"Don't panic, it's just a graze, you'll be fine. I can get you all fixed up once we're out of traffic." Brienna stressed with a slight tremble in her voice after assessing the gash on the girl caused by the bullet that was meant to pierce her head. It winded up grazing Charlie's upper arm instead and she was trying to get the squirming girl that drove them to what she could only assume was her home to relax.
With shaking hands, she'd tumbled around the glove compartment and found a few pieces of paper towel to place against the girl's arm.
Whilst putting pressure to the bleeding arm, Brie feels an overwhelming urge of gratitude along with the allaying of the cloud of doom that had weighed heavily on her mind. She felt warmth in her chest when she actually reflected on the recent activities of the past.
Looking over to the girl with the pixie cut and small face that contorted from the pain within her arm, she noted how Charlie did her best to focus on the road. Brie fully understood how the universe conducted itself in that very moment.
A few years ago it had strategically placed Raye and herself in the right environment and circumstances so that they could meet and fall in love— despite the circs not being as pretty as one might've expected. Fast forward to the present, it did the same but this time bringing Charlie into her life only to have the girl be her saviour.
Brienna felt like the way in which Charlie was introduced into their lives was exactly how it was supposed to be despite at first she wasn't too keen on the younger girl being apart of the violence. Now she realized it was intended for her to play such a pivotal and vital role in both her and Raye's life and who knew. Maybe if someone else had been in Charlie's position, Brie would've probably met her end that very day.
Understanding the reason why she felt those inexplicable emotions when she'd met Charlie weeks ago, she smiles at the girl, reaching over from her seat and wrapping her arm around her neck in a quick hug.
"Whoa!" Charlie exclaims, her eyes bulging when she lost control of the car for a split second. "What's that for?"
"For saving my life." Brie's lustrous eyes were pinned to the girl. There was a moment's pause while she thinks of what she desperately needed to say in that instant.
"Thank you a-and I know this may sound silly but for going to the bar that night and for getting in trouble. For beating the crap out those guys so you could be here. I'm so sorry that my brother isn't here for you. He would've been so happy to know that you're a badass, he would've loved that actually." Brie says, tears in her eyes at the end of her words.
The car goes silent while she and Charlie both sat in their seats, reality kicking in. The severity of their situation resurrecting so much grief and so many other feelings had finally settled. Brienna couldn't wait to find Raye and wrap herself in her strong arms all cuddled up. She couldn't wait to be with her family again so their stresses could be eased. She couldn't wait to see Craig despite it was going to be the last time.
Drying the stray tears that rolled down her cheeks, Brie prayed that everything back at the club turned out alright. She and Charlie had barely made it away when they saw a few police vehicles speeding off to what she assumed was the scene.
It couldn't have been them that alerted folks to call the police so quickly, so it could only mean someone did it ahead of time and she wondered if it was the very girl that sat in the driver's seat or maybe even Luca.
"Where's Luca though, Raye said he would've been with you?" Her dark brows drew down in a light frown after she realized that she hadn't seen any sign of the man since.
"Well he was.. but then he decided he wanted to be with her and he did. He left me alone to take care of you."
"So he's back there?"
"Yeah," Charlie replies, careful in the way she was disclosing that piece of information to the girl that sat in the passenger's seat up front. Brie didn't seem to go crazy at both individuals putting there lives at risk for her or so the girl that was driving thought.
"We need to go back, to make sure that they didn't get hurt."
"No, I'm sorry but I can't do that. Boss told me as soon as I got you to take you to your parent's house. They'll meet us there."
"What if they don't?"
"Don't be such a pessimist Brie," Charlie glared at her for a split second, not paying attention to the words that left her mouth until she did. She thought she would've worsened the girl's mood but surprisingly not.
"They'll be alright. The cops probably intervened anyway." She reassures, this time in a much softer tone.
"Did you call them?" Brie asks, sitting back into her seat trying to calm her racing heart and shaking limbs.
"No. I have no clue who did but it's an inside job. Could literally be any of the guys, even Luca or boss."
With a slight head nod, the rest of the car read was completed in silence. Charlie took her home to her parents in no time and the moment she got out of the car, sprinting up the front steps, the door came swinging open and Brie runs into the arms of her mother, both women breaking down immediately.
Charlie stood off to the side observing the little family reunion and basically how all of the women, including Cassie who came bolting through the door, started weeping. She saw a caring bunch of people elated to have their family back home and safe and she was glad that she was of use to them.
The girl was about to head back into the car to wait until her boss and Luca showed up when Brie runs over to her and grabbed her arm.
"I still need to help you fix that," she says indicating to the wound and wiping tears away from her eyes.
"It could wait."
"No, it cannot. Come inside, please."
Brienna didn't wait for her to respond she simply led her up the steps and into the house where Cassie assisted in getting the arm cleaned and patched up.
They were all waiting on word from Luca or Raye. No one spoke about Craig because the reality was just too harsh to grasp.
* * *
Raye had caught a ride from one of the guys after the men in the police car had dropped her off at a random spot.
Still in a state of shock over the unravelling of events, on her way to the Paulson's house, she couldn't get what Brian had said to her. It was because of Carter and a few of their friends they were able to pull off such a ruse.
Those were actual cops that arrested them, actual men in uniform that were also part of Carter's affiliation. The girl wasn't surprised over that information, she lived and breathed in the mafia and for years she'd known how fickle the police were and how distrusting everyone was of them. Their loyalty lied to the highest bidder in most offences. And usually, the mafia was among the highest bidder.
As soon as the car had slowed to a stop in front of the Paulson's domicile, Raye quickly leaves without saying a word to the older man that had brought her there. She was too busy surfing the waters of her mind.
Along her jog up the driveway, she noticed one of her cars that Charlie drove and the sight of it caused a smile to start stretching on her lips. She was seconds away from rushing through the door and enveloping Brie in a hug so tight they'd melt into each other. The girl could feel the frantic beating of her heart within her chest as seconds go by.
Grabbing the knob for the door, Raye slips into the quiet house, the bottom of her boots thudding against the hardwood floor, reverberating within the silence. Sitting there wrapping gauze around Charlie's arm with a first aid kit laying in her lap, Brienna looks up at Raye, their eyes locking for some time and she sighs a breath of relief in the process.
Quickly she puts the kit away, jumping into Raye's embrace once they got near each other. The taller girl held her tightly around her lissom torso, lifting her up from the ground and twirling her around.
Her face planted smugly into the deep crevice of Brie's neck, she inhaled her familiar fruity scent. She basked in the wholesomeness of their embrace and the feeling of coming home. Both girls stood in the centre of the kitchen, adamant on not letting the other go not even for a sliver of air to slip through them.
Raye, after a few seconds realized that her eyes were clenched rather tightly, tears had made their way down her cheeks, soaking her skin. The moment felt like a coiled muscle deep within her body had unclenched itself. It felt like she'd let go of an exhale that had been trapped inside of her lungs, swelling the veins of her arteries, poisoning her system.
The subtle movements of Brie's hand caressing her back quelled all the trepidation of the last couple days that had found its way inside of her shell. Raye did melt beneath the girl's touching, humming at the calmness that sluiced over her being, feeling the dissipation of all the negative emotions that was causing her to slowly rot inside.
"I'm so glad you're alright," Brie hums, not even fazed that the girl was still tightly clinging to her body. She couldn't protest even if she wanted too. She missed being hugged and squeezed and loved in that way. Those five days felt like five long, horrible centuries.
Raye unhooks her arms from around Brie's waist, cupping her face and placing kisses all over her face, causing Brie to smile. "Fuck, I miss that," she says, staring deep into those eyes that spoke to her soul. She saw happiness and serenity sitting behind her pupils and she'd never been more sure about everything as she was then.
Brienna reaches up and brushed her tears away softly, enjoying the way the girl snuggles up to her. Her sister had found herself wandering into the room, stopping short at the door, leaning against the frame with an arm in the pocket at the back of her jeans. Cassie looked on as both women carefully kissed each other and she felt her worries dissipate just the same as theirs. She could finally rest now knowing that no one was in any immediate danger.
* * *
After the beginning of a much-needed discussion, they'd all settled in right there at Brienna's parents. Raye filled the girl in on what her father had done and so much more. At this point, everyone was out of surprises and feigning shock. They were all aware that anything was possible, and everyone was capable of doing the most.
Among the several individuals present in the house, they'd been cognizant that grief was still one of the remaining factors that they shared. No one had formally spoken about Craig. They waited and waited until there was no more time left.
When Brian broached the topic, Cassie broke down in tears, having to be consoled by her younger sister. The girl's parents had even wept and in their midst, Raye felt like the monster she was. She was at fault for their grief and such a thought weighed heavily on her mind. It was never her intentions to get them hurt, she just wanted love from Brienna but she figured such a thing was never going to be free of cost.
Sometime later when the grieving family had come to terms with the present and on what needed to be done to start their process of moving on, Luca showed up. Raye had excused herself to meet her uncle, but dreading ever second she wasn't beside Brie.
When the older man saw her approaching the car, he quickly opens up the hood of the trunk, gesturing for her to take a look. Upon close inspection, Raye stops in her tracks, her brown eyes wide for a moment until satisfaction took over. She sticks her hand into her pocket, casually glaring at the man, no pity or remorse
"They roughed him up pretty good, I see," she says, gazing at the frightened man laying there looking up at them. His face was battered, eyes black and blue. His hands were tied up, his breathing coming rushed.
"He fought back and it caused him that pretty face," Luca replied and they both chuckled.
"Quinn, Quinn, Quinn," Raye smirks, her eyes glinting with elation. "What should we do with you?" She asks and the man murmured. The duct tape around his mouth restricting his words. He groaned and groaned, and it was pleasing to the ears.
The girl's uncle quickly shuts the hood of the trunk, slamming it actually muffling the man's incessant pleading.
"So, acid?" Luca questions, looking across at his niece.