Rinsing the soap bubbles from her hands, Raye subsequently breaks her eyes away from the task after being alerted by someone else entering the restroom. At the entrance, she locks eyes with Katherina and she glowers.
"Any particular reason why you're ignoring me?"
"There are many," Raye stated tersely, fixing her face as sternly as possible. She'd been aware of how openly the girl had been flirting and she didn't exactly appreciate it. If she'd known this was what she'd get herself into she would've refused coming to the restaurant in the first place.
"I'd like to know why," the blonde perks herself up on the sink's surface, the stench of her perfume burning Raye's nostrils and she scowled even harder.
"For starters," she states, grabbing a paper towel to dry her hands, ignoring the girl the entire time until she was done. Tossing the paper into the bin when she was done. With an intensity, she locks her hazel eyes onto the girl's, remaining completely stolid by her amused expression.
"I'm not interested in you the way you might be with me and I don't mean to be rude about it. I have a girlfriend,"
"Okay, but what does that have to do with me?" Katherina gets closer, opening up her legs around Raye. The blood boiling in her veins was at a profound level and Raye knew at some point she was going to snap at the girl but she was trying to avoid it, though Katherina's persistence was both commendable and annoying.
"Nothing, I'm just stating that no matter how hard you try, I'm never going to be impressed. I suggest you respect yourself," Raye pushed away from her, but she grabbed hold of her shoulder and held her in place. Katherina tried to kiss her, but her reflexes were faster and she managed to grab her by the throat. She'd pulled her off the sink's surface and shoved her up against the nearby wall, an iciness to her eyes.
This wasn't the first time she'd had to subdue a handsy woman. She hated using such force but some times it was necessary.
"I'm aware that you seem to love this type of attention, unfortunately, I don't," she whispers icily. Putting over her point in a very belligerent manner.
"The next time you try touching me like that, I'll break every single one of your fingers, understood?" Katherina nods frantically. She'd been clawing at the hand Raye had wrapped around her throat after realizing that the taller girl meant business.
Disgust written loosely on her slender face, Raye slipped her fingers away from the girl only to hear her cough a few times. With a hardened expression on her face, she storms out of the restaurant. Luca had seen but did nothing as he had noted the anger in her strides.
Out in the open, she decides to call the guys left in charge to keep eyes on the Paulson's.
"Boss?" Paolo answers.
"Make sure that they each get home safe."
"Whatever you say,"
"Brienna as well alright. Have someone tell her I won't be home until a little bit later, I'm stuck here with my uncle." She lies. In reality, she was actually making her way to a bar a few minutes away from the restaurant to get a drink.
For some reason, she feels overwhelmed by the stress cast upon her recently. She never showed it but some things were taking a toll onto her.
Her mental state wasn't like what it used to be. She had more sleepless nights and horror-filled dreams about death shook her from her sleep.
Brienna still didn't know to this very day and she couldn't let her. That's why from time to time she'd indulge in a cigarette or a shot of something hard to calm the broken nerves.
The whole thing with Craig and his family, then with her acting as referee to mitigate the drama between Brie's friends seemed like a breeze but it wasn't. It was just another hurdle in her way, and that along with everything else left her feeling exhausted.
Some minutes later she showed up at a bar. It was scarcely filled with people, leaving enough room for her to mingle on her own. She goes up to the counter and orders a shot of tequila. The bartender almost immediately handed her the drink and she downs it quickly, ignoring the lime and salt the man had placed in front of her. She swallowed it down without any excessive contortion of her face, even the bartender seemed a little impressed.
"Tough day?"
"I've had worse," she answers.
She takes the water set before her and drinks it quickly, washing away the taste of the liquor just a little bit.
While she sat there contemplating the world, a few other patrons came to place their order and she studied the spindly guy behind the counter as he mixed their drinks. Her mind an inscrutable mess, she gets thumped by someone who had sat down a little too close to her at the bar front. Raye was about to voice her annoyance when the left of her was thumped roughly and a man took a seat. Sighing heavily, she trailed her fingers through her hair after realizing who the men were.
"My, my," Quinn drawls, chuckling beside her in such a low icy tone, it sounded little less like laughter and more like a growl. "Isn't it big dick Raye," he adds and a few men laughed. From the sound of it, she realized she was largely outnumbered.
"Gotta say, Raye, " he turns toward her and her eyes are already pinned against him pale blue ones. "Wasn't really expecting to run into you."
"Whatever feeling you have it's mutual."
"Oh?" He heaves both brows. "I'm not just surprised to see you, Raye, I've actually swooned. The last time I saw you was around two years ago," he pauses, allowing his gaze to run all across her body, eyeing what little he could before an eerie smile curl at his pallid lips. "You look nice and I wasn't expecting that."
"That's awkward," she says boldly.
"No, I don't think so Ray- Ray. I think you're quite the looker," he touches her cheek and she fumes at him, pulling her face away.
"No wonder that girl fell for you, what's her name," He clicks his finger as if he was really trying to get the name right when truly he was playing around with her. "Oh yeah, Brienna's her name, am I right?"
That was the most Raye was willing to sit and listen to. From the moment he started talking about Brie, Quinn had crossed the line in her defence. She tried reaching for her gun but one of the fellas behind snatched it from her, grasp and pins her arm behind her back. She groaned at the sudden nature and the awkward position she was in but rode the motion out.
"You're really feisty, you know that?" He asks, using his index finger and lightly tapping it to her cheek. She pulled away with a quiet protest and he chuckled.
"I know you hate me but let's have a little talk," Quinn pulls out his gun and places it beneath her chin and she tensed even more, feeling the cold barrel of the weapon against her skin.
"You did some fucked up things Ray- Ray and I can't seem to forget it. Some of my best men were incarcerated because of you. My brother died because of you,"
"Sounds just about right if you ask me. An eye for an eye, isn't that what the Christians say?" She replied and he smiles, flashing the gap between his teeth.
"Ahh, quoting the Bible I see."
"But I guess you're right, it did say that." He says pushing the gun harder beneath her chin.
"Isn't it funny how wonderous the universe works? You've been so good at hiding yourself away, yet here you are powerless in a God damn bar, "
He and his men snickered among themselves.
"I could kill you right now, but I won't because I'm a nice guy, "
She listens to him spew on and on with her jaw clenched.
"To be fair, I'd rather save you for last, you deserve that. To see everyone you know and love go out one by one before I put this bullet through your face, " he said sternly, all the humour within his tone gone.
"Starting with that woman of yours, oh how gorgeous she is. She looks good whenever she's in her scrub, I gotta admit. Oh that fine ass of hers is just- " he trails off, licking his lips and Raye tried to wrestle from the arms of the man holding her still, but he pushed up against her arm and she whines. The few people in the bar had witnessed the scuffle but did nothing about it because from the guns insight they were reminded to do better.
Quinn laughs one last time before smacking the countertop whilst getting up from the stool. Tapping Raye on the cheeks lightly, he smiled.
"I know you have my guy, Reese; what a fucking waste. I imply killing him because if he's freed somehow I'd be tempted to blow his brain out myself."
He said and walks away.
The guy that had been holding her arm harshly let's go and she's relieved. Raye sighs, flexing her arm enough for it to stop aching. Her gun could be seen lying flat out on the counter and with a concerned look from the bartender.
She notes the fear in the other patron's eyes, so she quickly pays and flees the vicinity, hearing as the bartender calls out to her.
In the open, she pulls out her phone and calls Brie while rushing to her car.
"Baby, hi," Brienna answered a bit worried.
"Where are you?"
"Home, where are you?"
She sighs. "Dinner with my uncle, I'm about to leave."
"How was it?"
"It was good, " Raye says, feeling the high amount of stress she was under slowly dissipate. It wasn't gone completely but was tucked under a carpet in her mind; quite like everything else.
"Are you getting home now?" Brienna asks and she smiled to herself, feeling beyond lucky to have someone care for her like that. She could've sworn her entire life that a love so pure was impossible to find, but now she knew it wasn't. "Yes, I'm on my way."
"Good, be safe won't you."
"I will, "
The moment she gets off the phone, Raye looks up and down the street. It was scattered with a few drunk assholes and the sight of them made her frown. She motions over to her car, flexing her arm when she's apprehended by two strange men. She tenses, recognizing one of them.
"Ah, ah, " he tosses when she tried to pull her gun. She could've sworn Quinn's stooges had gone with him.
"Boss wants us to deliver a final message, " the tallest says, stepping closer with the other, blocking her view. The shortest, with red hair, grabs her by the scruff of her collar and pushes her against someone's car. The wind is knocked out of her lungs but she couldn't catch her breath.
The bigger guy leans in and whispers in her ear, "Boss says he changed his mind, " was all he said.
A gun went off twice, echoing as a sharp pain shoots through her torso.
It goes quiet really fast and before Raye knew it, she is left alone while her body gradually glides to the ground, fighting the searing pain that is slowly creeping over her entire being.
A/n