Page 21 of Going Dark

"It was never like that..." before I can go on he is closing in on me. He gets so close I can feel the heat coming off his body but he doesn't touch me.

"You know I knew five years ago there was something telling me not to fuck with you. I should've listened."

Old hurt flares up in my chest at his words. Something told him not to mess with me five years ago. When I was the one wanting what he wants now?

"Really? Five years ago, when I would have given you fucking anything you asked of me. But I'm not a girl now; I can't build a life on fucking fairy tales and a man who doesn't understand what the hell he's doing. It just takes him five years to figure it out. How did they let you ever fly a plane when you can't figure shit out fast enough to get one up in the air? Did you have to have one of your friends tell you when to start the thing and how to fly it too? The only decisive thing you've ever done your whole life was give me time to figure out who the hell you really are."

He looks at me for a little while before he backs up. "Wow, I wish you would have returned the favor. Guess we both fooled each other into thinking we actually knew who we each were."

He turns and heads to the stairs. I turn and go for the living room before I remember there are people in there that have heard everything, every word of what was just spoken, every hurtful, barbed comment made. I don't stop myself in time and find three pairs of eyes turned to me, judging me. They are his friends after all. I charge upstairs without saying a word or giving them another look.

They came into my home. They set there stupid little toys up in my living room and I should have the right to tell them all to leave. I don't care anymore. I don't care if someone wants to kill Ace and might kill me in the process. What the hell does it matter anyway? They would be putting me out of my misery. I storm into my room and come face to face with Ana. She has so much sympathy in her eyes that it eats me up inside. The last thing I want to face is someone who is sorry I fucked everything all up because I'm scared of getting close.

I yank clothes out and put them on. She tries to talk to me but I'm not listening. I don't have time for her to tell me how this will all work out and how he is hurting because of what I said about not wanting his babies when deep down inside that is all I have ever wanted in my whole life. I grab my keys and my purse and take off. Ana follows me.

"Where are you going? Evie, it's not safe to leave by yourself." She's trying hard to keep up with me and I can hear how badly she is concerned.

I don't listen. I need to get out of the fucking house. I need to be free from all of this shit that keeps dragging at me. I go out the back because they won't be looking for me to leave that way and skirt around the house...right into the arms of someone waiting for me. Ana, not far behind me, is grabbed too. She gets a scream off before they wrap a hand around her mouth to silence her.

"Thank you, Evie. Now I don't have just one person to bait my trap with I have two."

Talking about having a really fucked up morning!

14

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Ace

I hear them leave almost immediately but hang back until I hear the scream. It shatters me in a way I never want to remember. I'm not far behind them so the guys that have them don't make it to the end of the driveway before I am raising my gun and shouting for them to let the women go. Steve and Jack are here today and I have to say a little prayer for that. Especially Jack being here. He's a scary mother fucker even on a good day. Jim is outside with gun raised too. All four of us are telling them to stand down and let the women go but they just use them as shields keeping us from getting a clean shot.

Jack lowers his weapon and I see him start to fade into the background like he's a fucking chameleon. I start shouting to give him cover and to take the assholes attention off of him. I know what he is doing. I just need to give him time to do it.

"Well, well. Looks like I got lucky today on so many levels. Not only will I get to spend some quality time with these two beautiful women but I get to kill all four of you at the same time. I couldn't ask for a better day."

"Let them go, Merrick. What the hell happened to you? You used to be one of the good guys?" He wasn't much of a solider so I might be stretching the truth about him being good. Most of the team and a couple of the other guys we were working alongside called him a blue falcon - military for buddy fucker, someone who would fuck a buddy over to get ahead. Guess we all pegged him right, huh. I only knew him by sight and have never talked to him until now.

"What can I say? Bad guys pay more."

God what an asshole. He has his forearm wrapped around Evie's neck and is slowly backing up with her. He's trying to reach a black van parked on the other side of the street. One of his men has Ana around the waist and mouth and two more have guns trained on us. Those are the easy ones to hit. They don't have anyone to protect them. Dumb asses.

"Actually, all that money you had wired to you by whoever is yanking your strings - it's all gone," Jim speaks in clear tones making Merrick's gaze turn to him with something akin to fear in his eyes. "Oh, were you going to use that to go away so no one could follow you after you took out my guys. Sorry."

Merrick swallows like he might have a lump in his throat. Jim attacked them in the one place he knew it would hurt them the most...the wallet.

"You lie!"

"I never lie. Let the girls go and drop the guns and I'll think about putting it back where I found it so no one knows what happened."

"Fuck off!" his words are big but I can see the sweat start to bleed out of his forehead. "Give me back my god damn money!"

Steve moves off to the side hoping to separate and draw one of them to him. He is trying for a clean shot at the one with Ana in his grasp. I am kinda glad my best friend has a crush on my little sister right now. I know he is more invested in what happens to her and he is a dangerous man when he feels something is his and someone is trying to hurt it. We all are. I let him take care of that guy and stay focused on the asshole that has my girl. He has a gun pointed at her and it makes my stomach turn thinking the bitch might put a bruise on her from pressing it there so tight against the sensitive skin of her temple.

"Don't make me kill you. Walk away. Find something better to do with your life than taking orders from shit heads that don't do the dirty work themselves." I train my gun and focus on keeping it straight. Not letting him see how scared I am for her.

Merrick laughs and keeps the gun pressed on Evie. I can't look at her. I see her out of the corner of my eye but if I look at her I'll break and that won't help anyone.

"All that money. Gone!" Jim snaps his fingers. "Like that. You working for free now? You killing for the joy of it because the money isn't there anymore."

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