Amazing Grace
Chapter 9
Grace's POV
I came to back in Harry & I's apartment, my head still spinning slightly, my vision still fuzzy. It was funny how this had become OUR place now. When we were younger we talked constantly about building a castle together and ruling our own kingdom, and in a way that childish dream had come true; this was our castle. Every dream we'd ever had came true in this apartment. It was our new home. I rose my head slowly, looking around for Harry, but it was dark. I was sat in one of the dining room chairs, but in the middle of the space between the dining room and the living room. I moved to stand but my limbs wouldn't budge. My hands tied to each arms of the chair, my legs tied to eachother.
Panic bubbled in my throat as I remembered the pub, remembered the drinks, remembered losing conciousness. I tried to cry out for Harry but my mouth was gagged. Again, panic swelled within me. I felt like I did 15 years ago when Harry and I were playing hide & seek in his mom's garden. He'd been hidden for 20 minutes and I couldn't find him so I sat down in the lawn and cried. I was 4 and I was panicked and all I wanted was Harry. Now I was 19, panicked, and all I wanted was still Harry. Suddenly the light flicked on behind me in the hallway, and heavy thudding footsteps sounded on the wood floor behind me.
The face I thought I'd never see again appeared in front of me, that same evil grin plastered on his place face, making his eyes look even blacker by comparison.
"Miss me love?" he said with a sickening tone, planting kisses on my neck that made me want to vomit and cry at the same time. "No need to cry" he said noticing the tears falling across the duct tape on my cheeks. "Everything will be just fine soon enough. Our good friend Harry should be here shortly, and we can remove him from the equation. Then it can just be and you again, like old times" he said as he ran a hand through my hair. If I could move, kick, bite, I would have, but I was helpless. My stomach lurched at his mention of Harry. He bent down again to kiss my neck but I squirmed in the chair, moving slightly out of his reach.
His eyes hardened and he violently ripped the duct tape off my face, causing me to cry out in pain.
"Aiden please don't do this" I pleaded as he returned to placing digusting kisses on my neck. I closed my eyes, crying silently, picturing Harry and imagining his warm embrace. "Stop" I said, trying to be forceful, but he continued. "Aiden stop!" I screeched as he moved his mouth lower.
"Now now, don't make me regret taking that tape off your mouth love" he said.
"Stop" I screamed again, hoping and praying someone would hear, but there was no response.
"I do believe she told you to stop" Harry's voice came from behind, calm and dark. I craned around Aiden's wide figure to see Harry, fists clenched and jaw set, staring straight at Aiden. Behind him I saw Helene's tiny frame, her face just as cold. As long as Aiden's attention was elsewhere I began to work myself loose from the binding on the chair.
"Look who it is, the pretty boy himself" Aiden said straightening up and turning to face him. "Here to get your girl?" he prodded, knowing he was pissing Harry off.
"Leave Grace out of this. This is between me & you" Harry said in the same frightening tone of voice. I could feel the ropes around my wrists start to loosen under my struggle, the binding breaking the skin as I wiggled my arms back and forth.
"You know good & well this about Grace. She was mine until you put the crazy idea in her head that she wanted you" Aiden hissed. Harry's eyes widened. I had never told him I was breaking up with Aiden for him, I didn't think it much mattered. "Oh don't act like you didn't know pretty boy" Aiden spat at him. He moved to the side, allowing Harry and I to make eye contact for the first time.
"I'm sorry" I mouthed across the room, but it was as if he was looking through me rather than at me, his green eyes almost black. Harry turned his focus back to Aiden who was slowly moving across the room. The following movements were too quick for me to follow, but my stomach turned as I heard a sickening fist connect. Harry stumbled back wards, clutching his jaw. He shook his head, set his jaw, and lunged at Aiden, this time his fist connecting. They fought harshly back and forth and next thing I knew they were on the floor, grappling with eachother, sickening noises coming from the struggle. Next thing I knew my struggling against my bindings paid off, the rope falling loosely to the floor. I quickly bent over and untied my feet, rubbing at the tender marks they'd left on my skin.
Between all the commotion I hadn't noticed Helene make her way steathily around the dining room table, behind the kitchen island where Harry and I had confessed our love for eachother, and stood behind me. I looked up at her, tears in my eyes.
"What can we do?" I pleaded with her, hoping she would say something. She smiled down at me. How the fuck could she be smiling at a time like this? She moved in the same steathy way away from my side and towards Harry and Aiden. Aiden's face was beginning to swell, nose dripping blood. Harry's face wasn't swelling except for the welt on his jaw, his lip split in one place. I thought I was going to be sick again.
"Enough" Helene shouted. I looked over to see her stood a few feet away from the two, her handgun drawn, pointed directly at them.
"Are you crazy bitch?!" Aiden shouted at her. He spun his leg out, knocking her off her feet. The gun fell from her hands and skidded across the floor, directly in between Harry and Aiden, and me. Helene fell, her head catching the dining room table on the way down. She lay unconcious on the floor. I screamed in horror, anger boiling inside me. I was never one to just by and watch when I could take action. I turned my attention back to the gun on the floor.
At the same time all 3 of us scrambled for it, but it was closer to me. I grabbed it with shaky hands, not knowing how to hold the fucking thing.
"Grace honey give me the gun" Aiden cooed at me. Harry stood behind him, his swollen bloody face shaking no. Aiden inched closer to me. I cocked it back, hearing the fatal click as the spring caught, setting a bullet ready. He stopped moving. "Come on now Grace, just hand me the gun" he said again.
With tears rolling down my face, I shook my head no. Suddenly Aiden lunged at me, and Harry lunged at Aiden, all three of us fighting for the gun.
CRACK.
The gun fired and all three of us froze.
I came to back in Harry & I's apartment, my head still spinning slightly, my vision still fuzzy. It was funny how this had become OUR place now. When we were younger we talked constantly about building a castle together and ruling our own kingdom, and in a way that childish dream had come true; this was our castle. Every dream we'd ever had came true in this apartment. It was our new home. I rose my head slowly, looking around for Harry, but it was dark. I was sat in one of the dining room chairs, but in the middle of the space between the dining room and the living room. I moved to stand but my limbs wouldn't budge. My hands tied to each arms of the chair, my legs tied to eachother.
Panic bubbled in my throat as I remembered the pub, remembered the drinks, remembered losing conciousness. I tried to cry out for Harry but my mouth was gagged. Again, panic swelled within me. I felt like I did 15 years ago when Harry and I were playing hide & seek in his mom's garden. He'd been hidden for 20 minutes and I couldn't find him so I sat down in the lawn and cried. I was 4 and I was panicked and all I wanted was Harry. Now I was 19, panicked, and all I wanted was still Harry. Suddenly the light flicked on behind me in the hallway, and heavy thudding footsteps sounded on the wood floor behind me.
The face I thought I'd never see again appeared in front of me, that same evil grin plastered on his place face, making his eyes look even blacker by comparison.
"Miss me love?" he said with a sickening tone, planting kisses on my neck that made me want to vomit and cry at the same time. "No need to cry" he said noticing the tears falling across the duct tape on my cheeks. "Everything will be just fine soon enough. Our good friend Harry should be here shortly, and we can remove him from the equation. Then it can just be and you again, like old times" he said as he ran a hand through my hair. If I could move, kick, bite, I would have, but I was helpless. My stomach lurched at his mention of Harry. He bent down again to kiss my neck but I squirmed in the chair, moving slightly out of his reach.
His eyes hardened and he violently ripped the duct tape off my face, causing me to cry out in pain.
"Aiden please don't do this" I pleaded as he returned to placing digusting kisses on my neck. I closed my eyes, crying silently, picturing Harry and imagining his warm embrace. "Stop" I said, trying to be forceful, but he continued. "Aiden stop!" I screeched as he moved his mouth lower.
"Now now, don't make me regret taking that tape off your mouth love" he said.
"Stop" I screamed again, hoping and praying someone would hear, but there was no response.
"I do believe she told you to stop" Harry's voice came from behind, calm and dark. I craned around Aiden's wide figure to see Harry, fists clenched and jaw set, staring straight at Aiden. Behind him I saw Helene's tiny frame, her face just as cold. As long as Aiden's attention was elsewhere I began to work myself loose from the binding on the chair.
"Look who it is, the pretty boy himself" Aiden said straightening up and turning to face him. "Here to get your girl?" he prodded, knowing he was pissing Harry off.
"Leave Grace out of this. This is between me & you" Harry said in the same frightening tone of voice. I could feel the ropes around my wrists start to loosen under my struggle, the binding breaking the skin as I wiggled my arms back and forth.
"You know good & well this about Grace. She was mine until you put the crazy idea in her head that she wanted you" Aiden hissed. Harry's eyes widened. I had never told him I was breaking up with Aiden for him, I didn't think it much mattered. "Oh don't act like you didn't know pretty boy" Aiden spat at him. He moved to the side, allowing Harry and I to make eye contact for the first time.
"I'm sorry" I mouthed across the room, but it was as if he was looking through me rather than at me, his green eyes almost black. Harry turned his focus back to Aiden who was slowly moving across the room. The following movements were too quick for me to follow, but my stomach turned as I heard a sickening fist connect. Harry stumbled back wards, clutching his jaw. He shook his head, set his jaw, and lunged at Aiden, this time his fist connecting. They fought harshly back and forth and next thing I knew they were on the floor, grappling with eachother, sickening noises coming from the struggle. Next thing I knew my struggling against my bindings paid off, the rope falling loosely to the floor. I quickly bent over and untied my feet, rubbing at the tender marks they'd left on my skin.
Between all the commotion I hadn't noticed Helene make her way steathily around the dining room table, behind the kitchen island where Harry and I had confessed our love for eachother, and stood behind me. I looked up at her, tears in my eyes.
"What can we do?" I pleaded with her, hoping she would say something. She smiled down at me. How the fuck could she be smiling at a time like this? She moved in the same steathy way away from my side and towards Harry and Aiden. Aiden's face was beginning to swell, nose dripping blood. Harry's face wasn't swelling except for the welt on his jaw, his lip split in one place. I thought I was going to be sick again.
"Enough" Helene shouted. I looked over to see her stood a few feet away from the two, her handgun drawn, pointed directly at them.
"Are you crazy bitch?!" Aiden shouted at her. He spun his leg out, knocking her off her feet. The gun fell from her hands and skidded across the floor, directly in between Harry and Aiden, and me. Helene fell, her head catching the dining room table on the way down. She lay unconcious on the floor. I screamed in horror, anger boiling inside me. I was never one to just by and watch when I could take action. I turned my attention back to the gun on the floor.
At the same time all 3 of us scrambled for it, but it was closer to me. I grabbed it with shaky hands, not knowing how to hold the fucking thing.
"Grace honey give me the gun" Aiden cooed at me. Harry stood behind him, his swollen bloody face shaking no. Aiden inched closer to me. I cocked it back, hearing the fatal click as the spring caught, setting a bullet ready. He stopped moving. "Come on now Grace, just hand me the gun" he said again.
With tears rolling down my face, I shook my head no. Suddenly Aiden lunged at me, and Harry lunged at Aiden, all three of us fighting for the gun.
CRACK.
The gun fired and all three of us froze.
5/31/13