Shay Savage - Bastian’s Storm

“You’re going now?” She already knew the answer to her question, but I nodded anyway.

“I’ll be back before you know it.”

She nodded as she brought her hands up around herself and held onto her arms. She looked over to Alex and sniffed.

Glancing at Landon, I saw him tap his watch twice as he turned and exited through the open door, giving us a moment of privacy. I stood and crossed the kitchen and took Raine’s face in my hands. Bending down, I placed my lips against hers, kissing her slowly. When we parted, I could see the beginning of tears rimming her eyelids.

“Before you know it,” I whispered as I stared into her eyes.

“Please be careful,” she said.

“Always,” I said. “I’ll be fine.”

She nodded her head and gave me another squeeze. I kissed the top of her head, then took her chin in my hand and placed another firm kiss on her lips.

“I love you,” I told her.

“Love you, too.” Raine’s eyes moistened as she looked up at me, bit down on her lip, and ran her hands down my arms. She grasped my fingers with hers for a moment before stepping back.

I took a long breath, committed her face to memory, and turned to go out the door. Landon was waiting outside for me along with Roger, Franks, and two of his bodyguards.

“Let’s go,” I said, and Landon tilted his head in acknowledgement as Roger pulled the key to the padlock out of his pocket to lock my family securely inside until all of this was over.

Before the door managed to close, Raine shoved her way past Roger and grabbed my arm. She pulled me to her and wrapped both arms around my neck. Her grip on me tightened so much, my air supply was limited.

“Don’t go,” she said, her voice breaking. “Don’t do it, Bastian—please. Just don’t…don’t…”

“Oh, baby.” I held her shoulders. “I have to. You know I have to.”

“No, you don’t!” she said, her voice rising. “You don’t have to do this! Stay here! Please!”

“Fuck, Raine…” I could feel her tears against my skin as she begged and sobbed. It couldn’t have hurt any more than if she shoved her fist through my ribcage and ripped my heart straight out of my body.

“You might die,” she cried. “Oh God, Bastian, please, please just stay here!”

I held her as tightly as I could and tried to come up with anything to say to calm her, but nothing was working.

“Sebastian,” Landon said from behind me. His hand tapped my upper arm as he spoke my name.

“I know,” I said. I shrugged his hand off of me and grabbed Raine’s shoulders, holding her back a bit so I could look into her face. I brushed tears from her cheek and touched my forehead to hers. “I have to go.”

“No,” Raine said, shaking her head rapidly. “We can just leave…go far away…please!”

“You know I can’t do that, baby. You just have to hold on a little longer. This will all be over soon, and then we’ll go. We’ll find the perfect place for all of us to live together, and everything will be normal again. I promise, Raine. Everything is going to work out.”

“You don’t know that.” Fresh tears spilled down her face as her head shook slowly back and forth. “You might get hurt; you might…you might…”

“Shh…” I brought her against my chest once more, which was probably a mistake. She’d latched onto me so tightly I wasn’t sure how I was going to get her back inside so I could leave. Talking sense into her wasn’t working. “You have to let go, baby. I have to leave.”

“No!” She wouldn’t let go, and though it nearly killed me, I pushed her arms away from mine as Roger grabbed onto her and kept her from grabbing me again. I stared into his eyes for a second, silently warning him to be gentle with her. I could tell by his expression that he understood my meaning—he’d pay for a single bruise.

I looked back at Raine. I knew she was trying to get herself together, but it just wasn’t working.

“I love you, babe,” I told her. “I’m going to be back soon.”

“No! No, Bastian!”

I closed my eyes as I turned around and followed Landon. Raine’s cries tore into me with every step.

I could still hear her as we drove away from the quarry and through town. I could hear her pleas echoing in my head as I boarded the first plane and buckled myself in. In my mind, I could see Roger holding her back as the plane took off into the early morning sky. Her tears continued to burn my skin through the entire journey north.

Landon glanced over at me from time to time, but he said nothing.

My mind was in a daze the entire trip. Even as Landon went over strategy and technique for the hundredth time, I was barely responding to him. I already knew it all, anyway. It was as committed to my soul as it was to my brain.

Despite Raine’s fears and the imminent danger, as we switched planes near the frozen northwest side of the Hudson Bay, I began to tingle with excitement. My muscles flexed and released as I thought of past tournaments, blood, and victory.

I wanted to fight. At least for now, I desired blood.

I carefully descended the stairs out of the plane and looked around at our final destination. Other small prop planes were unloading passengers, and I could see a bunch of people bundled in fur-lined parkas heading over to a large, obviously recently constructed building with smoke coming out of several chimneys.

Franks and his bodyguards headed for the building, and Landon motioned for me to follow the group. As we approached, I began to recognize all the people who had been present at the initial meeting. Each family was represented, but also along with them were many others.

Investors.

These were the people who tossed in all the cash to make the tournament happen, bet on individual players, and ultimately reaped the rewards through our bloodshed. Each of us would be fitted with a camera, and the gamblers would watch on closed-circuit television as we slaughtered each other for their amusement.

In the past, I hadn’t thought about them much, but now I did. What kind of people considered this entertainment? What sort of society spent all their illegally earned cash to watch us fight to the death so they could feel power through our bloodied hands?

Sick fuckers, that’s who.

We walked through the wide doors and into the building. Inside was ridiculously luxurious, especially considering the location. There were fireplaces along every wall to warm everyone with ambiance. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and every table was decked out with fancy linen and centerpieces filled with flowers and colorful LED lights. There were several open bars set up around the edge of the room, and it even had a dance floor with a DJ in the back. People milled around in suits and cocktail dresses like they were at a ball following a Hollywood red carpet event.

Except it wasn’t a movie—we were the event. I was equally disgusted and electrified by it all.

It was still early evening, and most of the groups were divided by their loyalties to a particular family. Landon and I milled around with Franks’ people near one of the bars, and I got myself a glass of water when Landon ordered a scotch. I scanned the room to locate the other tournament players. They were easy to spot because they stood out in the center of every group.

Though it wasn’t my style, tournament players usually dressed for their parts. Erik Dytalov and Reaper looked like they came out of Blade Runner or some violent computer game. Both were dressed in black, and she had eye makeup painted over her lids in bright colors and studded jewelry around her wrists and neck. It made sense, in a way. We were essentially a live video game to the people around us. Dressing for the role came naturally to a lot of players. Erik displayed his knife skills to anyone willing to watch, and Reaper posed for pictures with some of the men in suits.

The displays were ridiculous as far as I was concerned, but the investors obviously liked it. There were three women currently hanging off Hunter, who stood taller than anyone else around him. He wasn’t dressed elaborately like some of the others. In fact, he was shirtless, and I wondered if he was planning on freezing to death before the game started. The women milled around him, running their hands over his chest and asking for explanations of his many tattoos. There wasn’t any blank area on his whole upper body, and I wasn't sure how he could even keep them straight.

Glancing away from Hunter and his group, I found Tyrone Chimes. He was near a buffet table lined with hors d’oeuvres, standing with a woman in a bright red dress. He was in a cut-off T-shirt and ripped up jeans. All he needed was a little zombie makeup, and he could have been an extra in The Walking Dead.

I didn’t see Evan Arden at first because unlike the other players, he wasn’t decked out in ridiculous attire. When I spotted him, he was wearing a high-quality, tailored suit and standing near Rinaldo Moretti. In his hand was one of those electronic cigarettes, and he looked the part of crime lord rather than contestant. As I watched, he smiled and clinked glasses with Moretti.

I reminded myself that this wasn’t his thing—he wasn’t a tournament player. This would be his first. It would also be his last.

As far as I was concerned, all of them were here for their last party.

I couldn’t feel any pity for them or any regret for what I planned to do. Not only were they here by choice but they also knew the risks and the potential outcome. It was kill or be killed, and I had more reason to win this game than any tournaments in the past.

“Any concerns?” Landon asked as he took a step closer to me.

“None,” I said.

“What about Arden?”

“You were right from the beginning,” I said. “He’s more dangerous than the rest, even if this isn’t his thing. As long as I can keep to cover, he shouldn’t be able to get a lock on me.”

“Not going to be easy,” Landon replied. “There won’t be a lot of cover in that landscape.”

“The ridges on the mountainside should work. I just have to keep moving. I’ll have to do that for the warmth anyway.”

“Water is your biggest concern,” Landon said.

“Isn’t it always?” I mused. Flashes of my time spent bobbing around the middle of the Caribbean Sea with Raine on a life raft swirled around in my brain. “I don’t think I’ll run out of water. This whole thing is going to go down fast. It has to before the cold takes us all out.”

“With the exception of Reaper, you will have the advantage when it comes to weapons. The others will have problems using them effectively and keeping their hands warm at the same time.”

I kept my eyes on the other players throughout the evening. Even when a multitude of women came up to ask me questions about prior tournaments and offer me their beds to stay warm for the night, I barely made any conversation past what had to be said. I answered their questions, politely turned down their offers, and steered the conversation toward the food.

The food was actually really good. Death row inmates couldn’t have demanded better. It reminded me to give Franks shit for the food in Raine and Alex’s kitchen. He laughed but told me he’d do something about it.

“It’s good to have you back, Sebastian,” he said. “In many ways, I’ve missed you.”

There was way too much potential for double meanings in that statement to give me any feeling of comfort. I wondered how long he’d looked for me after the trial and what made him eventually give up. I considered asking him but figured it was in my best interest to let all of that go for now. I knew in my heart that he would never truly forgive me for trying to bust him, and I knew in my mind that the only way I could ever get out from under him was to end his life.

Get through the tournament first.

Franks moved off to chat with some of the other bosses. I sat back at one of the tables, tipped a couple of oysters down my throat, and watched the people around me. Some came up to talk to me, and I was as polite as I could manage. Eventually, they moved on to harass one of the other players. Hunter and Reaper had moved closer to one another, and though I couldn’t hear their words, their sexual chemistry was evident as they eyed each other. It was obvious they would spend the night together.

Stupid.

Then again, it would be their last opportunity for a tryst. It made me think of last night and Raine’s body underneath mine, and I closed my eyes for a moment. The memory of her scent and the feel of her skin in my hands warmed me.