We arrive at a building that is quite isolated. It’s more like a large shed than anything else, maybe fifteen feet long and ten feet wide. Man, I have an uneasy feeling in my stomach. It’s churning and gurgling, and all I want to do is grab Dallas and run as fast and far as we can.
Even though the shed is isolated, there are a few fancy black cars parked outside. Dallas releases my hand, and grabs my thigh, squeezing it tightly.
I turn to look at her, fear coursing through me. “Are you okay?” I ask.
“I’m okay.” Her shaky voice belies her words. She’s nowhere near okay.
“When we enter the room, you’re not to make eye contact with anyone,” Enzo instructs me.
I nod my head, too afraid to reply in case the tears start.
“I’ll introduce you to who I want you to get a read on.”
I nod my head again.
The driver opens Enzo’s door, then runs around to open the other side. “Wait, isn’t Dallas coming with us?” I ask. The fear inside me intensifies, and my body becomes weak with dread.
“She’ll be waiting for us.” He nods toward the driver, who pulls a gun out of his holster, pointing it toward Dallas.
Tears spring to my eyes, and Dallas’s face drops when she sees the gun.
“Can I hug her?” I ask Enzo. I need to say goodbye, in case neither of us make it out.
“Just don’t touch her,” he orders.
I throw my arms around her, and hug her. Her cheek brushes mine.
And I’m in a vision. This one is located where we are. It’s the most immediate vision I’ve ever had.
Dallas is standing outside while Enzo’s driver is lewdly gawking at her. She’s leaning up against the car, and he’s standing on the other side in his defensive position, ready to shoot her.
I leave her here, because I know there’s distance between the driver and Dallas, even though he’s staring at her like he wants to feast on her. I leap up the few steps and Enzo and I enter the shed. There’s a round table in the middle, and on the table, there are bricks of a white powder wrapped in clear plastic. Heroin or cocaine, I’m not sure which one. There are three chairs around the table, all occupied by men in suits. Enzo and I are standing beside the table. He takes a small tool kit out, and a clear plastic pouch.
“It’s pure,” one of the men opposite me says. I flick him a quick glance, and notice he’s staring at me.
“I’ll determine its purity,” Enzo replies.
Another man cuts into another brick with a thin scalpel, licks his finger, dips it into the small amount he’s lifted with the tip of the knife and rubs it into his gums.
I grimace and try to look away. Whatever he’s doing is gross.
He nods his head to Enzo, indicating it’s pure. “How much have you got?” The guy who rubbed the drugs into his gum asks.
Enzo touches my shoulder, and points toward the gum guy. “We haven’t had proper introductions, this is my business advisor, Alexa,” Enzo introduces me.
All the men burst into laughter, while their eyes travel the length of my body.
Feeling intimidated is one thing, feeling like I’ve been cornered is something else. “Business advisor? If you said she was a sweet piece of ass, I’d believe that. But ‘business advisor’?” the guy says.
“Alexa?” Enzo gestures for me to shake his hand.
I take off the gloves to grasp his hand, and I watch myself. I must be having a vision, because the moment he drops out of our handshake, I turn to Enzo and whisper something to him.
Shit, what will I see? What have I said?
Enzo turns, and nods his head toward one of his men, the man from the boat who killed the scary guy. He pulls out a gun, and shoots him in the head. I scream and back away. And suddenly there’s chaos unfolding around me. People are shooting, and even the driver of the car is in here shooting.
My mind goes directly to Dallas.
I break the connection, grab onto her shoulders and smile.
“You’re going to hear gunshots. Run and stay low. Try to use trees to hide behind. Don’t go to the police; they’re not who they pretend to be. Go to the sunglass store on Leonard Street downtown, and look for a woman named Stevie. She has a daughter named Bella. Tell her to call Jude, and when he gets there, tell him everything,” I whisper everything in one continuous breath hoping no one heard.
“No skin contact,” Enzo yells.
“My hands are on her shoulders,” I shoot back at him.
“Time to go,” he says. Turning, he walks toward the shed and looks over his shoulder at me.
I have no idea how the outcome of this meeting will turn out. All I know is what I’ve seen. This might be Dallas’s only chance to get away, and if it means I sacrifice myself to do so, then I’m okay with it as long as I know Dallas has a fighting chance.
I head inside. I already know the layout and have seen the faces of everyone in here.
Enzo leans over and whispers to me, “This is your test. It’s up to you if you live or if you and your friend die.”
Scrunching my brows, I instantly become worried. He said if I live or if my friend and I die. Does this mean one of us will die either way? Or am I reading too much into what he’s said? Either way, I doubt his word holds any merit. The one thing I know for sure is he won’t hesitate to kill me, or Dallas.
I have to find a way to make this work.
“Gentlemen,” Enzo announces once we’re inside the shed.
A few turn to look at him. The guy who Enzo eventually shoots looks over his shoulder at us. His eyes go directly to me. Bringing his brows together, his gaze wanders over my body. Not in a sleazy way though, more like, he knows me from somewhere and is trying to place where the ‘somewhere’ is.
“Enzo,” a few men chorus in unison.
It’s odd being in here. I have no idea who any of these people are, all I can gather is most of them are in the same type of business as Enzo. None are questioning my presence, and no one makes any kind of remark about me.
I’m the only woman in this shed, and could easily be pinned down and raped or tortured. But no one is looking at me like they want to do anything to me.
This somewhat settles my frazzled nerves. It calms me enough to allow me to work knowing I’m not prey to these monsters.
Observing the room, I see the guy who took out Enzo’s right hand man, the one in the strip club and on the boat. He’s standing over in the corner, hands behind his back, chin lifted and eyes dead set ahead. The look in his eyes is savage; every inch of him is lethal. I saw the way he took out Enzo’s guy, he had no remorse, no consideration, no feeling for him. And they had probably worked together for years. Which makes him possibly borderline insane, and much scarier than I could ever imagine.
Enzo makes his way closer to the table. I follow.
He takes a small kit out of his jacket pocket and places it on the table. A couple of bricks wrapped in clear plastic get thrown on the table by one of the men sitting in a chair.
And so it starts.
The beginning of the end, or the beginning of Dallas’s salvation. I take a deep breath and wait for the conversation to commence.
I know what’s going to happen. I’ve seen it. The only thing I can hope for is for Dallas to get away and get to Jude. He’ll be able to protect her from Enzo.
“What’s the cut?” one of the men standing around the table asks the guy suppling the drugs.
“It’s pure,” the supplier, sitting opposite me, says. I flick him a quick glance, and notice he’s staring at me.
“I’ll determine its purity,” Enzo replies.
Another man cuts into another brick with a thin scalpel, licks his finger, dips it into the small amount he’s lifted with the knife and rubs it into his gums.
I grimace and try to look away. Whatever he’s doing is gross.
Déjà vu.
He nods his head to Enzo, confirming it’s pure. “How much have you got?” asks the guy who rubbed
the drugs into his gum.
Enzo touches my shoulder, and points toward the gum guy. “We haven’t had proper introductions. This is my business advisor. Alexa,” Enzo introduces me.
All the men burst into laughter while their eyes travel the length of my body.
“Business advisor? If you said she was a sweet piece of ass, I’d believe that. But ‘business advisor’?” says the gum guy.
“Alexa?” Enzo gestures for me to shake his hand.
My heart jumps as I take a step closer to the guy. Man, this is hard. So difficult.
As I take my gloves off, my palms are coated in sweat. I want to rub them down the front of my pants, but that’s going to look bad. I can feel my breathing become labored as I try to concentrate on the job at hand.
I have to work.
I also have to sacrifice myself to make sure Dallas gets away. I know this is the opportunity, because I’ve already seen in it in a vision.
I extend my hand to the guy. He looks at it as if I’m contagious.
Take my damn hand!
He reaches over, and grasps my hand.
I’m in his future. Looking around, I notice the similarities in the room. It’s a place I know too well.
It’s my home.
I’m standing in the hallway but I can hear my parents in the dining room. Running in there I see them on their knees. The guy has a gun pointed to my Dad’s head, my Mom is crying.
“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Dad says to Mom. “We’ll be with Lexi soon.”
A shot is fired and my father falls forward onto the hardwood floor. I can’t scream, I can’t move, I can’t do anything. Stunned, I stare at his lifeless body, my mother’s sobs intense in the background.
“Dad,” I whisper while tears fall from my eyes.
“Lexi?” Mom asks, lifting her chin to look around the room.
The next shot is fired and Mom falls beside Dad. The way she falls forward, it looks like her head is leaning on his shoulder.
There’s blood sprayed everywhere. The scene looks like a horror movie. The man who pulled the trigger walks over and nudges my Mom with his foot. With a satisfied smirk on his face, he looks around the room, then turns to leave.
Walking behind him, just before his hand lands on the door handle, I lean in and blow air on his ear.
He swipes at me, and whips his head around to see who’s there.
“You won’t lay a hand on them,” I say.
“Who’s there?” he angrily shouts drawing on his weapon again. “Who is it?” His head turns from side to side.
Anger pulsates through my blood. I need for him to pay for what he’s going to do.
It’s then opportunity presents itself.
I’ll tell Enzo he’s a cop. Enzo will kill him, sparing my parents, and Dallas will be able to run.
“You had your chance,” I say before I break the connection and am snapped back into the present.
I stand looking at him for a split second. This is the easiest choice I’ve ever had to make. It’s him or my parents. It’s him or Dallas.
Easy.
Him.
Turning to Enzo, I reach up on my tiptoes and whisper in his ear, “DEA.”
Enzo doesn’t even question me. He turns, stares at his henchman and gives a slight nod.
The assassin steps forward out of the background and shoots the guy in the head.
I’ve managed to save my parents and my best friend, all because I made a choice. A decision I’ll have to live with for the rest of my life.
It’s a decision I’ll never regret.
Suddenly Enzo pushes me out of the way, and there are so many people shooting I have no idea where all the gunshots are coming from. The driver runs into the shed, his gun aimed and ready.
In a state of fear, I slump down behind an overturned chair and cover my ears while I watch the bloodshed transpire. Enzo looks like he’s bulletproof. Nothing is touching him. His henchman and driver are both standing in front of him, protecting him while bullets are being fired from everywhere.
It seems to go on for hours, though in reality it’s probably only seconds.
There’s shouting coming from every direction. A few car doors are being slammed outside and tires screech as they quickly drive away.
My hands might be over my ears, muffling all the sounds, but the shots being fired are loud and clear, scaring me even more.
I can’t look at any more blood. I’ve seen too much. But at least my parents are safe now. And so is Dallas. She would’ve heard what I told her to do, even though I whispered, and hopefully she’ll be gone by now. I don’t know if she’s going to find Jude, but I hope she gets to him before Enzo gets to her.
Someone kicks my shoes, and I open my eyes to see Enzo’s henchman standing over me. Slowly I lower my hands, and try not to look at the bloody and gruesome scene inside the shed. Turning my head to the side, I try and focus on wherever there’s no blood. But that’s impossible.
“Get up,” the guy says to me in a steady, even voice. How can he remain calm when there are so many dead people around?
My eyes dart back and forth, the images of death burned into my memory. Something I’ll never be able to forget, or unsee.
There are at least four bodies lying dead on the floor, one of whom is the driver of the car.
Blood is sprayed everywhere, running down the walls, dripping from the ceiling. Everywhere.
Slowly I stand, my stomach churning with a nauseating knot of doom. Running out of the shed, the fresh air hits me and collides with the gorge rising up my throat. I make it out just in time to throw up. The vomiting hits me hard. Holding onto the side of the shed, I double over, and a shooting pain charges through my body.
“Oh, my God. I did this,” I mumble to myself.
“You did your job,” Enzo replies stoically.
So many people have died. It’s all on me.
The one who was going to kill my parents, I don’t even think about. But the others . . . shit.
“Get in the car,” the henchman demands of me.
With saliva dripping off my chin, and my body frozen with fear, I manage to shuffle toward the car.
Before I make it to the car, Enzo backhands me. My cheek erupts in pain, and tears spring to my eyes. “What did I do?” I ask between sobs. I can’t control the stupid tears. Today’s bloodshed has been too much for me.
“Your friend, she ran away. Now I have to waste my time to find her and kill her.”
“Please don’t.” Yes, she got away. I’m so damn proud of her. She must’ve heard my whispers and now, hopefully she’s on the way to find Jude. God, I hope this all works.
“Great friend she is to you. She abandons you the moment life gets slightly difficult.”
Slightly? Gunshots are not ‘slightly.’ Being kidnapped is not ‘slightly.’ I don’t say anything, I remain quiet. I’m happy she got away. Now, I’m praying she makes it to Jude.
Enzo backhands me again, this time the force of it slams me into the side of the car. He grabs a fistful of my hair, and pushes me into the car before he slides in behind me and slams the door shut. “Go,” he angrily spits toward the the henchman, who’s now driving the limousine.
“Boss,” he replies. Seconds later I feel the car in motion.
“You did this,” Enzo says and smashes my head into the window.
“No, I didn’t.” Yes, I did. I warned her. Finally, I’ve used my ability to save Dallas and my parents. This thing that’s inside me has at last come in useful.
“Somehow, you did this. You warned her. You saw what was going to happen and you warned her.”
Smash.
Warmth trickles over my eyes, down my cheek and drips onto my jeans. Looking down, I see deep red drops forming a circle on my thigh.
“For that, I’ll have my men have their fun with her when she’s found.”
Please Dallas, find Jude first.
“I didn’t do anything. She probably ran away becau
se she was scared of everything that was happening.”
Slam.
“Now she’ll pay the price.”
This blow was harder than the ones before. His tone is angrier, and he tightens his fist to the point it’s pulling on the strands of hair enough to make me cry out in pain.
Blackness quickly begins to draw me into its oblivion.
I know I’m not dying. I’m becoming unconscious because of the blows. I wish I was dying, because another moment with Enzo is a lifetime too long.
One eye opens, and then the second one does. I lift my hand to move my hair from my face, and I wince as my fingers find the gash above my eye. “Shit,” I grumble as I sit up in bed.
My head defies my body, and vertigo quickly overtakes me. The room spins, and my head feels as if it contains a whirlpool spinning around. Licking my chapped lips, I try and focus on one point, hoping to stop the spinning.
Standing, I slowly make my way into the bathroom and look at myself in the mirror over the pedestal sink. “Oh man,” I say regarding the purple bruising around my face. “You look like shit.” I try to turn my head to get the full impact of the variations of colors on my face. Most of the bruises are brilliant with purple coloring. Some are darker and some have even started healing.
I hear the door open and something gets thrown to land with a soft thud on the bed.
I pee then head out to see what’s been hurled on the bed.
Another brown paper bag is sitting on the bed, along with a bottle of water. It’s like I’m on rations, and I have to wait for whatever scraps of food they want to give me. Opening the bag, there’s an apple, a muesli bar and small muffin.
“Seriously? Muffins?” I mumble. “I need food, and this isn’t food.”
I take the bag and water, and sit on the floor ready to eat when I hear the door unlocking. It flies open with so much force, the handle bashes up against the wall. Startling at the force and the noise, I jump to my feet within seconds.
The henchman enters, closely followed by a raging Enzo. His one eye is wide open, the hole where his other eye is supposed to be is veiny and ugly. His body is vibrating with anger, his hands clenched tightly at his sides.
The Curse: The Butterfly Effect, Book 2. Page 5