As I enter the living room, I notice that Santa has visited us last night and there are quite a few presents under the tree.
I won't open them until later, when Mom gets home.
I can't help but snoop around the many wrapped presents though and three small boxes catch my eye: they all have a small square card pinned on top with only one word written on each of them.
‘Ayla’.
I immediately recognise the three different handwritings: they're from the guys.
How did they manage to sneak them in the house?
It doesn't really matter though because I won't open them: I’ll bring them to school on our first day back and leave them on their desks.
The last thing I need is more stuff to remind me of them.
Ben and I have always had a Christmas tradition and normally Sean would join in too: we’d spend Christmas Day watching movies while waiting for our dinner.
Today it looks like I’ll be watching a Christmas Story and Mary Poppins by myself because Ben has left a note on the refrigerator that he’s gonna have dinner at Kat and Jason's and will be back home tonight.
So I find a frozen TV dinner and settle on the couch in front of my favourite Christmas movies.
My gaze keeps going to those three little boxes but I know that opening them or even reading the notes the guys wrote, would only lead to more misery, so I resist the urge.
I must fall asleep in front of the TV because an incoming FaceTime call startles me awake.
It takes me a second to wake up enough to grab my phone and wiping some drool off the corner of my mouth, I’m almost disappointed to see that the call isn't from one of the boys but from Ben.
He should only be next door, so I wonder why he's calling me.
When I press the green button and the image of my brother appears on the screen, I know straight away that this is bad and he's in big trouble.
He’s outside somewhere, there are street lamps overhead that are starting to come on as the daylight is beginning to decline.
Ben’s face is bleeding and one of his eyes is swollen shut.
“Ben! What's happened? Did you have an accident?”
“Ayla, help me! They're gonna kill me.”
I don't have time to say anything else before the phone gets snatched away from my brother’s hand and a brunette girl with a nose ring and a tall guy in a leather jacket come on the screen.
The guy’s the first one to talk.
“Yeah, I guess you could say that Ben’s had an accident. He accidentally flushed ten k worth of coke and E down his office toilet. And now you see, if I don't get the money to my supplier, I’m definitely not gonna live to see the New Year. I’m a very forgiving guy and Ben's still breathing only because today's Christmas. Must love a little Christmas miracle every now and then, right? But my patience has a limit and if I don't get fifteen g within the next hour—”
“I thought you said ten.”
“I did. But my time’s worth something. You’ve got one hour to bring me the money or I suggest you come here with a big trash bag because you’ll be collecting pieces of your brother all over the park.”
His smile widens and something gold gleams in his mouth.
“It’s ... It's impossible! I don't have that kind of cash. And I can't withdraw fifteen grand from an ATM. And it's Christmas Day! The banks are closed. Is there any other way—”
“I can accept jewellery, or other valuables. But that will cost you an extra five g for my trouble converting it into cash. I’d hurry if I were you, little sis. My patience’s wearing thin.”
The guy extracts a knife from the internal pocket in his leather jacket and drags it across Ben’s arm, drawing blood.
My brother is shaking and whimpering and I can hardly breathe.
“Where are you? I’ve no idea—”
I cry out and the guy smiles and shrugs.
“I’ll drop you a pin. And as soon you receive it, remember that you’ve got one hour. Come alone. If I see even one cop, say goodbye to little Ben here! Tick Tock, little sis!”
My phone screen goes black and my mind goes into overdrive: I need to call Mom.
I know he said not to call the cops but Mom will know what to do...
My phone pings with the pin of Ben’s location: the skate park is about fifteen minutes away.
Mom doesn't answer her phone so I call her station and the receptionist advises me that it’ll be impossible to get hold of her because there's been a huge accident on the highway, with a huge truck spilling highly flammable liquid on the carriage way and all the spare forces have been directed there to help handle the emergency.
I start going through the house collecting any cash or valuables, I’ll go to an ATM and withdraw as much as I can.
What else can I do?
Mom left her car today not to leave us without transportation on a day where busses don't run as frequent and getting an Uber isn't as easy as normal.
I check the safe in the study: there's the car title.
Ben bought the brand new car for the family when he got the job and we moved, if push comes to shove, I can give the guy the car title. The car cost more than fifty k, so hopefully it should be enough.
I’m tempted to call nine one one but I don't trust random cops not to give themselves away, Mom would’ve been my best option.
However I’ve got to tell someone where I’m going just in case, so I call Jenna.
I explain the situation.
“Jenna, if I don't call you within the next ninety minutes, call nine-one-one and send the cops to the address I’m texting you now.”
My bestie freaks out.
“Ayla, you can't go alone!”
“Jen, he said I had to go alone.”
After arguing for a few minutes about the best course of action, I agree to have her wait for me and Ben in her car one block away from the skate park.
“But whatever happens, Jenna, don't leave your car. If they see anyone but me, they’ll hurt Ben.”
I don't even know how I drive through LA to get to the skate park where my brother is kept hostage: I just keep looking at the time, worried sick that even if I’m one second late, something terrible will happen to my brother.
As soon as I park the car in the park’s parking lot, I hurry to the skate ramp depicted on the google maps app.
This park must be crowded on a normal day but on Christmas Day, there isn't a soul in sight.
So it's extremely easy to spot the only group of people hanging out by the skateboard ramps.
My brother is slumped on the ground and two tall guys are standing on either side of him, not letting him out of their sight.
There are two other guys guarding the entrance of the skate ramps area and aside from the guy in the video call, the only other woman is Kat, Ben’s girlfriend.
“Well, well, well, Merry Christmas, Ben’s sis! Where’s my money?”
The guy's taller than me by almost a foot, roughly as tall as Alex, I think with a painful squeeze in my chest.
He’s got dark beady eyes, a shaved head and in the video call, I hadn't noticed the tattoo of a spider web with a tarantula creeping up from his neck all the way up to his jaw and the bottom part of his cheek.
I’m absolutely terrified by the hardness I see in his gaze: I know immediately that this guy wouldn't think twice before resorting to violence.
I swallow the hard knot in my throat and try to sound calmer than I feel.
“As I told you, there was no way I could find ten k cash in one hour.”
The corner of his upper lip quirks up in a cruel smirk.
“Then you owe me fifteen. What's your name?”
“Ayla.”
“Ayla... Nice name. I’m Spyder by the way.”
“I’d tell you that is nice to meet you, Spyder but I’d rather solve our problem and go watch Christmas movies with my brother. The best I could do is to give you this.”
I show him the car title.
“Wh
at the fuck am I supposed to do with this? I want cash or stuff I can pawn, I thought I was clear.”
I argue that the car is worth much more than fifteen k.
“And we own it outright. We can transfer it to you instantly.”
Spyder thinks about it for a moment, then he shrugs.
“I guess it's fine. It’s a fucking inconvenience though ... Ben!”
He turns towards my brother with a sudden movement and kicks him in the stomach with his heavy boots.
Ben starts coughing and splattering blood and I rush to his side.
“Ben!”
“Stop right there, little sis! I guess I’ll take your car but before we say goodbye, I need to reinforce the message with you brother that you don't fuck with Spyder’s goods and when you're told to pay cash, you pay fucking cash! Guys, beat the shit out of him!”
The two men guarding the entrance of the skate area are immediately on Ben and I notice in terror that one has a rusty chain wrapped around his knuckles and the other one has a baseball bat.
“No!”
I throw myself on top of my brother, bracing for the impact but a familiar voice echoes in my ears.
For a second, I think that I’ve completely lost my sanity and I hear Alex’s voice randomly but then I see him walk towards me and Ben with his long, confident strides.
“Here's your cash, motherfucker! If you touch any of them, I’ll make you fucking regret it!”
He's flanked by Sam and Tuna and I don't think I’ve ever been happier to see them.
Alex
I THROW A BUNDLE OF hundred dollar bills in the guy’s face.
I think he’s called Spyder?
And then I bend to check on my girl and Ben.
Tuna and Sam are watching my back.
I can see how terrified she is in her huge green eyes and her body is shaking when I help her up and tuck her against my side.
“Everything’s gonna be ok, baby. Ben, let’s go.”
Ben's about to stumble upright when Spyder’s foot lands on his shoulder, pushing him back down.
“Not so fast, asshole! Who the fuck are you? And you little bitch, I thought I was clear about coming by yourself!”
The way he talks to Ayla makes my blood boil but I try to deescalate the situation so as not to frighten my love even more than she already is.
“What does it matter? There's thirty grand in that bundle I just gave you. It's much more than Ben owes you, so you take your money and Merry fucking Christmas!”
“I’m afraid it's not that simple. See, I was gonna get their car too. Worth more than fifty gs. So your unwanted intervention is actually costing me a fortune.”
“Keep the fucking car and the money, who cares? Let's go baby.”
“Nah huh. You ain't going anywhere until I say you’re going. I might've got my money but first, little Ben here needs to learn a lesson he’ll never forget. It's actually three lessons in one, courtesy of Spyder.”
“You don’t say ...”
I mutter under my breath.
I guess this isn't gonna be as easy as I was hoping and I should've listened to Sam and Tuna and come with back up. At least some of the security people that guard my house.
But I thought it’d be easy enough if the guy got his money.
Spyder smiles sinisterly, revealing three gold teeth and a couple of missing ones.
“Lesson number one: you don't fuck with other people's drugs. Sell the merch as you're instructed. And I guess the beating you got, taught you that. But there's still lessons number two and three that I wanna send you home with. And they are: you also teach your bitches to do as told. So when your sister comes to bail you out, she doesn't bring uninvited guests.”
I have a really bad feeling about this: Spyder had no intention of letting Ben and Ayla go to begin with, regardless of him getting his money.
“Last and most important lesson: you never, ever, fuck another man’s bitch! See, the fact that you stuck your little dick inside my girlfriend Kat, demands retribution. It matters very little that I instructed Kat to let you fuck her and dangle her pussy in front of you to convince you to deal our product at your work. So now, I’m gonna fuck your bitch.”
What the fuck is he talking about?
And then I understand: he’s talking about Ayla.
His intention was to take the money and also ...
I step fully in front of her but before I can say anything, Kat steps forward.
“Hey, Spyde! We’ve never talked about you fucking another woman—”
Spyder turns around with lightning speed and extracts something shiny and metallic from his pocket, hitting Kat on the mouth and sending her careening down on the pavement.
“Shut up, little whore! Do you think you have a say in this?”
And when he turns around, he’s pointing a handgun at Ben.
“Where were we, before I got so rudely interrupted? Ah yeah, lesson number three. I’m gonna fuck your sister and you and your party crashers here, get to enjoy the show.”
Ben lets out a desperate whimper, making Spyder laugh.
Tuna and Sam tighten their positions, forming a barrier in front of Ayla, which Spyder seems to find hilarious.
“You have some really funny friends, Ben. Not only, I’m the one with the gun, but they didn't even think that they’d be outnumbered.”
The two guys guarding the entrance to the skate park come closer but four other guys come out from behind the palm trees surrounding the little concave area we’re in.
“So, the way I see it, I’m gonna have some fun with this little cutie here, while you guys watch. And just in case you get stupid ideas, I’ve got a bullet for each of you!”
We’re not going to let him lay a finger on Ayla.
Even if it ends up costing us our lives tonight.
Spyder waves the gun towards us:
“Eel, Gator, get the girl!”
Two of his cronies step towards us and when we don't move, Spyder grabs Ben and places the gun against his temple.
“Guys, I can't put you all in danger, move aside—”
And my beautiful, brave Ayla steps in front of us and faces Spyder.
He smiles with his disgusting gaped, gold grin.
“Hmm ... This might turn out even better than I thought. I like ‘em feisty!”
I shudder when I remember saying something similar to Ayla on the first day of school.
Did I sound as creepy as this motherfucker does?
“Let us go, please ...”
Ayla says it softly.
“It's Christmas after all, and you got your money. My brother has had the scare of his life. He’ll never be so careless again, right, Ben?”
Ben nods with his eyes full of tears, the cold barrel of the gun still pressed against his temple while Spyder’s forearm keeps him in a headlock.
“Gator! Com’ere!”
Gator swaps places with Spyder, taking over holding Ben at gun point.
Spyder gets a sharp knife and walks towards the woman I love more than anything in the whole world.
He stops inches away from her and grins evilly, dragging the knife down Ayla's jaw and neck, stopping at the collar of her t-shirt.
He grabs the collar with one hand and slices it open with a downward movement, exposing Ayla's chest.
She's wearing a black t-shirt bra and my heart clenches in pain when Spyder gropes one of her breasts through the fabric of her bra, making her yelp in pain.
“Nice, very nice ... Let's see how you look under these leggings ...”
Motherfucker!
And then again, didn't I say something similar to her on that infamous first date at the movies?
Spyder grabs the waistband of Ayla’s leggings, ready to slice them open like he did with her t-shirt.
I clench my fists and swallow painfully: what am I good for if I can't protect her?
“LAPD! Freeze! Drop your weapons and place your hands over your head!”
&nb
sp; It’s Marcia’s voice: Ayla's Mom’s here.
I inhale sharply and then everything happens fast but also at the same time, my mind takes it in as if it were happening in slow motion.
Spyder drops the knife and drops face down to the ground.
But my eyes register Gator’s movement behind him: he kicks Ben to the ground and points the gun at Ayla.
I hear the noise of the gun being cocked and I know he’s gonna fire it at the girl of my dreams.
Ayla is frozen in shock and doesn't even hear my warning but years of playing football and riding motorcycles has made me fast to react so I step in front of her and I almost don't feel the bullet hitting my chest: it feels like the paintball bullets I’ve been hit with countless times when I go play with Sam and Tuna.
I hear Ayla scream my name and when I look down, I see a red splotch widening on my chest, by my left pec.
I realise that it’s my blood but I really don't feel much until my legs refuse to support me and I hit the ground.
I see two policemen tackle Gator while the whole skate part is swarming with cops.
Ayla’s kneeling by my side, pressing her hands on my chest and her lips on my forehead.
“Baby—”
I say but I’m not sure if I managed to say it out loud: I hear a loud ringing in my ears and all of a sudden it's really hard to breathe.
I feel cold.
Really, really cold.
“Alex, I love you. Stay with me, please. Can you hear me? I love you, I forgive you.”
I smile and I wanna say it back: I open my mouth but the words won't come out.
Ayla’s out of focus: I see two of her.
I try to say I love you: I’m so happy that she's forgiven me.
But I can't really talk and everything fades to black.
Alex
THERE'S A REALLY INSISTENT and annoying beeping noise that won’t stop, so I open my eyes and lick my dry lips, opening my mouth to tell someone to turn it the fuck off.
And then I see her: Ayla’s standing at the foot of the bed and she's in Sam and Tuna’s arms.
Her head’s on Sam’s chest and Tuna is hugging her from behind.
She lifts her face towards Sam’s and he kisses her lips in such a sweet way that it makes Tuna reach to move her hair away from her shoulders and kiss the back of her neck.
The Initiation: A High School Light Bully Romance (Beverly Hills Prep Academy Book 1) Page 30