Conquer (Control) (3 page)

I chuckled at Alex’ reaction.  It was actually quite similar to mine when I found out the truth, well, minus the screaming and crying and falling on the floor part.

I reached up and patted Alex on the back.  “I know.  It’s a tough bit of information to swallow, but he’s telling the truth.  Not only did I find the necklace, but he also has a picture of himself with his mom.  It’s him Alex.  It’s Buddy.”  I smiled knowingly at him before asking, “So, who’s your friend?”

Alex appeared to shake himself from his shock and suddenly turned to introduce me to his date.  “Paige this is Ava.  Ava this is Paige.” 

Ava reached over and shook my hand.  She smiled brightly and she had a friendly demeanor to her.  We hadn’t spoken one word, yet somehow, I could tell this girl was laid back and easy to get along with.  “Nice to meet you, Ava.  Where’d you two meet?”

Ava looked up at Alex and smiled an infectious smile.  Alex scooted closer to her to wrap his arm around her shoulder.  He pulled her closer into his body and turned to me.  “Ava and I met at that tattoo convention I told you about.  She was photographing the event and we just happened to start talking and it went from there, I guess.”

Ava chuckled at Alex’ story and said, “Well, ‘talked’ might not be the right word.  Alex actually yelled at me for invading his space with my camera; even though I was at least five feet away.  You’ve got one hell of a hothead for a friend, Paige…”

I laughed at her description.  Yes.  Alex was, in fact, a hothead, but you had to love him for it.

“…Anyways, so after he started blowing a gasket over me doing
my job
, I let him have it for being an asshole.  We didn’t speak for the rest of the convention, but ran into each other again when it was over.  I had some equipment issues in the parking lot and he came to the rescue, luckily.”

I could tell there was more to this story by the way their eyes kept flicking to one another, but I decided not to pry too deeply.  I was instantly happy for both of them, and especially, Alex.  Ava seemed to be a down to earth girl and I hoped that he finally found someone who could be as good to him as I knew he could be to her.

Ava surprised me when she suddenly turned to me and said, “So, I’ve heard a lot about you Paige.  Is it true you went after some nut job by yourself today?  Alex said you got stuck in a tree.”

What the hell?!

My eyes narrowed and I looked up at Alex.  He had a slight grin tugging at the corner of his mouth as he looked around the club while refusing to look back at me. I looked back over at Ava and she had a sheepish look to her face.  “I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to bring it up if it’s something that bothers you.”

I shook my head and responded, “Don’t worry about it, Ava.  Apparently, on top of being a hothead, Alex also has a big mouth…” I paused to quickly glare at Alex. “…But, he was being truthful.  I, unfortunately, did have an issue while tracking someone out at one of the preserves today, but, thankfully, everything turned out okay.  The man I was tracking escaped, but no one was hurt, so that’s the good part.”

Ava opened her mouth to respond but was stopped by the deafening sound of an explosion.  The floor beneath me shook from the blast and I turned my head in the direction of the loud screams that resonated throughout the club.  When I caught sight of the area by the right bar, I saw people running in all directions attempting to escape flames that were starting to consume the bar area and dance floor.  I was frozen in place as my eyes took in the pandemonium and chaos that was unfurling while my mind was struggling to grasp what had just occurred.  The ringing in my ears was prominent above the screams and cries from the patrons and, like a tidal wave coming straight for us, people poured from the pit as they attempted to reach the exits.  I froze in place as I watched a sea of people quickly moving in my direction.  Some fell as they tried to shove against each other and were trampled underfoot while others kept moving in an attempt to escape the smoke filled club.

I felt a hand grasp around my arm and start pulling me in the direction of the front exit, but I was frozen in place as I took in the nightmare that had developed around us.  People with blood pouring from their heads and bodies were mixed in with others that had no apparent injuries.  When I finally grasped what had happened around me, I felt a stronger pull on my arm and my feet tripped over themselves as I was pulled backwards.  I started to lose my footing when I felt one large arm come around my waist to keep me from falling to the ground.  Before I could turn to see who had taken hold of me, I was suddenly enveloped in a wall of bodies as they tried to shove past me towards the front doors.  My body started to fall once more from the crush of the screaming crowd, but I was hoisted up and forcefully pulled toward the doors.  My head turned in the direction of the person who had hold of me.  When my eyes met Alex’, I noticed he was screaming something at me, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying.  Like a rubber band snapping back, reality hit me and I was released from the stupor the chaotic events had created.  My feet started moving of their own accord as I was dragged behind Alex.  He held me with one arm, while holding Ava in the other.  As we were pushed against the people in front of us, I remembered that Daemon was still in his office.  Panic flooded my system and I turned to go find him.  Just as I turned, one of the large beams on the right side of the bar broke free from the ceiling.  The beam creaked and groaned as it swung down into the fire below it.  The screams became louder following the crash of that beam and sparks flew through the air where it landed.

I pulled against Alex’ grasp as I tried to run back towards Daemon’s office.  Alex’ hand gripped tighter and I found myself being jerked back in his direction.  “Where the hell are you going?  We have to get out of here NOW!”  Alex screamed in my ear while he continued dragging me in the direction of the front exit.

“Let me go, Alex!! Daemon is back there, I have to find him!”  My struggles were useless against Alex’ hold.   My hand desperately attempted to remove his grip from my arm.  I tried to dig my feet into the ground to stop Alex from moving me towards the front, but I couldn’t gain enough traction to halt the movement.  I continued screaming at Alex to release me, but he wouldn’t respond to my pleas.  The three of us were suddenly crushed together by the swelling crowd as it attempted to squeeze itself through the exit doors.  Alex took that opportunity to wrap his arm around my waist.   I continued screaming as he half dragged, half carried me outside.

When the night air hit us, I was relieved as the crowd separated and allowed for breathing room.  I attempted to break free of Alex to run back into the building.  Alex’ hold never loosened and he continued dragging me until we were a good distance from the building.  “

“Damn it, Alex, let me go!!  I need to go find Daemon.  He’s still in there!”  Tears involuntarily fell from my eyes and my body surged with adrenaline.  My fists started striking against Alex’ chest and he turned his head to keep from being hit.

“Paige, STOP!   You can’t go back in there!  The place is burning to the fucking ground!  I’m sure Daemon got out. I am not letting you go back.”

My knees gave out and I collapsed to the ground.  The sudden movement knocked Alex off balance and he fell to the ground beside me.   I watched as people continued pouring from the building.  Sirens blasted the air when the fire trucks and ambulances arrived.  Police cars shortly followed and I watched as emergency personnel rushed to help those who were injured.  

My eyes moved quickly over the sea of faces seeking Daemon.  My panic level rose higher when I realized that mostly everybody had exited the building, yet he was nowhere to be seen.  Alex’ arms wrapped around me and I felt Ava hugging on to me from the other side. 

“Baby girl, I’m sure he got out of there.  It’s his club, he would know how to escape.”  Alex’ words were spoken with such conviction, I wondered if he wasn’t trying to convince himself of their truthfulness.  Ava was softly crying beside me and I reached out to squeeze her hand.  She nodded at my gesture and we stayed huddled together as we waited.

The minutes dragged by as my eyes took in the chaos and carnage that surrounded us.  People were crying and looking for their friends.  Others laid on the ground waiting for medical help.  Many were covered in a mixture of soot and blood.  I cringed when I spotted a group a people huddled around a person lying on the ground.  I couldn’t tell if the person was dead or alive, but my fears for Daemon only multiplied at the sight.   Every muscle in my body tensed as I tried to remain still, hoping that he would come walking out of that crowd.   When I couldn’t take it any longer, I turned to Alex and begged to be released so that I could search for him.

“Please, Alex, please let me go.  I won’t go in the building.  I can’t, they are blasting it with water, but I need to go look for Daemon.  He might not see us if we remain sitting on the ground.” 

Alex’ expression gave away just how torn he was over keeping me on the ground and releasing me to go search.  Ava remained quiet as I babbled on about how I needed to go.  “Paige, I want to let you go, I do, but I promised your man that when he wasn’t around, I would keep you safe. I can’t let you go.  The crowd is still too thick and I’m afraid you’ll get lost in the chaos.

Different emotions were pouring out of me, all resulting in tears that continued to cascade down my face.  My arms came around my mid-section as I became ill with worry.  My mind was being assaulted with negative thoughts and concerns.  Had I just found Buddy only to lose him again?  How could fate be so fucking cruel?  Losing him once was enough to damn near destroy me, but to lose him twice?  My heart felt like it would tear through my chest and my muscles quivered under the weight of my fears.  I was suddenly overtaken by exhaustion and I relaxed into Alex’ chest.  I continued my desperate search of faces, seeking the blue eyes that would free me from the agonizing weight of fear.

A familiar face came in to view and, although it was not Daemon, I was relieved to see it nonetheless.  Logan approached us looking frantic and emotionally haggard.  His normally smiling eyes were turned down and defeated.  Even the hint of a smile was absent from his expression and my heart fell when I saw him.  He appeared to be limping and I noticed that his shirt was torn.  When he reached us, he dropped to the ground in front of me.

“Please tell me you all have seen Daemon.”  I felt like I would implode at Logan’s words.  The tiny spark of hope that I continued to carry was all but smothered under the realization that nobody had seen Daemon.  It had been at least twenty minutes since the explosion and the very real possibility that Daemon didn’t make it hung over us like a shadow that blocked all light.  An audible sigh escaped from Alex and I heard him mumble some obscenity after Logan spoke.  We didn’t have to answer Logan’s question for him to know that we had not, in fact, seen Daemon.

The crowd started to spread out and thin as the minutes continued to tick by.  The silence amongst our small group was emphasized by the continued cries of the wounded.   The fire had been extinguished from the club and I watched intently as rescue personnel came walking out the front doors.  Smoke continued to pour from the building and settled like a fog concealing the people wandering around outside.  My mood fell farther as I realized that with the amount of smoke in the air, I wouldn’t be able to spot Daemon unless I was practically on top of him.

I know it was wrong.  I know that I gave everybody a heart attack with what I did next, but they had to understand.  Daemon…Buddy…was out there somewhere and I couldn’t just sit around and wait any longer.  As soon as Alex’ defenses were down and his grip around me had loosened, I shot up and sprinted into the smoke filled environment.  I could hear Alex screaming for me to stop, but I shoved past people to get lost within the lingering crowd.   I approached every form, every silhouette, every figure that could possibly be Daemon.  People yelled as I ran into them, but once I identified that they weren’t the person I was looking for, I ran on to seek out the next possibility.  I was frantic in my search, grabbing people and spinning them so that I could see their faces.  I moved from one to the next, full of despair that I hadn’t yet found the one person I needed to survive this. 

As I pushed farther away from where my group of friends were sitting, the smoke became thicker and harder to navigate.  I turned to go back in the direction of my friends when a hand grabbed my arm and pulled me against a large, strong chest.  I spun on my heel immediately, seeking out Daemon’s blue eyes.  My breath was knocked out of me at the sight of the evil glare that met me instead.

“About fucking time, whore!  I’ve been waiting for you to separate from the rest of your little group since I blew up this fucking place!  I was shocked to see you here.  Not only did I get to take out your precious boyfriend, but I get to kill you as well.”  Chris’ breath rolled along my cheek as he held me to him.  I fought against him with all the strength that I had, but his grip was too strong.  His fingers dug into the skin of my arm as his other hand came up around me to cover my mouth.  He started dragging me back toward the building and turned a sharp left to go around the side of the club.

My feet continued kicking out as I struggled to gain traction.   Desperate to be released, I opened my mouth slightly and bit down on one of his fingers.  He let go almost instantly and I screamed out a blood-curdling scream.   My body twisted and contorted as I struggled against Chris’ continued hold on my arm.  He pulled me into his chest once more and I threw my head back, catching him on the nose.  He yelled out when I impacted with his face and his grip loosened enough that I could break free.  I began running at full speed back towards the front of the building.  I spotted a policeman setting up perimeter tape and I slammed into him as I escaped from Chris.  The officer spun around and steadied me.

“Watch where you are going, Miss, you need to be out of this area.”