Chapter 15- The Chase
1825 Words
Nikita
“Hey, Stop. FBI.”
Niki looked at three men running towards her. The morning fog twirled and twisted as they ran towards her down the river bank. She looked down at the man it had taken three days to track, dead by her hands.
Quickly, she ran down the street. She turned the corner as a gunshot rang against the metal fence. Another corner and through a narrow alleyway. Another gunshot hit the side of a trash bin. She turned left and took a few steps as an FBI agent emerged from the other alleyway into her path.
She flung the briefcase she had stolen off the now dead man, hitting his hands, causing the gun to scatter across the sidewalk. Then, she threw a left punch. He took a few steps but held up his fists and went at her. She dodged a hook. Blocked a combo. She heard footsteps coming up behind her. Niki threw her knee up, turned and threw her elbow into his face, breaking his nose. He bent down in pain as blood dripped through his fingers to the ground. Niki ran past him just as the other two men emerged.
She ran through a busy street having to dodge a car and down another street, hearing them chattering on their phone, probably requesting police backup. Niki turned her head to see how close they were before turning down an alleyway.
Someone grabbed her and shoved her up against the building as exploded down the alleyway. She cursed as she looked up at Killian.
“Back off, Killian.” She shoved him off.
She turned and ran. Killian was close behind her when men started shooting at them again. Bullets pinged off, narrowly missing her.
“This way,” Killian said.
He ran diagonally through a street towards an apartment building. Seeing little other choice, Niki followed him. He ran next to the building.
The FBI continued to yell at them. Another shot. Killian sucked his breath and stumbled. He grunted as he opened the side door and shoved Niki through.
They entered the apartment building. Niki saw the side of Killian’s shirt become bloody.
“You’ve been shot.”
Killian looked back at her with his face firm and contorted with pain.
“This way.”
He turned down a hallway and opened a maintenance staff door. She walked into the supply closet. He walked in behind her and shut the door. Darkening the room.
“They are going to have this place surrounded within minutes. We can’t just hide here. I’m leaving.”
She reached towards the door and he stepped in front of it.
Killian looked at her with frustration. “Why am I always the one getting you out of messes?
“You didn’t have to. I was doing fine. I almost lost them until I ran into you.”
She heard sirens blaring outside.
She said, “I am not about to get arrested because of you.”
Again, she tried reaching for the door. He grabbed her wrist.
“Stop, Niki. Stop.”
Killian held his hand to his side and leaned his head back in pain.
“I want answers before I help you further.”
“I don’t need your help.”
“I have a way out. If you try leaving this building, you’ll get arrested the moment you step out.”
Niki roughly pulled her wrist back out of his grasp.
She said, “I killed a Crimson Spider member who, apparently, was a contact for the FBI. And I happened to do it just as three FBI agents were showing up. It was a job.”
Killian groaned before nodding.
“Okay, let’s go.” He pushed himself up from the door. And walked over, pushing aside trash can barrels.
Niki looked around him, seeing a grate. He grunted in pain as he lifted the grate.
“Get in.”
Niki lowered herself inside. Killian jumped in after her, allowing the grate to fall with an echoing bang.
“This way.” He took out his phone light and started walking.
“I think I’ll go my own way. Get help, Killain.” She started to turn to walk in the opposite direction.
Killian groaned and grabbed her shirt.
“You are stubborn. This is an underground tunnel used and operated by the DN.9. I know where I’m at, and you don’t. One wrong turn and you’ll end up in worse trouble than you already are.”
He continued walking. Niki hated getting involved with Killian again, but knew he was right. Her chances were better with someone who knew.
She turned on her own phone flashlight. Killian stopped and looked at her.
“You have a phone?”
“Well yeah.” She lived in the modern age.
He huffed in annoyance. “You are something, Niki.”
In silence, they walked through the tunnels. She followed Killian, getting quickly lost in the network of underground tunnels.
“What are these?”
“Mining tunnels. But they ran dry, so the city got built upon them instead. They’re not safe. There were three cave-ins in the last six months. The city came in and put pipelines into some parts.”
Killian stopped and leaned up against the wall. His breathing was coming in short and shallow. He got shot because of her and he was wandering in DN.9 tunnels because of her. She touched his arm.
“Are you okay?”
He nodded. “Yeah, it’s not too far.” He got up. “Let’s go.”
A few more minutes and they climbed up into an alleyway. Killian walked through back alleyways until he walked into the back door of a large apartment building. They took the elevator up to the highest floor. The doors opened up into a penthouse. Niki walked in looking impressed. The room was open and large. To the left was a gray and blue kitchen, and to the right was a large TV with a gray couch and a large dark blue bean bag was at the other end. She walked down the steps.
Killian staggered in after her and made his way to the kitchen. He opened a drawer and pulled out a large first aid kit.
She went after him. He pulled off his shirt. Niki froze with her eyes following the definition in his shoulders and back resting on the two dimples on his lower back. Still very much distracted, she moved her feet towards him. He was putting gauze on the bloody wound.
“Let me see.”
He turned so she could look at the wound. “It’s just a flesh wound. There’s no bullet. I can stitch it up for you.”
He nodded.
She took his very well equipped first aid box and took out what she needed.
She began to clean the wound. Killian seethed and clenched his fist, constricting his arm muscles.
Quietly, Niki began talking as she prepared the needle. “I’ve had to do this a few times to my older brother, Orsino. For a mafia member, he’s actually a pretty sensitive guy, and tends to have a knack of always getting himself into trouble.”
Through gritted teeth he said, “Seems to run in the family.”
She glanced up at him and made the first stitch. He seethed in pain, but held still.
She continued, ignoring his comment. “One time, he and his crew were trying to break into a house. He fell into a window well of the wrong house. He couldn’t get out, so I had to come help him out with a ladder.”
She made the third stitch. “He wanted to become a pilot, but he didn’t get much choice either. Padre blames my mother for his children. Says she put too many ideas in our heads. I guess he was right. Mother would tell us stories of a life she used to have before marrying Padre. Tell us what her family was doing and where they were. She didn’t know Padre was in the mafia when they met. She fell in love, but didn’t realize the world she was getting herself into.”
Niki secured the last stitch and cut it. She wrapped the wound while feeling her fingertips gently brush his side and abdomen. His skin felt smooth and warm under her touch. She had to focus hard not to get distracted by the man in front of her. Niki tied off the bandage.
“There.”
She rested her hand on the bandage and looked up. He watched her with a gentle and kind look, as if he was searching for the truth about her. And she couldn’t look away, his eyes seemed to show her a part of himself that he kept hidden and closed off. Like there was a deep pain that somehow bonded with her.
Guilt swept over Killian’s face and he looked away.
“What happened to your mother?”
Niki took her hand off of him and began putting away the supplies.
“She tried running away with me and Orsino. It didn’t take long before Padre showed up. He took us, and told her to run. Told her to run and never come back or else he'd shoot me, then her.”
“That must have been tough watching your mother leave.”
Niki shrugged. “Yeah it was. But I like to imagine what she would be doing.” She looked at Killian with a soft smile as her daydreams came into play. “I imagine her being an elementary school teacher. Perhaps remarried to a doctor, with three little laughing and carefree children. Two girls and a boy.” She laughed at herself. “Funny, how that brings me peace thinking about her with another family. But she deserves it, she put up with so much for the sake of us. The bravest person I know.”
Killian softly said, “Another family trait.”
Niki looked away. She didn't deserve to be compared to her mother.
“I should go.”
“Niki, please don’t.”
“I shouldn’t be here.”
She didn’t like the earnest look on his face. She reminded herself to become like steel. Nothing penetrates, nothing gets through, no fear, no emotions. Her father had already seen the cracks in her defenses and he spent three days sealing those cracks. She can’t falter again.
“Don’t come near me anymore, Killian.”
She turned away, and he grabbed her wrist. She seethed at the pain. He quickly let go and stood up. Taking her arm and lifting her sleeve to expose the raw red burn marks around her wrist from the rope that held her captive for three days.
He looked into her eyes. “Where have you been for a week?”
- Writer
