Deadly Silence (complete) Chapter 56

Vivian didn’t dare glance behind them, going so far as to ignore the rear view mirror.

“We need to avoid traffic,” Gilbert continued as he looked at the red light half a block ahead. Swearing, he looked left then right but Vivian was already following his order. “What are you…?”

Since traffic was at a standstill up ahead she’d done the one thing that made sense and swerved into the opposing lane since that side was still moving.

“What are you doing?” Her driver demanded from his spot that was definitely *not* the driver’s seat.

“I’m avoiding traffic!” She shouted back as she swerved again, narrowly avoiding a car that blared its horn as they flew by. Now at the intersection, Vivian jerked the wheel, the tires squealing again as they turned left, settling back into the proper lane a second later.

“Still there,” Gilbert muttered after glancing back again. “There’s a button on the wheel, looks like a phone. Press and hold it for three seconds.”

It took five quick glances down before Vivian found the button in question. Somehow she released her grip on the steering wheel with one of her hands and shakingly pressed the button, counting to three in her head.

After the first second, a two toned sound echoed in the car. “Call Boss,” Gilbert called out as he started wrapping up his injured leg. Had the bullet gone through his leg? There was blood coming from underneath his leg, too, and Vivian quickly looked away as she released the button.

“Calling Boss,” a monotonous female voice told them from the speaker before it started ringing.

It took three rings before the call was picked up. “Yes?” Samuel’s voice came from the other end, causing Vivian to flinch. Something told her he wasn’t going to be happy about this call.

“We have a situation,” Gilbert began, not bothering with a greeting. “Shots fired, I got hit, we’re trying to get home but have a tail.”

“Vivian?”

“I’m fine,” she replied, her voice shaking.

“Where are you?”

“Heading north, almost to Queens and Fitzgerald,” Gilbert replied. Vivian was glad he knew where they were because she hadn’t a clue. Taking a chance, she looked in the rear view mirror and noted a motorcycle swerving between the cars behind them. The driver was in all black, including their helmet, matching the motorcycle. With autumn just around the corner and the days beginning to shorten, if this had happened two hours later they’d be nothing but a shadow in the dark.

Vivian swallowed the lump in her throat and decided looking back had been a bad idea.

“What’s the plan?”

Gilbert looked behind them again, lips pursed. “Normally I’d lose them…”

“…and you can’t this time because…?”

“I’m driving?” Vivian offered, voice squeaking as she had to quickly move to the right most lane as the car in front of her had put on its brakes due to another red light. “I can turn right on a red, right?” Not waiting for an answer, she did just that at the last possible second. The car was going to need new tires by the time they made it home. Would she have to pay for them, she wondered absently.

Gilbert swore under his breath. “We got another.”

“Why are they even after us?!” Vivian exclaimed, her breathing becoming laboured as she fought the panic fuelled by constant surges of adrenaline.

“Mr Morris?”

“Meet us at the Bolivar,” Gilbert finally replied as he finished wrapping his leg with an expert level of efficiency.

“Done. Vivian?”

“Y-yes?”

“Do whatever Mr Morris tells you. He’ll keep you safe.”

The call disconnected before she could say anything in return, not that there was anything left to say. “What’s the Bolivar?” She asked as they scooted around a city bus.

“Take a left at the next intersection,” he instructed without answering the question.

*Okie doke*, she thought to herself as they swung into the intersection, the light a lovely shade of red, through crossing traffic and back into the correct lane.

“See the tall building on the left? Two blocks ahead?”

“I see it.”

“That’s the Bolivar. Half a block before the building there’s a parking garage; you’re going to turn in there.”

Vivian took a breath and let it out slow. Another turn. As much as she’d mastered driving forward she had yet to get the hang of corners. On the street there was plenty of room for error, if she didn’t take into account traffic, but an opening big enough for a single vehicle? That was a different matter. She’d have to slow down and braking hadn’t gone over well the one time she’d done it back at the mall.

There was some luck on Vivian’s side for once that day; there was a break in oncoming traffic when she made the turn into the parking garage and for once no horns blared at her driving. She did, however, lose the passenger’s side view mirror on the way in.

“Park in the first spot,” Gilbert was instructing her as he braced for the turn. “Leave the car on.”

“You say that like I know how to turn it off,” Vivian muttered to herself as she did as she’d been told, the front bumper tapping the cement wall at the front of the spot she’d parked in at a horrible angle. It wasn’t so much one parking spot but two, but since she didn’t have her license to begin with what was the harm in being bad at parking?

“Out,” her driver ordered as he flung open his own door.

It took Vivian a couple attempts to open her door, her hands shaking so bad gripping the handle proved difficult. When she finally stepped out onto the concrete, Gilbert had limped to the elevator, smearing the blood from his hand on the door frame before stepping inside.

Thinking they were going to escape on another floor, Vivian moved after him only for Gilbert to leave the elevator before the doors closed. As he walked by her confused form he grabbed her arm in an iron grip and dragged her to a door near the entrance they’d come through. It was locked, but that didn’t deter the man. Bringing out his gun again, he shot the lock and pushed the door open.

Vivian watched in silence, allowing herself to be ushered into the room before he closed the door. It was dark until Gilbert cracked the door open a sliver. “What now?” She managed to ask.

“We wait. Quietly.” The emphasis he’d placed on the word ‘quietly’ made Vivian purse her lips; it was like he was saying she talked too much. Never had she been accused of that particular issue and having the man she thought was just there to drive her around infer differently annoyed her.

A minute later the sound of others arriving at the scene reached Vivian’s ears. “It’s empty. Looks like they took the elevator.” This voice was loud and gruff but lacked authority.

“Blood. Someone got hit.”

“Better not be the target,” a third voice snapped. “If you hit her you know it’s our heads.”

“Don’t remind me. Looks like the elevator is still going up.”

“Spread out,” the third voice ordered, tone harsh but commanding. “We each take a floor. Watch for the old guy — he’s got some training.”

“What about this?”

“Leave it for now. We can retrieve it once we get what we came for.”

Vivian was watching Gilbert as the men spoke, but the man was a silhouette, leaning against the door frame, the door just barely cracked so he could watch what was happening without being seen.

Heavy footsteps followed by the thud of a door being thrown open soon turned to blessed silence.

“Back to the car,” Gilbert told her as he opened the door and stepped out, head on a swivel.

Vivian stumbled after him, not wanting to be left behind. “Who’s driving?” She managed to blurt out as they neared the vehicle.

“You are,” he replied, much to her displeasure.

“But…”

He glanced at her and she snapped her mouth shut, climbing back into the driver’s seat without another word. Buckling herself in, she noted Gilbert had picked up her school bag, emptying the contents onto the floor at his feet. “Hey…!” There was blood everywhere and she’d already cleaned everything up once today; blood wasn’t going to be as easy to get out as water.

“Drive, Miss Vivian. We’re leaving the way we came.”

She turned her head to the entrance and noted the large sign that said it wasn’t an exit and not to use it as such. “I don’t think I’m allowed? It says not to. Isn’t it illegal?”

“Miss… the only legal thing we’ve done thus far is call the elevator. Now drive.”