Page 56 of Murder & Mayhem
“I-I think I killed him.”
I jumped to my feet. “Killed who?”
“The guy . . . the guard or whatever. After the call, pirate pervert left and he was dragging me back to the container, but he got distracted so I got loose, and I-I think I killed him!” He was practically crying now.
“Shh, Bails. It’s okay. It was self-defense. Don’t worry about that now. Where are you?”
“I-I don’t know. A few blocks away from where they kept me. They have other kids, but I was so scared, I grabbed his phone and then I ran.”
“That’s good. That was real smart. Don’t worry about the other kids. We’ll make sure they get help, I promise. But Bails, where are you? I need to get you.”
He paused. “Um, I don’t know.”
“Okay, that’s fine. What do you see? Is there a store or something? I need a landmark.”
“Uh, there’s a bar. Tank’s Tavern.”
I quickly put the name in my GPS. He was fifteen minutes away.
“Is there somewhere you can hide? I’m close.”
“Y-yeah. There’s an alley nearby.”
“Good. Hide there. Do you have a weapon?”
“No.”
“Try to find something. A pipe, a heavy branch or piece of wood, whatever. And then stay hidden. I’m coming for you, okay?”
“Y-yeah.”
I walked out of the side gate on autopilot. The driveway was long, but it gave me time to call an Uber, since I couldn’t fucking drive. Thankfully, there was one close. By the time I walked down the driveway and to the main road so I wouldn’t have to give the address, the Uber was there.
I got inside after confirming the driver. It was about five minutes after he’d taken off that I realized what the fuck I’d done. I had a house full of killers and a few more on the way. I had people who could help me. They had experience and the skills to protect us and get us safely away, but I’d gone into immediate survival mode at the plea in Bailey’s voice. Even if I was pissed at Dominic, I was fairly certain he’d handle everything. And I’d just left on my own. I hadn’t been thinking. Bailey had called and I’d reacted. I wasn’t going to be one of those dumbass teens in a horror movie,thank you very much.
I went into my contacts, trying to figure out a way to reach them, since I didn’t know their numbers, and then saw Dominic, Gideon, and Ari were all listed there. Fucking Dominic. I could only be thankful that he was an overbearing shit, though, and I quickly dialed Gideon’s number, not ready to deal with Nicky.
“Hello?”
“Gideon, I fucked up.”
“Jamie?” Suddenly, he was all business, “Where are you?”
I relayed everything, and after minimal cursing, Gideon told me to stop the Uber and wait for him.
“Nah, I’m not doing that. I know I screwed up, but I’m halfway there now and Bailey is terrified and alone. Meet me there, I’ll text you the address.”
“Jamie, I swear to fuck?—”
“Bye, Gid. I really hope you get there quickly.” I hung up before he could say anything else and quickly texted him the tavern name.
Gideon came back almost immediately with the “You done messed up, A-a-ron” meme, but then a thumbs-up and a “we’re on our way” seconds later, so I allowed myself to relax a fraction, even if we weren’t out of danger.
I vowed I wouldn’t do anything too reckless. I’d assess the situation. I’d get to Bailey and I’d wait until Gideon and crew got there. I’d make sure they knew about the other kids and the possibly dead guard and let them deal with that.
I wondered if Dominic would come with Gideon and if I even wanted him to. I knew the answer to that. Of course I did because I was a fucking sucker. I was going to end up like my mom, wasn’t I? Ignoring all the red flags for a pretty smile and a little bit of praise? Though, Joey’s smile had never been pretty, and the kindest thing he’d ever said to Mom was “stupid bitch,” so maybe we weren’t so alike after all.
Augh, this shit was too confusing. Once I had gotten us away from Joey, I’d vowed I was staying far the fuck away from anything resembling a relationship, or even a hookup. They were more trouble than they were worth. And this proved it. I mean, we weren’t even together. I’d jerked him off once and we were already down each other’s throats. It was toxic and fucked up, but even knowing all that, I had no idea if I was strong enough to walk away when this was over. God damn you, Dominic fucking Vecchio.
