"Shay!" Someone calling her name from across the restaurant caught her attention. After scanning the room her eyes fell upon the perpetrator of all the hassle- Katrina. She was hovering in the corner, flapping her arm to try to get her attention. Sighing heavily she stalked over, arms crossed across her chest.
"What?" She spat bitterly, her dark eyes narrowed in the slightest degree. She was in no mood to talk civilly with Katrina at the moment, for she found the more time she spent in the orange and white uniform the more her fury grew towards her friend.
"We have a dilemma," Katrina responded, no hints of a wry smile on her visage. Her light brown eyes didn't hold their mischievous glint. Something was up. Either that or she'd a good actress.
"What, too many creepy guys checking you out? Damn, maybe that's what happens when you're in a damn Hooters uniform!"
"Shut up Shay." She snapped back, a disgusted look plastered on her features. "Kyleigh's working the bar, Marena's weighed down with like three tables, Laylia isn't even here and the guys are demanding service." She informed her, tone light as if she wasn't that deathly serious about the situation, but the glint in her eyes was absent. For once Katrina O'Dell was unreadable, and Shay didn't like that one bit.
"What guys? I'll go take care of them." She muttered, pulling out her notepad.
"That's the thing. 'The guys' are Carson, Axel and Owen. I don't feel like going over there dressed like this in front of Owen." Shay instantly felt her eyes narrow and she ground her teeth together, trying to bite back a snarky remark. Katrina was asking her to go over there. She faced the exact same problem she was.
"Just in case you're forgetting, my boyfriend is over there too! It's not like they haven't seen us already-"
"Yeah, but not up close." Katrina cut her off.
"Carson's been kind of… pervy recently. Well, more so than usual, but still. I'm not going over there." She said firmly, sticking her nose up in the air. She was fully aware Carson and Axel hadn't had their eyes off of her the entire time, yet being up close would be a totally different game.
"Don't act like you haven't dressed a bit slutty before… Might I mention the super-tight-super-short skirt you wore on Carson's birthday?" She shot back with a smirk, crossing her arms. When she didn't respond for a few moments Katrina clapped her hands together. "Boom, case closed. Now go get their orders."
Groaning she flipped Katrina the bird and stormed off to the guys' booth, her chin tilted in the air and blonde locks bouncing as she strode. Once she neared the table she struggled not to make eye contact with Carson and Axel, which she could only assume that their eyes were about to bulge out of their sockets. As she stopped at the end of the booth Axel whistled and attempted to discreetly elbow Carson. He failed to be so secret about it, for she noticed and shot him a glance as hot as her cheeks felt.
"Can it Axel," she seethed as her glare intensified when he continued to smile like an idiot. Carson kicked him under the table and his smile faded, yet the glint in his hazel eyes still remained.
"Owen, I might have though Katrina was kind of dumb in the past, but this… This is genius. We oughta let her make the plans more often," Axel crowed as he stretched his arms behind his head, eyes in all the wrong places. Owen mimicked him, the same cocksure grin etched into his face.
"Yup, that's my girlfriend alright Thank her all you want, boys." He said with pride as he nodded his head.
"This isn't supposed to be funny!" She whined, eyes glued on Axel. "And stop staring," she hissed before lightly cuffing him over the back of the head.
"Hey, I'll tell your manager if you hit me one more time!" Axel said loudly. A few heads in the restaurant turned. From somewhere behind her she could make out Katrina's devilish snickers- she'd never intended to wait on the guys. She'd set it all up, she realized with a flash of resentment.
Shay cleared her throat. "What would you like to drink?"
"I'll have water, please." Carson muttered as he buried his face in his arms, trying to conceal how red his face was. She felt a little better knowing he felt as humiliated as she did.
"Mountain Dew, por favor," Owen replied, licking his lips. "I haven't had one in freaking forever."
"A bud light please," Axel cooed, raising his eyebrows in an almost flirtatious manner. To some, he might have been behaving like he was drunk, when in reality, it was just Axel- uncontrollable, uncalled for, totally inappropriate and often times funny as hell. Of course, she found no humor in it this time as it was at her expense, but if it had been any other person on the chopping block she probably would have been laughing.
"Right, and a mineral water for Axel." She shot back with a smirk, fully aware of the disdain her friend felt towards the beverage.
"Oh come on Shay, you know I'm just messing with you!" He pleaded, yet she stuck her nose in the air and turned.
"I'll be back with your drinks. Also Axel, if you say one damn word I'll dump your coke all over your head." She barked, marching off towards the bar. She heard the guys cracking up behind her and could only guess where their eyes were.
After pouring the drinks and returning them to the booth, she paused to wait for a few moments to see if there would be any more smartass comments, almost hoping there would be. If she could volley insults with Axel & company she wouldn't have to wait on any old men. Apparently, however, he'd taken her threat to heart and didn't say a word.
When she turned to walk away someone brought their hand down hard right on her rear. She froze, stiffened, and sighed deeply, balling her hands into fists. It wasn't like a guy hadn't slapped her ass before, but she was almost positive it was Axel. Maybe he'd be taking a coke bath after all.
"Axel, you're lucky Carson didn't punch you-" she stopped mid-sentence when she turned around to find Carson, not Axel, sitting on the outer seat of the booth. His hand was over his mouth, trying to suppress his laughter, yet the humored look in his dark eyes failed to keep his secret. His cheeks were also red, making it difficult to tell if he was humored or embarrassed. Probably both.
"Look who figured out where his balls went!" Axel crowed, causing Carson to bury his head in the orange booth laughing. Owen tried to contain his as well, but he eventually erupted into laughter with the other two. "Carson, I can honestly say I didn't think you'd do it!"
Suddenly infuriated, she snatched Carson's water and jerked her hand forwards, sending ice water all over Axel. He recoiled at first then began to laugh absurdly.
"Of course you put him up to it! I should have known!" She screeched, clenching her hands into temptation to punch Axel was far too strong, yet something held her back. It was far too likely that buried beneath her layers of anger, she found it amusing, funny even- but there would be no way in hell she'd show it.
"Shay, calm down, it's not like I haven't slapped your ass be-" Carson began, but a sharp brown glare from his girlfriend silenced him.
"This is between me and Axel. Remember when I told you that one more comment like that would get coke dumped all over you?" She barked at him sternly. He just continued to laugh, which pissed her off even more. "I wasn't kidding."
"Well, you said I couldn't say anything else. I didn't say anything, hell I didn't even do it," he choked out between laughs. Furious she twirled around and began to storm off and go give Katrina an earful; only she collided with another person. Stumbling backwards she began to scramble an apology together, waiting for the coughing to be her cue to book it. When no coughing came she looked up, having to crane her neck to get a good look at him.
At first she almost could have believed he was just a normal person. He looked normal, dressed like an average everyday man, yet once her eyes reached his face her heart sank. His eyes were a familiar shade of blue gray, the blue more prominent than the gray- He was already infected. If he knew what was currently inside his body, he would easily know who caused it. There would be no chance he wouldn't recognize her, for she looked almost exactly like she did in the image that was plastered everywhere- ma
keup fully done and blonde hair straight and sleek. She might as well be wearing a sign that decreed her identity to everyone that got a good solid look at her face. It had been sheer luck nobody had recognized her so far.
"I'm sorry, didn't see you there," she said, her voice coming our quieter and more unsure than she planned.
"I would report you to your manager for your terrible and arrogant customer service, but it seems like you're wanted for far worse things, Miss Claire." The man said coolly. She didn't have to take long figuring out this was another agent- when local cops found them chaos and fear always ensued. When agents found them they were much calmer and far slicker. They were dealing with a superior enemy.
"Oh bummer, my stupid ex must have called the cops on me again. I'll drop of his stuff when I get off work," she replied in a pouting manner. She knew there was zero chance of playing it off as a case of mistaken identity, but the longer she could delay all hell breaking out the better.
"Cut the shit, Miss Claire. I know exactly who, and what, you are. If you come with me peacefully you might get a quicker death."
She froze for a moment, looking behind her. The three guys were frozen in the booth, staring on with wide eyes. Way to help me out hereguys. Carson and Axel both had guns on them, yet it seemed all too likely by the time she got a hold of one the agent would have already put a few holes in her body.
"Like hell I'll go peacefully. For someone smart enough to be assigned with chasing after us, you sure are dumb as hell to think you'll take me without a fight." Shay spat boldly, adrenaline beginning to course through her veins.
"Have it your way then," the agent replied, a slight smirk on his face. "I told them killing you would be far easier, anyways."
Next thing she knew she was staring down a 9 millimeter aimed to put a bullet right between her eyes.
Chapter 26
Shay's first instinct was to strike quickly. With a heavy dose of adrenaline now rushing through her bloodstream she lunged forwards, slamming her elbow hard into the agent's gut. She then brought her fist up and smashed it against his wrist, causing his hand to go slack and his weapon to fall to the floor. He grunted in pain and stumbled backwards, crashing into a set of tables and chairs.
She bent down and snatched up the agent's gun, swirling back around to aim it at him. He was sprawled out on the floor looking dazed and winded, back leaned up against a chair. Her finger hovered on the trigger for a few moments. She couldn't be sure if he had another weapon or not, but for the most part he posed no threat to her.
"Shay, look out!" Carson's shouts of warning reached her ears just in time, for she turned to see another agent with his handgun aimed at her, finger spaces away from the trigger. She backpedaled and dropped to the floor, taking shelter underneath a booth. He fired two shots at her and narrowly missed, each bullet flying into the wood on the bottom of the booth seats.
She peeked her head back around the corner and aimed up, firing twice. Both shots missed by wide berths.
"Dammit," she muttered under her breath before having to dive back under the table when the agent shot at her again. By now the customers were screaming and fleeing- she could see several pairs of feet rushing towards the door, pushing and shoving to get out.
Determined to finally get the agent off her back she exposed herself yet again, struggling to get a good shot from her low vantage point. The agent was advancing on her, moving quickly now that there were no more people to block his path. She waited until he got a few steps closer and squeezed the trigger. She wasn't watching to see where the bullet hit him but she knew he went down and didn't get back up.
Crawling out from under the booth was like stepping into an entirely different scene. Besides the Carriers and the four remaining agents the restaurant had been vacated, leaving an open space for bullets to fly.
In moments Carson was at her side, concern filling his dark eyes. She took a few steps towards him, keeping her eyes on the agent she'd punched earlier. He was still on the floor but the winded look was starting to dissipate- he could make another attack at any time.
"You weren't hit, were you?" Carson asked as he looked her over. She shook her head. She hadn't even been grazed.
"No, I'm alright." She said back absently, focused on other things. Over Carson's shoulder she could see the four other agents briefly talking amongst themselves before splitting up, two and two, headed in opposite directions. Two came her way and the other two made a beeline towards Marena, who had her back to them.
"Marena watch out!" she shouted just as both of the agents took aim at her and Carson. Her eyes widened and she grabbed onto his shoulders, effectively pulling both of them down as a string of bullets raced over their heads.
"The hell was that?" He said quickly as he looked at her with surprise and shock in his eyes.
"Bullets, what else could they be dumbass?" She shot back quickly, firing blindly twice from over the table. She inched her head above the tabletop briefly, checking to see if she'd managed to hit an agent- she hadn't. She then turned back to face Carson. "Do you have a gun?"
"Yeah, why?" He responded before removing the gun from the waistband of his shorts. "Do you want me to cover you?"
"Not yet, but I'm probably about to run out of ammo-"
She was cut short by a bullet embedding itself into the tabletop spaces away from her fingers. She recoiled, diving back down under the table.
"Does anyone else have a gun?" She asked, voice frantic.
"Axel does, but I think that's it."
"Dammit, he's not gonna use it!" She cursed, regretting not making sure the girls were carrying weapons. Without them, with the exclusion of Marena, they were basically defenseless. Carson sighed and looked at the floor before shifting his gaze to the gun in his hands. He'd seemed different since killing the cop last night. It wasn't in the words he spoke or the way he behaved, yet it was there, a difference in the way he carried himself, a certain look in his eyes she'd never seen before. Was this what she'd seemed like to the others, coming off of her first kill?
"Carson, on the count of three we both shoot, alright? You aim at one and I'll aim at the other." She instructed, although her tone was softer than it usually was when giving orders. He hesitated for a few moments, avoiding looking her in the eyes.
"I… I can't." He finally replied, beginning to set the gun down. "I can't kill another person."
She could see it now; he wasn't trying to hide it anymore. There, revealed in his eyes and the expression on his features was a mirror image of how she had and how he undoubtedly currently felt. The shock, the horror and the look of someone with conflicting morals- it was all there.
"Carson, I can't make you, and believe me, I know how hard it is… But I need you to. I needed you to save my life and you did, even at the cost of another… I guess what I'm saying is, well, I need you to do it again." She whispered, reaching out and resting her hand on his cheek. He looked up and their eyes met.
"You're not pinned down with a gun to your head. I've seen you fight, Shay. You're more than capable of doing this without me." His tone was hard and he faltered in several places, someone so cocky suddenly so unsure. She bit her lip. She didn't want to force someone she loved into it. Not everyone would cope with it as she and Marena had.
Another bullet tore into the tabletop. Shards of wood flew everywhere, scattering the couple with them. She could hear the thuds of their footfalls now. If Axel had a gun, he wasn't using it. Looks like I'm on my own.
Heart thumping in her ribcage she stood up, trying to ignore her instincts screaming at her to take cover. Exposing herself in the line of fire as an incredibly stupid tactic, yet she'd done it before, back at the first bar shootout. She was still alive, and there had been far more opponents that time.
Shay fired once, the bullet hitting its mark in the agent's chest. Blood sprayed behind him as he fell, body hitting the floor with a dull thud. His partner turned, looked at his body and then turned back, weapon poised dir
ectly at her forehead. She took aim and squeezed the trigger, expecting to put a bullet in him, only nothing came but a hollow click. Her eyes widened as she froze, suddenly becoming rooted to the spot- a deer in headlights.
Without warning Axel shot up from the booth with a battle cry, charging towards the agent. He picked up one of the wooden chairs and proceeded to take a swing at the man, the chair colliding hard with his face. There was a cry of pain and a crunch of bone before the agent fell to the floor in an unconscious heap. His gun spiraled in the air in a high arc before Axel caught it.
"Axel!" She cried, relief flooding her system. Whatever had come over her had passed, as she was no longer rigid with fear. He looked up at her, hazel eyes filled with some twisted sense of pride.
"I owed you." He said quickly, tone cool. Memories came flooding back- the massive bar fight they were the antagonists of, the fight with law enforcement that followed, Axel freezing with a gun pointed on him and her saving him. Jaycee's death. All scenes from last night, the night she wanted to forget. She nodded curtly in response. He didn't owe her. Saving one's life wasn't a debt that needed repaying. "Don't worry, I got this guy, but I think Marena needs help."
She spun around to see Marena backed up into a corner, all routes of escape blocked off by two older and larger agents. Marena was defenseless- no gun, no knife, nothing. Both the agents had their guns drawn, aimed at her. Shay knew they wouldn't hesitate to kill her.
She'd failed to notice Carson was now standing beside her, arms hanging limply at his sides. She looked at him before lunging, frantically prying the gun from his hands. He easily complied; seemingly glad to get it out of his hands.
She took aim, switching from one agent to the other. Both were too close to Marena now- the risk of her missing and hitting her best friend were too high for comfort. She didn't have the time to work out the perfect shot.
As if Marena understood the cirumstances she shot through the two officers, knocking them off-kilter. One stumbled backwards into a table, sending the contents clattering to the floor. The other regained his footing and quickly pursued her. The lanky blonde made a mad dive for a table, groping the air around an empty glass until she finally clasped her hand around it. The other agent snatched Marena by her waist, beginning to forcefully pull her backwards. The girl released a battle cry and swung around, tearing body free from the grasp of the agent as she brought the glass slamming against his head. The glass exploded in impact with a pop, sending razor-sharp shards flying everywhere. Her attacker screamed with pain as he crumpled to the floor amongst a rain of glass.
Carriers Page 21