(Sequel to Two Gangs and a Golden Girl)
***
"If you even think about touching me, I will literally rip off your arm," I growl when Xavier prowls closer. He doesn't stop. His poison green eyes drill into mine.
"I will have you, Marigold, and we will...
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A/N: Okay, there, I uploaded! Now for the love of cabbages, let me sleep!
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I clutch that maroon handkerchief. Even with people running and screaming and shooting and dying, I clutch that handkerchief. Synthetic candle light dances across the sweaty skin of people flashing by. Gunshots blaze and light the room.
I'm out of breath.
There's a pain in my chest. A slow, lazy kind of pain coming from my heart and making my limbs feel numb - make moving a little harder. Even while we're basically jogging from room to room, it feels like I'm trudging through quicksand.
I don't even know why, but in my other hand, I'm clutching Xavier's hand. I'm not sure which one of us is the one refusing to let go. All I know is that I need him to pull me. Pull me out of this palace of chaos. Pull me out of everything. And when this is over, pull me out of the darkness.
Sensing my thoughts, Xavier turns around and hands me a lazy smile. "The Annual Masquerade. It turned out to be pretty eventful this year. I might come back for the next one," he jokes.
We run into the entertainment room and make a quick halt. Just on the other side, the wall has glass windows stretching from the floor to the ceiling. Hand me a chair and I can bust us out of this place. The problem, however, is the half a dozen men blacking the window. I'm not sure on who's side their on. "Sterling or the South?" I ask Xavier.
"Well, they're not us," he replies.
Right on cue, one of the men pulls out a knife - that I'm pretty sure he got from the buffet tables - and runs at us while screaming at the top of his lungs. Paul, just stands there and when the man is almost on him, swings out his hand to give the guy a backhand that could probably snap his neck too.
The five other men quickly follow and we all fight back. Jack and Daniel take on a big-looking guy while Paul handles two others. Jaaco gets hit with a fire-poker and goes down. The two remaining men charge for Xavier. Ha, idiots.
Xavier swipes with his leg and the first goes down. The Northern leader comes back up a little slower than usual before planting his fist against the second guy's head. He starts panting and grits his teeth.
