Chapter 27: Chapter 27
It's like time stands completely still, frozen.
His green eyes connect with mine and I watch as they grow large with surprise before the life from them is slowly drained. I feel like my presence is sucking the energy around him and I didn't realise how painful that would be. It pains me to watch him connect the dots, his eyes drifting down to my gun before snapping up to meet mine again. They mask over with pain, his face crumpling with confusion and betrayal. I open my mouth to speak despite a glass window separating us but no words are spoken.
In the background, Christoper Black begins to talk and I watch hopelessly as the words FBI leave his lips. His eyes darken and the smug smile on his lips falls into a deathly straight line as he stands and disappears out of the door. My brain is screaming at me to abandon Calvin and follow Christopher but my feet are frozen to the spot.
Calvin's chest rises and falls heavily as he stares at me, the intensity in his eyes almost unbearable to look at. I grimace, an invisible hand finding it's way to my heart and clenching it tightly. I take a slow step forward and grasp the handle of the door, sliding it open. The entire time, Calvin's stare doesn't break. His eyes flash with anger and the muscle in his jaw begins to twitch. I can see his hands curl into fists and I wonder if the reason Christopher Black left me alone with him is because he knows that his son can kill me bare handed.
"Calvin, please give me a chance to — “
"Is it true?" He snaps, cutting me off.
The sharpness in his voice cuts right through the atmosphere and I grimace as he narrows his eyes at me. I've never felt such anger and betrayal seep from his body and words. Shame and guilt washes over me and I can't help but break the stare, my eyes flickering to the floor.
"I'm sorry." I whisper.
He breathes in sharply and when I lift my head up to look at him, his entire face is masked over. His walls are built up, trapping me out and I've never seen him look so deadly. The danger of the situation suddenly hits me as he takes a slow step forward, mouth curled up into a snarl.
"You played me." Calvin says, his voice holding no emotion.
"It wasn't supposed to end —“
"Shut up! You used me just to get to my father. What did you intend to do? Kill him and then kill me?" Calvin yells at me, his voice bouncing from the walls. I clench my jaw and stare him straight in the eyes, my shoulders pushed straight back.
"Your father is a criminal. He's wanted for killing several people, including police officers! He's not a good person Calvin!" I respond, trying to persuade him to see clearly. Calvin takes another step forward, his eyes trained on me like a bird and it's prey.
"You played me. I thought we had something special and all along, you were using me. He's still my father! Don't expect me to stand back and allow you to kill him!" Calvin roars at me, his anger increasing by every second that passes.
"What are you going to do about it?" I ask him, the hold on my gun tightening. Calvin's eyes flicker down to it and he scoffs, taking one more step forward. If I reach out with my hand, I'd touch him.
"Did the FBI not teach you how to fight?" Calvin asks me, tilting his head to the side. The anger in his eyes is still fresh, betrayal causing his shoulders to roll back. I raise one eyebrow but don't respond and let the gun drop from my hold. It clatters to the ground but neither of us break the stare between us.
"Don't patronise me, Black.”
"Come at me, sweetheart." Calvin replies, his tone mocking.
I don't need to be told twice so I charge at him, ducking low and hitting out at his mid section. My legs swing out quickly and I take a hit at his to knock him off his balance. He's too quick for me and jumps to the side, turning around and striking with his fist. It connects with my shoulder and I clench my jaw as I roll forward, away from him. I quickly land in a crouched position and whirl around to find Calvin already in front of me, his hand reaching to grab hold of me. I let out a grunt of effort as I kick outwards and slide across the floor, my hands skimming across the wood flooring.
I can hear his concentrated breathing, the sounds of pain that leave his lips as we both strike one another. I catch him on the jaw with my fists and strike again in the lower stomach to slow him down. He lets out a hiss of discomfort, grabbing hold of my fist and forcing it behind my back. I try to wriggle out of his hold but he applies force, keeping me locked in place.
"Was I just a mission to you?" He hisses down my ear and I continue trying to break free from his hold. The pain begins to soar down my shoulder and into my arm and Calvin twists again causing me to yell out loud in pain.
"No." I say truthfully despite my first intentions.
Somewhere along the way I fell for his personality and charm, along with those beautiful green eyes. I knew what I was doing was wrong but I couldn't stop myself. It's a rookie mistake, falling for someone that belongs in an entirely different world. Calvin and I could never happen, it was a fantasy my brain created.
"No, you weren't." I gasp out, Calvin's heavy breathing travelling down my ear. He kicks the back of my leg and I feel them give out underneath me. His hands tighten around me, forcing me up as my legs fail under me.
"I don't believe you." Calvin finally says, his voice dead of any emotion. I close my eyes for a brief second, ignoring the aches and pains cursing through my body. Bruises are already beginning to form but I know I have a longer fight ahead of me.
When I feel his hands loosen by a fraction, I put all my energy into whirling around and slamming my fists into his body. I take him by surprise and he falls to the floor, landing with a heavy thump. I take a second to look at him, the cut above his eyebrow piercing. His bruised lip, the blood trickling from inside his mouth.
"I don't want to hurt you." I say quietly, taking a few steps back. I hold my hands up in surrender, my eyes connecting with his as I silently plea for him to stop. I can't read his eyes, the emotion in them has disappeared completely.
I reach up with one hand to wipe blood from my temple, the red of it staining my hands from where the skin has broken.
"I'm going to leave the room now Calvin and you're not going to follow me." I tell him firmly.
He remains on the floor, his head lifted as he stares straight through me. Nothing on his face tells me that he's registered my words but despite that, I slowly begin to back up out of the room. My back hits the metal handle of the door and I feel it digging into me. I know I need to turn around which will leave me vulnerable to an angry Calvin Black.
"Goodbye Calvin." I say to him, my eyes flickering to the heavy movement of his chest as he breathes. I swallow the lump that's formed in the back of my throat and turn around, ready to walk away from him. My hand rests on the handle and I push it down, hearing the click of the door.
"Don't fucking move." Calvin's voice cuts through the silence and I let out a heavy sigh, my hand stilling on the handle.
"Calvin — “
"Turn around." He commands, cuffing me off.
I slowly do as I'm told and grimace as my eyes land on him on the floor. He's holding my gun in his hands, pointing it straight at me.
"You should put the gun down." I whisper, my throat drying out until the moisture has disappeared. The words are a struggle to pronounce and I swallow, trying my best to disguise my nerves.
"Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you right now!" He yells at me, standing to his feet.
He charges towards me, the gun still raised and pointed at me. I bite down on my lower lip, my stomach a tangle of nerves and nausea. I don't want to throw up in front of him but I can feel the litres of coffee stirring inside my stomach.
"Because I think I love you!" I yell back at him, my voice breaking.
I don't know if I can continue holding eye contact with him when he's staring at me so intensely. For a split moment, he freezes, his bottom mouth falling open slightly in shock. Silence falls upon us and my vision begins to blur, tears welling up inside my eyes.
"It was never my intention to hurt you like this, I didn't expect to fall for you." I whisper, the salty invasion of tears lining my lower lip.
"I'm in an impossible situation." I plead with him, my persuading gaze flickering between both of his beautiful eyes. Calvin is frozen in place, his eyes burning holes through mine. I notice his hands beginning to shake, the flash of emotion flicker through his eyes. In that moment, I knew one thing for sure despite all hell breaking loose around me —
He wasn't going to shoot me.