Benjamin
After a while of contemplation, I realized why Alex had to do all of this. He just wanted to help, as Val said. Still, I couldn't believe he'd go this far, pretending to be my enemy. I'm the boss; they should have informed me about their plans, and they shouldn't have acted on their own. As gangsters, we were supposed to act together.
I looked at Val. He'd been sitting there like a bored guy, counting the hairs on the skin of his arm. I was glad he didn't have to go through the same tormentation as what Caesar wanted to do with me. Of course, his brother couldn't really hurt him.
"You should get some rest, Val," I said. "We don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. Better to prepare for the worst."
"Thank you, boss," Val replied, leaning on the back of the electric chair. He closed his eyelids.
With my position, it was quite difficult to fall asleep, but I tried. A few moments later, I woke up when I heard footsteps approaching. It was Alex. He was wearing a white t-shirt, ripped jeans, and brown espadrilles. "Boss," he said.
"Alex, what are you doing here?" I asked.
"Sorry for disturbing you, boss. I just want to check on you and Val," he replied, looking anxious. "I sneaked out."
"You shouldn't have," I said. "It'll be a disaster if they catch you."
"I know... But I want to apologize for hurting you and for not telling you about our plans." Alex looked at his brother, who was sleeping soundly like a kitten on a rug, then he turned to face me. "Is there something you want me to do?"
I couldn't really hate Alex, especially after knowing why he did this. He just wanted to help. It was already midnight, and I knew we couldn't escape here easily. We'd have to do something to end this. But I also think about Andrea. "Can you check on her?" I asked.
"Andrea?" Alex guessed, and I nodded. "Got it, boss."
"Thank you," I said.
Alex smiled before going out. With everything he did, he could become a very good actor. Not only did he have good looks, but also he knew his lines well. Knowing that he was still on my side made me feel a little relieved.
I closed my eyes and tried to get some rest, hoping that everyone and everything would be alright, especially Andrea, and we could get out of here alive.
The next day, I woke up hearing Val's scream. When I opened my eyes, I saw Caesar electrifying him. Alex was standing there behind Caesar. I could see him wince as if he were the one being electrified.
"Stop it!" I shouted.
But instead of stopping, Caesar only laughed and even increased the electric voltage, making Val almost jumpy. "I like how this little boy jumps. I want to see more."
Caesar was about to raise up the button, but Alex stopped him. He looked at him. "Right, I almost forgot he's your brother." He took his hand off the button, and Alex distanced himself. Then he moved towards me. "Now, it's your turn, Benjie."
While Caesar was babbling to me like a preacher in public, I noticed Alex moving behind him, dipping the tip of the aluminum rod in the crackling blaze of the fireplace. Then, Alex turned around, and with a big swing, he struck Caesar in the neck, sending him to sleep.
Before Caesar's men could notice what was happening, Alex had set us free and gave me back my 9mm Beretta. Standing before Caesar, I pointed the gun at his head and without hesitation pulled the trigger. He looked good with the bullet in his head. To make sure he was dead, I added another bullet.
Turning to Alex, I said, "Bring me to Andrea."
Alex led us to another cell where Andrea was held. A throng of thugs entered the mansion and kept shooting at us. We paved our way by shooting back until we got into the cell. I shot the lock; the gunshots must have awakened Andrea. While Alex and Val were shooting at the enemies, I released her and covered her body with my coat. She hugged me, and I squeezed her in my arms.
"Everything will be alright, my dear. But first let's get out of here," I said. Holding her hand, we stood up and made our way out.
Luckily, Alex knew the door to the backyard. We were moving so slowly, stopping and hiding behind the walls as the enemies kept shooting at us. It was raining bullets.
"Ahhh!" Alex screamed when a bullet hit his leg.
"Alex!" Val immediately helped his brother, slung his arm on his shoulder, and they walked side by side together.
When we reached the backyard, the men were still following us. All I could think of was escaping alive, no matter how many bullets I got. We almost reached the forest when I heard Alex scream again. When I looked back, I saw him dropping to the ground. Val was standing there beside him, hesitant to leave.
"You have to go, Val!" Alex exclaimed. "I'll stop them."
A faint smile crept on Alex's face. He pushed Val away as Caesar's men rushed towards them, still shooting. I had to go back and drag Val with me. Before we disappeared into the forest, I saw a familiar face at the balcony of the mansion. It was Rudolf. Despite my confusion about what he was doing there, I kept moving as fast as I could.
Gunshots echoed in the forest, sending the birds out of their nests. Those men chased after us. Finally, we reached the pickup car and got inside. I sat in the driver's seat, turned the engine on, and started driving while bullets hit the back of the car.
Val sat on the backseat silently, probably thinking about what happened to his brother, while Andrea shivered against the cold wind beside me. "Hang in there, guys," I said.
Andrea reached out for my hand and squeezed it. "Thanks for saving me," she said.
I fought the urge to lean and kiss her hard. I wanted her to know how much I love and miss her, but I had to focus on the road until we felt safe. I couldn't believe how fast things happened. How Alex turned out to be an ally rather than an enemy. He was such a great man; he sacrificed himself to save us. Also, I wondered what Rudolf was doing there. Was he related to Caesar?