Flower Girl

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

      Braxton's POV

     The brass knuckles in front of me tapped impatiently on the makeshift table made of plywood and spray paint. The smell of iron and rust punched me in the face as I watched Crank smiled cynically across from me while continuing to rap his knuckles in short, quick patterns. I noticed he had less than six teeth in his mouth, his mostly gummy smile sending a shiver down my torso. I never visited this place unless I truly needed too. It was in the worst part of downtown Chicago, and only certain people knew and had access to the underground tunnel.

     "If I wasn't expected to be here, I think I probably would've made an appointment." I joked, trying to keep things light and friendly. Crank didn't drop his gut-wrenching smile, but he did breathe a little harder out of his nose, which I took as a laugh and a win in my book. I was just about to open my mouth again, say something to keep the ball rolling but a door slamming against the wall had me sitting back in my chair.

     Lazily, I lifted a hand. "Vegas."

     My brother's face was grim, and if I didn't know any better I'd think I was looking in a mirror. We were four years apart physically, but we looked as though we had popped out of our mother's womb conjoined. The only difference was his height outmatched mine, and while I had brown hair he had stark, ink black hair. My mother always joked he was touched by the devil. I wish I could tell her she was right. 

      Vegas walked over to me, his boots scuffing the already pretty beat up floor. I swallowed, not in fear, but in preparation that he'd slice my throat open and watch me bleed for fun. It wasn't that I didn't love my older brother, but blood meant nothing to him unless he was the one spilling it. 

      "I thought I told you to cut the bullshit out." He snarled as a greeting. I opened my mouth but his hand pressed against my throat in quick succession, I gasped for air, to tell him I didn't mean to blow my cover, that I thought Taylor would be a great distraction, along with great bait. "You weren't suppose to bring the fucking girl there. You knew what he was after. You gave him the hook, line and sinker and he fucking took it you God damn imbecile." Vegas shook his head, the vein on his temple popping out as he grew angrier. "She could have fucking died Braxton. You really want that girl's death on your hands? We don't kill innocents, we don't fucking touch the innocent. We aren't ones to taint their virtue." 

      The second he let go of my throat, I choked. I choked on air that was assaulting my wind pipes after being cut off. "Reel her in, got it. Didn't realize," I huffed out a breath before inhaling deep, "We were in some sort of fishing contest. You told me to take the bait." I wheezed, my hands shaking as I gripped the tops of my thighs. I couldn't see straight, my vision was blurry and unclear as I tried to regain a sense of composure. I wasn't weak, and I couldn't let him see me like that. 

      Vegas was back in my face. He growled out, "You took the bait to a fucking sex dungeon. You're the bait when you're not using your head." Vegas backed up, and motioned for Crank to deal with me. Crank stood up in the blink of an eye, moving surprisingly fast for a man of his statue and had his hands pinching my biceps to the bone in a matter of minutes.

     I watched my brother's back as he retreated, the two pairs of angel wings sticking out from underneath his shirt. The fallen angel himself looked over his shoulder, sparred me a sneer and ground out, "Disappear. Do yourself a favor and take my advice brother. Don't come back. You're next on his list."

      My heart dropped to my stomach, knowing I was about to lose grip on reality to start a live a life that wasn't even mine. 

~*~

     I kissed Willow on the head and sat back on my heels in the entryway to my home. Three weeks ago, Rebecca and I shared a less than passionate kiss before pulling out a knife and stabbing me in the shoulder telling me that she hoped I died. She grabbed Willow and fled with her. The same day, she ended up committing suicide in the parking lot of Taylor's work. My heart stung thinking about Taylor. Although short, the amount of time that I had spent with her allowed me to pursue the possibility of a relationship with her, one where nothing was complicated and it was composed of love and hope for a new beginning. 

     I sighed, looking in Willow's bright blue eyes that were shimmering with unshed tears. Behind me, my sister silently wept at what was to come. She knew it. She knew the time had come, it was carved into my future since I was ten years old. This life wasn't supposed to be easy for me, and it finally caught up with me. 

     "I love you forever." I kissed Willow's soft forehead, breathing in her scent of vanilla and sugar. She threw her arms around my neck, her stuffed monkey cutting off my breathing, but I squeezed her tighter to me nonetheless. 

     "And always, daddy. I love you forever and always." She recited what we said every night before she went to be, and it had emotion clogging my throat. I pulled her away to give her one last good look, taking a mental snapshot of the little girl I had the pleasure of loving to pieces. She wiggled her fingers at me with a sad smile and I returned both, before pulling my sister in a tight hug and promising I would be back as soon as I could. I couldn't leave Willow, not for an extended amount of time, but I also needed to keep her safe, so I would stay as along as it was needed to keep her safety at bay. 

     Pulling away from my house in a car that wasn't mine, with a name that wasn't mine and clothing that wasn't anywhere near mine, I drove towards my new life. A life where nothing was promised. 

 Carelessly driving down the country side roads that were hugged by a setting sun, I rubbed away the tears that started to fall, the sadness that finally crept over my entire body. I looked down at my speed on the dashboard, wondering what would happen if I closed my eyes and just let fate take over. Shutting my eyes briefly, before opening them again I watched as the one part of my life that I had control over slipped away as a black, large vehicle's headlights shone straight into my own before I was falling, falling so far overboard that I was no longer me. 

~*~