“Stop and get gas here, Monica. We’ll be stopping in the next town over. I've got questions that someone’s going to answer.”
Monica does as I ask but looks over at me, “Where have you been, Erin?”
I frown, “I'm sure it’s no secret by now that my father isn't a good man. My brother’s dead, Monica. But before he died, I guess he use to run with a gang and then the Romero’s took over for them. Through that, I guess he met Ricky Romero. Jace has always had a target on his back and because of that, I do too. People want me dead. Some of it’s to get at Shawn and a little payback to my brother even if he’s dead. I guess now the Romero’s have a special interest in me too so I'm a target to anyone who wants to use me as leverage.” I sigh, “My father, he started drinking and there might have been a bit of drug use too. But whatever the case, he started running in the wrong circles and I...I did something that’s got them coming after me. This isn't stupid shit, Monica. They want me dead. But I'll give myself up before I let them hurt you again.”
“What do they want with me?” she asks quietly.
“Someone must have told them you were close to me, I guess. Most likely is they’ve been watching me for a while. They will do anything to make an example of me.” no matter what they did to me, I was still a target. It didn’t matter what the circumstances were. I had a target on my back and they wouldn’t rest until I was six feet under.
We filled up and then drove into the town that I'd recently been dragged out of. I had questions. These questions can only be answered by Jake himself. But I'm not going to be stupid. No way did I think I was safe. But I have no other choice. I had to keep her safe and I would kill anyone to do it. I'd sleep with anyone to achieve it. I'd do anything to keep her safe. I won't fail like I did with Jace. Not this time. I owe her more than she will ever know. It was my fault these people where even looking at her. It was now my responsibility to look after her and take care of her. I owe her.
“You don’t even know what they did to me.” she states. “Why do you even care so much? Like you said, I'm nothing to you.”
I snort bitterly, “Monica, I don’t need you to tell me what they did to you. I know these men; I know what they do and how they do it. Everything they’ve done to you they’ve done to me.” more times than they’ll ever have the chance to do to her.
Her eyes snap up to mine and there is so much anger in them if I hadn't been there before already, hell if I wasn’t living that fury every day, I’d have cringed or flinched. But I didn’t. I couldn’t. I knew how she felt and I hated it. “They raped me, Erin! They held me down and took turns until I told them where you were. But I didn’t know.” tears fall down her face, her hands shake and her face just crumbles in a haunting look.
I look away from her and stare ahead. “I've been here before, Monica, the pit of misery, anger and wanting to end it all. Fuck, I live in that world. God, I even hate myself. Those same guys came to my house, walked into my room and took whatever they wanted from me, whenever they wanted. My father didn’t give a damn. As long as I suffered—” I cut myself off and clear my throat, “if you believe in anything anymore, believe in this. I won't let anyone hurt you again, not while I'm still breathing. I won't fail.” not this time.
We’re silent for a while. Just sitting still in her car as we both compose ourselves and take in everything that’s been said. “I trust you, Erin. Whether I should or should, I don’t care but I do.” she says quietly.
“First lesson, Nic, you shouldn’t trust anyone.” I tell her before changing the subject altogether. “When we get to this next stop, do exactly as I tell you. I need to talk to Jake and it won't be a good one. Don’t speak to anyone, don’t look at anyone and stay with me. Jake runs this town and he is involved in big time gangs. If I tell you to leave, you leave and you leave me behind.”
Her eyes flash. “I'm not leaving you behind, Erin.”
“Here, you call me Lily and you will do as you’re told. The Romero gang wants me back where they deem it safe so they are trying to bring me home and I have a feeling Jake is working with them. I believe he is under orders to bring me home by any means necessary.”
Her eyes are nervous now, “why does that gang want you? What did you do to them?”
I sigh, “I didn’t do anything to them. They want to protect me.”
Her eyes flash, “you’re taking me away from my family for what then? The Romero gang wants to protect you! You could convince them to protect me too! Why are we even leaving?”
I slam my hands down on the dash, “the last time I trusted Shawn, Jace was on his death bed and he bounced. He decided he had other things to worry about. I haven't seen him for two years until I moved here.” I glance at her, “two things you should learn, Nic, first learn to use a gun and second trust no one.”
It wasn’t long before we arrived in Jake’s town. The rest of the drive had passed in silence and the day had bled into darkness which seemed to make Monica more edgy. I gave her directions to the bar. There were bikes outside, row upon row. Obviously, there was a gang meeting of whatever you want to call it. We sit in silence and watch as I debate what to do.
I would be foolish to walk in there, with or without Monica but I don’t see her staying behind. “You’re not going to stay in the car are you?” her eyes flash.
“I'm not going to leave you behind and I'm sure as hell not letting you go in there alone! I know what these people do to girls, Erin. We shouldn’t be here.”
I clench my jaw, “no, Nic, you shouldn’t be here. But I brought this to you so I'm going to get you out and make sure your safe.”
She rolls her eyes, “I'll just follow you in, Erin.”
I sigh; “I told you to call me Lily here.” she wasn’t safe whether I left her in the car or brought her in with me. Her bruised state seems to stick out at this moment and the white cast on her arm stood out even more. I open my bag where I grabbed a few guns to be safe before I left. I took one out and handed it to her. I gave a brief run down on how to use it and I prayed that she had a decent shot because I don’t know how things will go. “you stay at my side and don’t speak to anyone. Be on guard and don’t let them intimidate you. I'll give my last breath before I let anyone hurt you, Monica. Just stay close.” She nods and we get out and stalk to the door to the all too familiar bar. I only pause for a minute before stalking into the smoky main room.
In the center of the room is Jake with a phone in his hand on speaker, the voice on the other side entirely all too familiar these days. “…she’s gone again. I don’t think she’ll come your way this time but keep your eyes open. Have a couple boys ride out and take a look. We need to find her, Jake. Things are real ugly and there getting worse.” I stalk right up to Jake and take the phone from him; it’s almost laughable how big his eyes rounded in surprise.
“I left a note, Rye. But I should have known you and your brigade of bumbling idiots would listen.” I smirk cruelly. “Well listen to this; you think you’ve got problems? You don’t know shit. You think dragging me ass back to you will keep anyone safe? Well news fucking flash! I don’t fucking need your protection. Anyone you send to take me back will return to you in a body bag. I've got something I have to do and I'm not going to hang my sister out to dry.”
“You don’t—” I cut the call.
Looking around the bar I take in the bikers staring. Eyes taking in Monica and flashing back to me; they’re curious and surprised. I snort, “you’re probably wondering why I came here, right Jake?” he smirks.
“I just thought you’d missed my sexy self.”
I chuckle venomously, “you think so?” I pause, “what I really come here for was to find out if you’re the reason I was taken back to Ryder and his band of dimwitted cocksuckers. But that phone call answered that. So this is my present to you,” I brought my fist up and brought it down faster and harder than I had ever before. With my hand aching, I almost couldn’t enjoy watching his shocked look as his head snapped back. The bikers rose as one and I grabbed my gun. “I get it. You’re an outsider, you don’t know what I'm running from or why. So you likely don’t know the reason I've been running in the first place. But I left for a fucking reason! Who the, fuck, are you to fuck with my life?”
He stands up straight and towers over me; he’s pissed, I can tell but he's holding it in check. “I run this chapter of the Romero gang, Erin. Richard happens to be my family and Shawny boy is practically married to my sister Jen and big guy Jace, he's been my friend for years and I'm not about to let his sister prance around with a gun she probably doesn’t know how to use when people have been threatening to kill her!”
I scoff, “oh so nice of you. You’re so kind.”
“Jace made sure you were protected.”
I laugh bitterly. “Yeah, were was this protection what I was held down and gang raped?” glasses slammed on tables and the looks in the eyes of the bikers present could be nothing less than deadly. Jake looked worse and the glass in his hand didn’t stay there long, as he threw it across the room in a rage.
I watch as he flipped tables and a few of the nameless bikers had to hold him down and were shouting at him to calm down. I watched as he reigned in her fury enough to approach me but I wasn’t about to let him close to me or Monica. I cocked the gun and aimed low; he got my hint and didn’t come any closer. With a nod at Monica, he asks, “What happened to her?”
I flinch, “just my old life spilling in to hers. One thing that I can't blame anyone but myself for.”
His eyes are cold, “what happened to her?” he demands.
“Some people from my past thought to cajole some information out of her. When she didn’t know anything they decided to use other forms of force.”
His eyes flash to me, “They make you look as bad as her?”
I smirk coldly, retreating into my pool of numbness. “I wasn’t recognisable. Between these bastards and my other demons I didn’t get off as easily.”
“What other demons?”
“Her father.” Monica says. I don’t even think she meant to speak aloud but she did and I froze and Jake’s eyes moved from my frozen face to Monica’s widened eyes. “Erin, I didn’t—I—I—”
“Your father put his hands on you?”
I laugh bitterly, “not just me, sugar. He let his dealer’s put their hands on me too as long as he got what he wanted.”
“That doesn’t sound like the man Jace and Shawn speak of.”
My laugh turns hysterical. “Jace is dead and with Jace dead, he couldn’t look at me. The man loved his son and with him gone, he hated me.”
Shock colors Jake’s face and the bikers around us lean shuffle in their seats. “Erin.” I meet Jake’s eyes. “Jace is not dead.”
No! No! They don’t get to do this to me! No! “You bastard!” I screech as everything falls apart inside of me. I could feel myself breaking all over again. “I buried him; I was there in the fucking hospital. I held the hand of his dead body. I was there!” I raise my gun and before anyone could react I pulled the trigger and spun around storming out. Monica, shell shocked backed away from me and fell to her knees by the bleeding Jake. It wasn’t a fatal shot and I didn’t have it in me to care. I just needed to go. My world doesn’t feel right. Everything is wrong. They’re wrong. Jace is dead. I know it.
Sobs wracked my body as I started Monica’s car. Speeding down the road at a buck eighty with a blurry vision didn’t prepare me for the lightless SUV plowing into the back of the car.
The car rolls. My face smashes against the steering wheel before my body flew through the windshield.
Seconds before I blacked out I saw lights flash on and someone mutter, “We have her.”
Then the world, as uncomprehending as it was in this moment, went black but the pain remained, gripping me everywhere in agonizing pain.
Dedicated to DJElliot- hope you enjoyed this one...someone finally got punched!