Page 29 of Trig

Nine lets go of Mya, and walks out of the room before she starts to cry. I attempt to squat down and hug Mya but can only go down so low.

“There is no one stronger, braver, or prettier in this world than you. You will fear nothing or no one. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, Daddy.”

I kiss her forehead and lightly push her back to the doc’s wife.

“There’s money in our room. Enough to go anywhere you want and do anything you need to. If things go differently than planned, you take her and you run. Protect her as if she was yours,” I demand.

The doctor’s wife nods and grabs Mya’s hand, taking her away. I take a few seconds to gather my thoughts before walking out of the room.

It’s go time. We head out, dressed in all black, making our way to the SUV parked on the side of the house. The guys enter first. I grab Nine’s waist before she enters the vehicle, spinning her into me

“If we don’t make it out tonight—”

“Stop.” She places one hand on my chest. “We will make it out tonight. We have to.”

I inhale and then look around before returning my gaze to her.

I stroke her cheek and then lean down, kissing her gently on the lips. It feels like a goodbye forever death-kiss. We then both jump in the back seat, giving each other one last look before the engine starts up and the wheels begin to move. I reach over, grab Nine’s hand, and squeeze it tightly. She puts her other hand on top of mine. The dead silence hits again. A mixture of anticipation and fear lingers in the air, making it a bit hard to breathe. Nine’s leg is bouncing up and down and Gabriel has run his hand through his black hair over fifteen times. The other gentleman stays stiff and mute. This is it! This is the shit we have all been sitting on. There are only two things left now. Say our prayers, and go fuck shit up.

We arrive about a block away from Carmen’s place. Gabriel kills the lights and parks the vehicle out of sight. We all slide out with guns drawn, ready for the shit storm.

“Ready?” one brother asks, as he slides a black mask down on his face.

“Ready!” the other replies, as he slides his down.

“This is the plan, guys. We’re going to head in, and take out the front men quietly. No guns just yet. If we alert Carmen, he’ll have a fucking army here in no time and he’ll flee, if necessary. Once we take out the first line, you two go around the back and scope out the pool. If you see something, and it moves, kill it. The camera hook-ups need to be cut. One of you needs to locate the thick black cables that run along the back wall and snip them. Do it quickly. Don’t fuck around. I’m going through the front door with Trig and Nine.”

We all nod and pull out our guns. Nine turns to walk away, but I grab her arm.

“I never meant to put you through hell.”

“It’s fine. I miss the flames,” she says, emotionless.

With that, she cups my cheek before she turns toward Gabriel.

I painfully exhale.

“Let’s head in. Wipe them out and get the fuck out of here,” Gabriel says.

I send Nine in first as bait. She has her black sunglasses on and her hoodie pulled up over her head. We watch as she quietly walks up, tits pushed up, and ass pushed out. The three men out front surround her immediately.

“Are you lost?” one man asks. “This isn’t the type of place you want to be at, miss. I mean, unless you do.” Vega says, smirking, while grabbing his dick through his pants.

She doesn’t reply, just keeps her head down. One grabs her arm. Vega grabs at her face and tries to pull her hoodie off. With their backs now facing us, we both run up and each of us grabs one man from behind, choking them both out. Nine stabs the third man in the neck several times after he backhands her, sending her sunglasses flying into the grass. I keep my hands around Vega’s neck while he struggles, until I feel the life drain out, all the while keeping my eye on Nine.

“See you in hell, motherfucker,” I say into his ear.

I pull my knife out and slice his throat, taking pleasure in watching his blood spill. When I look up at Nine, she’s covered in blood, still stabbing the guy. She’s clearly unloading all her shit out on that dude. I drop my dead weight and run up to her, pulling her off her guy. She’s out of breath, angry, and trembling. She thrashes in my grasp to get back in close contact with her kill.

“Stop! Fucking stop. He’s dead,” I say, pulling her back into my chest. “We have more layers to peel away before we even see Carmen. Save all that energy, you’re gonna need it.”

She stops fighting, looks down at her painted-red hands, and then looks up at me with wide eyes. Shock is setting in. The realization that she took a life. She grabs at her stomach and then starts to vomit. I take the knife away from her, wipe it on my clothes, and put it in my pocket for now. When she is done emptying her stomach in the grass, I take both of the palms of her hands and slide them down my chest, cleaning off the blood on my shirt. This night will forever change her, who she used to be, and who she wants to be. There is no normal for us. Not now. Not ever. I take my hands and quickly wipe away the crimson dots on her face.

“There’s a whole lot more of this inside. Tell me now if you can’t hold it together. I’ll take you back to the car. In there, that fucking house, we won’t have time for fear. I won’t risk losing you because you freak out. The goal is we all go in. We all come out. Do you understand?”

“I’m fine. I was…having a moment. Give me that, I deserve it. I get to be here. I’m not weak. I can do this.”

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