THE RE EVALUATION

Adrian's POV Although my share of the suffering was a dull throb, it was not sufficient to bring me down. Not now. The first thing I opened my eyes to was Samantha, her body stiff as Jared's guys crowded the room, dread imprinted on her face. Lucas was holding them off as best he could, but it was obvious they were slipping. I inhaled deeply, calling the suffering to pass. I have to overcome it. I had a fight to do. This time Jared had pushed us too far, and I refused to let him prevail. "Samantha," I said, a feeble but determined croak. Her head turned to meet mine, amazement increasing in her eyes at realizing I was waking. Her face flushed with relief, but it was soon replaced with terror. She said, "Adrian," hurrying to my side. You're damaged. You ought not to be moving. "I have no choice," I said, forcing myself up despite the terrible agony in my side. For a second my vision blurred, but I clenched my teeth to keep myself concentrated. We cannot let Jared accompany us. Samantha's eyes strayed to Jared, standing in the doorway, his arrogant grin sending a tsunami of wrath through me. He considered himself to have us cornered. He considered himself to have already won. But when the people I loved were under danger, he had no idea what I was capable of. I screamed, my hands squeezing into fists as I battled the agony: "I'm not letting him win". "NOT this time." Samantha's hand rested on my arm, her touch anchoring me. "We'll work through this together." I nodded, staring squarely at Jared. His troops were flinging out around us, his eyes shining with delight as he was quickly approaching. Lucas was ready, but even he understood we were outnumbered. If we delayed our action, this was a losing war. "Enough games, Adrian," Jared said, his voice full with conceit. "You have been far too long a thorn in my side. But this is where it ends. I made myself stand, my legs quivering but under control. You believe this is over, Jared? You believe you might just waltz in here and win? Jared laughed, the sound chilly and contemptuous. "You have delusions if you believe you have any cards to use." But looking at him, something snapped in my head. Like he did constantly, Jared had undervalued us. Though the truth was he was overly cocky and sure of himself, he felt he had us imprisoned. He had no sense of what was ahead. "We have more than you could possibly imagine," I added, my voice low but firm. I looked across to Samantha, locking eyes with her. Prepare yourself. She nodded, picking up the implicit directive. I grabbed the revolver Lucas had left within arm's reach and fired as Jared moved toward us. The bullet touched Jared's arm, and his haughtiness wavered in response. He staggered backward, surprise blazing across his face. The room went crazy. Jared's men raced toward us, and Lucas reacted to knock down the closest one with a quick blow to the face. I drove beyond the suffering, concentrating on the struggle. Now I afford to hold back. Samantha stayed nearby, her eyes wide but focused. Though she was not a fighter, she was not going to let anxiety stop her. Not now. She was no more the woman running from her past, as I could see her changing. She was grounded, ready to meet whatever came next. Though they were well-trained, Jared's soldiers were not expecting us to respond with this degree of ferocity. Lucas moved like a man seized, a swirl of blows and strikes. Long enough for me to knock one of the attackers off balance, Samantha grabbed a piece of shattered furniture and swung it at him. We were still outnumbered, though, and it would not be long before they overwhelmed us. "ADrian!" Tense in his voice, Lucas yelled We have to leave this place! He was correct. We couldn't hold off indefinitely. Jared was already healing; he grabbed his wounded arm with angry eyes. He was not going to let us leave without any difficulty. Taking Samantha's hand, I pulled her toward the rear of the space. "We must migrate." Not now. She followed me as we negotiated the tumult without thinking twice. Lucas brought down anyone who ventured too near and shielded our retreat. But Jared's voice burst out, harsh and poisonous as we arrived at the door. "You believe you could run from Adrian? It is impossible to hide permanently! I turned to meet him squarely. The planet appeared to halt for a time, and all I could see was the guy who had taken so much from me—who had wrecked so much. Once and for once he had to be stopped. But the time was not for retribution now. Right now was the moment of survival. Lucas immediately behind us, I dragged Samantha inside the door. Though we didn't halt, the sound of Jared's men scrambling after us rang far away. We stopped nowhere. As we raced through the building's tight hallways looking for an exit, my heart hammered in my chest as the excitement surged through me. Samantha didn't grumble or slow down; her breath came in harsh spurts. She was battling as fiercely as I was, and I felt a flash of pride. From the lady caught by her own anxieties to someone prepared to battle for her freedom, for her future, she had gone so far. "Over here!" Pointing toward a side entrance leading to the alley behind the structure, Lucas yelled. We staggered through the door, the cool night air like a wave of relief. Still, time was running out for relaxation. Jared's men would be on us in a few short seconds. I stammered, my sight flickering momentarily as the side ache erupted once more. Samantha grabbed me before I dropped, her face marked with worry. "You're not okay," she added, sounding tense. "We must get you assistance. I said, "I'll be fine," gritting my teeth and pushing myself to keep on. "We just have to leave this place. Lucas was immediately looking for any indication of danger as he surveyed the alley. "An automobile a few blocks down exists. If we move quickly, we can do it. I nodded, willing through the discomfort. We were not stopping right now. Not right when we were so near to leaving. But as we rounded a bend, a familiar voice yelled from behind us. "Leaving soon?" I stopped, blood turning to ice. Two of his men were on either side as he stood at the end of the alley. His face twisted in a sneer, his eyes shining with a mix of fury and satisfaction. "You really thought you could flee Adrian?" Jared taunted, his words laden with contempt. "You're a fool." Lucas moved forward with his gun lifted, then Jared held out a hand to signal his guys to stop. "This isn't about them," Jared continued, staring squarely at me. This relates to you and me. It always has been. The weight of his words sank in my chest and my heart hammered there. He had it correct. This had always stood between the two of us. It always came back to this moment, regardless of the number of people he dispatched after me or the distance we covered. I inhaled deeply, straightening my shoulders, then moved forward, staring just at Jared. "Then let's finish this," I murmured, my voice firm despite the terror chewing at the margins of my consciousness. Although Jared's smile grew, it lacked warmth. "Gladly." The planet seemed to vanish as we stood face to face, leaving only the two of us. Here was it, the last reckoning. In one sense or another, things would finish tonight. But Jared moved forward and his expression changed—something I hadn't expected. And in that instant I understood that this was beyond myself. It is related to Samantha as well. And Jared had one more card available for play.