grace under pressure • jerome valeska

CHAP.69: Not According To Plan

  It took me awhile to calm down from Jim not understanding Jerome and I's commands but I finally managed to calm down enough to enjoy the fact I was with Jerome causing havoc. And waiting for my sister to arrive. Jim had left about thirty or so minutes ago so I knew I had a little while to wait but my patience was wearing thin quickly. Same with Jerome. We both had been waiting to do this to our family for years and now that we were so close, we where basically ticking time bombs. 

  Jerome started up the music again but neither or us really had started dancing yet. The inmates and followers did what they wanted and even the crowd seemed to somewhat dance to get their nerves out despite the fear. But Jerome and I just waited. I sort of stalked the stage, pacing a bit and looking over the crowds of people for police cars that Jim could be in with our demands. Jerome stayed in the back trying to pump up the music. 

  Neither of us checked up on the blimp because we were supposed to order them when to show up and when to drop the gas when the time came. The time wasn't here yet so we wouldn't bother. The blimp was supposed to settle over the entire section of the street so even if people started to run away, they would still be hit by the gas. All of that was in check. We just had to wait. I hated waiting soooo bad. Even more so when I was waiting for something as important as this.

  My eyes glide over the crowd and I growl in the back of my throat. I clenched and unclenched my fist. I then felt a hand on my shoulder and I look to see Jerome there, smiling. He patted my shoulder and I breathed out, looking back at the swarm of people. 

  "Their gonna show, Grey. Jim doesn't let people's lives at stake. He's too much of a goody two shoes." He explains, curling his nose up at his explanation of Jim. I sigh and uncurl my fist. I nod. 

  "Yeah, I know...but ugh!" I say and yell out. "I just hate waiting! I have been waiting for a year! A year for this and when it finally happens Jim just has to delay it." I puff out my cheeks and Jerome gives me a sympathetic look. He nods. 

  "I understand ya, Grey." Jerome tells me. He kisses the top of my head then looks over to a camera. He growls for a second then nods again. He smiles then goes over to the guy carrying the camera and drags him up to him, mic still in hand. I raise a brow but follow him. I now understood what he was doing and I narrow my eyes at the camera he now sat in front of. I came up behind him as he held the mic closer to his mouth. The camera man shook in fear but we paid no attention to that. 

  "Don't ya know it's rude to keep people waiting?" Jerome says. I come up and squat behind Jerome, putting my own mic to my lips. 

  "Bring us our hostages James." I hiss. 

  "My trigger finger...it's getting itchy." Jerome says, waving his index finger in the air. I smile now. 

  "And I don't think ya would like to see us get angry. Ya know what happens when we get angry." I say with a tilt of my head, putting on my signature grin. I laugh and Jerome does with me.

  Jerome continues to talk into the camera and I look back at our three empty chairs. I make a face. And then...I look at our remaining hostages. I knit my brow then grin. I look back to Jerome and then lean to his ear. 

  "Trust me." I say then suddenly take Jerome's dead man's trigger, taking hold of it in such a way that the bombs did not go off. He looks up at me as I stand but doesn't yell out for me to stop. I smile at him then point to the camera guy to motion the camera up to my face. I wave the dead man's trigger around.

  "I don't think you are taking us very seriously." I say to the camera, knowing for a fact Jim was watching this right. I nod and look to the trigger in my hand. I sigh. I shake my head. "Well, alright then." I skip a little then put out my finger, pointing it to each of the hostages. "Eneeie Meenie Miney Mo. One of these people have tooooo...go."