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Chapter 42
Kris barely cringed as she felt another blow from Josh. She flet like she was drifting, watching the scene from above, numbly. Kris could hear him talking, but it all sounded as if it were a thousand miles away. All of a sudden, a voice spoke to her, but not one word was said.
"Krissy! Brian is on the way, hang on!" No! Kris thought, Josh will kill him. "Don't give up, Krissy. Brian loves you, so do I. Hang on!" As the voice faded away in her mind, Kris felt energy rush through her body anew. If she was going to keep Brian alive, she had to do more than give up and die.
"Josh, I love you, baby," Kris whispered, slowly lifting her eyes to his. Josh eyed her suspiciously, uncertainty in his eyes. He knelt down next to the chair she was crudely bound to.
"Say that again, hon," he whispered, the crazy glint leaving his eyes. "I love you. You were right all along, I never loved Brian, it was alway you." Kris choked back a sob, hating herself for uttering the words. Josh's eyes softened, and as he lightly ran a finger down her bloody cheek, Kris saw for a moment the man she had once loved.
"I love you, too, Kristina." Josh looked down for a moment,. When he looked back up, it was as if it was the first time he'd seen her in two years. "G*d, Kris! What happened to you? Did that homo boy bast*rd do this to you?" Astonished by the sudden change in Josh, Kris could only nod weakly, going against every fiber of her being. Josh had gone psycho, but if she was going to help Brian, she needed to do it. "Okay, babe, you're untied. Can you walk by yourself?" Kris slowly tried to rise, but collapsed and shook her head weakly. Josh gently wrapped his arms around her, lifting Kris like she was a child.
"Oww!" Kris cried out as her shoulder throbbed deeply where it pressed against Josh.
"I'm
sorry, Kris. I'll have you fixed up in a second," Josh crooned, gently
kissing her forehead. Kris smiled as best she could at him, but it was hard.
Deep in her heart, Kris wanted to hurt Josh and prayed that if she got out of
this alive, she would do her best to keep Brian. If he would take her back.
If he was alive. *
Brian ran as fast as his legs could carry him. It didn't matter that his clothes
were plastered to his body, or that his legs, and worse, his heart, burned as
if on fire. His shoes had long ago filled with mud and water, hindering more
than helping. Barely breaking stride, Brian pulled off one shoe, then the other.
Brian didn't feel the rocks slicing his tender skin as he pushed himself harder,
knowing one extra minute could mean one minute too late. Ignoring the warnings
his heart was sending, Brian ran hard, each stride bringing him closer to Kris.
It was the only thing that kept him going. *
"AJ? Talk to me, man." AJ's eyes opened slightly, too swollen to see
much.
"Yeah, Kev?" The older man knelt next to the bed, holding his friend's hand tightly.
"I don't quite understand this yet, but the doctor is on the way." He paused, glancing at Cora. She was leaning against the door, upset and terribly frightened.
"Is Kris.. okay?" Kevin was almost afraid to ask. AJ frowned.
"He's
helping. He's gone.. psycho." *
Kris cringed as Josh gently laid an ice pack on her shoulder, her entire right
side throbbing.
"Josh, what's going to happen?" He glanced at Kris, pausing for a moment.
"Well,
I'm going to take care of Destiny, then we're leaving Orlando for good. L*rd,
I hate this state. I was thinking some nice little cowboy town out west or on
the Great Plains. There, all done!" Josh wiped the last drop of blood from
Kris' swollen face, then handed her an ice pack.
Both of Kris' eyes were swollen and bruised, much like the rest of her face.
Josh sat Kris down at the kitchen table.
I'll be back, I have to take care of business," Josh growled softly, walking back towards the parlor. Kris went into action as soon as Josh's back faced her.
"AJ,
help me. What can I defend myself with?" Kris thought, praying that he
would be able to answer her. "Hurry, hurry," Kris whispered. She could
practically hear Kevin and Cora and Nina with him. "Hurry, AJ." *
AJ winced as the middle aged man probed his shoulder.
"Young man, did someone kick you?" the doctor asked, astonished. AJ stiffened, not hearing him.
"Kevin! Kevin!" AJ yelled frantically.
"I'm here, Bone. What's wrong?"
"Where do you keep your gun? Is it loaded?" The dark man frowned, but didn't ask any questions.
"In the kitchen, in the top desk drawer. It should have bullets laying next to it." AJ closed his eyes for a moment.
"Thank
you," AJ whispered, then closed his eyes in a dead faint. *
Brian froze when he saw the unfamiliar vehicle in his driveway.
"Oh, crap," he swore, realizing he could be too late. Taking a deep breath, Brian finally felt his screaming heart and almost double over in pain.
"Kevin,"
Brian gasped, then slowly stood back up. He cautiously moved to the back of
the house and slipped in through a door connected to the garage. *
"Thank you, AJ," Kris murmured, slipping the last bullet into the
gun and closing it. She had barely made it back to her seat when she heard a
yell of outrage.
"She's gone!" Josh bellowed, appearing back in the doorway. "She ran out the freakin front door! You helped her, didn't you?" Josh accused, his eyes focusing on Kris with an intense hatred.
"No, I've been with you," Kris said calmly.
"You helped her! I guess I'll just have to kill you instead." Kris felt a rush of fear and almost forgot about the gun hidden in her lap.
"Stop right there, Josh." Kris raised the gun and pointed it at Josh's head. Josh froze, and his eyes slowly lost the maniacal look, replaced with something akin to fear. A flash of movement behind Josh caught Kris' eye for a moment. Josh used that moment to his full advantage, and knocked the gun out of Kris' hand, tackling her. The gun slid across the tile and into the next room.
"You
little traitor," Josh growled. "You're gonna pay for that. I have
an urge to kill you now," Josh told her, quit now as he tied Kris once
again, "but I changed my mind. I'll kill your little boyfriend first."
Kevin felt a grip of fear in her heart tighter than the ropes around her hands.
Kris closed her eyes and start praying, feeling the remnants of Hope of any
type of rescue die away.
Josh kept talking and threatening Kris, but she ignored him She felt his hand
roughly grab her aching shoulder, making Kris cry out.
"C'mon, we're going upstairs to have a little fun."
"Like h*ll you are! Let go of her, Josh." Josh whirled around, to find a short, dripping wet man pointing a gun at him. The one Kris had held just minutes ago. Josh hesitated, then let Kris go. "Untie her, now," Brian commanded, never taking his eyes off Josh. Josh again did as he was told and Kris ran to Brian and into his arms.
"Thank you, thank you," Kris whispered over and over.
"Here," Brian said, handing Kris the gun and picking up the rope that Josh had bound her with. "If he tries anything, shoot. Okay?" Kris nodded and Josh was surprisingly complacent as Brian tied him up.
"I just wanted to love you, Krissy," Josh whispered. Kris looked at Josh for a moment.
"You know what, Josh?" He stared at her, and in his eyes Kris saw the man she had dated for three years, who had loved her and screwed up.
"What?" Kris got in Josh's face.
"F*ck you." Josh flinched, as if he'd been slapped. Kris gave Josh a disgusted look, then punched him hard in the face. "For making my life h*ll for too long. I hope they let you rot in jail." Kris turned to Brian, a sad sight to behold. "Brian, are you okay?" Kris asked, the sound of police sirens growing louder as she spoke. Brian's face was pale white, his hand clutching over his heart.
"My heart, G*d it hurts," Brian moaned, collapsing against the wall.
"Bri, hang on, they're almost here," Kris said frantically, holding Brian's cold hand.
"Kris, I love you," Brian whispered, his deep blue eyes catching hers.
"I never stopped loving you, B-Rok," Kris sobbed, holding Brian in her arms as his body went slack and the door burst open.
"Kris? Kris!"
"I'm here, Kevin!" Kevin ran into the kitchen, a long trench coat clinging to his tall frame. The scene before him surprised him and Kevin froze. Josh was tied up, Kris had Brian in her arms, her bruises remarkably like AJ's. Kevin turned to Josh.
"I was hoping I'd never have to see your ugly face again. You disgust me and I pray you get thrown into h*ll for doing this to Kris and my friends." Kris even flinched at the hate in Kevin's deep voice.
"I didn't do it, I swear! It was the other guy!" Kevin's face hardened.
"My cousin has never laid a hand on Kris, and he never will, you lying b*stard!" Kevin's fist connected with Josh's nose with a sickening crunch.
"Oh, my L*rd! Kris!" Cora ran in the room, followed by a flurry of paramedics and police.
"Help Brian, I'm fine," Kris managed, finally giving herself up to the deep darkness that had been threatening her, and then she knew no more. *
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