The Eruption of Mountgomery

Chapter 46

Despite the dizziness and the fuzziness that seemed to fog up his thoughts, Nero staggered to his feet and released a punch. It connected to its target as his knuckles now buzzed in subtle pain. The attorney general shook his head, raising the pistol, the barrel greeting Nero's face once more. Her voice, almost angelic but it held a confounded edge to it, sliced through the tense silence just as he glared down the pistol's barrel.

"Don't kill him." She had reentered the living room, her arms were crossed, eyes glistening with unshed tears. Nero's eyes narrowed as he rolled over onto his side, his fists clenched as sharp intakes of oxygen flowed in and out of his chest. The attorney general snapped his attention away from him and toward the woman he hired to get this job done. It was a simple task really! I should not have survived the suffocation, Sky knew that, and it would be a great honor to watch me perish. Nero lowered his elbows, propping himself to glare at Sky. Why not? Why not kill him? Was the pistol lashings better than a merciful bullet to his head? He was a wanted man, and he loathed the idea that if the attorney general sauntered away unscathed from my awaiting wrath, the FBI would resume their pursuit of himself and most likely me despite the knowledge that I was dead.

Folding his arms, the attorney general stared at Sky. Shoving the pistol into her chest where she stood, her foot hovered over the threshold that led into the kitchen, the attorney general huffed out indignantly. Placing a careful hand upon her shoulder, he informed her, "He is to be incapacitated at some point. If not dead, Sky, severely wounded."

"No. No, I did not sign up to see somebody I love wounded."

The general laughed cruelly and replied icily, "She may be coming, you know that. I expect this job done. The cash is already awaiting you. Hell, the helicopter is as well. The public knows my deeds, it is only a matter of time before I must answer impossible questions."

Nero glanced upward in the direction of the kitchen. His eyes slammed shut as a hand ran over his face. His head thumped dully against his temple. His hand brushed against something wet; it oozed from his nose. He vaguely registered it to be blood. Sitting upward slowly, the tide-like flow of dizziness greeting his fuzzy head, he glared at the two opponents. They were worthy, yes, but he could easily take them on. Fumbling to draw his own pistol from its holster and upon raising it to level with the back of the attorney general's leg, there was a loud crack that filled the air. The man smirked and turned his gaze back to Sky. He leaned down, his lips brushing her ear then whispered something to which she giggled and watched as he headed further into the kitchen. He could faintly hear the low crunch of the ice machine and the pop as the suction was put back in place.

The world swirled in and out of focus and when he tried to sit up, a foot pressed deeply into his chest, pinning him back to the floor. At some point, the weapon was torn from his grasp, then thrown out of reach. Sky narrowed her eyes at the too submissive form of Nero on the ground. Just a few minutes ago, he had this dangerous glint to his eye. Was she coming? Was she going to arrive? Burst through the door and save him? Or would she stick to her word? He flinched at the thought. He loved her—did he not? She loved him, the doubt regarding that singular thought bounced around in his mind as the air grew thicker. He eased his eyes open, meeting the ice-like gaze of Skyler. She was kneeling before him, observing the wound. It leaked blood, collecting into a small pool. Oh please, he mused darkly, this small wound won't kill me.

"Such a shame." Skyler sighed. "You could have been so much better off—"

That dangerous emotion whirled within him yearning to come to the surface. He swallowed it back down as though it were a lump in the back of his throat. "Don't you dare." He rasped, his voice crackling with disuse. "If you truly hated me—why have you not killed me yet?"