Misery Business

Chapter 3: Hit this hard

"Clearly, you don't know me. I don't do girly drinks." I replied. The bartender slid my glass to me and I quickly took a long sip. Swirling the alcohol around the glass, I eyed the Greek-God in confusion.

"Is there something we want from me?" I inquired. He straightened his stance at the bar and shook his head.

"No, should I want something from you?" He hinted, leaning in and letting his breath fan over my cheeks.

"Nice try, the answer is no." I snickered, downing the rest of my drink in three gulps and slamming the glass down. "Nice talking to you, hot-shot, but I've got a best friend to check up on."

I turned my back to him and before I could make my way into the crowd, I felt two strong hands grip my hips and pull me back into a very muscular chest. A pair of lips brushed my ear and whispered, "What? No dance, angel?"

"I don't dance, Mr. Smooth," I purred, looking up at him.

"Not even one song?" He tried, swaying me with him to the beat.

"Shakira once said hips don't lie." I started, turning to face him. "Are these hips dancing?"

"They look like they do." He licked his lips and looked me up and down slowly.

"Sorry, pretty boy. Looks like you won't be tapping this ass tonight." I smiled, pinching his cheek and quickly disappearing onto the dance floor. I darted past people and glanced over my shoulder repeatedly to make sure I wasn't being followed. Suddenly I was yanked by the wrist into a rock-solid chest, arms slipping around my waist and hands settling on my ass.

"Are you sure about that ass?" His voice was deep and would turn any girl on. I rested my hands on his shoulders, resisting the urge to feel up his muscular body. He pressed his hips into mine, the sexual tension clearly growing. I almost let myself fall for his moves and then as I glanced over my shoulder to check for Kathy I realized that there were multiple bodyguards slowly moving in on the dance floor towards us. I felt the panic start to seep into my muscles and started to plan my escape.

"I know what you're doing." Ace broke my thoughts and I looked up at him with big and nervous eyes. There was an evil glint in his baby blues and I knew that look all too well.

"I don't know what you mean?" I tried to play dumb.

"Carson Hunter, I'm not an idiot. I've seen your type before and I'll be damned if I let you hurt my business." He growled, his one hand sliding up my back and gripping me by the neck. "Now why would The Reaper of all people be in Cincinnati, Ohio and killing mobsters?"

"I'm not-" I started.

"I know you're The Reaper. I know that you killed Krane. I don't know why but I plan on finding out. If you think I'm going to let whoever hired you to walk around on my turf laughing at me, they are wrong." He stopped me.

"You really don't know what the hell you're talking about," I told him. His face dropped and he searched my face for something. I started laughing right in his face like a maniac. "You know nothing about The Reaper, about me, about the Krane contract. You know nothing."

"Well I'm going to find out and you, angel, are going to tell me." He seethed, shaking me slightly.

"See there's a flaw in all this," I said slowly, trying to stall while I planned my way out.

"And what's that beautiful?" He snickered his lips brushing my ear. He trailed his lips down my jaw and stopped at the corner of my mouth and then it hit me.

"I know your biggest weakness."

"And that is?"

"You're currently unprotected nutsack." And I brought my knee up and into his crotch with as much force as I could possibly muster. He wheezed and doubled over giving me the opportunity to run for my life. I pushed through the drunk party people and found the bathrooms. Knowing that the women's stalls would be obvious, I ducked into the men's and flipped the lock on the main door before searching the walls for the window. I pulled my hair into a ponytail quickly and ran at the wall. I jumped at the last second and gripped onto the window ledge. I pulled myself up onto my elbows and pulled my knife from my leather jacket. I jabbed the tip of the steel into the lock and twisted abruptly, the window snapping open. Placing the knife between my teeth, I shimmied my way up the wall and swung my legs into the cool night air. I lowered my body out of the opening and just as I started to twist my body around so I could drop down to the ally below from a reasonable height, the door opened. I stared at the bodyguard in shock, both of us frozen for a moment.

"Boss!" He yelled, the world starting up again.

"See ya sucker." I grinned and let go of the ledge, disappearing from his sight and landing in the alley. My ankles rolled slightly as my stilettos threatened to break under the pressure of fleeing and I cussed at the momentary pain before sprinting onto the main street. I looked around and noticed Kathy making out against a car with the boy from earlier. I ran over, ripped the boy off of her and shook her before speaking.

"Carrie, what the hell?" She slurred.

"Listen to me. You are in danger by association of me, get the hell out of here and don't come back until you get a call from a number labelled HTR. Understood?" I spoke fast. She nodded, her fear evident as the facts sank in. I looked at the boy and grabbed him by the collar.

"Take her and keep her the hell out of Cincinnati. Or I will hunt you down, skin, you, and make you watch as I feed your limbs to wolves. Hear me?" I threatened. He nodded quickly and I slapped his face lightly. "Good, call a cab." 

And I sprinted away from the club. I ran towards the parking lot where I left the car but figured that running on the main road would be a bad idea. I made the decision to cut down the next alleyway and use the back streets and hopping the fence on the edge of the parking lot. As I skidded around the corner of the alley a searing pain erupted in my left temple and I fell to the ground. I tried to stand up and pressed my hand to the bloody wound on my forehead. Blunt force trauma and then I realized what was happening. I scrambled to my feet and pressed myself against the brick wall for balance as I stared at Ace De Rossi.

"You can't run from me, angel." He grinned.

"Fuck you." I spat.

"Is that a request, beautiful?" He laughed his goons who had now surrounded me chuckling along. He lunged forward and wrapped his fingers around my neck. I clawed at his hand and forearm as I struggled to stay conscious against the head injury, blood loss, and crushed windpipe.

"I'll kill you." I gasped as my vision started to turn to black.

"I highly doubt that." He snickered, pulling a syringe from his pocket.

"Oh, you little piece of sh-" I growled as he sank the needle into my neck.

"See you in a bit, angel." He whispered in my ear as unconsciousness took over and I collapsed into Ace De Rossi's ripped and evil arms.