With that, I ripped the earpiece from my ear and threw it on the ground. Starting my bike, I peeled out and raced after the black SUV already speeding down the road fast.
I refused to let her get away.
I had failed too many times before, but not this time.
Layla was mine.
Mine to protect.
She had been from the moment she was born. She was such a tiny thing when she came into this world, and I wasn’t ashamed to admit that I loved her from the moment she first looked at me. Every day since then, she had been mine. As we grew, I was her protector, friend, confidant, anything she needed. The cool thing was, she was all that and more for me.
I wasn’t like others on the mountain, growing up in East Tennessee. Yeah, I enjoyed fishing, hunting, and all that outdoor shit, but I wanted more, needed more, and Layla would listen for hours as I would explain the stars, the universe, everything I could to her. She was the one who encouraged me to apply for all those college scholarships, and when I got accepted, she even celebrated with me. Though most of my family didn’t know what to do with me half the time, Layla understood and accepted me for just me. She made me feel special in a world where nothing was.
When the shit hit the fan after my high school graduation, I was forced to choose between college and the military. It was a no-brainer. I would do anything to protect my mother and sister, so I chose the Marines. My mother and sister needed my help fast, and I couldn’t do that if I was stuck in classrooms all day long living out my dreams.
The plan was simple. Get through basic, get an apartment, then send for Mom and Layla. A fresh start in a new place away from everything and everyone.
But it didn’t work out that way.
Nothing ever did.
I had just finished graduating basic when I got the Red Cross letter telling me that my mother was killed. As much as it killed me not to go home, I had promised my mother to never return to Tennessee for anything, not even her death. Instead, I took the four days leave I was granted and found a small one-bedroom apartment for Layla. Nobody in Tennessee watched over her, and I couldn’t trust my Aunt and Uncle's help as much as I wanted to. So, before my leave was up, I took what money I had saved, flew Layla out to California, and helped set her up as best I could.
Things were good after that for a while. Layla quickly found a job and helped with the bills, food, and making the shitty apartment feel like a home. I continued to do what was required of me in the Marines and managed to advance into their sharpshooter program. It wasn’t hard, and I excelled at it.
I met Kitty a year later, and it was like living in a fairytale. We didn’t have much, but we were happy. There was laughter, love, and no fear. We were no longer looking over our shoulders. We didn’t jump when someone knocked on the door. We didn’t have to wonder where our next meal was going to come from. Layla and I made it work.
I promised Mom that I would protect Layla, and during those days, I thought I had kept my promise. Then one night changed everything.
Layla was gone.
My girlfriend was raped.
And I murdered a man.
That night, all our lives changed.
Now, as I raced down the interstate after the black SUV, I made myself a promise. A promise I intended to keep, even if I died trying.
Nothing, no one was going to stop me from saving Layla.
Ever.
It didn’t take me long to catch up with them as I stayed far enough behind the fast-moving SUV and bikes. I didn’t know where they were heading, but I didn’t care. Wherever they were going, I would follow. But what concerned me was they were heading towards California. Why California? Vain had to have known they were heading towards Golden Skulls territory.
As my bike ate up the road, I tried not to think what Layla was going through, had gone through. I knew my sister was tough, but even the most demanding person had their limits. I just prayed whatever had happened wasn’t enough to break her. Layla was one of the strongest women I knew, and I hoped that she had the strength to find a way past it no matter what she endured. I could remember many times where my sister had stood in front of me, trying to protect me. She was just like that. Always there in my corner, even when I was wrong.
Growing up, I wasn’t the strongest kid, and though I held my own, there were times when I got my ass beat. Who was I kidding? I got my ass beat a lot, but some of those beatings weren’t so bad, thanks to Layla. Nothing said ass-kicking’s like a skinny kid with glasses and a science book in his hand.
Yeah, that was me.
The Marine Corps helped me become the strong man I was today, and the fuckers that killed my mother molded me into the murderer I had become. I craved the rush now. Needed it. I desired the calm right before I pulled the trigger and the elation of peace as I watched my targets die. I still had men on my list that would eventually find their end, but I could wait for my revenge until my sister was safe.
And I would get it. If it was the last thing, I did.
Up ahead, the SUV and bikes turned into a dingy motel. Seeing this, I pulled over and watched from a distance as the Vultures all killed their engines and started fanning out. The old motel wasn’t much to look at. Set back off the road, the dilapidated structure looked as if a stiff wind would blow it to smithereens. In fact, it looked as if it needed to be condemned. For as long as I could remember, the place had been abandoned. Yet, when the three men in suits exited their SUV and looked around, I wondered what they were doing when out walked a tall man in a costly suit. He looked as if he were someone important, someone, not to fuck with. I could see tattoos running up his neck. The collar of his shirt doing nothing to hide them. Yet, it was his menacing look and the way he held himself that let me know this was a man I did not want to tango with.
Nope. Whoever this man was, I needed to stay the fuck away from him.