Playing Criminal

46 - Derek

I wasn’t going to lie. The extra-special attention I received from Derek scared the absolute shit out of me.

“Lets work on more skill training for today.” Derek gazed at me again, calculating, cold and intense.

“Sure.” I mumbled, feeling my heart grow heavy.

How long would I be trapped here, forced to train day after day? Forced to run into Caden when all I wanted to do was forget he ever existed, that we’d ever been best friends…

I twiddled absentmindedly with the crystal around my neck.

If only Jack were here…

I’m sure together we’d be able to find a way out of this mess.

God, I missed him.

That’s right. I missed him. Heart-achingly missed the guy.

As this wave of emotion hit me, I felt my eyes beginning to water and shut them immediately, cutting off that train of thought and those emotions immediately. I couldn’t show weakness. I couldn’t show weakness. I couldn’t show…

“You, okay Al?”

“Don’t call me that.” I gritted my teeth as I looked into Derek’s deceivingly warm eyes.

All I wanted to do was shove away the hands he’d placed on my shoulders and run the hell away from this place.

“Look,” Derek caught me by surprise as he abruptly grabbed the from of my t-shirt and lifted me off the ground, cutting off a good portion of my air flow. “I’m investing a lot of my time and energy into you. Do you know how important my time is?”

I grunted in response, feeling my face heat up from the lack of oxygen.

He dropped me and I crashed to the floor.

“Remember you are nothing. I own you. I’m putting a lot into you and you should be grateful for this kind of an opportunity. I could play the bad guy. I could torture you, maim you…I could do so many things. But I’m not. And you should be fucking grateful I’m looking out for you.”

“You’re looking out for your business.” I spat back without thought.

“I’m looking out for my gang. You out of anyone should understand that.”

Derek had leaned down and was now a mere quarter of an inch away from me.

“I never asked to be a part of your gang.” I stated, softly but without emotion.

“Look, this may not be what you wanted, but it’s what you needed. Someone with your skills, your talents should be able to use them, expand upon them. I want to help you grown to greatness and I want you to bring this organization to even greater heights. I see a lot of myself in you. I understand you better than you think Ally. I want to help you.”

“I’m not sure if you do. I’m not the same girl that dealt for the Players all those years.”

“No your not,” A thin smile crept up on Derek’s lips as he pulled me to my feet. “You’re stronger, harder. Freer.”

At a loss for words, I merely stared at Derek. His smile grew and his eyes lighted up as if he knew something I didn’t.

“Let’s get to the skills room before it gets to late.”