All Mine: The Complete Series Box Set

by Lauren Wood

  Chris told me that I was being difficult. “What do you expect? The man that I have loved all these years doesn’t care and you are about to off me. What do you expect me to do? It doesn’t seem like there is really a reason to fight it. I guess this is just how it is supposed to be.” Couldn’t he see that the call from earlier had me dying inside? It wasn’t something that I could hide and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to. What was the point?

  “Look, I am sorry about all of this. I really am. You seem like a nice girl and I wish you hadn’t gotten wrapped up into all of this. I didn’t get into this business to hurt women or anything like that. It is just how it has to be.”

  I didn’t want to hear any more excuses that ended with me dead. That was how everything seemed to be working out and I was torn between just accepting it or the denial that a man like Chris wouldn’t do such a thing. I had to hold on to a small amount of hope, but then at the same time the way that Marcus had described me, it hurt to even think about what happened after this.

  “I get it. Just get it over with or let me go. Please.”

  I was pushing too much. I knew that the best bet was to just sit there at the table and shut my mouth. It could be worse, it could always be worse and I don’t know why I was pushing him so much. The only thing I could think was that maybe I wanted what he threatened. Maybe this was the way it was supposed to be.

  “I need time to think Angie. Stay here and don’t do anything that you will regret.”

  “I regret ever coming back to this hell of a city. That is the only thing that I regret.”

  He smirked and I could tell that he liked my spunk. It was what he had called it before when I told him what he could do with himself. He found it amusing and at the time the bravado was just to mask the fear that I was sure he would sense like a dog.

  “Regrets always come in pairs Angie. I will be back.”

  Chris walked out of the room with the meaty-hand guy that had dragged me into his car in the alley. I was sure that they were deciding where to dump my body or something like that. Whatever it was, it wasn’t going to be good.

  The windows were covered and I looked at them to see if I could get an idea of where I was. As much as I talked smack to the guy about not caring, I did. I really did. I didn’t want to be killed over a man that didn’t give a damn. My life had to have more meaning then this and I felt like if I somehow did get out of all of this, I was going to have to make it worth it.

  I got up from the chair and the wooden legs scraped against the floor. I stopped, sure that they could hear the sound. It sounded so loud in my head I couldn’t see how they didn’t hear it. But they didn’t apparently because as I stood there frozen, I waited for some indication that they were coming back in. The door didn’t burst open like I knew it would and after a few moments I went to the window and gently pulled back the curtain.

  It was dark outside. I had no sense of time and I didn’t know if it was almost morning or just the middle of the night. Next my eyes took in the surroundings and I hated to see how far away I was. I didn’t see any other lights, just blackness and the reflection of the moon on the bayou. We had driven for a time and now I see why. He had taken me to the southern part of the state, outside of the city. It was the type of place where no one was seen again if someone had the mind to get rid of them. I don’t know why I was suddenly panicked with the idea of never being found again. I had been okay with dying, settled on the idea in a way, but the fact that no one would ever know what happened to me, bothered me.

  “I have to get out of here.”

  I didn’t know how, but my mind was making plans as I heard someone on the other side of the door. They were coming in and I didn’t have much time. The man from before was going to come in and finish the job that Chris was sure he had to do. It didn’t seem to matter what happened to me, it was all about his image. If I got free then he would have to let me go, instead of sending people after me. It would be to save face. All I had to do was figure out a way to get free.

  I checked the window and though I had known for certain that it would be locked and I would be out of time, it wasn’t. I heard the sound of the seal of the window opening and then smelled the swamp around me.

  There was another sound on the other side of the closed front door. I moved to open it further, no longer caring how loud it was. I had to get out of there before they were done deciding my fate. I was going to have to figure it out myself.

  So I threw my leg over the ledge and leaned down to slide underneath it. I was half-in and half out now, with several feet down to jump. It was the first floor, but the window was quite high, higher when I was looking down ready to jump. I had to, but I was slightly afraid of heights. It didn’t matter though because as soon as I heard the door start to open, the fear of what was behind me was worse.

  I slid my other leg out the window and dangled them for a moment before I pushed off the ledge and headed towards the ground. The impact on my ankles and knees hurt a little and I heard a shout behind me, but none of that matter. All that mattered was getting out of here. That was the only thing I could think about, the only thing that drove me was a need to get back to the life that I was given. Never would I complain again when the reality was without everything I still wanted to keep going.

  I heard my name being shouted behind me and I recognized the voice as Chris. Maybe he had come to his senses and was going to let me go. Now that wasn’t an option and if I had had a better idea of him actually saving me, I wouldn’t be running into dark swamp that was filled with all kinds of things that went bump in the night. It wasn’t the kind of place people wanted to be at alone, in the middle of the night.

  The shouting behind me got further away and it didn’t seem like they were chasing me. I didn’t look back. I just moved forward as quickly as I could and hoped that I was going in the right direction. It didn’t matter. As long as I got away from Chris and all of the crap that Marcus had gotten me into. It started to make sense why he was shot. If he was hanging around guys like that, there really was no guess needed as to why he had found himself in such a position. How had I been so wrong about him all of this time?

  Chapter 13

  Marcus

  It wasn’t long that I tried to call Chris back. I thought that he would for more threats or at least to pick a place to meet. We had beef to clear up and I wanted Angie. If they did anything to her, I was going to do much more to whoever it was on the phone.

  When Chris didn’t answer, I threw the phone and was relieved that it wasn’t broken. Kevin hadn’t asked much, but he was still there and I know that he was getting the gist of what was going on.

  “Hey man, you have blood coming through your shirt. Are you okay?”

  I looked down to what he was talking about and I shrugged. I couldn’t help that and I didn’t really care. The aching in my side didn’t want to go away and as I moved around to get dressed, I had to pop a pain pill to make it. It hurt so bad that I was nauseated. That couldn’t be good.

  “It’s nothing. I got into it the other day with a couple of guys.”

  “Is that who called?”

  “Yeah. I guess I didn’t take care of it like I thought I had.”

  Kevin nodded, but his mind was working so fast I could hear it from where he stood next to me in the kitchen. I could tell that he was nervous and I wondered how many times he had been in a similar position. Maybe I had seen him all wrong because he looked like he was going to freak out. When there was a car that stopped in the driveway, I could see his body getting tense like someone was coming for him.

  “It’s just Lucas. Don’t worry about them.”

  He didn’t seem to be so much calmer after I said that. It was only when Lucas and David came through the door that he visibly relaxed. I guess now he didn’t think he was going to get caught into the middle of it like Angie had been. I didn’t blame him after what I said about her to Chris. It had been cold and I knew that I was going to pay for it later. I
just hoped that Angie hadn’t heard it. I didn’t want her thinking that I didn’t care. If she had, I was going to have some explaining to do. I still wasn’t sure what I was going to say, but by the look on Kevin’s face, I was going to have to say something.

  Lucas and David came in with a worried look on their face. Lucas was more upset than anyone else. He took an attack on any of us as one on himself. It was nice to know that he was worried about it. I hadn’t told him much, so I had to fill in what was going on.

  “Where are they?”

  “I don’t know. A man named Chris called and knew my name. He has Angie and said he was going to kill her.”

  “Who is Angie?”

  “It’s the one that the tattoo on his back is about.”

  I glared at David. Sometimes that man had a big mouth. I wasn’t ashamed of loving her, but it wrecked my image, as did the worry that I was sure was on my face.

  “Oh. How did they find out about her?”

  “The hell if I know. I didn’t even know who it was the first time. You have to tell me wat happened when I was out of it for a couple of days. You told me that you took care of it, but that is obviously not the case.”

  I was so upset that I wasn’t thinking clearly. It wasn’t Lucas’ fault, but I wanted to blame someone other than myself. If it was his fault, it wouldn’t be mine that she was in the situation that she was in. The fact that I couldn’t change anything was hard enough, but to think that just knowing me had put her in danger was a hard thing to get passed. If something happened to her, it was ultimately going to be my fault.

  “I know you are upset, but there is no need to lose it Marcus. We will take care of this, just like we have every other gang that tried to come in. This is no different.”

  It wasn’t the first time that someone had tried to push in on our territory. It happened a lot in the city of New Orleans because it was so big. There was a lot of money in the city and keeping our hold on it had always been challenging.

  “This is different because they aren’t threatening and shooting at me. They have Angie.”

  Why couldn’t they see that this wasn’t the same? This was nothing like anything that I had ever experienced. I had never cared this much in my whole life. I had spent a third of my life missing this woman and I wasn’t going to spend the rest of it wishing that I would have been able to keep her safe.

  “I got the guys trying to find something out. You know that nothing happens in this city without a bunch of people knowing about it. We will find out who did this. I promise you Marcus. We are not going to let this happen like this.”

  I had a feeling that there wasn’t much more that could be done. I had messed up worse than ever before and now Angie was going to pay the price for it. That was the worst part of it all.

  “I need to get out of here and clear my head.”

  “I brought the car with me because I didn’t think you would be able to ride that bike yet.”

  He was probably right, but I wouldn’t admit. Instead I told him that I would be able to. When he insisted that I ride with them, I didn’t argue. I knew that keeping the bike upright was going to take more of me than was available. I was still weak and the infection was not going away as quickly as I would have liked it to go.

  “Thanks Lucas. We need to find her.”

  “And finish this.”

  Yes, finish this, but find her first.

  ***

  Lucas was right in thinking that it wouldn’t take long to find out what was going on. They had gotten most of the Arc Angels, many more fled out of the city the night of retaliation, but there were a few hold outs. They were in Lafitte and before the sun started to come up in the sky, we were all on our way to the address that had been given to us. It could have been a trap, but all I was worried about was getting to Angie and making sure she was okay.

  I dialed the number that had called me earlier in the night, but once again there was no answer. I don’t even know how many times I had called it, but whoever it was that had Angie had taken my words to heart. It left me with a sick feeling in my gut and the deeper into the bayou that we got the harder it would be to find her. She could already be gone. The thought made me sick to my stomach.

  “We are going to get there Marcus. You need to calm down. You are bleeding all over your shirt again.”

  I looked down and still didn’t care. Everyone kept telling me to calm down like I was about to keel over from a heart attack. It certainly felt that way, but I didn’t like the idea of everyone knowing it. I was always so cool and collected about everything. I just couldn’t be right now, no matter how hard I tried.

  The car turned onto the bumpy dirt road that the GPS said to turn on. We were almost there and it was only a mile back there and one more turn until we would be at the run down house next to the water. My hopes were still up and running, telling me that Lucas was right and that we would get there in time.

  The place was lit up when we got a little closer on the road. I told Lucas to pull over, but he was already turning the little bit of lights that were on off and cutting off the engine. We were not too far from it and it was close enough to at least get a feel for the terrain. Whoever it was, all the names still not available to me, was going to pay for this. They were going to wish that they had never come to my town or messed with my Angela. Everyone would know after tonight that messing with our gang or me for that matter what would happen. I was going to make sure that no one else would ever dare again. Any newcomers were going to hear about this.

  Everyone walked towards the house slowly, ducking a little to blend in better with all of the shadows around us. My heart was racing and I was burning up from the extra heat. I needed to see her and nothing was going to make the feeling inside of me change until I could see her and touch her and know that she was okay. I didn’t like how hard it was to keep my focus. It was times like this that I needed to.

  It didn’t take long until we were close enough to really get a feel for the place. There were a couple of cars and I was thinking at least a couple of people that needed to be contended with. I didn’t care who they were or why they were getting involved. All I cared about was Angie and if she was okay. That was it.

  Lucas had his gun out before I did. He was ready and the plan was that there was no plan. We were just going to play it by ear. Everything was going to work out, one way or another. There was too much emotions involved to think it through. I didn’t care if it was safe. I was going to be the first one in.

  He held his hand up and we waited for David to catch up. He wasn’t that far behind, but an injury to his foot was slowing him down more than my side was. The other day hadn’t gone as smoothly as they wanted to make me believe. The Arc Angels were causing chaos everywhere and it was time for them to be put down.

  “Don’t do anything stupid Marcus. You already got a hole in your gut.”

  “I am going to get Angie. I don’t care about anything else.”

  “Well if you want to get your ass shot off for love, do it on your own time. We are here to settle a score and get the girl. That is what is going to happen, Marcus.”

  At least he didn’t tell me to calm down. If he did, I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to control myself. It was taking everything in me not to run in guns blazing.

  Chapter 14

  Angela

  I was never so happy to see a road in my life. Roads meant that it would get me out of there and after a short time on it I was blessed with a sign. I couldn’t believe how far I was from the city, but at least I knew where I was going now. I had lived here and grown up in the area so I knew the direction I had to go in. I didn’t trust any of the few cars that passed down the road and hid when I heard one approaching.

  A black car raced past a little after sun up and I was sure that it was Chris. It wasn’t the same car that was parked outside when I left, but I knew that there were more of them. There had to be. He was the leader of a gang and to me that meant a bunch of
people. I didn’t want to take the chance that they were out looking for me. To them I had no value and I was nothing but a loose end.

  The saddest part of it all was that Marcus felt the same way. He had known that I was in trouble and he had basically told the man that I meant nothing to him. I didn’t know if I was ever going to be able to live that down. It still rung in my head as I walked towards home.

  I felt like I had been walking for days. I was in the next town now and as it got later in the morning, I was just too tired to pay attention. I had started with avoiding all cars because I didn’t know who they were, but as my legs got tired and my feet felt like they were going to fall off, I decided that maybe it was worth the risk. The sooner I got home, the sooner I could get out of here and start my new life over. I felt like I had gotten a new lease on everything and I was going to make the best of it. It was true what people said, you didn’t appreciate something until it was taken away. I wasn’t going to need to lose it. Just the thought of it all ending was enough for me.

  The next car that passed me was an old beater with red paint and a nice looking old man in the driver’s seat.

  “You need a ride darling?”

  I shook my head that I did.

  “What are you doing out this way?”

  “I came to visit someone and got stuck here.”

  “Well come on in little lady. I will get you home before you know it. This is no kind of place for you to be walking by yourself.”

  I got in. I was too tired to think about it really and the man looked nice enough. At least he wasn’t covered in tattoos and I was just going to have to hope that he wasn’t with the guys from last night.