A Lonely Road

Deal or No Deal

Kaelie's eyes met his frantically, but the harder she struggled to free herself and get up, the more pressure Serna Rose put on her throat. "I think it's time for you to come with me, Jace," she said, and Jace backed away from her, lifting the gun and pointing it at her.

"Now, Jace," she said reproachfully. "I don't think that's very wise, do you?" and she tilted her head towards the door. Jace saw two women dressed in what seemed to be guard uniforms with large guns trained on Kaelie's head and his own. He clicked the safety on his stolen gun and set it carefully on the floor, not stupid enough to just drop it.

"Nothing happens to her, right? I go with you, you promise nothing happens to her," he said, and the woman just clucked her tongue.

"Not really the position to be making demands, my child," she said with a smirk on her face, eerily reminiscent of the expression Kaelie often wore, same shape of mouth and tilt of the eyes. Jace was stalling, but Michael wasn't there yet, his mother had not yet shut things down and entered her codes for containment, and Jace knew it wouldn't work because Ms. Rose would never allow it to be that simple, and Jace saw what Kaelie had meant about her.

The guards she brought with her stepped into the room, over the bodies Kaelie had left on the floor, and flanked Jace, gripping his arms tightly and dragging him from the room. Kaelie's eyes were wide and angry and struggled harder to get up, and Ms. Rose finally took her foot off Kaelie's scarred throat and left the room. They shoved Jace roughly into the next doorway in the hall, and he was in a dim room with a metal chair in the center.

He realized he must be in the room across from Kaelie, but he couldn't see her. She could see him though, he could hear her shouting his name as he was forced into the chair and his hands were chained behind his back to a metal loop in the floor. Ms. Rose's heels clicked on the floor as she walked to the glass.

"This is your final chance, Kaelie. Take my offer, and Jace lives. Deny me again and you will watch him die. Choose," she said and her voice rang with authority. Jace jumped as he heard Kaelie slam her palm against the glass.

"I. Said. No," she roared, punctuating her word with blows to the mirror like she was trying to shatter it.

"Well, then I guess there is nothing to be done," and Jace stared through the glass imagining Kaelie on the other side, knew she was watching him. He felt the muzzle of a gun against his head for the second time in as many weeks, and his hands trembled but he did not cry. He would not give this woman the satisfaction of seeing his fear.

He continued gazing at the glass and mouthed I love you and Kaelie's pounding only doubled, and his name was coming out in choked cries as her voice cracked. "God damnit," she yelled, Jace heard the slide racking a bullet into place. He closed his eyes. He thought of his mother and her soft dark eyes, and his dad lifting him onto his shoulders to help hang pictures in their house. He thought of Michael and Sarah, two pieces that fit together, and his first kiss with Ben, and quiet Lilith, her soft strength that seemed to sooth Kaelie.

And then he thought of Kaelie, fiery hair and mismatched eyes. Fierce and brave and scary and good. He wanted more with her, more time, but he could only be glad he'd discovered what it meant to love someone, to be loved by Kaelie. He was tired. It was silent, the emptiness stretching on, one second, two, five and Ms. Rose was playing with Kaelie.

The room shuddered, and Ms. Rose turned her head. It shook again, and the barrel left the back of Jace's head. The door blew inward, skidding to a stop at Jace's feet and Ms. Rose stumbled back. Sarah and Lilith stood at the door, wide eyed and bruised and Jace had never been more glad to see them. Ben followed them in, backing Ms. Rose into the corner, and holding her there with a heavy gun in her face, and Jace was pleased to see her cool facade crumble and fear slip over her features.