by Alexa Rynn
Silk sighed loudly, running his fingers over his shaved down hair. “This is a problem.”
“Of course, it’s a problem. This bitch heard a bunch of things she shouldn’t have.” Jay pointed the gun at my head again. “She needs to be shut up.”
“I’m not going to tell anyone, I’m not-“
“I thought you didn’t hear anything?” Jay challenged me. “Exactly. Lying ass bitch. That’s all bitches are good at; lying and fucking,” he laughed loudly.
“Put the gun down, Jay,” Silk said. “She’s not going anywhere and we need to figure this shit out.”
“The only thing we need to figure out is where to dispose of the body.” He looked me up and down slowly. “Don’t tell me you’re about to cry.”
I could feel the wetness starting to form behind my eyes. I was trying to keep it together but I couldn’t help it. All I could think about was what would happen to my little brother and sister if anything were to happen to me. If I just never came home if I never came back to them without a word.
“Oh, god. Go out like a real bitch. No tears.”
“That’s enough,” Silk said.
Jay ignored him. “Of course, maybe I should have a little fun with you before you go.” My heart started racing as Jay took a few steps closer to me. He took the gun and pushed my hair out of my face with the barrel. “Yeah, you look like you’d be a real good time.”
“What the fuck is going on in here?”
Jay and me both turned to see who the voice belongs to.
Link. And he looked pissed.
Jay took a step away from me and I couldn’t control myself any longer.
I burst into tears.
“What the fuck did you do to her?” Link slammed the door shut behind him.
Jay rolled his eyes. “I didn’t do anything. She started freaking out for no reason.”
“Put the gun away,” Link said, walking closer to us.
“I can’t. She’s been in here the whole time, hiding behind that shelf, she fucking heard everything.”
Link’s eyes grew wide and he looked at me in shock and confusion. He stared at me for a few more seconds and I tried to get my tears under control, but it was easier said than done.
“I’m not going to tell anybody anything. I swear I won’t say a word. Please, I…” I trailed off. I knew I sounded pathetic, like a little girl who wanted her mother. But I didn’t care. If there was ever a time to beg, it was when my life was on the line.
Link kept looking at me. “Stop crying,” he shook his head. “Jay put the gun down.”
“Are you kidding?” Jay looked like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “We let her walk out of here she’s going to run straight to the cops or tip someone off on what’s going to happen.”
“No one’s walking out of anywhere but she doesn’t need a gun pointed at her head, either.” Link ran his hand back and forth over his hair and for the first time, I saw the wear of stress in his eyes.
“Just let me take her out the back exit, I’ll take care of her. She’ll be swimming with the fishes in no time,” he winked at me.
Link walked over to Jay and grabbed the gun out of his hand in one swift motion. Once he had a good grip he pulled it up and hit him in the face with it hard, red liquid started flowing all over the place. “When I tell to do something, you fucking do it the first time.”
Jay didn’t say anything, putting his hands around his head to cover the blood from falling all over the floor.
“Go clean yourself up,” Link said calmly, all anger from his voice gone.
Jay took off out of the supply closet, slamming the door behind him.
Link looked at Silk. “He’s starting to become a problem.”
Silk nodded, looking at me out of the corner of my eye. “How do you wanna play this?”
Link looked at me slowly then back at Silk like he was playing the options out in his mind. “I don’t know, I can’t think about this right now. I have enough on my mind with tonight going down. Not to mention I just got word Trigger was spotted pulling a gun on someone at a stop light across town.”
Silk raised his eyebrows. “What happened?”
Link shrugged. “I don’t know but I’m about to ride over with you to find out.”
Jay walked back in the room, a rag pressed against his wound.
“We have to ride out for a minute,” Link said. “You need to stay with the girl.” He glanced at me and he must have seen the fear that crept into my eyes cause he sighed loudly. “Relax.” Then he looked at Jay again. “No one touches her,” he said in a cold voice. “Do we have an understanding?”
Jay nodded.
“Good,” Link said, walking toward the door. “We’ll be back soon.”
Silk followed him out and the door slammed shut behind them.
Leaving me all alone with Jay.
Jay looked at me, smirking. “Don’t get too comfortable. Link will come to his senses. We can’t let you go, you know too much.”
“I’m not going to tell anyone,” I whispered.
He laughed loudly and pulled the rag away from his face, checking to see if he was still bleeding. “Of course, you’ll tell someone. You’re a bitch, bitches always have to tell someone something.”
“I’m thirsty,” I told him, licking my lips.
Jay shrugged. “I don’t care.”
“Can I have some water?” My mouth was so dry I felt like my throat was going to close up. “Please?”
Jay made a big show of sighing like he couldn’t believe how annoying I was. “You’ll have to wait, I’m busy.” He flopped his large body on top of a huge box that was resting in the corner.
I took the time to study him. He was evil looking, with long hair, and eyes that looked dead. Eyes that looked like they had no emotion inside of them at all, he looked like a stone cold killer. But was even more disturbing was the fact that he seemed to like looking that way. It seemed to satisfy him, to thrill him.
The door to the supply closet swung open and I jerked my head to the side, hoping that it was Link and Silk, but it’s wasn’t; it was Tasha Jenkins. I recognized her from high school. She was one of those girls who acted more like a thug than a lady. I had never had any problems with her but she had caught one of my girls checking out her boyfriend in high school once outside of school and stomped her face into the ground.
What the hell was she doing here? I had never seen her at the restaurant before. She looked me up and down; her skin glowing. She snapped her gum loudly. “So this is the trick that’s sneaking around listening to conversations, huh?” She snarled at me and walked over to Jay, swinging her hips as she went. “Let me see, baby” She took the rag that was covered in blood and studied his face closely. “It doesn’t look too bad. You okay?”
Jay huffed and stuck his chest out. “Of course, I’m okay, I’m no pussy.”
Tasha turned her attention to me. “You little bitch, you got my baby snuffed in the face with a gun. I should snuff you in the face so you can see what the fuck it feels like.” She took a few steps toward me and went to grab me but Jay jumped off the box he was posted up on and dragged her backward.
“Stop, not yet. Link wants her untouched for now.”
Tasha pulled out of Jay’s grasp and ground her teeth together while she grilled me. “You better thank god today, bitch, you lucky. But as soon as I’m able you’re getting your face pounded in.”
Jay looked and me and smirked, satisfied that I was going to get what was coming to me. “Yeah, if she even makes it that far. I have a feeling she isn’t going to be breathing too much longer,” he winked at me and I felt my heart start to speed up again.
This couldn’t be happening to me. I felt like I was about to have a heart attack at any second with all the racing my heart was doing. I glanced at the door again, hoping for Link or Silk again but it stayed shut, taunting me.
“Why do you keep looking at the door?” Jay snapped. “You waiting for som
eone to come in and rescue you from the big bad wolf?”
Him and Tasha started cracking up.
“No,” I said. “I came in here to get something and I’m supposed to be working right now. It’s only a matter of time before someone realizes I’m missing and comes looking for me.”
Jay snarled his nostrils in disgust. “You better hope they don’t because if they do, I don’t think I need to tell you how their blood will be on your hands.”
Tasha laughed loudly then turned her body toward him. I looked away from her, uncomfortable. She was wearing a tight tank top and booty shorts. Her ass was practically falling out of her shorts. I had no idea how girls could dress like that. I would be way to shy to dress that way.
“Maybe we should go and make sure that no one comes looking for her.” Tasha took a few steps closer to him and grinds herself into him. “And while we’re out there we can do something else.” She grabbed his crotch with her hand. “Oh, baby, you already hard. Just the sight of me gets you excited, huh?”
Jay grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. He grabbed her ass roughly. “You know it. As soon as I seen you my huge cock got hard as fuck.” Then he licked his lips and winked at me. His eyes were on me the entire time, letting me know that it was me who had really gotten him hard.
I felt like I was going to throw up.
“Let’s go,” he said, smacking her ass and pointing her toward the door.
“What about her?” Tasha asked.
“What about her? The bitch isn’t going anywhere,” he looked me right in the eye, “cause she knows if she does, she’s dead.”
Tasha laughed loudly again and walked toward the door.
Jay came over to me and leaned in really close. “Don’t do anything stupid, bitch, I’ll be right outside and if I have to stop fucking that bitch just to chase your slut ass down, I’m gonna be pissed off.”
“I’m not going to try and run,” I told him softly.
“Good girl,” he said. Then he glanced to where Tasha was standing by the door and leaned in close to me, whispering. “Don’t be jealous, I’ll be thinking about you the whole time.”
Then he smirked and they both left the room.
I was going to die. There was no way I was going to walk away from this alive. Jay was completely and totally against it. I knew Link and his brothers were the ones in charge, but I had to be realistic. Even if right now Link thought killing me was a bad idea, how long was that really going to last?
I was a liability. I knew too much at this point.
I knew what happened to people who knew too much about the Ford brothers. I knew what happened to people who asked too many questions about the Ford brothers. I had heard the stories. I didn’t want to end up one of those stories. I had to get out of there. I knew it was stupid, I knew running was a huge risk. If they caught me they would put a bullet in my head. But if I stayed they were probably going to put a bullet in my head, anyway. At least this way I would have a chance.
But what would I do if I got away?
They knew where I worked. They knew my name. They could easily find me if they wanted to. I didn’t intend to go to the cops, I wasn’t a fool, I knew what happened to people who snitched on The Blazing Devils. No one wanted to associate with a rat on the streets. If I told anyone the Ford brothers and their brothers wouldn’t be the only ones I had problems with.
I had a little bit of savings, I would have to run, that’s the only thing I could see working. I would have to get the kids and run. Maybe once Link realized I had never gone to the cops it would be safe for me to come back eventually.
I didn’t have time to think about what would happen if I did it. Jay and Tasha were probably only going to be gone for a few more minutes. If I was going to make a run for it I was going to have to do it fast.
I tiptoed over to the door and crept it open as slow as possible. I listened first. Silence. I poked my head out of the door slowly and peeked back and forth down the hall. No one was in sight; it was now or never.
I gathered up all the strength I had and took off down the hall toward the back exit of the restaurant. I started off at an average pace but as I got closer and closer to the back door it became a full on sprint. I was so close and it dawned on me that I was going to make it. I was going to be free.
I swung the door open and the wind blew on my face at full forth reminding me that I was in the real world once again. The happiness didn’t last long because one foot out the door I ran smack into the muscular chest of Link Ford.
“Going somewhere?”
The second I ran into Link’s chest I knew I was fucked even more than I was before. What the hell was I going to do now? If Link was even considering keeping me alive before, there was no way he would now. He probably assumed right away that I was running to go and tell the cops.
As soon as my eyes met his I started freaking out. I started hysterically crying and screaming at the top of my lungs.
“Oh, great. Let’s be dramatic,” Link said. He swept me back inside with him, shutting the door behind him. He picked me up and threw me over his toned shoulders with little effort, walking me back down the hall toward the storage closet. I was pounding him on his back as hard as I could, screaming at the top of my lungs the entire time.
He swung the door open and set me down on the floor, slamming the door shut behind him. “What the hell is your problem?”
I looked up at him from the floor, my chest pounding up and down with a rush I didn’t know I had in me. I started crying again and pounding my fist against his legs. “Let me go! Please let me go! I can’t die! I can’t die! I WON’T TELL ANYONE! LET ME GO! LET ME GO!”
Link picked me up off the ground in one swift motion and lifted me up to his level, his hands clamped around my wrist. “Hey, hey, calm yourself down. No one’s killing you. Damn, girl, pull yourself together.”
I froze in place, stopping my breakdown for the time being. His hands were still clamped around my wrist and I felt a shock run up and down my body at the contact, his eyes burning into mine. I took his deep brown eyes in for a few more seconds before forcing myself to take a step back and pull myself together.
“You… you aren’t going to kill me?”
Link shook his head. “No, I’m not going to kill you, Lacey.”
“You know my name?” Shock ran through me.
Link nodded. “I know everyone in this city. I wouldn’t leave Joe and Alexis with no one over you being in the wrong place at the wrong time. That’s not how I run things.”
He knew my little sister and brother’s name.
He knew I was in charge of them.
He knew everything.
Link shook his perfect skin from side to side again. “I swear if bitches aren’t throwing their pussy at me, they’re running in fear from me like I have no heart at all. And maybe I don’t when it comes to certain shit, but I don’t kill just to kill, Lacey. Don’t cross me or any of my brothers and you’ll never have a problem with us. Spread the word.” He looked pissed as he said it: like he can’t believe I would think so low of him considering everything I’d heard and everything that I’d been through today. Yes, I had gone through a minor breakdown but I thought I was doing pretty well under the circumstances.
“But…Jay said…” I trailed off.
He snapped his head around. “Jay said what?”
“Nothing,” I lied automatically, not wanting to cause any more problems with Jay than I already had.
Link laughed, seeing right through me. “It doesn't even matter, does it look like Jay’s in charge around here? Does it look like any of the brothers answer to Jay?”
I shook my head no.
“Okay, then, just relax. You have my word nothing is going to happen to you. I just need to keep an eye on you until after everything that goes down tonight is carried out. I can’t have anything getting screwed up. After that, you’re free to go,” he paused. “But I don’t have to tell you what will happen if y
ou run your mouth about any of this, Lacey. I’m putting a certain level of trust in you here.”
“I know, I’m not going to tell anyone anything, I swear.” I meant it, too. If he was really going to let me walk out of here I wasn’t going to screw that up by running my mouth to anyone. Especially when other people in his crew like Jay thought it was best to kill me.
Link nodded. “Good, now that that shit is all straightened out, maybe you can relax. I probably have bruises all over me now thanks to you,” he smiled and I see a sparkle in his eye that wasn’t present before.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, please. You probably couldn’t even feel it.”
He smiled again and I notice right away how white his teeth are. “You hit pretty decently, actually. I mean; for a girl.”
“Thanks, I think.”
“It’s a compliment, trust me.”
I smiled at him, shocked that I was able to relax even a little bit considering the circumstances. But I believed him for some reason. I believed that he was not going to let anything bad happen to me, that when this was all over he was going to let me go. I don’t know why, if it was Jay or Silk, I wouldn’t trust them for a second. But Link was different. He seemed too real to play games like that. He seemed like if he said something he meant it. The realest men were the ones who had decent follow through, and Link definitely seemed like he had that.
“So, why did you have to run out of here so fast before?” I was playing dumb; like I hadn’t heard the thing about his brother pulling a gun on someone across town.
He raised his eyebrows at me and I immediately felt stupid for asking. He was taking pity on me, that didn’t mean we were friends. That didn’t mean he was going to go around telling me about his business.
“I’m so sorry, that was stupid of me to ask,” I shook my head, not making eye contact with him.
Link looked amused then shrugged. “No, it’s cool. Call me gullible, but I believe you when you say you’d never tell anyone anything. But it wasn’t anything too interesting, just stupid drama. But I actually didn’t trust myself to deal with it right now, which is why I came back.”
I nodded knowingly. “Girlfriend problems?”