.”

She paused, narrowed her eyes and put the gun on the ground, kicking it towards him. Taking a step back, she held her hands up in front of her, showing that she wasn’t harboring any more weapons.

“That’s better. Now, why don’t you come over here and we’ll talk about what’s going to h-“

“No.”

Katarina’s eyes widened and she turned to look at Joe, his broken form slowly rising from the ground. He grimaced as he stood, the spat some blood out of his mouth, glaring at the man.

“I beg your pardon?” The man raised his eyebrows, cocking his gun and pointing it at her friend. He smiled, daring Joe to continue on.

“No, Alan.” Joe was moving towards them now, taking slow, painful steps. Katarina was about to yell at him to stop when she caught Sandy’s expression.

It was clear nothing was going to stop Joe.

Alan smiled, walking over to Joe to meet him, and then pressing the gun to his chest. With a growl, Katarina leaped forward, talons out and already swiping them at the air. She was going to kill him.

Before she made it to the two men, she was caught by one of Alan’s guards. He held her arms and pinched a spot in her wrists, causing her talons to move back in. She snarled, trying to turn around, free herself from her captor, but it was no use.

A sense of knowing came over her. He was familiar, his scent, the way he touched her, even his voice as he tried to calm her down. She knew this man.

“Just wait, don’t do anything too drastic, try to stay calm.” She swallowed, nodding her head at his words. She would wait until Joe and this Alan were done their exchange and then she would strike, rip Alan’s intestines out, choke him with them, watch as the light in his eyes faded-

But why was his guard helping her?

She looked behind her at the guard, eyes narrowed, attempting to calculate his every move. Why was he doing this, wasn’t he on their side?

“Sorry sweetheart, I’ll explain later.” Nodding, she returned her attention to the scene playing before her. Joe still had the gun to his chest, he was still afraid, although he didn’t show it. She could see the fear in his eyes as they kept glancing down at the gun, smell his sweat- it was a wonder Alan never found out.

“So- Joe, right?” Joe nodded, keeping his eyes trained on Alan’s for the time being. She swallowed, eyes still glued to their not-so-friendly interaction. Maybe Joe would suddenly pull out a gun, knife- anything- and gain the advantage?

But she knew that wouldn’t- couldn’t- be true. Joe was peaceful by nature, the most he could do was hit Alan- and even then Alan had the upper hand. He had guards, guns- Sandy. They were never going to win this.

Katarina was snapped out of her thoughts by a change in the conversation. Alan had removed the gun from Joe’s chest and was laughing.

Laughing.

She froze, staring at the strange sight. Joe looked dumfounded- even Sandy looked like she didn’t have a clue. And Sandy was the strangest person Katarina knew, and she wasn’t even laughing in this situation.

“Oh, Joe! That’s- that’s just hilarious!” Alan took a gasping breath, leaning forward slightly before slowly straightening up. “You want to trade yourself, for her.” Alan pointed towards Katarina, shaking his head. “Don’t you know? Your life is worth nothing compared to hers.”

If it wasn’t for the guard holding on to her, Alan would have been everywhere.

“But-I thought-“ Joe stammered, eyes wide and arms waving. Sandy even looked shocked. Katarina looked behind her slightly, frowning at the young man holding her. He smiled, before leaning down closer to her.

“It’s a law.” She nodded, relaxing into him a little bit. Something about him was just so comforting. She almost forgot that he was the enemy.

Almost.

“Joe, you do realise who- what she is? She’s expensive- oh, and Cas? Stop flirting with the girl, wait until we get back to work.”

Katarina looked behind her, brow furrowed. She was sure that this man was on her side, not Alan’s. Her instincts had never been wrong before; they were all she had.

“Don’t worry; I’m still on your side.” He moved her head around so that she was watching the scene again, not drawing any more attention that necessary to herself. She nodded, locking eyes with Sandy, jerking her head to the right.

Sandy shook hers, motioning to her leg and rolled her eyes. Katarina shrugged, focussing on Joe, her expression taking on a more serious approach.

“You know, Joe? I can get you arrested, possibly get you killed. All you have to do to get your daughter and yourself out of here is to give up the girl-“

“No.”

Katarina sighed, making a move to step forward. She felt the hands holding her back release her and all eyes move to her. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and held out her hands.

“Take me, leave them.”

Joe and Sandy stared at her, already forming objections on their lips, before Katarina spoke again.

“Please.”

Alan smiled, motioning for his men to leave them, and stepped towards her. She could smell the cigarettes and alcohol on his breath, see the hidden plans in his eyes- she took a step back.

“Alright sweetheart, deal?” He held out his hand, raising his eyebrows quizzically.

Katarina nodded, took a deep breath and took his hand, surprising everyone around her. She looked up into his eyes, tried a smile that soon dropped and shook it.

“It’s a deal.”