Page 161 of Blaire
Holding myself up on all fours, I toss up my guts—I can't seem to stop. Someone gathers my hair at the back of my neck—Andres, I'm guessing. I heave harder and faster, projectile vomiting through my nose and my mouth, my stomach panging in pain.
I think I’m spewing up blood.
I can't hear anything but my own choking, then, “You're dead, as are your lackey’s,” Charlie says in a voice that's strangely unfamiliar to me. A loud commotion trails, which I'm sure are guns going off-
*BANG*
*BANG*
*BANG*
-making my ears ring.
I cup my ears and hunch over, curling up in a small ball.
*BRATATATAT*
Fuck, my head hurts and I can't see. My vision is so woozy.
I suddenly think of Maksim and that he might be a danger to Charlie somehow—if he lives, he could be a danger to James!
My new instincts kick in and I don't know how, but I swipe the gun from the ground and battle to my feet in a state of vertigo. There are soldiers everywhere firing guns, lighting up the night with flashes of burning yellow. More soldiers than I think there really are.
Double vision.
Maksim... I squint but can't see or hear him.
There's a large man standing next to me—one of Charlie’s men. He's firing a powerful machine gun at what’s left of Maksim's security detail, blowing them away. The shots are so close that I can feel my ears pop with each blast.
“Aargh!” I screech as steely arms close around me from behind. I buckle at the knees, the pain excruciating. The gun goes off in my hand with a powerful jolt that sends a shooting pain up my arm but it's nothing compared to having someone flush against my back.
“Blaire, stop fighting, we're here to save you...” Andres says in my ear, using his full strength to hold me down.
“Let me go, please!” I beg, burning up with a fever. I claw to get free but I can't. I think I call out again but I cannot hear my own voice anymore.
In the distance by a stretch of SUV's, I see Charlie kneeling over someone, pounding him in the face with a clenched fist. He's strangling the man with his other hand, ensuring he cannot escape.
Maksim.
He has to pay for what he's done. He has to pay for shooting James.
“Let. Me. Go!” I scream so loud, a burst of energy coming over me. I fling out my arms, forcing Andres to release me, and stagger to my feet once more. Through the firework of gunshots shaking the atmosphere, I stumble over to Charlie and Maksim, barely registering any pain now.
It seems adrenaline has overcome me.
“Blaire...” Maksim's golden eyes, swollen and full of blood, widen at the sight of me. He's gripping Charlie's wrist in an attempt to get free.
Charlie stops his attack and turns his head to look at me, his face covered in specks of blood. The devil is in his eyes, blazing with fury.
“You shot him.” I lift the gun to Maksim and click back the hammer, trembling from head to toe. “You've done some terrible things to James but shooting him? Me?”
“I'm sorry,” Maksim splutters, “I went too far—I realize that now.”
“Sorry isn't enough,” I say, cold of emotion. Finally, I feel nothing but hatred for him.
Releasing Maksim, Charlie pushes away from him and stands at my side, his breathing ragged. He puts one arm around my shoulders to hold me, steadying my stance. I notice the gunshots have stopped. It's so quiet. There's an eerie feel to the night.
Staring right at Maksim as he stares at me, I consider two options for him. Suffering or death.