Page 4 of The Killer Who Kept Me

As I traveled farther into the city, the buildings got taller, and I smiled as I saw The Sky restaurant. I’d never been there, but I’d heard Ramsey and Shyla talk about how amazing it was, They’d taken their son, RJ, a few times when they’d had important business, and I’d sat at the top of the stairs at the house and listened to the three of them talk about how lavish it was. Someday I hoped to just get a glance of all the opulence.

The sidewalks were congested, and I was jostled a few times. I really didn’t want to risk being pick-pocketed, so I slunk along an alley to get across to the other side. I was halfway through when I heard a loud pop, like a gunshot.

I ducked behind a dumpster and listened. Everything was quiet for a minute; then there was a shout and someone threatening another person. I peeked around but didn’t see anything, and I realized the voices were echoing.

Go home, Em, don’t get curious.Shit. I quickly walked to the mouth of the alley from the opposite side I’d entered. There was a narrow path, and if I made my way down I’d see what was happening.

With one more glance over my shoulder, I followed the sounds of the angry voices.

“You have any idea who the fuck I am?” I heard one of the men growl, and it forced me to freeze.

I’d heard anger; I’d felt it too. Ramsey was very free with telling and showing me just how disappointed he was with me as often as he could. This man sounded like pure rage.

“Of course we know who you are—that’s why we’re here. Now, it’s best you come with us.”

I reached the opening and peered out. There were like six guys surrounding this one man. Another one was on the ground, and he sure as shit wasn’t moving. This stranger was outnumbered.

“I’m going nowhere; you killed my guy.”

There was a screech of tires, and another man appeared. This one began shooting, taking out two of the men threatening the growly fella.

He got another shot off, hit a third guy and it was fatal—he wouldn’t be getting back up—and the big man started shooting too.

“Benny, they got Marco. There are three left.”

Benny was the man who drove in, and at that second someone hit him and he fell, but he was crawling, so I knew he wasn’t dead.Fuck, I should do something. Right?

“We have more guys coming. You ain’t running.” A thin guy with a torn leather coat was off to my left. I could almost touch him.

The Benny man was breathing loudly, and the other was trying to help him. He didn’t see the guy coming up with a knife. I thought he wanted him to go with them. Why were they trying to kill him now?

I saw a deflated, dirty kickball by my feet. I grabbed it and threw it so it hit the man with the knife. That started a whole thing, apparently.

“What the fuck was that?” Leather Coat Man shouted.

“Check it out,” another growled.

Well, this was a bad plan. I reached into my back pocket, where I’d stashed pepper spray. I didn’t mess around walking anywhere in this city. I wasn’t a big guy. I was five nine, pretty slight, and you could probably toss me across a room and not even break a sweat.

A beat later, I was face-to-face with Leather Coat Man.

“What do we have here?—”

I didn’t let him finish. I sprayed him in the face, and he dropped the gun. I kicked it behind me and kneed the man in the nuts. He crumpled to the ground.Who even was I?

“You little shit.” The man with the knife charged at me but was put down with a bullet to the head.

The large man stalked over to me and right past me, lifted his gun to Leather Coat Man, and fired.

I yelped. Not my proudest moment. I was about to ask if they were okay when from behind the big man, another stood.Fuck, he didn’t see him. I decided to be stupid again, and I pushed the guy away with everything I had. The bullet whizzed past us, and a second later another shot fired—Benny had killed him.

Then it was just the three of us.

CHAPTER THREE

“Stay close to anything that makes you glad you are alive.”

~ Hafiz

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