Never Tear Us Apart
Chapter
Twenty
Phillip stared at Brady, his face turning as white as a ghost. "You're -- you're alive..."
Brady rolled his eyes at Phillip's statement of the obvious. "Do you really think I'd be dumb enough to not wear a bulletproof vest when I'm breaking into a house owned by the DiMeras?"
Phillip turned around and looked at Chloe. She was smiling slightly, having seen the vest underneath Brady's shirt when she was inspecting his 'wounds', knowing immediately that the bullet in the shoulder was his only injury. Brady had also given her his famous wink, letting her know that she should play along with his 'death' act.
"Chloe -- you -- you..."
Chloe slid off the table and put her hands on her hips. "And the Oscar for Best Actress goes to... ME. That's right, Phillip, I knew. I was just stalling until Brady could make his entrance."
Phillip ran his hands through his hair and growled loudly at her. "You bitch! You stupid bitch! How could you do that to me?"
"After everything you've done, you still have to ask me that. Maybe YOU are the stupid one."
Seemingly out of nowhere, Stefano began laughing quietly. All heads turned in his direction as his laughter grew louder and more malevolent. "Nice try, Mr. Black... But do you really think it would so easy for you to come barging in here, guns blazing, and get whatever it is you want."
Every muscle in Brady's face tightened as he finally came face to face with the man who had been the cause of so much pain for his family. "You know exactly what I want, DiMera... And, I will get it."
Brady looked at Bart and Rolf on the other side of the room and barked orders at them. "Bart, untie the princess right away. Rolf, do something with my friend Noah as soon as possible. I want him to be as clear-headed as possible when he wakes up."
Stefano turned to yell at his two lackeys, his black eyes swirling with anger. "Don't you two dare listen to him! You only take orders from me!"
"Not anymore, DiMera... I'm the one with the gun in my hand, and one tucked in my jeans, remember? You two do what *I* say because I have plenty of ammunition and absolutely no qualms about shooting either of you."
There was a long pause as both Rolf and Bart looked between Stefano and Brady. Brady waved the gun at them both and they quickly went to work following the younger man's orders. Brady turned back to Stefano with a satisfied grin and pointed at the music box on the table, the one Phillip had taken from them upstairs.
"Now you, Old Man DiMera, can do one thing for me... one very important thing... open that box and get me the antidote for my father."
"I don't take orders from bratty little rich kids like you, Brady Black. I don't take orders from anyone. You must be a fool to think that your little plan will actually work."
Stefano slid his hand into his jacket to pull out his own gun, but before he could even aim it in Brady's direction, the younger man had already fired off one shot. The bullet tore through Stefano's hand knocking the gun to the floor and causing the older man to groan in pain. His hand was torn and bleeding from the wound, and both women yelped in shock at the sound of Brady's gun firing.
Stefano gripped on to the edge of the table with his good hand, his breathing heavy with the shock of his injury. Brady looked at Chloe and motioned towards the gun now on the floor. "Chloe, pick up the gun... You might need it. Rolf and Bart -- if you have weapons, give them to Greta and Chloe now."
Brady turned his attentions back to Stefano and slid the music box down the table closer to the injured man. "Now... open the music box and take out the antidote. You still have one good hand."
Stefano began punching numbers on the keypad, snarling at Brady as he did so. "Even if I give you what's in here, you'll never get it to your father in time. I'll make sure you are dead before you even leave Italy."
Brady chuckled softly and rolled his eyes. "Somehow... your threats aren't that scary anymore. I guess that could be because I just *shot* you, and because I can easily do it again."
Brady heard Phillip shuffling behind him and whirled around on his heels to grab Phillip's gun out of his hand. Phillip stared at him in astonishment as he turned back around and threw it to Chloe, who caught it easily. Greta was untied from her chair and now armed, as Rolf was giving Noah something to wake him up.
Rolf finished with Noah's injection and looked at Brady. "He should be awake in a few minutes, I gave him something to reverse the effects of the anesthesia... Something I created myself."
"Great. Now run... You and Bart... I have no personal beef with either of you, besides the fact that you work for Stefano DiMera... If you want to live, and you don't want to go to prison, I suggest you get the hell out of here and find gainful employment somewhere else. Come after me or my family, and I will give you the punishment you should be getting now..."
Strangely enough, neither man hesitated to get out. They both had this sinking feeling that Stefano's reign of terror was finally over, and neither wanted to be here when it ended. Brady turned back to Stefano just as the box was opening to reveal a tube of blue liquid resting on a velvet lining. Brady threw his wife a pleased smile and then reached for the tube. He held it up to the light and then clutched it tightly in his hand just as he heard Noah groaning softly.
Greta immediately went to his side and helped him sit up. "Hey... Wake up... Noah... Are you alright?"
The dark-haired man's eyes fluttered open and he stared at her groggily. "Princess... Princess, am I having a really weird dream?"
"No, you're not... Are you -- Are you still you?"
Noah's hand went to the back of his neck as he felt the now bandaged place at the back of his skull. Rolf had installed the chip, but had either left it deactivated for a reason or had deactivated it when Brady arrived. "I'm me... I think... I'll let you know as soon as I'm awake. Brady... Chloe... Hey... What's going on?"
Brady looked at Noah but motioned slightly behind him towards Phillip. "Well, Uncle Phil was just about to leave here with us and turn himself into the authorities, whether he wants to or not. And DiMera... I haven't really decided what to do with him yet."
Noah stared at the man who killed his brother with complete hatred, his anger boiling behind his blue eyes. "Kill him... Kill them both for all I care..."
Greta grabbed his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "Noah... He won't do that... He can't kill them in cold blood. You know that..."
Noah nodded slightly, he knew she was right, but it didn't make him stop wanting both of them dead. Brady tried to think about what he would do next, he couldn't just kill them both, but they were both far too sly and dangerous to be held in a prison cell for too long. If they couldn't be stopped permanently, they would only come after him and his family again and again.
Brady wouldn't have to think much longer as he felt something smash into the side of his head painfully. While he had been distracted with Noah's awakening and his own thoughts, Stefano had grabbed on to the music box to slam it into his skull. Brady dropped the vial filled with the antidote and his gun as he toppled to the floor dizzily. Phillip wasted no time, grabbing Brady's gun off the floor and waving it around the room.
"You can't hesitate, Brady. Hesitation is one of the biggest mistakes you can make in this kind of situation... Trust me, I know."
Brady grabbed the gun tucked in his jeans and pointed it up at Phillip from his position on the floor. Phillip must have forgotten about the second gun as his face showed shock and surprise. Brady pulled the trigger, sending a bullet through Phillip's shoulder making a wound identical to his own shoulder wound.
"No, Phillip... Lack of attention to detail is the *biggest* mistake. Don't ever forget how many weapons your enemy has with them."
Phillip dropped the gun, his hand immediately covering the wound in his shoulder as he yelped in pain. Blood gushed through his fingers and he had to lean up against a wall to keep from falling over in pain. Brady looked at Noah and motioned towards the door.
"Noah, you get my wife and Greta to safety... I think I've got these two under control."
"Brady..."
Brady shook his head, Noah was still weak from the surgery and he didn't want to put him in any more danger. "Go, please go. Call the ISA and tell them where they can find us... I'll wait right here for them to come and pick these two up."
Stefano chuckled softly and shook his head. "It's too late, Black."
Brady turned to stare at him doubtfully. "Too late? What are you babbling about now, old man?"
"While you were busy shooting your nephew, I hit the self-destruct button."
"The self-destruct button? This isn't a sci-fi movie -- what are you talking about?"
"In case I ever needed to -- destroy the evidence. This whole building is set to explode. If you want to live, get out now."
Brady's eyes widened, his teeth clenched in anger. "You're lying!"
Stefano smirked slightly and snickered. "You ready to test out that theory? Stay here if you think I'm lying, and then they can ship you all back to Salem in pieces. I'm not afraid of death, Mr. Black... I don't think I can say the same for you."
"SHUT IT OFF! UNDO IT!"
"Or what? You'll kill me? I told you I'm not afraid of death..."
Stefano looked over at the three others, standing close together as they stared at him in shock. "Greta, my beautiful princess... my youngest daughter... Why wouldn't you let me be a part of your life?"
Greta's hands were trembling but she found the strength to lift the gun in her hand and point it directly at him. "Because you're pure evil... No matter what, you will never be my father. Now shut off the explosives or I will kill you myself. I know what you're trying to do... You're trying to get us to run out of here, so you can find some secret way to escape... The Phoenix always rises from the ashes, right?"
"You are a DiMera, Greta... I can see it in your eyes... Your hatred, your anger, it's all inside you..."
Stefano started to walk towards her but Greta stopped him with her words. "My hatred only burns for you, Stefano... You disgust me... And, nothing you can say will ever make me be like you. Now, if you take one more step towards me, I will shoot you."
Stefano must not have believed her, for he took two steps in her direction, steps that would prove to be his last. Greta didn't hesitate for a second, her fear taking over fingers as she pulled the trigger. The bullet hit him squarely in the chest and knocked him to the floor in an unconscious heap.
Greta began crying immediately and Noah took the gun from her shaking hands, pulling her into his arms to comfort her. There was no time for Brady to bend down and check DiMera's vital signs, because Phillip decided to make one more desperate attack to regain the upper hand. He latched his arms around Brady's neck from behind to strangle him and practically threw himself on to his back.
Chloe practically flew around the gurneys and tables in her way to try and push Phillip off of her husband, but he was too strong for her. His injured arm let go of Brady long enough to slam into her and knock her down to the floor. Brady was trying to throw him off, but he could hardly catch his breath as Phillip continued squeezing his larynx.
Brady finally had a moment's advantage and threw his head back into Phillip's face, busting his nose with the back of his skull. Phillip stumbled back slightly, blood trickling out of his nose from Brady's hard hit. But, it didn't deter him for long as he went to attack him again.
Another gunshot rang out in the room, this time coming from Chloe who was leaning against the wall as she pulled herself up from the floor. She had always been against the use of guns, but never felt herself more grateful for their existence as she did when her bullet found it's target. Her shot hit Phillip in the side of the head, throwing him to the ground with a loud echoing thud.
Chloe edged towards his body, as a dark pool of blood was already beginning to form under his head. She kneeled beside him and checked for a pulse, but her bullet had killed him instantly. She stared at him with hatred, the fires burning in her sapphire eyes, the anger for everything he had done to her and those she loved coming out with every syllable she spoke. "I hope... No, I KNOW you will be rotting in hell, Phillip Kiriakis. And you deserve it..."
Chloe stood shakily and immediately went into Brady's arms, sobbing loudly into his chest as she let the gun drop to the floor. Through her tears, Brady could barely make out her next three words. "Are you okay?"
Brady smiled slightly and kissed the top of her head as he gently stroked her hair. "I am now. Are you?"
Chloe looked at him, her eyes swimming with tears. "I will be, as soon as we get out of here."
Greta and Noah had moved behind them and Greta was staring at the blinking lights of the controls on the desk as Noah checked Stefano for any signs of life. Brady turned himself and Chloe around to face them as Noah was standing up from his examination of Stefano's body. "He's definitely dead... no phoenix rising this time..."
Greta tore her gaze away from the blinking numbers and turned to look at her friends. "Uhm... We better... We better go... That clock attached to the explosives is not giving us much time to get out."
"Alright, is everybody able to walk?" Brady hesitated when he saw the pure fear in Greta's eyes and then rephrased his question. "Run?"
Greta nodded enthusiastically and they all ran through the door of the lab, with Brady and Chloe taking the lead. Stefano's self-destruct mechanism had shut most of the power in the house off, save for a few small lights, so they had a difficult time finding their way to the nearest exit.
They finally reached the outside together, the night air slightly cool for a summer night, and ran through the grounds behind the house together. They got a safe distance from the house when Brady realized that the two women were on either side of him, but Noah was nowhere to be found. They all stopped, out of breath from their frantic running, and Brady gave a worried look to Chloe and then to Greta.
"Noah... Where's Noah?"
Greta's eyes went wide and she clutched her hand to her chest. "Oh my God... He was right behind me, I thought he was right behind me... But, it was dark... and... oh God, no..."
Brady paused for a moment to think, knowing that going anywhere near that house was dangerous right now. But, he had no other choice. Noah had risked himself tonight to help him and his family, and he had to do the same for Noah. He took off at a breakneck speed towards the house as the two women shouted after him.
He didn't get far though, as the entire mansion exploded in a cacophony of sound and flames. Brady was thrown backwards, hitting the cold wet grass of the back lawn, as Greta and Chloe grabbed on to each other and ducked for cover.
The ground seemed to shake beneath them as the house exploded into bits, showering them with debris. When it started to subside, Chloe rolled over on to her back and saw Brady crawling carefully towards them. Greta sat up and started coughing through the smoke and dust in the air.
Her eyes filled with tears, not just from the smoke, but from the sudden disappearance of Noah Maguire. "He -- he was in there, wasn't he?"
Chloe wrapped her arms around her friend in a tight hug, as Brady joined them on the ground. "We don't know that, Greta... He might be okay... He could have gotten out..."
Chloe looked into Brady's eyes for reassurance, for some sort of comfort, but found nothing. Even her strong, brave husband who always seemed to have all the answers could not give them any guarantees about Noah's escape.