Page 2 of Laying it Bare on the Run

“If I don’t know anything about some pictures, there is no way she has a clue. There’s no need to take time out of your busy schedule to hang around.” Vincent gave Waik a small smile.

In return, Waik grinned at my brother but the gesture was far from pleasant. “You know I don’t appreciate being lied to and I really don’t like it when someone has something of mine that I didn’t gift them.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about, honest. I don’t have anything that belongs to you.” Vincent’s calm exterior was starting to falter. He had a slight shake to his hands and his gaze kept bouncing among the hired goons.

My stomach began to twist in on itself as my own body started to quake with trepidation. He didn’t have this under control. But I had already known that.What should I do?

Waik’s grin slid into an even more sinister twist of lips. “You seem nervous, Vincent. Is it because you do in fact know something?”

“No, I don’t have any idea what you are looking for but it’s kinda hard not to be nervous when I have four strangers in my parents’ living room with guns drawn and I’m being accused of something I didn’t do. I feel as if I don’t have a fair jury.”

“You’re wrong, Vincent. On so many accounts but the most vital one is that there are five men here with guns.” Waik drew a gun from the back of his waist band and in the blink of an eye had fired off a round.

My entire body jerked at the deafening boom in the small space before my eyes caught sight of my brother – his eyes huge with shock – clutching his chest, blood oozing through his fingers, and then him slumping to the ground in a heap.

I barely suppressed a scream as I shoved my fist into my mouth to stifle my cries. For a few stunned numb moments I couldn’t so much as take in a shaky breath.What in the fuck just happened? Although I half expected this exact scenario, deep down I had held hope that my brother did have this under control and that the two of us would be able to escape. But that bastard took away the last of my family. I was completely alone now. We had distant family on the West Coast but I hadn’t talked to them in years. Besides, I had no means to search for contact information on them. I wouldn’t even know where to begin. Tears streaming down my face, my body shook with silent sobs as I stared at my brother’s motionless body. I had to go out to him. On the slightest chance that he was still alive, I had to go help him. But I was trapped.

“Find the girl.” Waik’s menacing growl sent shivers racing down my spine.

I sent a silent prayer that they never discovered the secret spot. I would wait them out and as soon as I could I’d run like my brother had said. Tears continued to spill down my cheeks. He wouldn’t be joining me later and I had no idea where to go.

“Do we kill her?” One of his men grunted.

“No.” A sickening smirk crossed his lips as his eyes lighted with pure delight. “I have other plans for her. She’s a beautiful girl with a hot body. We’ll sample the merchandise before we sell her off. I doubt she’s a virgin so we won’t need to worry about ruining the chance at extra money. But she’ll still make us a nice profit.”

His words triggered my stomach to expel its contents but I swallowed the acidic vomit, terrified my heaving would alert them to my location. He was fucking out of his mind if he thought I’d allow him to get his hands on me. As long as my luck held out and I remained hidden, I was running as far from this town as I could. I’d run until I couldn’t run any longer and then I’d find a way to make them pay.

His cronies raced out of the room and within moments more crashes and shattering glass erupted throughout the house along with their shouts and taunts. I prayed they were as stupid as they looked. I had to get the chance to run.

However, Waik stayed in the room just listening to the chaos around us with his cold beady eyes scanning the living room in between giving glances to my brother’s body. It was almost as if he could sense me in the room. But that was ridiculous, even though hewasan animal and animals sensed their prey.

While I waited for them to finish their search and destroy mission, my tears slowed and my body grew numb again. My heart ached so much, I wondered if I could die from a broken one. Vincent had known this was going to happen, I felt it in my bones. But he’d rather die than see me in Waik’s clutches. Even though it had never been proven, we knew he committed heinous acts. I hadn’t needed to hear the terrifying words come from his mouth and Vincent didn’t need to hear them at all. That was why he had shoved me into this small space and attempted to lead them away from me.

Lost in my thoughts, it took me a moment to realize Waik had begun to pace about the room. His hands roved over the walls as if he were searching for something he knew was here but couldn’t see.

I ducked back into the dark as far as I could. When his body blocked the light from the room, I held my breath, afraid the slightest intake would give away my hiding space. As his hands ran along the panels that surrounded the one standing between me and a horrid fate, my heart banged against my rib cage. Panic washed over me as I was convinced he could hear it.

“She’s not here. He had to have been telling the truth.” One of Waik’s goons marched into the living room. “At least the part about her. He had to have known we were coming and that he wouldn’t be escaping with his life. He was trying to protect her because now she has absolutely no one.”

Waik growled and then turned to his crony. “Get the rest of the idiots and we’ll head out then.”

When light peeked through the tiny hole again, I slowly eased my way back to take a look.

“We’ll talk to everyone who associated with her and check all of her usual stomping grounds. We’ll find her.” He snarled as he stalked toward the doorway. However, before he left, he gave the room one final sweep with his cunning eyes. While I feared he suspected I was nearby, he couldn’t figure out where.

After he stormed out of the room, I released the breath I had been holding but still didn’t move a muscle. I wasn’t leaving my spot until I was sure they were long gone. And it wasn’t like I had anywhere to go anyway. A new wave of grief swept over me. My brother had been all I had left when my parents and sister were killed almost four months ago.

Would I be able to do this on my own? I wasn’t sure how much money Vincent had given me and there was no way I could tap into my accounts. I wasn’t stupid: Waik would be watching those. I needed to get out of this state, maybe even keep going until I hit the next one or the next. Or keep going the entire way to the West Coast. I guffawed at my insanity. How did I expect to be able to travel that far on my own with not much money, no car, and a huge target on my back? I’d be lucky to get out of the city.

When the front door clanged against the wall, I crouched down in my hideaway and drew my knees up to my chin, wrapping my arms tightly around them. Then I lay my head across my flexed knees.

The sound of a vehicle spinning up gravel reached my ears and a fresh torrent of tears rushed down my cheeks. I sobbed into the darkness as I waited until I was sure they were long gone. After what seemed like hours had passed, I rolled my wrist to get my watch to light; it was nearing ten o’clock. They should be far away by now. Slowly and quietly, even though I was all alone, I pushed at the panel until it popped open and then I stepped out. I put my hand to my mouth as I edged over to where my brother lay in a pool of his blood. Closing my eyes briefly, I tried to get a hold of my wild emotions.

Then I crouched down beside him, careful not to get any blood on my jeans. I didn’t need any questions if I was spotted before I was able to change clothes. “I’m so sorry, Vincent. I should have tried harder to convince you to run when we had the chance. I don’t know if we would have made it but we would have been together.” I sighed as I could hear his response in my mind. “I know. There was a good chance we wouldn’t have gotten far and you still would have been killed and I’d be captured.” I shook my head. “But I wasn’t ready to lose you. I love you, Vincent. Thank you for protecting me. I won’t let your death be in vain. I will get as far away from here as possible but I promise you this, I will not stop until I find a way to make them pay for what they did.” A sob hiccupped out of me and my hands tightened into fists. “I don’t know how but I will find a way. There has to be someone somewhere who can bring them down. But I also promise you, I won’t trust easily. I’ll be smart this time.” My lips quivered as I fought back more tears. “I can’t even give you a proper burial. I have to leave before anyone comes here. I can’t trust that I wouldn’t end up in Waik’s hands somehow if I were to take care of this. I can’t take care of you like you’ve always taken care of me.” Dropping my face into my hands, I moaned in anguish. “This isn’t right!” I sucked in a long breath. “I love you, Vincent. Know that you gave me a fighting chance and I intend to use it.”

On shaky legs, I stood and tiptoed toward the doorway. After listening for several moments and hearing nothing, I quietly scurried upstairs to my old room. Once inside, I barely gave notice to the condition of the space – the busted pieces of wood, shattered pieces of the full length mirror that used to hang on my closet door, the torn bedding and the small amount of clothing I had left at my parents’ strewn across the room.Ha ha fucktards, jokes on you. You cut down on my packing time. So I’ll be long gone before you realize enough to come back looking for me. Or at least I hoped, so it was time to reign in my snark. Without wasting another moment, I ran to my open closet door to grab my small back pack and began stuffing as many articles of clothing as I could fit inside, not giving a care as to whether anything matched. When I was finished, I sprinted into the adjoining bathroom to dump in a few toiletries. I left a small space for a few granola bars and some water. Then I just as hastily scampered downstairs to the kitchen and shoved the few necessities inside.

With my pack cinched tightly, I slung it over my back and darted out the back door and into the night. Keeping my footfalls light, I rushed into the surrounding woods, knowing I fared better dealing with an encounter with a wild animal than I did with Waik and his goons. Not knowing my destination, just that I needed to flee fast, I headed in the direction of the western Tennessee border. If I could make it to Oklahoma – I mean that state didn’t sound like it harbored a lot of trouble so hopefully Waik’s stretch of influence didn’t reach there – I could maybe take a pause and figure out an actual game plan. Because while it was a wise plan to run and not get caught, it wasn’t a very sound one. But I intended to run under the cover of darkness for as far as I could travel. Then once the sun came up and people began milling about I would find somewhere to hide until I could use the safety of the shadows once again. And if my luck held up, hopefully I could put a shit ton of miles between me and the danger sure to be tracking me using every resource available – which probably stretched far and wide – to find me. Unsure of how I would keep myself from dying of starvation during my long trek to possible freedom, I foolishly wondered if I had even the slightest chance of coming across someone I could trust for help or if the thought alone had the potential to deliver me to a future far worse than death itself and that I was truly on my own.

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