“Don’t worry, my brothers and I have outrun far worse. We’ve looked death in the eyes without blinking. We can handle your father’s security team,” he says, rolling his eyes.
We continue walking down the sidewalk, and I consider asking him where we’re going when Declan suddenly stops mid-step and tightens his grip on me. When I look up at him and see him staring down the road, I follow his gaze.
Two men in suits are staring at us, two men I know, because they are both part of my dad’s security team. These are two men that watched me grow up. That I considered to be like family. For a second everybody stands still, then the two men start heading for us, their steps eating up the distance that separates us.
Adrenaline courses through my veins, the need to run is damn near consuming and I feel myself wanting to pull away, but Declan is faster and must be thinking the same thing because he spins us around to run in the other direction. We weave through the crowd, my feet barely able to keep up with him, when he makes an abrupt stop and pulls me to the side.
“Listen to me and do exactly what I say. You’re going to go into this store, go out the back and then take a right, walk all the way down that alley, turn and then go into the first store. You’re going to hide there until I come for you. Got it? No funny business Jessa. My life, your life, my brother’s lives, they’re all on the line.”
“Through the store right down the alley, turn, first store, hide, got it,” I repeat before he pushes me into the storefront. My body is shaking, a nervous sweat coats my hands, and I rub them down the front of my sweats as I make my way through the store. It’s one of those stupid container stores. I look around making certain no one has seen me before I sneak out the back door. Air enters my lungs, but it never really feels like I’m actually breathing. I’m exhausted, beyond exhausted, but what am I to do? I can’t stop. If I do, then I’ll die, and so will the brothers.
I enter the back alley, turn right and start walking down it, my feet moving over the concrete with ease just like Declan told me to do, but after a few steps doubt starts to flood my mind and I wonder if I’m doing the right thing? Should I trust them? Trust the man who kidnapped me, the one that wants me dead. I barely know these men and I have no real reason to believe them. I mean they haven’t truly hurt me, but they’ve reminded me often of the power they have over me. Weighing my options, I stand firmly in the middle of the alleyway.
What if this is my only chance to get away and I’m blowing it because I’m being naive and stupid? Declan wants me dead, isn’t that what my fate will lead to anyway?
I slowly turn around, still completely unsure about what is right or wrong. All I know is that I’m in a life or death situation and I have no idea what to do. Maybe I can get away from both? Maybe I can just outrun them and my father. But what if my father doesn’t really want me dead and it was all a ploy?
I squeeze my eyes shut, and grip at my hair.
I’m losing my damn mind over this. If I betray the brothers, they’ll rip me to shreds, but if I don’t take this chance to escape them then I’m just as weak as they all suspect me to be. Before I can make a choice, I hear footsteps approaching. Something inside me says to run, but my feet won’t move. It’s like they’re a part of the ground now cemented deep into the concrete.
“Where is he?” A male voice fills the space, and my eyes snap up honing in on two men that stand a short distance away. I’ve never seen them before, but I’m certain they’re my father’s men. Both have their guns raised, the metal shimmering in the sunlight. They’re pointed right at me. I stare down not one but two barrels with my mouth gaping open.
This is it. I’m going to die. Why won’t my feet move?
“I asked you a fucking question!” the same man from a moment ago yells. “Talk and I’ll make it quick.”
I’m momentarily stunned, as I try and make sense of what he just said. It was true. Everything the brothers told me was true. My father really does want me dead. The more I try to wrap my head around it, the harder the throbbing inside it gets.
“Or don’t talk, that’s fine with me, we’ll both just give you a nice hard fucking, before ending your life. We saw the video, we know you like it,” the other man chuckles, and I feel like puking. As if it’s not bad enough that they want to kill me, they want to degrade me before doing so.
“I’ll give you to the count of three, Jessa, and then I’m going to start shooting. I’ll aim for your legs first, so you can’t run from us.”
The other man starts counting, but he only gets to one before I take off at a dead run. As soon as they realize I’m not going to just stand there and let them count down to my impending death, they start firing off bullets.
“Run, run as fast as you can…” they taunt, and fear zings through me as the bullets whiz past me. My feet smack against the concrete, with each step I take. My lungs burn with every breath I take, the air entering them but not filling them. I feel like I’m going to puke, and I internally kick myself for being stupid enough to stand in the alleyway second guessing Declan’s orders.
I near the end of the alleyway, which is a dead end, fuck my luck, when I glance back and see the two guys gaining on me. Tears sting my eyes. This is it. All that I’ve gone through in the last couple weeks only to end up dead anyway. I tell myself I need to be strong, even though my future is bleak. They’ll kill me, but first, they’ll have their way with me. Reaching the end of the alleyway, I become panicked.
My gaze swings back toward the men and out of nowhere, I see a body slamming into them, tackling one to the ground and causing the second one to lose his footing and drop his gun. Terror clings to me, as I watch the events unfold, knowing even if the two men die, my future is still as bleak as it was before.
The men move so fast I can hardly keep up with their movements. Declan knocks the first guy out and is back on his feet in under a second. Before the second guy can grab his gun off the ground, Declan is on him, throwing jabs left and right, to his face, belly, and sides. I feel like I’m watching some kind of action movie take place right before my eyes.
Just when I think Declan has the upper hand, the other guy moves, raising his gun in the air, and right at Declan. I open my mouth to warn him, the words getting caught in my throat a second too late. The bastard pulls the trigger, the bullet leaving the chamber faster than I can track it. My eyes widen as Declan’s body jerks, the bullet hitting him in the abdomen. His hand comes up to cover the wound, then he’s looking at me. He’s never looked at me the way he’s looking at me right now like he might actually be afraid for my life.
“Run!” he yells, but my muscles refuse to budge, my feet becoming roots buried deep beneath the concrete. That is until the guy who just shot Declan raises his gun in my direction. My self-preservation springs into action and my body moves without thought.
I run to a nearby dumpster and hide behind it. There’s nowhere to go from here, and it’s the best I’ve got. I could run away, but there’s no way I can leave Declan here alone and I’m not getting around that bastard with the gun without dying. Something in my belly tightens as the silence around me festers.
Where are the bullets? Why don’t I hear anyone running? I peek around the edge of the dumpster and see the man pointing his gun at Declan’s head now. Something in me snaps, it’s like my heart makes the choice before my head can even think through it. Instantly I’m running around the dumpster, squeezing myself between it and the wall until I make it to the other side. Adrenaline pumps through my veins, and I can see the pain in Declan’s features. He’s hurting, which only pushes me further to do what I’m about to do.
The man holding the gun has his back toward me now.
Perfect!
“You think you fuckers are so smart, messing with a man like Richards.” He chuckles, his voice labored. “But you aren’t.” He kicks Declan in the side right where he just shot him. Declan grunts at the impact and I hate the noise. I hate that he’s in pain. I have to fix this. I have to save him, save us both. Maybe the hero in my story isn’t a white knight, maybe it’s me.
“I hope she was worth it. I hope her pussy was worth your fucking life.” I grit my teeth, fury overtaking the terror coursing through my body. Sneaking behind him, my movements are slow, but precise even with my shaking limbs. I don’t know how I do it, but I grasp the gun in my hand.
It’s heavy and cold and I thank whatever god might be watching over me that the man doesn’t notice me then. He doesn’t notice anything, the only person who does is Declan who is staring at me with a look of awe and anger. Without thinking, without feeling, I point the gun at the back of his head.
Exhaling a ragged breath, I pull the trigger.