by Simone Elise
“Nope.”
“Good. Grab a few more beers and we’ll finish those bikes.” If I kept busy. Maybe, just maybe I won’t think the worst. Who I was kidding? My mind wasn’t going to stop running wild.
Chapter 18
Abby
“I need you to get creative tonight, Abby.” Daniels lit up a cigarette. “Blake wants to send this woman a message.”
Woman. I hated killing a woman. “Isn’t an early death a warning enough?” I wanted to say how disgusted I was with them for picking women. But Blake didn’t care if they were female or male. He just wanted to get the hell out of prison.
“Nah. We aren’t killing her.” Daniels looked in the backseat. “You sure your friend has the stomach for this?”
I turned around to look at Drake. “You know you don’t have to come.”
“I said I was helping you get out of this, and I meant it.” Drake looked at Daniels. “How many more hits you got left?”
Daniels sucked on the cigarette, pulling up to a brick house in the suburbs. I guess this was the place. Why was I suddenly nervous?
“This one we are keeping alive but sending a message and the one next week is it,” Daniels answered.
“Wait a sec, you are telling me I only have to kill one more person?” I didn’t believe it and knew there would be a catch.
Daniels smirked at me. “Depends how creative you get at sending a message tonight.”
“I don’t do torture. Or slow deaths. You know that.” I had always made a point for my kills to be quick and painless. Daniels was the sick twist that liked to string things out. I don’t know how many times I had ended the person’s suffering while he sat back watching them slowly die.
“Well, think of something. Because this woman needs to not only drop the defense but be scared that if she doesn’t, we will come back to finish the job.” Daniels cracked the door open and got out.
I went to do the same when a hand landed on my shoulder.
“Abby, is there any other way?” Drake was asking me a question I would often ask myself. But there was only one answer.
“No.” I got out of the car.
I followed Daniels up the front steps. Terror didn’t even flood me as Daniels smashed the glass to the front door and twisted the knob.
“I usually find that this is the best time to have guns up,” I said to Drake, pulling my gun from my holster.
“Don’t you wear a mask or something?” Drake’s concerned words made me smile.
“Normally there is no one left breathing. In this case, I think Blake wants us to show our faces so she knows who to be scared of.” I stepped over the broken glass, slightly unsteady on my heels.
Daniels rounded the corner of the living room, and the woman was sitting on the couch watching TV. She was up within a second, running, but a spray of a few bullets on the floor caused her to stop.
She stood frozen in the doorway to the kitchen.
“Time to be creative, Abby,” Daniels grunted.
I lowered my gun and shot the woman once in both legs. She dropped to her knees, swearing and crying in pain.
Daniels looked at me, not impressed. “Really? That’s your idea of creative?”
“Being shot hurts like a bitch. Plus she will have to be on crutches for ages. I think I made my point.”
“What do you want?” she cried. “If it’s money, just take it!” she said in between wailing out in pain.
“What happens now?” Drake said, looking at me.
“Don’t know. They are normally dead by now.” I shrugged my shoulders and watched as Daniels started giving her the details of Blake’s case. She was agreeing to everything he said, and it seemed to be going down well.
Looks like tonight would be uneventful. Maybe it wouldn’t add to my nightmares.
That was till I heard it. Screaming, and it wasn’t coming from the woman. Turning in a flash, I knew this night was going to hell.
Two boys stood at the bottom of the stairs. More witnesses. These kids couldn’t be bought.
Even though I had my gun raised at them, I wouldn’t be firing.
“Boys, why don’t you come in here and join your mom?” Daniels got up from kneeling to speak to the woman.
I knew that sick and twisted smile on his face.
“So do you have a favorite, Bev?” Daniels said once the boys were shaking and on the ground next to their mom.
“Just leave them alone. I told you, I will do what you want! Blake will get off. Just please leave us alone.”
“Daniels, let’s go.” I said, lowering my gun. I walked to stand next to the kids. “The woman knows we are serious. Blake gets what he wants.”
“I told you we had to send a message.” Daniels looked at me and then before I could react, before I could say anything, I heard the gunshot and the boy’s blood being sprayed over my body. I just stood there. I didn’t wipe the blood off my face. All I saw was the boy dead on the ground.
Daniels had used a shotgun, making it a bloody kill. The woman started screaming and while I was spinning out of control, Daniels was deadly calm, lowering in front of her.
“Now if you don’t go through with your word, we will come back for your other son. If you tell, well, we will just come sooner. Simple really. You keep your word and you keep your son.” Daniels stood up and grabbed my arm. “Let’s go.”
I tripped over the body of the boy as Daniels dragged me from the scene. Drake looked how I felt, but Daniels was loving the moment. I think I’m going to be sick.
My hand went over my stomach. What if that had been my son killed right in front of me? Daniels kept dragging me down the steps.
“Come on Abby, pull your shit together, we have to get out of here.” Daniels let go of me when we reached the car.
My numbness turned to anger. And before I could even think it through, I had my gun pointed at Daniels.
He laughed.
“What you going to do, Abby? Kill me because I killed a kid?” He looked at me from the other side of the car. “You need me to get out of Blake’s debt.”
“One more kill. I can do that on my own.” I snarled. “Blake doesn’t need you once he gets out. So I’ll be doing him a favor.”
“Look at what happened when you killed his last second-in-command. Do you really want to start from the beginning again?”
“Killing you would be worth it.”
“Don’t even try and spin that shit. You can’t kill me even if you wanted to. You can’t kill anyone you know. You need to be distant, and there is a reason you are getting colder after every hit. Because a little bit of you dies each time.”
I knew he was right. I knew he didn’t think I had the guts to pull the trigger, but he was wrong. I pulled the trigger with ease and felt nothing but relief when I heard him cursing and drop to the pavement.
“You shot me!”
“Just be thankful it isn’t in the head.” I got in the car, spattered with blood. I started to wipe it off my face, but it was on my arm, shoulder, and chest. It was everywhere.
Daniels got in the car, giving me a dirty look. “You shot your own partner!”
“Yeah well, you killed a kid. That little boy in there is never going to forget how you killed his brother right in front of him. How would you like it if someone did that to Kyle?”
“That’s why in this type of life, you don’t have a family.” He looked at my stomach. “You should really start thinking hard about that.”
Daniels spun the car around, taking off.
“Taking that boy’s life is going to cost you yours, Daniels. Maybe not tonight, but when I’m through with Blake. You will be my next hit.”
I meant it. I knew then I would kill him. I thought before I would only kill when being forced. In this case, I was going to make sure I kept my word.
My hands were shaking when I wiped the blood off the side of my face. My dress was ruined, but that wasn’t what I cared about. All I could see was that boy’s bo
dy dropping.
How was I ever going to live with this? The shock from before crept through my body, and suddenly I couldn’t think straight. I needed to… I don’t know what I needed. How the hell was I going to recover from this?
That’s when it hit me.
You don’t come back from something like this. You don’t ever live with something like this.
You just don’t.
What the hell have I become?
Reaper
I lit up a smoke and changed the channel of the television. I swear there was nothing on this time of night. There was a knock on my bedroom door, and I was thankful for anything to distract me.
“Come in.” I changed the channel again.
What time was it? Why wasn’t she back yet?
“Hey bro, it’s just me.” Drake closed the door after him.
“Abby back?” I got up. If he was back, she would be back. Right?
“Yeah, about that.” Drake looked at his feet and then back up, looking like a ghost. “Maybe you should give her some space for a bit. She’s not feeling very well tonight.”
“What? Did she get sick at the restaurant? Was it something she ate? Or morning sickness?” I didn’t understand why I wouldn’t go to her if she was sick. What was Drake on about? If she was sick, I wanted to be with her. Especially if it was morning sickness.
“I just think you should give her some space.”
“Why?”
“I can’t tell you. But just don’t expect much of her.”
I picked up my phone and threw on a t-shirt. “If she’s sick, that is more of a reason for me to go to her.”
I walked past Drake and he gripped my arm, stopping me. “She’s not that sort of sick.”
“You’re confusing me.”
“Just go to her then.” He sighed, giving up trying to get his point through. “You will see it for yourself.” Drake let go of my arm. “You coming back here tonight or not? If not, I’ll crash here.”
“The room is all yours. Nothing on TV though.”
“After the night I had, I’d be happy just to watch commercials,” Drake muttered. His words had another meaning behind them, but I didn’t know what. I just wanted to get to Abby.
“Night.” I closed the door after me and headed down the hall, down the stairs to the second floor, and headed up the hallway till I saw her door.
I knocked once and didn’t hear anything. I knocked again. Come on Abby, open up. I twisted the doorknob, it was unlocked. I told her she wasn’t sleeping by herself from now on. She should be expecting me.
At least that was the reason I gave myself for opening the door and letting myself in.
She wasn’t in her bedroom. And then I heard movement in her bathroom.
“Abby?”
“Kade?” Her bathroom door sprang open. Why did she sound so shocked? She stood there in her underwear, her hair dripping water down her arms. She looked like she hadn’t even dried it. “Why are you here?” She looked at me, stunned.
What was wrong with her? Why did she look so shell-shocked?
“I told you I wasn’t letting you sleep by yourself.” I walked toward her.
She just blinked at me.
“Remember?” I was in front of her now. She was shaking. Why was she shaking? Why was she cold? I put my hand on her shoulders, steadying her. “Abby, are you ok?”
Then I glanced up over her, into the bathroom, and my eyes widened. “Why the hell is there blood everywhere?” I moved past her and into the bathroom. The dress she was wearing earlier was on the floor soaked in blood. The tiles on her floor had blood on it, and there was still blood in the shower. I turned back to look at her.
“Are you ok, Abby? Are you hurt?” I turned her around to look at her. My hands and eyes ran over her. I couldn’t see any cuts or wounds. She was fine. But when I looked into her eyes, I knew she was so far away from fine. “What happened?”
Time for her to be honest with me. Time for her to tell me what the hell was going on.
“Why is there blood everywhere?” I cupped her face, making her look at me. “What happened, Abby? Give me the truth.”
She gripped my hands and ripped them from her face. “You need to leave, Reaper.” She stumbled backward, like her brain was telling her to get out of arm’s reach. “I… I…” She blinked and then her eyes filled with tears, and those tears slowly fell down her cheeks. She didn’t wipe them away and now as I looked closer, I could tell she had been crying before I got here.
She took another few steps away from me and she tripped over her feet, falling to the ground. It happened so quick, I couldn’t even catch her. She landed gracefully and then sat up, pulling her legs to her chest.
“You what?” I lowered myself in front of her. She looked like a scared child. “Come on, Abby, just tell me what the hell is going on.”
“I’m going to hell.” She looked up, tears running freely down her cheeks, a sick smile spreading across her face. “Or maybe I’m already there.”
What the hell did Daniels have her doing? Why the hell was my woman going on about hell like she belonged there?
“Abby, you’re killing me here. Just tell me what happened. I can help you.”
“No one can help me.” Her shaking hand wiped the tears off her cheeks, but the more she wiped away, the more they came down. “You need to get out of here before I bring you down as well.” She scoffed. “Look what I made your brother part of tonight.” She shook her head. “Go, Reaper. Now.”
“I’m never leaving you.” I had no idea what Drake and she did tonight. I had no idea what had her so upset. The front she had been putting up with everyone was gone. She was crumbling and I didn’t know how to stop her apart from holding her.
I scooped her up off the floor. She was too busy crying to stop me. God, she was cold.
“Abby, what did you do, shower in cold water or something?” I pulled back the blankets and when she weakly nodded her head, I wanted to slap her for being so stupid. “You’ll get fucking sick. I don’t know why you are bashing yourself up and punishing yourself for. But even if I did know, it wouldn’t change what I’m about to tell you. And that is I love you no matter what you do.” I lowered her into bed, pulling the blankets over her. “Nothing is going to change that.” I kissed her forehead.
I walked around the bed, pulling my jeans off and then ripping my shirt off. She still hadn’t moved. She was curled up in a ball. It was like she had just watched someone be killed or something….
“Abby, about that blood. It’s not yours, so whose is it?” I slid into the bed and then dragged her to the middle. “Remember, nothing you can say will change how I feel about you.” I felt like I had to reassure her. It was time for her to be honest with me.
She let go of her legs and turned on her back and looked at me “A ten-year-old boy’s.” Tears were still running down her face. “I told you I’m going to hell.” Her voice was just above a whisper. “I’m going to hell for all the laws I’ve broken and the lives I have taken.”
I had questions. So many fucking questions. But I knew right now wasn’t the time to question her. So I just pulled her closer into my chest, wrapping my arms around her, and she continued to sob.
I didn’t know how to stop the crying. Didn’t know what to say. Because I had no fucking idea what she was on about. What did she mean by the lives I have taken?
Was she talking about when she was in the gang? My eyes widened. Or was she talking about now…
Chapter 19
Abby
I woke up to banging. I groaned. My head was throbbing from crying all night. I swear I had soaked Reaper with tears. The banging didn’t stop. Just go away. I did not want to get up. I was warm in Reaper’s arms. I snuggled in closer to him, resting my head on his chest, his hand running up my side.
“Do you want me to get that?” He kissed my forehead. “You can hear that, right?”
“Yes.” I groaned and looked up at him. “I really
hope they piss off.” But by the way more banging followed, that wasn’t going to happen.
“I’ll get it.” Reaper went to move and I held onto him tighter.
“Don’t leave.”
“Just getting the door, babe.”
“ABBY, OPEN THE HELL UP!” Kim shouted.
Groaning again, I let go of Reaper. “It’s alright, I’ll get it. It’s just Kim. I’m sure she has something to rant at me about.”
I threw the blankets back and got up. “Coming, Kim!” I picked up Reaper’s top and threaded it on. Unlocking the door, I opened it. “What, Kim? What is so important you are banging down my door?”
Considering we hadn’t been talking, I wanted to know why she found that today she wanted to wake me up. Just my luck she would pick the one morning when I had been up all night crying.
She slapped something on my chest. “You and me have a spa date and tea.”
“What?” I took the piece of paper off her that she had just slapped me with. “Why would we be spending the day together?”
“Because you’re my sister.”
“Last time I checked, we weren’t talking.” I frowned at her. What was with her sudden change of attitude? ‘
“Yeah, I’m fixing that starting today.” Kim looked over my shoulder. “Morning, Reaper.”
I opened the door fully, seeing as she had already seen him. “Fine, what time do we leave?”
“In an hour. So get dressed. Maybe in something that Reaper hasn’t worn.” Kim gave me a wink. “By the way, I prefer him over Daniels. And I’m going to be telling you all about that at the spa.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, Kim.”
“I’ll see you downstairs in an hour.” Kim smiled. “Now hurry your ass up and get dressed.”
I closed the door. I guess a day at a spa wouldn’t kill me. But I really didn’t feel like going. Kim was going to question me. And now she had seen Reaper in my bed, she would think I’m finished with Daniels. I guess I would be this time next weekend.
“You alright?”
I looked up from the floor, seeing Reaper pull himself up in bed.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“You got a headache?”