A/N: comment more.
>3
My heart pounded in my chest as we sped down each street, getting closer and closer to the warehouse. I didn't know what to think, what to expect as a ringing sound filled my ears. I laid my head back against the seat, letting out deep breaths and loosened up my neck, rolling it out to calm my nerves.
I opened my eyes, seeing we would be there very soon and took my gun out of my waistband. Callum handed me his as well to make sure they were both off the safety and filled up to the brim with bullets. I made sure to grab extra magazines and tucked them into my waistband right beside my knife.
I closed my eyes and looked up, praying that the kids were okay and none of the attackers got to them.
"Fuck." Callum muttered. I looked ahead, where eight unfamiliar cars were parked outside. The sound of bullets being shot inside sounded and tears filled my eyes.
"No." I didn't wait for Callum to come to a full stop before unbuckling my seatbelt and rushing out of the car. On the way, I pulled my knife out and slashed every single one of their tires so none of them could get away.
None of the security was outside when I went over to the entrance and pulled the door open. Callum was at my heels, the sight of people shooting, fighting and dying everywhere. I didn't hesitate and pointed my gun at the first unfamiliar face I saw, shooting them in the head. His body fell to the ground, the life that was in his eyes no longer there, leaving them empty.
Jordan and Kara came in soon after, I quickly made my way up the stairs since no one else seemed to be worried about the many kids we had upstairs.
"Jordan, go with her!" Callum yelled. We both made our way up the stairs, the chaos now muffled when we got into the elevator. The lock to it was now broken, showing us that people did in fact get upstairs and were with the kids now.
"Be completely silent, okay? We don't know how many of their men are up here." Jordan said. I nodded, breathing heavily as sweat formed at the palms of my hands, making my grip on the gun less firm.
I handed it to Jordan and wiped my hands on my legs, making them dry now and took it back. He chuckled, "You ready?"
I nodded, "Let's hope, for their sake, that these kids are okay."
He agreed and the elevator door opened, revealing the double doors right in front that led into where the kids were staying. We quickly crouched down, muffled voices filling our ears. I lifted my head to look inside, the kids were all kneeling on the ground in a line, none looked hurt. Yet.
In front of them stood a man, a creepy smile on his face as he walked in front of them with his gun in hand. He lifted his hand to touch one of the girl's cheek, pulling her in by her hair when she cowered away and anger filled up inside me.
Behind him stood two more men, their backs facing us and I immediately came up with a plan.
"Three men, two are standing close to us, the other is focused on the kids. Sneak up and slit their throats then deal with the last one together, his gun is drawn." I whispered to Jordan. He nodded and very slowly twisted the doorknob. I closed my eyes as he opened it, relieved when there wasn't a creak and we went inside.
I held my finger to my mouth when the kids saw us, their shoulders slightly slumping in relief. I spotted Imani, giving her a small smile. She smiled back, I gestured for all of them to close their eyes and they did.
In a swift move, Jordan and I wrapped our hands around the two men's mouths and slit their throats. We made no sound as we crouched down to lay their bodies on the floor.
"Come on, don't you guys wanna play a game? It'll be fun." The last man said. The idiot still didn't realize we were here.
Jordan and I walked up to him and grabbed onto his wrists, taking his gun away and throwing it towards the bodies of his friends. I dug my foot into the back of his knee, making him kneel in front of me and yanked on his hair to make him look up at us.
He was met with two menacing smirks. I smiled, "Why the long face? Didn't you wanna play?"
He glared, that emotionless, dark look still on his face.
"Meet my friend here." I gestured to Jordan whose knuckles were white from the tight grip he had on his knife. He wanted blood, he wanted to torture but was holding back because of the kids. "Why don't you take him upstairs Jordan, show him how we play."
"Gladly." He seethed and pulled the man up to his feet then dragged him out.
I let out a sigh and looked back at the kids, "Keep your eyes closed." They did while I dragged the other two bodies out and tucked the third man's gun into my waistband. When I walked back in, I told the kids that they could open their eyes.
"Come here," I said, opening my arms for them. They all rushed over, some crying, some still shocked and others smiling out of relief as we all shared a big hug. "Are you guys okay? Anyone hurt?"
I looked at all of them, giving each of them a kiss on the head. Thankfully, all of them were okay. Then I went over to the door and locked it, just in case anyone was left alive downstairs and tried coming in.
"Anyone hungry? I'll make you guys some pasta." I said, running my fingers through my hair. A headache started forming and all I wanted at that moment was a drink or smoke.
They all nodded and I went over to the kitchen area, looking in the fridge and seeing these kids really needed to be moved out of here. There were houses we were going to look at soon, I could try to get Callum to change it to this week.
"Hey, honey." I smiled at Imani. She stood beside me, watching curiously as I pulled all of the ingredients out.
"Can I help?" She asked. I looked around, seeing that everyone else was busy with their friends. No one seemed to want to hang out with her. Come to think of it, I don't think I ever saw her hanging out with anybody.
"Sure," I said, lifting her onto the counter. She helped me pour in different spices as well as the sauce while the rest of the kids stayed busy behind us.
Suddenly, I heard the sound of someone trying to open the door and turned around, drawing my gun as I pointed it towards the window. My shoulders relaxed when I saw it was just Callum and Kara then asked one of the kids to let them in.
They said hi to all of the kids and came over to me.
"Did anyone get up here?" He asked. I nodded, telling them Jordan was upstairs with one of them right now. Kara excused herself to go join in on the fun and I got back to making dinner.
"Hey, sweetheart." He walked over to Imani, the both of them sharing a little hug and started talking.
I poured the pasta into a large bowl while Callum and Imani set the tables. I heard a large crash and turned my head to see two of the teenage boys fighting.
"Guys!" I yelled as they landed punches on each other, everyone around them hollering and egging them on. Callum laughed beside me. I rolled my eyes and shook my head, "Go separate them!"
"Why, they're having fun?" He smiled.
"Callum." I glared. He rolled his eyes and walked over.
"Okay, break it up." He ripped them apart with ease. One of them moved forward to hit the other again but then he saw the look on Callum's face and backed down, wiping blood off of his nose.
"Why are you guys fighting?" He asked, switching his gaze between them.
They started complaining about how annoyed they were with each other, they didn't want to live together anymore, they wanted to leave and all of that stuff.
"I hate him, I wish he'd just die!" One of them said.
"Hey!" I cut in with Imani on my hip eating a piece of garlic bread, "Don't say stuff like that, guys. You have no one but each other, don't ruin that." I shook my head, unbelieving of the words that just came out of his mouth.
"That's easy for you to say." One of the older girls spoke up, "You're in a mansion with your boyfriend, living the high life while we gotta stay on this tiny floor, taking care of these kids which we didn't sign up for." She glared, crossing her arms.
I turned my body to face her, "Was I speaking to you?" She shook her head and I nodded, "Then shut your fucking trap."
I turned my attention back to the two boys and handed Imani over to Callum. I grabbed onto the boy's arms and shoved them in front of me, "Out. Now."
They kept their heads down and we made our way outside then down the stairs where everyone was cleaning up the bodies. Some of the bodies belonged to our own, some didn't. I took a deep breath and diverted my eyes to the boxing ring. After getting some gloves on, I told them to get in there and deal with their anger like that.
I watched as they fought, seeing how angry they were and waited for one to be dominant in the fight before finally breaking it up.
"Come here," I said. They made their way down, breathing heavily and no longer looking angry, more so regretful. "You guys don't have normal lives, you're never going to have normal lives, okay? All you have is each other and you need to make the most of it, understand? Don't let the arguments or where you're living right now affect you. We're getting you guys out of here and into a proper house soon, I promise."
They nodded and I smiled, "Now hug it out."
They cringed, "No way." I rolled my eyes and put the gloves away before leading them back upstairs. Everyone was now eating and the boys joined them. I made my way over to Callum who was sitting with Imani and all the other smaller kids.
"Hey." I smiled, sitting beside him.
"What'd you take them out for?" He asked.
"I made them fight it out the right way, they're alright now. Look." I pointed over to the boys who were eating and laughing together now with their friends.
"Well done, baby." He smirked, kissing my lips then stood up, "Let's go join Kara and Jordan."
I shook my head, "I'll come in a little bit. I'll just wash the dishes then make sure all the kids are still okay."
He nodded then said bye to everybody before walking out. After the kids finished, I took their plates and walked over to the sink to clean up while they got ready for bed. Again, Imani was stuck by my side. Apparently watching me wash dishes seemed fun to her.
"Okay, let's get you ready for bed," I whispered, leading her between all of the bunk beds and towards the bathrooms. I looked over all of them, making sure all of the kids were okay, then reached Imani's bed where her toothbrush and very few outfits were. She grabbed her pyjamas and everything she needed and walked with me by her side towards the bathrooms.
I watched as she hopped onto the counter and looked in the mirror, thoroughly brushing her teeth. A heavy feeling weighed me down as I realized how independent she was, not expecting me to help her at all. She was so used to taking care of herself.
"Goodnight, honey." I kissed her head after tucking her in, trying to be as quiet as possible as to not wake any of the other kids up.
"Goodnight, mommy."
My breath caught in my throat at the words she mumbled. She was half-asleep, barely knew what she was saying but it still had some type of effect on me. I gulped and straightened up, feeling a weird ache in my heart. It hurt but felt good at the same time. I didn't know how to react to it.
Instead, I just shook it off. She probably didn't mean it, just one of those in-the-moment things. After closing the door and walking into the elevator, I texted Callum and asked if they were still upstairs. They were so I clicked the fifth floor and waited for it to go up.
I inhaled a deep breath through my nose, then exhaled shakily out of my mouth, shaking my head and limbs to try and calm myself down.
It's been a long-ass day.
The doors opened and I looked into the cells where Williams' men were. Some were sitting, some standing, glaring and muttering under their breaths at the sight of me.
I smiled, "Did you guys ever find the time to get my bags from the car? Because I still haven't gotten them." I pouted, stepping into the hallway.
Suddenly, one of them got their hands through the bar and grabbed onto my arm, yanking me towards him. I held onto the bars and tilted my head, a small grin on my face.
"What?" I asked him, "Getting bored in here? You need some release?"
He let out a low grunt, "When we get out of here, whenever that may be, we'll make you regret every decision you've made since you met us."
I bit down on my lower lip and pulled him closer by the collar of his shirt, "Does that mean you'll play with me?"
He smirked, "I didn't know Reaper would get himself this much of a whore."
I nodded, tugging him closer and closer. His breath fanned against my lips, we were so close to pressing them together. "I'll see you in hell, honey," I muttered before pulling out my gun and shooting him in the head. A giggle burst out of me when his body fell to the floor.
I smiled, looking around at his friends, "Don't be stupid like him guys, I really don't recommend it."
I walked over to the door at the end of the hallway, smiling at the guard then stepped inside. Callum, Jordan and Kara were surrounding the guy, the room completely silent. My footsteps made the floorboards creak and everyone's attention turned to me.
I shifted awkwardly, confused as to why they were giving me weird looks.
"What? It's rude to stare." I glared.
"Did you just shoot someone out there?" Kara asked, smirking.
I nodded, "Yeah, just one of William's men. His breath didn't smell good so I just did it." I shrugged and they nodded.
"He hasn't said a word." Callum turned to the guy, sitting unconscious in the chair with rope holding him back.
I took a step forward and stood beside Kara, "Wake him up, I wanna try."
I really just wanted to put my knife to use tonight, but I wasn't going to say it out loud.
I doubt what I do to him will actually get any information, seeing as how messed up he already was from Jordan, Kara and Callum. Jordan moved forward and grabbed the bucket of cold water beside the man then poured it onto him.
He shot up, gasping for air and lifted his head, "Fuck."
I smirked and pulled out my knife, ready to start interrogating when he continued, "Is she here yet?"
I stopped in my tracks and turned to Callum. He raised his eyebrows in shock, "Is who here yet?"
"Nia Seymour." The man said. He looked around the room, a scary smile on his face when he spotted me. I took a tiny step back, just in case.
"There she is." He smirked, "How're you doing, sweetheart?"
Sweat formed on my chest at the look on his face, that scary tone making me readjust the knife in my hand over and over again from all the sweat building up, "What do you mean?"
He chuckled, "I mean, all of this happened because of you. Why do you think we're here?"
I widened my eyes in shock, "You're here for me? Why?"
He shrugged, "Why not?"
Jordan punched him across the face. The man's head snapped to the side, he spat out some blood but kept the smile on his face and shook his head to make his black, curly hair get out of his face.
"Cut the bullshit. Who are you with and why do they want Nia?" Callum seethed.
He kept his eyes on me, "It's none of your business who I'm with. They want Nia because she's simply irresistible. I mean, look at her man. Who wouldn't want that?"
Kara pulled me back and pushed me behind her, seeing the way his eyes raked creepily over my body, "You better stop looking at her like that, asshole."
He nodded, "Sorry, honey. I'll remember that for next time." He said, sarcasm in his tone as he rolled his eyes, "You can't wear slutty shit like that and expect people to keep their eyes off of you, come on."
I held onto Kara's arm, she grabbed my hand and held it in hers, using her thumb to caress my skin, comfortingly.
"Did that scare you, Nia?" He asked, thinning his eyes. I avoided looking into them and tried to prevent the panicked feeling from taking over. "Cause if it did, we're gonna need to toughen you up."
"Stop speaking in fucking riddles." Jordan held onto both armrests, getting in the man's face. "Tell us everything you know, now."
But the man ignored him and continued speaking to me, "You have no idea what's going to be done to you, sweetheart. We all saw that photo of your body when you were sleeping naked and we can't wait to get our hands on you. You remember, don't you?" He nodded, not waiting for me to answer before continuing, "When that stranger came to your hotel room and told you to open the door? All of those texts, calls? You got them, didn't you?"
My nails dug into my palm as I tried keeping a poker face on. He finally looked away from me and at Jordan and Callum. I let out a heavy breath, slightly leaning on Kara for support. She turned and held me up, bringing my head down to lay on her chest.
"The only thing I'm going to tell you dumb fucks is that by the time they're done with her, she won't be fixable. They're going to ruin her, traumatize her but make her addicted to what they do to her. She's going to learn to love every second of it to the point where she won't even realize it's wrong." He chuckled.
My blood went cold as every muscle in my body tensed with fear. I couldn't breathe. My vision went cloudy, tears filling my eyes. I held back a sob, my knees felt like they would give out any second.
His eyes were back on me, "When Rivera gets you back, all you'll be is damaged fucking goods. You won't be able to sleep at night, you won't be able to eat, you won't even be able to fucking think, Nia Seymour. For the rest of your life, they will haunt your mind, you won't be able to think straight-"
Kara moved forward and punched him across the face. The chair fell back with him in it, she got on top of him and punched again and again, "I'm going to fucking kill you!" She yelled, starting to kick as well.
I looked at Callum, his eyes were already on me except his looked calmer while mine probably looked like they'd fall out of their sockets from how much I was panicking. He moved forward to comfort me but I couldn't do it. I quickly rushed out of the room and into the elevator, pressing frantically on the first floor. I barely paid any attention to the way William's men looked at me with curiosity then amusement.
The metal doors closed and the box started moving down. I felt stuck, like the elevator was ten times smaller than its actual size and I was being suffocated. My chest heaved as they opened again and I rushed over to the bathrooms. The warehouse was empty now, no one else was here since it was so late.
I flicked the bathroom light open and turned the water on, waiting for it to get ice cold before cupping it in my hands and rubbing it into my arms, my face, my neck, everywhere. I looked into the mirror, barely able to see myself from the endless amount of tears streaming down my face.
"Fuck!" I screamed, punching the mirror. I slammed my hands into it over and over again. I could never catch a break, there was always something around the corner, waiting to attack.
But this, this was different. They've been here since the beginning, before everything. These people, they've been watching me this whole time, stalking and creeping around. And this was the only thing we haven't been able to solve, we simply just ignored it or put it off.
I thought after Toronto it was done, I thought they gave up. No, they were just waiting. Now they're coming for me. The kids almost got hurt because of me. Callum and Jordan's men died because of me. They want me and other people are paying for it.
By the time I zoned back in, shards of glass were embedded into my skin while blood trickled down my arm. I washed my arms again, ignoring the intense sting covering every inch and walked back out.
I looked around, spotting the bar and grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniel's then walked out. I passed by all of the cars, chuckling at all of the tires I slashed on the way in and decided I should look through the cars as well.
I held the barrel of my gun and hit the back of it into the window, making it shatter in pieces. Then I realized it was unlocked and sort of felt bad. But the guy was dead now so it's not like he'll have to pay for repairs or anything.
"Let's see." I looked around, disappointed when there was nothing special inside of it. Every car was empty, filled with jack shit.
They're smart. Very smart.
"Might as well just let them take me." I snorted, walking down the street and taking another swig of the hard liquor. I threw my head back as it burned while pouring down my throat, closing my eyes in complete bliss.
"Oh, girls just wanna get drunk." I sang. It was about twenty minutes later, I didn't even know where I was. I laughed at the change in lyrics I made, "Oh, girls just wanna get fucked!" I threw my head back, slightly shaking my butt to add a bit of choreography.
A car pulled up next to me, inside a couple of guys that looked like they were still teenagers but on the older side.
"You lost?" The driver asked. The look on his face told me if I said yes, I wouldn't be getting home tonight. I smiled, placing my arms on the window and tipped his chin up.
"Yeah," I said. "You wanna give me a ride?"
He smirked, looking at his friends that looked so giddy in their seats, they were about to release inside their pants right then and there. "Yeah, we'll give you a ride. But with a price."
"Mhm, and what is it you want from me?" I teased.
"How about you stay with us for a few hours. We promise to take you home after." The guy in the passenger seat said.
I laughed, "You guys are funny. What, no girls your age want to go near you, neither do the younger ones so you're trying to go for older women now?" I almost stumbled but steadied myself by tightening my hold on the car.
They didn't like that one. The smirks on their faces turned into glares and the driver looked at his friend in the back, "Just hurry up and pull her into the car, it's not like she'll remember anything anyway."
I took another gulp of the Jack Daniels and shook my head at his friend, "Don't get yourself killed, baby. Go have fun, be good boys and only have sex with girls who consent to it, okay?"
"Who do you think you-"
I pulled my gun out and shot into the sky, cutting him off. "I can be your worst fucking nightmare if you wanna keep pushing me." The smile on my face fell. I studied each of their faces, feeding off of the complete fear covering their features from the sight of my gun and bloodied hands sitting in front of them.
Then I smiled again, bringing the gun to the driver's temple. "What do you say, hm? Should we forget this ever happened, stop harassing women and be good from now on, honey?"
He nodded frantically, I looked over at his friends and they nodded as well. One was on the verge of tears, the look alone made me want to shoot him.
"Okay. Have fun." I gave them a loopy smile and backed away. The driver gulped nervously and drove off. I felt bored so I shot at the car, just once. They started speeding and I laughed.
I looked down at my phone, seeing that Muffin was calling me and smiled, immediately getting excited. I blinked rapidly, trying to find the green button to answer.
"Muffin!" I exclaimed, dropping my booty onto the curb.
"Nia." He sounded angry.
"Uh oh." My mouth fell open, "Muffin sounds angry."
"That's because Muffin is angry, sweetheart. Muffin is very fucking angry." He seethed.
I gasped, "Muffin, who are we angry at?"
"We are angry at you, Nia. Muffin is extremely angry," He paused, taking a deep breath. "At you."
I pouted, tears forming in my eyes and sniffled, "Why me? What did I do?"
"We'll talk about that later, okay? Tell me where you're at." He said, sounding like he was getting in a car.
I gasped again, wiping at my eyes. "Are you coming to see me?"
"Yeah, baby, I am. Now, where are you?" He asked again.
I sighed, "Muffin, I don't usually give my address to just anyone."
"It's okay, I won't tell anyone." He assured me.
"Pinky promise?"
"Pinky promise." He said.
I looked around, telling him the street I was on. "I'll be in the living room so just let yourself in whenever you get here. I don't have a door anyway." I chuckled and ended the call, laying back on the sidewalk as I started humming.
"I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm going to die." I sang, bringing the bottle to my lips. A second later I shot up, choking and spitting when it went up my nose.
"Oh my goodness, I'm going to die!" I exclaimed, almost falling over when I threw my hands up. A familiar black car came driving down the road. I stood up, bumping my head against the pole beside me and let out a whine.
"Ow!" I rubbed my head. He pulled up in front of me, a glare on his face.
"Nia-"
"Oh!" I held my finger up, cutting him off. "You have to knock on my door first. This is my house, be respectful."
He rolled his eyes and stepped out of the car, imaginarily knocking on the door right in front of me. I smiled, pretending to unlock it and opened it, "Why hello there? I wasn't expecting- Oops!"
I let out a laugh when he threw me over his shoulder. I quickly adjusted the Jack Daniel's in my hand so it wouldn't spill and went limp against him. I lowered my hand and slapped his butt. He froze.
"Hey!" I exclaimed when he slapped mine back, only way harder than I hit him. "That is abuse, Muffin."
"Yeah, I know." He brushed me off and opened the passenger car door then dropped me in. He grabbed my seatbelt and wrapped it around my body, trying to dig around for the buckle. I giggled and puckered up my lips to kiss him.
"Goddamnit." He muttered, getting frustrated when the belt wouldn't go into the buckle. He saw my lips and gave me a quick kiss, making me sit back and smile, satisfied. I grabbed the belt from him and did it myself with ease. He sighed and shut my door before going over to his side and climbing in.
"Muffin?" I whispered.
"Hm?" He looked at me, his eyes looking tired.
"Where's Pookie?" I asked.
"Pookie's very upset with you." He said. My face fell and he nodded, "Yeah, he's not happy at all. And he'll be even more upset when he sees how drunk you are."
I panicked and opened the window before throwing the already empty bottle out. Then I brought the mirror down and looked at my face. My eyes were bloodshot and swollen, making it obvious that I had been drinking.
Tears filled my eyes as I looked back at Muffin, "Pookie's going to be so upset with me!" I cried out, choking and sobbing loudly.
He nodded, "Yeah, he will." I thought I saw him smiling but couldn't tell from how blurry my vision was.
"What do I do?" I asked, looking around as if I'd find a solution in the car.
"I don't know, I guess we'll just have to wait and see what Pookie thinks about this." He shrugged. "You know who else will be upset?"
"Who?" I started panicking even more.
"Kara." He said.
I gasped, "Poptart?" My hands came up to cover my mouth, " Oh no, Poptart's going to be so mad at me!"
He nodded, "Yeah, she is. Look, we're here. Let's see what they have to say about this." He got out of the car, we were now in the garage. I started crying even more and tried to wipe my eyes.
"Come on. You gotta face them." He said, pulling my door open and held his hand out for me to grab on to. I reluctantly took it and he stood me up, placed his arm around my waist and led me inside.
Pookie and Poptart were sitting in the dining room, worried looks on their faces until they heard our footsteps walking in. Poptart jumped up, rushed over to me and held me in a tight embrace, sounding like she was crying in my shoulder.
"You need to stop doing that to me!" She cried, pulling away to examine me before placing a kiss on my head then pulled me back in for another hug. When I saw that she wasn't angry, I hugged her back, the shock passing over and turning into warmth as we snuggled against each other.
Then she was yanked off and behind her stood a very angry-looking Pookie, staring me down with complete anger, "I'm very disappointed with you, Nia." The words cause the waterworks to start up again.
He pulled me into his chest, "You had us worried sick. When something like this happens, you can't be running off, okay?"
I nodded, the kindness radiated off of him in waves as he placed his cheek on top of my head while his arms wrapped around my body in a big bear hug. I felt Poptart hug me from behind as well, making my smile widen until I realized there was someone missing.
I turned to look at Muffin, he was looking at us with a smile on his face but made no move to join. Pookie and Poptart looked at him as well. He rolled his eyes and joined, slumping his body lazily around us, completing our group hug.
"I love you guys." I smiled.
"I love you too, sweetheart."
"I love you too, babe."
"I love you more."
I wish I had taken in their voices, realized the sincerity of the words they told me that night.
AUTHORS NOTE!!!
cute.
a lot of people apparently have the impression that this book is going to be over soon. but in my mind, I'm telling you guys I don't think it's going to be finished for a while so sit tight and relax. I'm pretty sure you'll realize when it's coming to an end. I think we all can agree it's not the end of Nia and Callum's story yet, they still have a lot to navigate through.
I hope you guys enjoyed it, I'd really appreciate it if you voted, followed and commented on any feedback you may have. Make sure you have something to eat and drink a lot of water to stay hydrated.
See you next time, sexy;)