Page 16 of Denial

This guy is wearing a pair of black jeans that have been washed so many times they’re faded and holes have been worn in several spots showing his skinny leg and dirt covering his skin. The hoodie covering his upper body has a hole in the shoulder and the front pocket has been ripped on one side making it hang at an awkward angle. His sneakers are falling apart and the laces on one of them are untied, making me wonder how he’s not tripping himself with how long they are. Whoever bought them, sure as fuck didn’t know how to buy shoelaces for sneakers.

“I’d ask how I can help you, but I don’t really give a shit if you’re gonna point a gun at my head,” I snap, anger and fear filling me and warring for top spot in what emotion comes out of me.

The man laughs at my words. His laugh isn’t one that I’m comfortable hearing because it’s maniacal and filled with something that terrifies me on the deepest level. I’ve heard the men in the club when they lose their shit and go to that deep, dark place inside all of them. None of them have ever once sounded like this man. He’s fucking insane and I’m not sure how I’m going to get out of this situation.

“You don’t have to help me do a damn thing,” the man says, his voice going even deeper and becoming more sinister. “What I’m gonna do is beat the fuck out of you, take what you weren’t willing to give Becker freely, and then I’m gonna kill you. Your dad and so many others have threatened, or promised, to kill Becker so he’s going to give them a reason to realize their mistake and ensure they don’t underestimate him any longer. This is for him and I’m not even charging him for the job.”

It doesn’t take me long to understand that this guy is a fucking hitman. He’s here to kill me after making me suffer as much as I possibly can. Instead of being filled with rage and fear, I’m now filled with the knowledge that despite all the training my dad and others gave me, I’m never going to be able to escape this asshole. I doubt it would be possible even if my mind didn’t go blank the way it seems to have done in the last few seconds. Plus, everyone knows hitmen don’t stop a job for any reason. I’m just another faceless job that he’s taken on. And according to him, he’s not even accepting money for this one. Who the hell does that?

My phone continues to vibrate and I know it’s the security system waiting for me to shut it off. If I don’t shut the alarm off, everyone in the club will get an alert because each business goes to everyone’s phone. The cops will also be alerted and come here if the alarm isn’t shut off on time. I know the club has a friend on the force and maybe he’ll be the one to show up here and find me so no one else does. The last thing I want is for the guys in the club to come in and find me after I’ve been shot. Especially my dad or cousin. I think Uncle Fox is here too and I don’t want him to find my body.

Am I giving up? Not exactly. I’m being practical and realizing that this is not going to turn out good for me.

“You have to catch me before you kill me, dumbfuck,” I state before I turn on my heels and race from the area behind the counter.

I know this entire shop like the back of my hand. There isn’t a nook or cranny I haven’t already discovered. I’ve even found all the places I can hide where no one will find me. Bronx and Court like to scare the hell out of me and one of these days I’m going to get my revenge on them. Or I hope I will at any rate. Maybe today will end everything and I won’t be getting revenge on anyone for anything qq! to me.

As I race through the narrow aisles of the shelving holding all the parts we currently have in stock, I know exactly where I’m heading. There’s a filing cabinet with just enough room behind it for me to hide. I’ve gotten in there more than once to hide from the guys but I’ve never been able to scare them yet. The guy’s footsteps stomp through the aisles and let me know exactly where he is at all times. For a fucking hitman, he doesn’t know the meaning of being subtle or hiding where he is when he’s after a mark. Such a fucking idiot!

It doesn’t take me long to get behind the filing cabinet and make myself as small as possible. Nothing moves out of the way as I hide and there’s no way this stupid fuck is gonna find me if I don’t want him to. So, I remain quiet and listen as he stomps his way past me. There’s no hesitation in his steps or anything as he bypasses where I’m hiding. Based on the steps he’s taking, I know he’s making his way toward the hallway where the offices and storeroom are located. In the very back is the breakroom.

For the longest time, I don’t move as I listen to him trash every office he enters. Even the storeroom. In seconds I know he’s pushed over every single shelf I just inventoried and organized. As the shelves collapse and crash into one another, I make my move and leave my hiding spot. Racing back through the aisles, my intention is to head for the door to escape this fucking store. When I get back to the clubhouse, I’m going to be talking to Vault about having a different damn job. It seems as if I can’t do anything right in this store when it comes to the pathetic assholes and them stalking me or trying to hurt me.

Just as I go to reach the door and shove it open, a hand grabs my hair from behind and yanks me back as my fingertips brush the cool metal of the handle to open the door. I let out a scream of pain and anger as tears fill my eyes. No, I’m not crying because of the pain radiating through my head where this fucker is pulling my hair. I’m crying because I was so close to being free and he managed to catch me without me hearing him stomp up behind me.

“Nice try, bitch. You gotta be quicker than that to get away from me,” the asshole says, laughter and joy filling his voice as he yanks me back so hard I feel myself falling.

Before my body hits the floor, my side catches on the corner of the shelves close to the front door. My skin bursts open and I can feel the blood coating my skin. I must have hit it very hard and the cut is deeper than I thought it was a few seconds ago if I’m already covered in blood. Again, I scream out from the rage and pain filling me.

“You’re never gonna take me as easy as you think you are,” I grind out, my voice weak as fuck making me hate it even more than usual.

“Darling, I already got you. Now I’m gonna have fucking fun with you,” he says just as sirens start to blare in the distance.

I can’t help but laugh at the fucker as I watch his entire body go rigid while I remain on the floor at his feet.

“Next time you fucking want to carry out a hit in a place of business, I suggest you fucking do your research. The alarm system is armed right now and went off the second you opened the door. I had two minutes to turn it off. Since I didn’t, not only did the entire club get alerted, but the police did as well. Those sirens are heading straight here which means if you want to have all this ‘fun’ with me, they’re gonna catch your ass. Hope you like prison, fucker,” I taunt him the pain consuming every inch of my body as my vision starts to fade in and out.

“Fucking bitch!” he roars out, lifting the gun in his hand once again.

Without hesitation, I watch as his fingers pull the trigger back in a way my dad taught me never to do. The loud bang from the gun firing sounds as if in the distance and not several feet away from me. I can’t see the bullet fly through the air toward me, but I sure as hell feel it when it rips through my skin as if it’s butter, giving up no resistance.

“Fuck!” I scream out, my voice strangled and breaking as my vision almost fades completely.

Everything becomes distorted as the asshole races from the store before I can try to move and see where he shot me. The second I try to move a muscle, my entire body protests the movement and I instantly stop moving my body. Moving a little to see where I’ve been shot is not worth the pain filling me right this second.

As my eyes slide closed and my breathing becomes shallow, a sense of peace fills me. I’ve never been so completely relaxed and free in all of my life. Even when I’m on my dad’s bike, I don’t feel this good. There’s no pain, horrible thoughts about myself, or wondering if Jinx is telling the truth about his relationship with Morgan only being a friendship. I always wondered what happens when a person gets ready to die, but I figured I still had years before I’d find out for myself. It looks as if that’s going to happen way sooner than I thought.

As everything continues to fade from my body, images start to play in my mind. The first person I see is my dad. He’s standing tall, strong, and proud. I see him as my knight and the man I know will always rescue me when I can’t save myself. It’s how he’s been my entire life and I hope he never gives up the will to continue being Faith and our mom’s savior. Next I see my mom. She’s sitting on the porch swing with the largest smile on my face. I know she’s looking at my dad even if I can’t see him. The smile on her face is the one reserved specifically for him. her entire face lights up and shows the strength that she hides under her skin. A silent warrior who’s won so many battles in her life to come out even stronger. Next, there’s a snapshot of the rest of my family members as I remember them as they appear to me. King is strong and silent, always watching over those he cares about. Uncle Fox is strong and determined to overcome every single obstacle put in his path and in the paths of his family. My aunt Kim who is the strongest woman I know and wins battles every single day with her health.

When I run out of every single person who has had an impact on my life growing up and now, my vision clears before filling with Jinx. In this vision, he’s sitting on his bike with the cocky smirk on his face that started to make me fall in love with him so many years ago. That one smirk tells so many stories to the person lucky enough to see it. It’s not a smirk Jinx shows everyone and I’ve been one of the select few to see it more than most. Jinx is so strong, loving, and determined. When he’s made up his mind about something, no one can change it. Another quality I’ve always loved about him. Jinx is the last thing I see before everything fades to absolutely nothing.

I completely miss the police rushing in the building and finding me just inside the door. Raptor follows them in and sinks to his knees directly next to me. There is no one other than an officer and Raptor at my side when the paramedics enter the building and begin working on me. Raptor places calls that I don’t hear or know about and doesn’t leave my side until I’m rushed behind the doors he can’t follow me through.

Chapter Eleven

Jinx

ALL SENSE OF time has escaped me as we sit in the waiting room of the hospital. If I’m being honest with myself, it’s like I’m viewing everything in some kind of out of body experience. Nothing makes sense and I’m only getting conversations in bits and pieces. My entire body is numb and trembling with fear and panic because we have no clue what’s going on with Hope. Every time I try to think of anything, my brain is muddled and I can’t make sense of the thoughts swirling around in a loop. Anything going on around me is like some kind of blur of everything blending together as I’m consumed with thoughts and images of the only girl I’ve ever loved.

---