Chapter Seven: This Is War

The stench of gun oil was ripe in Maggie's nostrils, it's acidic smell flooding her senses as the hard ridged, cream wall paper dug into her left cheek. The metallic barrel of the Beretta was cold on her right cheek, she could feel it trailing along her cheek bone, past her nose and lips before Gregor used it to brush a stray strand of her chestnut colored hair back behind her ear. The gesture was alarmingly intimate. His large beefy hand was on the center of her spine, crushing her athletic body against the wall of her small office and holding her in place. Her hands were free, her red shirt sleeves were buttoned at the wrist, her palms resting upon the surface of the paper as he drilled the gun even further into the soft flesh on her face.

"I know you told them Magdalena. I know you warned them about the hit on Halstead." Gregor seethed, his tone sharp and malevolent.

Maggie inhaled deeply, closing her eyes for the briefest of moments as she struggled to calm the trembling sensation that was vibrating through every single one of her synapses. She tried to remind herself that she had been in worse situations than this over the years but right now she couldn't think of them. There had always been a safety net there, she always had back up. Now she had nothing and she was left in this pit of snakes to fend for herself. She could deal with being manhandled, it was a risk that came with the job but now she was actually in fear for her life and she realized that if she didn't find a way out of this right now, she wouldn't live to see another day.

"Do not lie to me!" Gregor rumbled, his grave voice sending pinpricks of fear up her spine as the gun dug into the hinge of her jaw, just under her jugular. She could feel her own pulse against the muzzle and it gave her a moment of clarity. There were no white knights in her story, there was no cavalry about to ride in to save the day, there was just her and that pulsating fear in the pit of her stomach. Fear was what made people lose control, fear gave way to panic and Maggie would not let that happen. She hadn't spent so long undercover just to lose her shit at the last hurdle.

"I didn't know about Halstead." She spat indignantly, feeling that familiar fire burning in the pit of her stomach. It was instinctual, the rage, she had so very much to be angry about. This operation, the position she was in and this fucking moron for somehow figuring out something that his boss had not. She had always thought of Oskar's second in command, Gregor as stupid, he was loud and brash, his remarks unintelligible but now she understood that he was perceptive. Since Oskar had been locked up he'd spent the whole time watching her, everywhere she went she had felt his slimy gaze upon her. So she had become more careful. She thought she was safe, that Gregor was none the wiser, clearly she had been wrong.

"I saw you Magdalena! I followed you onto the bridge the other night. I thought he was your boyfriend but he was a cop wasn't he?" he snarled, flipping her around so the two of them were facing one another. There was nothing she could say that would change his mind, she could see that glittering resolution his jade green eyes as he stared back at her. Her back was to the wall now, her hands up on either side of her head in surrender. She had wanted to make herself look smaller and meek, she wanted him to think that she wouldn't dare defy him or Oskar but Gregor saw right through that. His hand was at her throat in an instant, his broad fingers digging into her windpipe, gently squeezing as he forced his lower body against the length of hers. "You betrayed Oskar and you betrayed me!"

She gave him no acknowledgment and that seemed to tip Gregor even further over the edge. There was something frightening in those eyes of his, a flicker of enjoyment as he tightened his grasp just enough to leave her rasping for oxygen. He placed the gun upon her desk and she felt her heart stop as she realised what was about to happen. She had heard stories about Gregor and how he liked to use his hands. Her nails left vibrant streaks of red glistening in the florescent lighting along his muscular forearm as she used her fist to thump on the joint of his elbow as hard as she could in an attempt to buckle it in order to dislodge his grip on her throat. He laughed, the sound was maniacal, making her blood run cold before his free hand slithered between them. He wrenched at the parting of her red silk blouse and tearing the buttons from the fabric and leaving the shirt hanging open to reveal a black lace bra and pale skin.

"No wire?" he questioned, that sick smile crossing his features. His nostrils flaring like an animal as he stared down at her chest, his fingertip tracing along the line of the lace before he ventured further. "Or are they hiding them lower these days?"

She swallowed hard as he allowed his finger to trace a circular pattern around her belly button, his grasp on her throat loosening just a little as he began to explore her other assets. She had no other options left so she used the only one that was open to her. The knife was a stiletto, one from Antonio's collection, one that he had forced her to promise him that she would keep on her person at all times. Back then she had thought he was being over cautious, now she was just glad she'd kept that promise. She used the middle finger of her right hand to tap on the auto lock button, springing the blade from hilt before focusing on that single pulsating vein that was throbbing underneath the skin of Gregor's thick neck.

"I want to enjoy this, I want to watch the light die in your eyes..."

It was the look of surprise that got her. Gregor had underestimated her because of her gender, he had never saw her as a threat, not until she had plunged that knife right into his throat. The soft gurgling noise was sickening, she choked back bile as she withdrew the knife , allowing it to drop to the floor. His hands were no longer on her body, instead they were clasped on his own throat trying to stem the intense bleeding as he fell to his knees before her. His lips parted as he tried to talk, his mouth moving but only the sound of violent rasps slipping out. It took less than a minute for him to bleed out, she stood there and watched every antagonizing second with a detachment she knew the cop in her applauded. She was a survivor and right now she was doing what she could to survive. She stripped off her bloody red blouse before scrunching it into a bundle and using it to wipe the blood off the most visible parts of her body and her shoes. She removed her black suit jacket from the back of her chair, fastening the buttons over her bare cleavage with deft hands before snatching up her purse and heading for the door. Her gaze lingered on the panel for the fire alarm, the small red lever sticking out alluringly.

, she thought before she reached up yanked the lever down.

The alarm was instantaneous, it caused the blood in Maggie's ears to pound even louder as she opened the door to her office in order to slip away into the confusion.