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My ribs protested as I picked up the two guns, checking the magazines before following Arthur. I had to be smart about this, he was going to use Boogie against me, but I was hoping maybe Boogie was giving them hell and had killed a few of the men already. Were all these men employed by Arthur?
Fuck, and Ally’s been sleeping here with him this entire time, maybe it was a good thing the Triplets got so close to Ally.
Shit.
I should have called Mars before I made my way up here, but I couldn’t leave Boogie alone. My stomach soured, hoping nothing had happened to him, while I went around the garage listening and watching a few men with guns walking patrol.
Boogie was nowhere in sight, but I knew he was here, it was like I could feel him. The garage wasn’t big and when I scoped it out once, I had chosen my getaway car and found my entry point. There was a door they didn’t bother guarding like the idiots they were, and when I entered my heart dropped.
He was tied to a chair, beaten so badly his face was almost unrecognizable. His blond hair was covered in blood as his head hung down and my wrath was barely contained. I silently closed the door, grabbing the first guy I saw, stabbing him and letting him down gently. And then quickly decided on my next course of action.
I popped off four shots quickly as four men fell to the floor. I shot at two more men who fell to the ground and saw a few more men run out, shooting them in the legs. Arthur yelled something over the gunshots as I made my way back to Boogie. I took another man down as I unleashed numerous bullets while I untied my man.
“Baby,” I shook him slightly, hoping to wake him up. “Baby, wake up.”
“You’ve got nowhere to go, King!” Arthur yelled.
“Boog.” I shot more rounds as I tried to pick up his body, but he was at least thirty pounds heavier. “Please wake up.”
I set my gun down, lifted him up and threw him over my shoulder. My ribs protested as I took his weight, but I pushed through as a few shots were fired at us. I grabbed the other gun, firing blindly as I walked backwards towards the door I entered through. The cool air hit my back, I shut the door quickly, walking as fast as I could to the car that I had already opened for us.
With every step, Boogie felt heavier. The car was no more than ten steps away when I felt the first shot hit my shoulder and then the second one hit my thigh. I fell on the shoulder that Boogie wasn't on, hearing him grunt as we fell. Pain radiated through my body as I heard footsteps come closer to us.
“We failed her,” Boogie whispered as my eyes felt heavy.
I knew I didn’t deserve it, but all I wanted was one more minute to tell Ally how sorry I was, and all I had wanted was to keep her safe, but I had somehow failed.
Chapter 24
Ally
The feel of their hands was still with me when I woke up screaming. I scrambled up, pressing my back against the wall of the room, looking around like I might still be in my old life. Being locked up had brought back old memories I had wanted to keep locked away forever, but the current situation had dredged up the past and all that I wished I could drill out of my brain.
The room was dimly lit because I couldn’t sleep without the light on anymore, too afraid that at any moment Kris was going to come down those stairs and drag me back to my old life. The days had melted together and I was slowly breaking.
It had been a while since I had seen Boogie and King, which seemed strange, but my mind was starting to whisper that maybe they had been a part of my dreams all this time. I was my own worst enemy and the longer I stayed in here, the more lost I would become. My mind was a landmine of memories I had chosen to keep buried and each day I was here I was stepping on memories that threatened to explode the thinly crafted bunker I had for myself.
I hated King and Boogie. I hated what they had left me to be. I hated that I loved them.
Once my heart had stopped racing and my mind had no longer tried to pull me back into the shadows, I got up and started my day. Some semblance of consistency was the only thing that was keeping me sane and I did my morning ritual of showering and attempting to do my hair before dressing in my last pair of clean clothes.
It has been a while since I had seen anyone, and as I got myself a drink of water from a small water dispenser, I noticed that it had been at least a couple of days since someone had been down. The jug was almost empty and I knew it lasted me at least three to four days. I checked my box of snacks, realizing I was down to my last protein bar and chocolate I like.
When was the last time I ate a real meal?
Dread hit me when I thought about all the possibilities and what-ifs.
I pounded on the door even though no one had heard me before and it was useless. I screamed as loud as I could while pounding on the door because it was not just about getting out anymore. If someone didn’t give me food and water, I was as good as dead.
I lasted for five minutes before I tired, and I needed another drink of water. Worst case I could start drinking the tap water but there was a reason Boogie gave me this jug of water. My mind raced as I tried to think of what to do if I was left to fend for myself, if no one came back for me.
Does this mean they are dead?
The thought brought tears to my eyes, and I got angry for letting them get to me. They weren’t worth my fucking tears. I was in this mess because of them—unfortunately, my heart still beat for them, and the thought of them dead made my chest hurt no matter how much I would like to cause them pain.
I ate a protein bar and drank a little bit of water as I tried to come up with a plan that got more pathetic as the minutes wentby. I scoured the room the first few days, and there was nothing for me to use to get out of here. The walls were concrete and unless I wanted to get out with a fucking metal spoon and I had ten years to spare, I needed to think of something else.
I was deep in thought when the door opened, and I was ready to unleash a storm of profanities when Mars came into the room looking like shit. Just by the look he gave me that we were in deep shit, and all the anger I had bottled up the last week or so just seemed to disappear.
