Page 73 of The Guru: Shadow

“You left quite the mess, Carl. Killing my people is something I cannot oversee. Drop the gun, now.”

Only Carl didn’t drop the gun. “Could say that for yourself, don’t you?”

“I’ve never killed innocent people. Gun, now!”

Her heart began to race.

Never killed innocent people.

So he has killed.

It should worry her.

It should repulse her.

It really, really should.

“You will regret that,” said Carl. “He’ll come for you.”

“Who is he?”

For a moment, there was silence.

“Richard.”

Who is Richard?

And as she stared straight into Carl’s eyes, what he did next was very, very strange. With his eyes, he pointed at something. He stared intensely at her, moving from her eyes to the direction of his pocket and back.

Is he trying to tell me something?

With the slowest and barely noticeable movement, not breaking eye contact, she let her hand glide over his thigh until she found his pocket. When she reached it, he blinked.

Fuck, he wants me to take it.

She pushed the phone out only by moving her hand, so Deis wouldn’t see. When she had it, she took it in her hand and slipped it into her sleeve. Whatever it was Carl wanted her to know, Deis could never find out she had it. Never.

The moment she had it, many things happened at the same time. Carl dropped the gun, ducked down, turned around, and hit Deis’ arm out of the way in one swift, forceful movement. Deis’ gun flew a couple of feet away, and she did the only thing making sense to her: getting both guns, while Carl slammed his elbow into Deis’ neck, who sank onto his knees. Carl took him into a strong chokehold. He was not getting air, and his attempt to pull at his fingers did not work in the slightest.

Something about Carl was crazy-ass strong and painless. Watching it, her heart pounded so loudly that she thought she heard it resounding from the walls.

I can’t let Deis die.

“You will never get away with it, never. They know. And they’ll come for–” Carl began while suddenly everything in her went quiet. No more voices, no more thinking. She just acted.

Unable to say why she did it, she held the gun straight into Carl’s face. “Let go of him, right now.”

“Emma, he’s not who you think he is.”

“I said let go of him, or God forbid, I will pull the trigger. You raped me, Carl. You killed people for heaven’s sake!”

Her mind was blank as she watched Deis turn blueish in his slightly swollen face. When she spoke again, it was so calm and dangerous, she didn’t recognize her own voice, “Last chance, Carl, let go of him or–”

Carl let go of Deis like he was being electrocuted, lifted his arms, and took two steps back.

“Not another step,” she told him. He would not get away with this.

The way he stood there, the gloating in his eyes, reminded her of something.

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