An Echo in the Mafia (Echo Reid, Reid Family Book #1)

Part 8

"Please don't kill me." She said, staring at him. "They may have not heard our screams but they'll hear a gun shot."

He raised his brow.

"I'm sure they will, whoever they are." He said.

"My family. My father is a man of means. I have money... if that's what you want, I have a lot of it." She said, beginning to panic. He smiled.

"That's nice to know." He replied, "But I kinda figured that one out on my own."

She nodded. It was true. One look at their house or even just the inside of this pool house told you just how wealthy her family was.

"What do you want then?" She asked. She watched the man in front of her, wondering how he managed to look so composed. He was clearly in bad shape.

"I want you to sit the fuck down and let me think." He said, motioning to a chair nearby. Echo moved slowly, watching him the whole time, afraid that if she turned her back he might just shoot. She watched him pull his phone out of his pocket, his eyes narrowing as he did- it was obvious he was in pain.

"You're very hurt. You need a doctor." She said as he did so, taking a seat on the very edge of the chair. He didn't say anything, he didn't have to. The look he was giving her was much more efficient than a 'shut the fuck up' would have been.

"My phone is dead." he said after playing with it for a few minutes, trying to get it to turn on. "Do you have a charger?"

She raised her brow and shrugged.

"Maybe in one of those drawers." She said, pointing to the desk nearby, trying to remember if there was one in there.

"Get it." He said, afraid that if he moved he would black out. She watched him lean back against the back of the sofa, thinking that if she could just get away, it wouldn't be hard to out run him. There was no way he could catch up to her in that condition.

"Here." She said, plugging it into the wall and handing him the cord, hands shaking. As he hooked up his phone, she turned in the direction of the chair, wondering if she should make a run for it.

"You might be faster than me but not faster than my bullet." he said as if he could read her thoughts. "And even if you did by some miracle manage to get out of here, I'm important enough that my people will eventually come back and hurt yours."

She stared at him blankly, any color she had gone from her face.

"Do you understand?" He asked, looking at her. She didn't respond. "I asked you a question. Do you understand?"

"Yes!" She said, sitting back down. "Yes, I understand."

"Good." He said, looking back down at his phone with a frown. "It's dead."

"The rain." She said.

"No shit." He replied, leaning back with his eyes closed for a second. She stared at him, there was something about him, something familiar.

"There's a first aid kit in here. I can help you with your face... maybe with your arm a little too." She said, standing and showing him her hands were empty. He watched her for a second, gun pointed at her as she moved, pulling a kit out from under the sink at the bar area. She turned to him, pointing the the first aid kit.

"Are you gonna let me help you?" She asked. He watched her for a second, gun still pointed at her, then he slowly lowered it and nodded. Holding her breath, Echo walked towards him, trying to be calm. She could not let panic get the best of her.

"You a doctor?" He asked as she pulled up a stool and sat next to him. He watched her open the kit, unpacking it's contents. She seemed so young, much too young.