Once Saul was safely inside the apartment, two of Cyrus' men came forward and searched him. They confirmed to Cyrus that he was unarmed, and then they forced him to kneel.
Saul instinctively tried to stand up again. But he stopped when the two men drew their guns on him. He counted the people in the room. There were six of them, not including Danielle.
"Saul," Danielle blubbered with tears in her eyes. Cyrus was holding a gun to her head.
At that moment, all Saul wanted was to get her to safety.
"Let her go," he said calmly. "I'll go with you to see Chris."
Cyrus laughed. "See Chris? What are you talking about? You're never leaving this room."
Saul's mind started racing. This can't be happening, he thought. I've been working for Chris for years. He wouldn't just kill me. I need to talk to him. He was there when I shot Julian. He knows I had no choice.
"I'm Chris' right-hand man," he said and looked Julian in the eye. "I want to speak to him, and you don't have the right to deny me."
Cyrus hesitated. He knew how much Chris had always valued Saul. Perhaps if he had time to think about it, he wouldn't want him dead.
He thought for a moment, and then he took out his phone and called Chris. After a few signals, someone answered on the other end.
"Chris, we've caught Saul," Cyrus said. "At Danielle's place, just like you said. He wants to talk to you."
The voice on the other end said something to him, and he walked over to Saul and held the phone against his face.
Saul composed himself. "Chris, you were there. You know that I had no choice. I've worked for you for years. You can't just off me like this. I'll take any punishment. You know that I won't complain. But not this."
"Is that Saul?" a voice said in the background on the other end. It was Julian. He came forward and shouted directly into the phone. "You crippled me, you scumbag! You want punishment? Fine! I'll make you wish you were dead!"
Julian stopped himself. When he continued speaking, his voice was calmer. "You're going to learn something. Something Chris should have taught you. I'll teach you what happens when you cross the wrong people."
Saul was seething with anger, but he kept it bottled up. He still had a glimmer of hope that Chris might let him live.
Chris' voice came back to the phone.
"Listen, Saul," he said. "You've made one mistake too many. I'm sorry, but there's no coming back from this."
Saul lost his cool. "Chris, I've fought for you! I would have given my life for you! And this is how it ends?"
Chris didn't answer. Cyrus put the phone back against his own ear.
"Yeah, I understand," he said. "Don't worry. I'll make it clean."
"Chris!" Saul cried out in a hurry. If Chris hung up the phone, all would be lost. "Do what you want to me, but I have one last request. Let Danielle go. Let her go back to her hometown, and don't trouble her again."
"She's my employee, Saul," he heard Chris saying. "I'm not just going to release her. I'm the one who sent her to you."
"What'll happen to her?" Saul said. He clenched his fist.
"What always happens to my girls," Chris said dismissively. It was clear that he was done talking.
Saul was at a breaking point, and he clenched his fist tighter and tighter.
Suddenly, Julian's voice came back into the phone. "No, much more than that," he said. "I'll take her for myself. Once you're gone, I'll enjoy her company every day." He started laughing.
That was the last straw. Saul erupted. He stood up and rushed the two men who had guns on him. He grabbed one of them and tried to wrest his gun from his hands, while using his body to shield himself from being shot by the other.
The two men were startled and immediately started firing their guns. Saul managed to avoid the first few shots, but then he was hit in the shoulder and the thigh. The pain surged through him, but he endured it. He managed to yank the gun from the man's hands, and quickly struck them both over the head with it. They fell to the floor unconscious.
Cyrus and the others were pointing their guns at him. He reacted quickly and threw himself behind the sofa to his left.
Shots rang out, but none of them hit him. The air in the room was filled with splinters, sawdust, and glass.
Danielle was scared to death. She covered her ears and tried desperately to run over to Saul. Cyrus tried to grab her, but he was to slow. He raised his gun and fired. She fell motionless to the ground. The gunfire stopped.
"Danielle?" Saul cried out. He couldn't see what was happening. There was no answer.
"You'll pay for this!" Saul roared and rose. He unloaded his magazine on Cyrus and his remaining cronies.
The sudden burst of gunfire caught them off-guard. Three of them fell, and Cyrus was hit in the right arm. He dropped his gun on the floor.
When the gunfire settled down, Saul realized he had been hit in the side. The adrenaline and his anger kept him standing.
Cyrus sat against the wall, hold his hand to his arm in an effort to stop the bleeding. Saul walked slowly over to him. His expression was completely blank. He grabbed Cyrus by the collar and punched him repeatedly in the face.
"Please, don't," Cyrus muttered as Saul kept pummeling. Then he stopped speaking. Saul let him go, and he fell to the floor.
Saul looked at him. It was over. But when he stood there looking at Cyrus, he was struck by the reality of what had just happened. His anger and despair came back with increased intensity. He cried out in agony, kicked Cyrus several times, and punched the wall repeatedly.
His hands were covered with blood, and his gunshot wounds ached terribly. Now that it was over, he felt the state he was in.
A faint voice echoed in the room. "Cyrus? What's going on?"
Saul looked over and saw Cyrus' phone on the floor next to him. The phone call was still connected. He hobbled over to the phone and picked it up.
"What happened?" Chris asked. For once, he sounded anxious. "Is it done?"
"Chris," Saul whispered. He spoke calmly and gently, which made Chris' heart tremble.
"I'm still here, Chris," he continued. "Can't say the same for the other guys, though. Or for Danielle."
At the thought of her, his voice broke. He suddenly started crying. "Don't worry, Chris. I'll let you pay me back. We'll work something out. Something reasonable, given your family's wealth. I'll come and collect soon." He hung up.
He dropped the phone and looked over at Danielle. He walked slowly over to her. He sat down beside her, rested her head on his leg, and gently stroked her hair. "I'm sorry," he said. "I know I said we'd travel the world. I shouldn't have made so many promises."
He bent down and kissed her forehead. It seemed to him that she was sleeping, and that he was just chatting with her. There was blood on her face.
"You're dirty," he said. "I'll wipe it off for you." He rubbed the stain with his thumb, but it only increased in size. The reality of what had happened struck him again. He held her tightly and sobbed.
**
Chris put his phone away and frowned. Saul was nothing to him. He was a lackey. A lackey who was only good for following orders, who had no will of his own. Lower than an animal. And yet, Saul had dared to speak to him as if he were in charge. He had threatened him.
Chris simmered with anger.