It's been just over a week since I went into Breakers Flats and spent the morning with him. The time we had together was incredible before it all went to shit. I finally felt like I was finding something important to me, something that I'd lost along the way. I was going to have it all. Turns out I was fooled.
I get halfway home when my legs start giving out and I cut through the mall before shooting out the back. The first half of my walk was good but turns out that’s all I needed to clear my head and now I’m stuck having to walk the rest of the way back.
I could call Colton or Hendrix but by the time they actually get here, it’d be quicker just to walk.
I make my way out through the back of the mall parking lot and am just about to cross the road when a noise up ahead draws my attention. I glance up to find a guy leaning against a brick wall. He's not paying attention to me but my stomach twists, telling me that he’s more than aware that I’m here.
Why the hell did I have to walk out through the back of the mall? That was fucking stupid. Nic has always drilled into me to always stay on the main roads whenever I have to walk somewhere. Never take shortcuts.
Trusting my gut, I cut across the road and walk to the other side only to find the prick following me across, this time his eyes focused heavily on me.
Fuck.
Why the hell did I have to insist on hiding Nic’s gun away in my underwear drawer? I should be carrying it everywhere in this fucked-up town.
I pick up my pace and get a good grip on my math textbook, preparing to launch it at the fucker when another guy appears at the other end of the walkway and starts heading toward me. My heart starts racing. I’m in fucking trouble here.
They couldn’t know each other, could they? Is this a trap?
The guy in front of me is covered from head to toe in tattoos, and not the sexy kind, but the kind that makes my skin crawl. My palms grow sweaty as I remain extremely aware of both the men, constantly watching the guy in front while keeping my peripheral vision on the guy behind, especially as he starts picking up his pace.
Going against my better judgment, I slow down, trying to avoid getting closer to the guy in front.
I’m fucked.
What do they want?
I glance around in a panic. I’ve already had my innocence stolen from me, I’m not about to let it happen again. There’s an alleyway across the road and right now, it’s my only chance of getting away. If I can run across and somehow lose them, I’ll be alright.
These guys don’t look like they’re from around here, they look more like the kind of guys from back home, the kind that you’d never want to be alone with. In fact, they look a lot like my boys—deadly, cold, and vicious.
The gap between us gets smaller and I stop in the center, flicking my gaze between the two. They nod at one another as they bear down on me, making it clear that I’ve fallen right into their trap, but I’m not a fucking quitter. I’m not about to roll over and allow them to have their wicked way with me.
I'm better than that. I have to fight this.
I drop everything in my arms and run.
I dart across the road faster than I’ve ever moved in my life, running straight for the alleyway. I’ve never been down here before and I have absolutely no idea what’s at the other end but I have to hope that there’s salvation. I can’t have this happen again. I won’t survive it a second time.
My feet pound against the road and I hear the two guys instantly take off after me, their feet moving like lightning. Panic surges through me as I become extremely aware of every step I take, desperate not to fall or stumble knowing that one tiny little fuck up could end me.
I glance back over my shoulder to find one of the guys with a gun in his hand and an involuntary scream tears from deep within me.
I remember the words Nic always taught me—if you can’t fight back, run. Run as fast as you fucking can. A slow target is a dead target.
Repeating his mantra over and over again, I race up the pathway and slam my hand against the brick wall to fling myself around the corner faster. I dive into the alleyway but don't dare stop as their footsteps grow louder, closer.
Glancing up ahead and trying to figure out my next step, I come to a screeching halt, finding three men already there, waiting for me at the end of the alleyway.
“Fuck,” I breathe, glancing around in a panic, desperate for some kind of escape. I start backing up as they move toward me and for some reason, I find it impossible to tear my eyes off them, particularly the older man standing in the center. He has an air about him, something that screams danger.
He’s in a suit and the way he holds his shoulders and oozes importance tells me to keep my fucking mouth shut.
The two men behind me finally catch up and I feel the gun at my back, forcing me to walk forward and meet the men in the middle.
My eyes flick around, desperately searching to figure out who’s the weakest link, which one would I be able to take down, which one
