Avery's POV
My eyes were glued to the sound of her beautiful voice echoing throughout the bar. I was mesmerised by the way her hand struck the chords of the guitar so naturally as if it was in her blood to play. And the way she sang? Do not get me started on that amazing voice.
You'd think I was in love her rather than the music itself.
"Avery!! Get your ass back here and get to work!" My manager yelled over the round of applauses coming from the the audience around us. "I didn't pay you to stand around daydreaming!''
I mumbled a quick apology and grabbed the remainder of the empty glasses from the table, before making my way over to the back where Andy, the bartender, was waiting for me.
"Watching her again?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at me as he took the glasses away from my tray.
I sighed and nodded, leaning over the counter slightly to get another glimpse of the girl on stage.
"Honestly Ava, you should just sign up to perform. Your voice is just as good as hers, if anything its better." I felt heat rush towards my cheeks but shook my head at his words. There was no way my voice is like hers. Nowhere near.
"You're crazy Andy. You and I both know that I can't do what she does." I turned back towards him and gave him a sad smile. "And he'll never allow it anyways."
Steven, the manager of the bar, glared at me from afar and signalled me over to him in the far corner. I frowned but hurriedly rushed to where he was, doing my best to put on a smile. I just wanted the night to end.
"Avery, if you're going to stand around and chit chat all night I'll have to cut your salary. This is the last time I will catch you like this tonight you hear?" I nodded furiously, stuttering out apologies as he shook his head in annoyance. "Just don't do it again. Why don't you be useful and take the trash out for me. Go home after that and come back tomorrow ready to work properly."
Without another word, I grabbed the two large garbage bags beside him and made my way out the back door, letting the night's cool breeze welcome me as soon as I stepped outside. I shivered from the lack of protection my uniform gave me, watching as my breath formed into small puffs of smoke in front of me.
As usual, the alleyway was dead silent, the only sound you could hear were from the sirens in the distance. The dumpsters were filled to the brim with black garbage bags and the ocassional stray cats sitting upon them, digging for scraps.
I shook my head and hauled the glass filled bags alongside me as I made my way to the far corner of the alleyway. Since the dumpsters were always filled by this time, we'd have to resort in using the dumpster behind the old record store. The owner was an old lady named Isabelle. She never seemed to mind, considering she rarely had much to throw out.
Most of the time when i'm on garbage duty, i'd get Andy to walk with me to the bins. I was afraid of the dark and even though I know that nothing bad usually happens in the area, its still dangerous for a girl to be walking alone hours past midnight.
Don't get me wrong, I know a lot of badass girls who could easily take down anyone that comes her way.
It just happens that I am anything but that.
"No, no please i'll pay it back to you by Monday I promise!"
Immediately I froze in place, my feet falling weak at the sound of a man's cry and the grunts that followed shortly after. As if on instinct, I gripped onto the garbage bags tighter, leaning ever so slightly behind the corner wall.
From where I was, I could see the old record store's dumpsters and a group of tall men in black suits surrounding a younger male kneeling on the floor.
I was so close yet so far.
"You know me better than that Howard." A deep voice growled, his voice held so much authority and power that I couldn't help but shiver at the sound of it.
I watched carefully as the men parted, leaving more room for a much taller and broader figure to enter the scene.
"You've been in this bussiness for how long?" He tsked, it was too dark to see if he was smiling or not, but I could tell his tone held nothing but hatred for the man before him. " And you think begging me is going to work?"
"P-please I just need another week and i'll-" The man grunted again, not being able to finish his sentence as a foot connected to his stomach.
I gasped, watching his head hit the ground with a loud thud. My grip on the bags tighten as I stood there in complete and utter shock. The men were approaching him slowly now and I knew I needed to do something but my feet were frozen in place.
"Now now Howard, what have I told you before?" He spoke, standing right above the man, who I assume is Howard, cowering closer to the wall behind him. "When you make a deal with me, you pay me back when it's due. Not later or earlier. On the day it's due. It's business my friend."
His hands gripped Howard's chin forcefully, making him look into his eyes, a sinister grin plastered across his face.
"It'll be a shame if Isabella was to become a widow."
His voice was cold and heartless, there was not an ounce of sympathy in it, so I knew that he had meant what he said. Ignoring the man's pleas, he pulled out a familiar, small, black object from his coat, aiming it right in front of the man's head.
From all the movies that I've watched in the past, I know for sure what that object was and exactly what was about to happen.
Forgetting all about the garbage bags in my grip, I brought my hands up towards my eyes, depending on them dearly to protect me from the bloody scene that was about to unfold.
And let me tell you that was a Big Mistake
In that moment, all you could hear was the deafening echo of glass bottles shattering against the concrete floor. My hands clasped onto my mouth as all eyes turned towards me in shock.
The man with the gun, adverted his attention away from Howard, aiming the death machine directly at me.
"Who the fuck are you?" He spat, signalling some of his men towards my direction.
I took a step back, ignoring the sweat glands that were forming on my forhead at the sight of the man approaching me. My feet were frozen and I couldn't bring myself to run. It was as if my soul had left my body.
"I said," Rough hands grasped onto either side of my arms, squezing them tightly as they brought me in front of the large figure. "Who. The. Fuck. Are. You."
I remained completely silent, the only sound escaping my lips being my heavy breathing. All eyes were still glued on me, waiting for my response. Desperate for any sign of help, I looked at each man, hoping that any one of them could save me from the mess that I had just gotten myself into.
Before I could even blink or move a muscle, the man shoved his cold, heavy gun into the middle of my forehead. Tears brimmed my eyes as he pushed the gun deeper against my skin.
"You have three seconds to answer me before I put a bullet through that thick head of yours." I winced at his tone, never in my 20 years have I heard someone speak so agressively and ready to follow through with such a threat.
"One."
My mouth was agape in shock and ready to explain myself to him, but no sound came out. It was as if my vocal chords had been ripped out of my throat the minute I needed it the most.
"Two."
Still nothing. All I could do was watch him adjust his finger against the lock, ready to pull the trigger at any second.
"Thre-"
"P-please." Was all I managed to squeak out, my voice trembling at the mere sight of the large men surrounding me, a gun pointing towards my head in every direction.
"I do not like to repeat myself." He was threatening me, that I can tell. And I? I was testing him without even realising it.
"Are you deaf or are you just stupid? I asked who the fuck you are and why you are snooping around?!" He growled, gripping my face tightly with his free hand. I whimpered are the force of his grip.
That was going to leave a bruise.
"I-"
"Who do you work for?! Which family sent you here? Speak?!" He practically growled, adding more pressure to my face as he glared down at me. It was then that I realised how much of a difference I had between him. He was basically towering above me, with his muscular frame, making me instinctively shrink and cower away.
"I don't know what you are talking about sir. I work at the bar down the alley way. P-Please let me go." My heart was thumping loudly against my chest and my breathing hitched when he adjusted his gun to his temple, thinking quietly to himself.
I could feel the beads of sweat that were begining to form on the top of my forhead and the palms of my hands, as the sirens screeched louder and louder in the background.
"Llévala al cuartel genera." He removed his gun from my temple and cocked it towards the man still on his knees on the cold, hard pavement, "Necesito lidiar con este chucho primero"
(Take her back to headquarters. I need to deal with this mutt first)
The man started whimpering, placing his hands together as he vomitted out pleas and false promises. My eyes darted around frantically, begging to find anyone that could help me. I knew it was useless but it was worth a try. It couldn't end like this. I don't want to end like this.
The men on either side of me pushed me forward, signalling me to walk away from the scene. Their grip on me only tightened when I threw my head from side to side, as if shaking my head would wake me up from this nightmare.
"Please, I promise I won't say anything." My voice wavered, tears brimming at the corner of my eyes as they pulled me further away from the alleyway and towards a row of black sedan cars, parked perfectly along side a dark, empty street right behind the familiar bar that I had exited from a few minutes prior.
Now I was the one vomitting out pleas.
"Please I just want to go hom-"
"Shut the fuck up!" My head whipped to the side as the man on my right brought his free hand to my cheek. His cold hands grabbed onto my neck and squeezed it tightly, stopping me from breathing in an instant. "You will stop talking. You WILL stop crying like a pathetic baby. And you WILL get in the car quietly, do you understand?"
I nodded my head slowly, my eyes still wide with fear.
"Good." I let out a gasp of air as he let go of my neck, his hands now pulling onto to my pony tail, yanking my head so that I was looking up to him and the bearded man who was on my right. "Now, get in the fucking car."
As soon as he let go of me, I scrambled into the back seat of the sedan, my breathing increasing rapidly while the two men got in beside me.
"Casa." The driver only nodded, glancing over at me for a quick second before facing his back towards us again.
Even as we pulled away from the alleyway, with all windows and doors shut, I still heard his haunting scream in the background and the eery silence that followed soon after.
Bang.
......................................