They'd been back for a few days now, and everything seemed to be all right. Trent clearly hadn't been happy, but he seemed unusually understanding.
"It happens." Was all that he had said to them together. He specifically had asked to speak to Cam alone and Ashley had taken her leave.
Later Cam had caught up with her and told her that everything was fine and that they may have a new job soon. It all seemed too generous from their boss, but hey, an extra chance was more than perfect for her. She still had a debt to pay off and after their last fail there was a good chance that she had more added to her debt. They had to wait for more details, but another trip would be a good chance to better prove herself.
She had taken time to carefully document everything that had happened in her journal. She had been cautious not to allow herself to be followed. If anyone caught wind of her documenting everything that had happened during her time in the gang there was no telling what they'd do to her. It was a dangerous game she was playing, but if they ever needed to get out or needed a bargaining chip then they'd have one. She needed to carefully document the facts to give to the police or to use as a threat to Trent if ever need be. She would have to make it all count.
Ashley walked by Eddie on her route to check out what was going on in their neighborhood. Neighboring rivals needed to stay out and she would make sure of it. She noted Eddie's bruised knuckles as he cleaned his gun. "Trouble?" She asked cautiously.
Eddie didn't bother to look up at her. He continued to work on his gun. "In a matter of speaking. What are you up to?"
"I was just going to see if there's any trespassers. No need for any competition." She said slowly.
He nodded. "Good job on putting di'Liardo away."
"Trent didn't seem to think so." She was surprised by his sudden gratitude. It's not like she had just done that to Dom. Some time had already passed by.
"His priorities are changing, and the way you did it cost him money. You could have been smarter about it." He pointed out.
"Not as easily." She commented as she thought back to the scenario.
"Maybe not, but you need to think out of the box on stuff like that. Be smart. We all know you have it in you." The hidden compliment was odd for Eddie, but Ash wouldn't hesitate to take it.
She nodded calmly and began walking away. Perhaps there was a reason for Eddie's compliment. Or perhaps she was still being too wary. Wariness was important to keep her alive though.
The sun had begun to creep out from under the scattered clouds. It would help warm the day up, since it was already chillier than she cared for. It made for a good brisk walk around the area though, and that was good for clearing her head. Her gun was neatly kept in the small of her back and she was ready for trouble to rise up. It seemed quiet and oddly peaceful today though. Not that she minded too much, it was nice to have nothing specifically happening.
A few blocks passed by rather quickly with no action happening. She noticed a cop car slowly following behind her. Its lights flickered briefly as it slid in alongside the sidewalk that she was walking on. She sighed and rolled her eyes. She stopped and turned to wait for the cop to get out of the car.
"What did I possibly do wrong, Tom?" She addressed the cop as he got out of his car.
He was unusually serious. Normal for cops, she supposed, but not as normal for him whenever he stopped to talk with her. "Ashley, I need you to come to the morgue with me."
Her brows knit together in confusion. "Why would I need to do that?"
"I need you to identify a body that was found this morning next to a dumpster." He swallowed hard. His face was as solemn as they come.
Slowly, Ashley walked toward him. "Who is it?"
"I think it's best you wait until you can see the body." He told her slowly.
"What makes you think I'll be able to identify a body?" She let a little attitude creep into her voice. She kept it lighter than usual considering the circumstances, but she wouldn't be herself if there was absolutely no attitude to give him.
"Get in the car Ashley." He unlocked the back door before getting in the vehicle himself.
Ash looked toward the remainder of the sidewalk in front of her. Grudgingly, she entered the squad car. It annoyed her that he'd put her in the tight space in the back, but it was clear that there was no room in the passenger seat. He probably didn't trust her sitting next to him either.
The ride to the county morgue was silent. She watched houses pass outside of the window. She doubted she'd know the body, but it was probably whomever Eddie had roughed up. Probably a guy from Miko's gang. They didn't really provide any competition for Trent, but they blocked off enough neighborhoods to make business rougher. That alone was enough of a reason for Trent to take advantage of giving any of Miko's guys a rough up job or do something threatening to get a reaction from Miko.
She waited for the cop to let her out of the backseat after they parked directly in front of the building. A perk of being with a cop. "What makes you think I'll know who this person is, Tom?" She said with an aspect of annoyance in her voice.
The cop swallowed hard and opened the door to the building for her. He didn't answer her. He just led the way to a room filled with silver, rolling tables and lots of little doors leading to more dead bodies on a wall. The room was chilly, which was expected of a room with dead people in it.
"I know you think I'm a little dark, but looking at dead bodies isn't a highlight of mine, Tom." She stood by as a man in blue scrubs opened a little door and pulled out one of the rolling tables. A white blanket covered whoever was underneath it.
The cop stood a few feet away from her as the man slowly pulled the sheet down to reveal a badly bruised face. Ashley's eyes widened and she braced herself against the wall of doors. Her breathing increased as her hand covered her mouth. She began to drop to her knees as the cop quickly grabbed her and pulled her against himself. Her hands shook as tears began slipping down her face. "No, that can't be. That just... it can't be." Her voice was ragged and broken.
Cam's cold body laid lifelessly on the table. Any form of life that had been inside of him had been stolen from him. She had just seen him only hours ago. He had been warm, alive, bright eyed. The picture in front of her now was anything but that.
"That can't be him! Why'd you show me that? Tom, why'd you show me that?" Her voice screamed out at the cop. The image in front of her made it clear that everything about this moment was real, but it was too much to fully process. Her knees were still buckling underneath her and she knew that the second the cop let go of her she'd be on the ground.
Her breathing felt labored and difficult. The moment didn't seem real. She pulled away from Tom and gripped onto the table. She sucked in everything about her foster brother. She pulled down the sheet a little bit more as she let anger fill her up. "You should have listened to me." She whispered to her brother. Whoever did this would pay. They'd pay dearly.
She gently ran her fingers around a bullet hole near her best friend's heart. His body was covered in bruises. The pain that he endured rang out clearly from what obviously was fresh and new. A flashback of Eddie cleaning his gun with bruises covering his knuckles rang out loud and clear in her mind. She reached down and kissed his forehead as her chin quivered and her face crumpled up more as tears slid faster and more frequently down her face.
She didn't let the pain and tears run through her for long though. The anger coursed through her veins and all that she could think of was murder. Her brows knit together and her nostrils flared. With as much force as she could muster, she threw her fist into the nearest small, metal door. She barely could feel the pain fill her fist as she shoved her way past Tom and toward the door. She was in no mood to be messed with.
With a vengeance, she shoved her way through the doors of the room and walked away with a purpose to her escape. She could feel a hand on her arm as she left the building. Without thinking, she pulled her gun out and pointed it at the cop. "Stay out of my way, Tom." Anger lit up her face in a way that expressed an intenseness that couldn't be changed.
Tom backed a few steps away from her. His hands were raised just a bit. He clearly wanted her to know that he wasn't a threat and didn't want to draw much attention to them. "Put the gun down, Ashley. Think this through. I don't want to be arresting you."
"They killed him, Tom. He was my best friend!" Ashley could feel her chin quivering again. "He was with me through everything. Everything Tom! You know we went through hell together growing up. He doesn't deserve this. He didn't deserve any of this!"
"Then make them pay for this. Don't give them something so easy as death. Help me put them away." He said with clear determination. "Get out of all of this. Save yourself."
She could feel him eyeing up some of her injuries from Trent and from jumping from the train. She could care less. She let her arm drop with the gun still in hand. "Stay out of my way, Tom." With that she jogged down the steps and walked away from the county morgue. Murder was alive in her eyes and determination echoed itself in each step she took. Memories filled her mind of just the last few days. If only he would have listened to her. If only they would have ran away together. Why the hell didn't he listen to her? Her jaw locked hard in place.
Walking back to the place she called home went by faster than she had anticipated. She didn't remember much of the walk or much of the scenery that she had passed by. One thought was on her mind. And one thought could be read across her face. All bets were off.
She could see Eddie and Trent together. They were laughing about something. How dare they have something to laugh about! How dare they think that they could take her best friend away! Before she had a chance to get to them, Stan grabbed the gun from her with one hand and used the other to grab her arm and pull her away from her mission. She had been so determined where she was walking that it didn't take much to pull her off balance.
"What the..." Was all that she could muster before being thrown against the side of a building.
"Don't be stupid, Ash." Stan said in a high pitch whisper.
"Get out of my way, Stan." Ashley's voice was low and dangerous. Her heart was pounding against the inside of her chest, frantically waiting for her chance to do some damage to those that had done so much damage to her. She could feel panic welling up inside of her. What if Stan wouldn't let her do what she intended?
"Not a chance. You're going to do something that you'll regret." He kept his grip on her unyielding.
"I'll never regret it. You don't know what they did." She looked away from him, but continued to struggle to be free.
"I know what they did, Ash. Killing them won't bring Cameo back." He knew he had her attention the second he spoke.
Her nostrils flared out and attention locked on him intently. "Did you have something to do with it too?"
He slowly released her and took a step back, ready to grab her again if he had to.
She shoved him as hard as she could with both hands. "Tell me! Did you kill Cam?"
"No, I didn't." He glowered down at her. "I'd never kill anyone."
Ashley stopped and stared at him. "Then you're in the wrong line of work, because sooner or later Trent will have you kill for him. It's only a matter of time. Then you'll be just like them. You'll have that same blood on your hands and someone else will have another lost family member. I hope it eats you up inside and keeps you up at night." Her words were bitter and angry.
Stan blinked back at her, obviously taken back by what she was saying to him. "I'm sorry about Cam." He began walking away from her.
"Give me my gun back, Stan." She growled at him.
"If you want to kill them then you're going to have to do it without your gun." He said simply.
Ashley's face showed her disbelief. "You've got to be frickin kidding me."
"Take your time to grieve and think, Ash." He stopped and looked back at her. "You should give yourself the courtesy of at least doing that. Prepare a funeral."
Hearing those words was just enough to bring tears to her eyes and drop her to her knees, broken. She stared dully at the ground. She hadn't even thought about a funeral. She couldn't afford one. Her head snapped up and she looked over toward Trent and Eddie. She knew who could afford the funeral. She numbly began walking toward them.
"Ash, where are you going?" Stan asked her in defeat. His solution clearly didn't hold her back as far as he could see.
She quickly wiped away her tears and steadied her breathing. She needed to seem sane and in control. She couldn't reveal her shattered heart to them. They weren't worth it.
The men looked up at her just in time for Ash to throw a fist into Eddie's face.
"What the hell, Ash?" He looked up at her dumbfounded and surprised.
"You didn't think I'd know who did it? You thought I'd be alright with it?" She asked breathlessly.
Stan put her gun in the small of his back and reached out to pull her back. With all of his strength he bear hugged her and began pulling her backwards. He wasn't going to be responsible for her getting herself killed.
"What are you talking about?" Trent stood up and walked over to her.
"You guys owe him a funeral! You pay for it!" She yelled at them as she tried to wriggle free.
"Who are you talking about, Ash?" Trent asked with a faked sincerity.
"You're a terrible liar, Trent. I know you killed Cameo." She shouted at him.
"I did nothing of the sorts, Ash." He smiled slowly.
"You may not have pulled the trigger, but you were responsible for Eddie doing it for you. Just admit it Trent, you couldn't stand to have one of your best guys fail. I'm the one that you should have killed, not him!" She knew she hit a sore spot.
"You're right, Ash. You should have been the one to die, but he failed just as much as you did and he was served his punishment. Right now, being alive is yours." He spoke clearly with conviction in his voice.
Ashley swallowed hard. She still wanted to get out of Stan's grasp and ram her fists into the man in front of her. Unfortunately, it didn't feel like the man was releasing her anytime soon.
"I'll pay for Cameo to have a good burial, but I'm not doing it for you. I'm doing it because he had served me faithfully until his untimely demise. Remember that I control everything that happens here. Whether you live or die is up to me. Don't forget that." He looked up at Stan. "Get her out of here and make sure she cools down."
Stan nodded and forcefully pulled Ashley away. "You better be grateful he didn't kill you for that."
Ash didn't have much to say. She gave up fighting to be released and let him drag her a safe distance away. She partly got what she wanted. It wasn't a perfect plan or a perfect outcome, but it was a little bit more acceptable, showing that Trent had a tiny bit of a human side. There really wasn't anybody to come to a funeral, but at least his burial would be taken care of better than she could have done.
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UGH! Guys!! This was a hard chapter. I really didn't want to kill off Cam, but I feel like Ashley's life was too... safe? At least considering how she was living. Everything about gangs and living on the streets SCREAMS DANGEROUS! When a mistake this big happens, well, there's bound to be consequences.
Stupid consequences!
Anyway, what do you think about Tom? There's been a few mentions of him. He will have a bit of a bigger role in the story as time goes on. SOOO, don't forget his name! LOL!
And then there's Stan. Stan, Stan, Stan. He seems to have Ashley's best interests in mind at this point. Will it continue? Does he have an agenda? Hmmm... Questions, questions, questions!
Hope you enjoyed this. .... or, didn't enjoy this. Because, well, Cam died and if you enjoyed that then there might be something wrong with that. Just saying...
Ha, without further ado, Like, Vote, Comment!
Thanks for the support, my lovelies <3