44. Chapter Forty Four
Opening my eyes and feeling the fear and panic overtake my senses, I look around. My eyes struggle to focus at first, unable to see anything other than darkness. I blink a few times and can vaguely make out we’re in a large room. A basement perhaps? No, it”s too large. A warehouse? No, I don”t think so. It’s then that I hear the sound of a car pulling up as a glimmer of light illuminates the space. I turn my head in the direction it came from and see the wooden door more clearly. A barn. Of course it fucking is.
“Nice to see you’re back with us,” a sinister voice comes from behind me. A voice that I know belongs to Marko, even though I can”t yet see him as the barn is thrown into darkness again.
“What the fuck do you think you”re doing?” I bellow as I tug harder trying to free myself from the rope currently pinning me to a chair.
“Reminding you where the fuck you belong,” Marko snaps back as he finally comes into focus, closely followed behind by Pheonix.
“Who the fuck do you think you are? Are you forgetting you work for ME!” I roar.
An evil cackle leaves his throat. “Work for you? YOU don”t even fucking work for YOU recently!”
I see the way Marko’s nostrils flare as the room becomes illuminated once more by the headlights from a truck as it pulls up just outside. “Maybe you forgot the motherfucking oath we all took to put the Sinners and the job before anyone else.”
“And maybe YOU forgot who fucking made you all take that goddamn oath,” I huff. Seriously, who the fuck does this prick think he’s talking to?
Moments later I hear more voices outside.“Untie me now before I fucking kill you all. ” I shout loud enough to be heard by whomever the footsteps belong to that I can hear closing in on me.
“Oh believe me, we all know exactly what you”re capable of, don”t we boys.” Marko laughs as he looks past me towards his little fan group.
“Yep, we all know about Johnny Boy’s precious prodigy,” Micheal pipes up as he and two other guys in masks appear and take up their place beside Marko and Phoenix.
Micheal rips off his mask, “Only twelve years old and already killed his first man . . .” he mocks, as he repeats the words I know John has boasted about so many times. “. . . perhaps being back here will remind you of who exactly you are.”
“Must be nice to have inherited the empire,”” Marko remarks venomously as he kicks my chair. Oh, so that”s what this is about. Marko is making his play to be head of the pack. He’s fucking welcome to it. I never wanted any of it. But now is not the time to roll over or back down.
“Oh dear, are we a little upset that Daddy never showed us enough love?” I mock. I see the anger rising on Marko”s face, and decide to push him more. “No matter what you do, you”ll never be his favorite, will you?”
His hand flies to the gun in his waistband as he thrusts it towards me. Both Michael and Phoenix reach out their hands to stop him.
“Don”t do it,” Phoenix whispers. “He’s the only one who knows how it runs at the top.”
I know he can”t kill me, John would never allow it. As well as the promise to stick together, that stupid oath also guaranteed protection for our families. It was the only reason I agreed to it in the first place. As a small, malnourished thirteen year old, it was the only way I could guarantee Nate”s protection from all the assholes my father pissed off throughout the years. If this jackass breaks that by killing me, his whole family and that of every other guy here will be in jeopardy.
“I”m calm, I”m calm!” Marko snaps as he pulls out of their grips and runs his hand through his hair.
“That”s it, be a good boy and do as you”re told,” I mock.
“What I wouldn’t give to blow your brains out right here!” Marko sneers through gritted teeth as he brings his face so close to mine that I’m almost knocked back unconscious by the stench of his breath.
“Then what the fuck is stopping you? Worried that John would have you dead and buried before the night was out?”
“Dead men don”t have much power now do they? Not unless his ghost is gonna haunt me to death,” He replies venomously.
“What the fuck are you talking about Marko? Seems like you’ve been sniffing a bit to much coke and it’s fucked with your ability to string a coherent sentence together.”
“Oh, you don”t know, do you?” Marko says with a sinister grin. “Daddy’s dead... or should I say another daddy is dead, since didn”t your old man drop dead as well?”
I”m about to question him further when I see Phoenix move over toward a worn out tarp on the floor, one that until now I didn”t even notice. As he pulls back the tarp I see it’s hiding a body, and worse of all, it”s John”s cold, lifeless body.
“What the fuck have you done?” I bellow as I fight against my restraints. “He took you in when you were nothing but a punk kid living on the streets,” I remind him as I turn my attention to Phoenix, knowing Marko is beyond reason. “And you,” I say, turning my attention to Michael, who”s been relatively quiet, “Who took you in when you had nothing? When you were nothing more than a junky kid, passing out blowjobs in return for the next high?”
Micheal dips his head in shame, or perhaps guilt. “We didn”t plan it,” he mumbles, his voice barely audible.
“No, it was you we wanted dead,” Marko snaps. “John was only supposed to see the error of his ways and be brought here to agree to let me lead instead of you, realizing I was the real alpha of this pack,” Marko explains as he takes out a joint and begins pacing back and forth.
“How was I supposed to know the old fucker would have a heart attack or something?”
I feel slightly better knowing John didn”t suffer, but still, I plan to get my retribution for this. I may have had my ups and downs with John over the years, but he’s the closest I”ve ever had to a parent; he took care of me when I had no idea how to take care of myself. He’s been good to me, even if it”s in an unconventional way.
“So now what? You”re gonna kill me too? Take over the business? Then what?” I question as I turn my attention to Phoenix, having already resigned myself to my inevitable fate.
“Unfortunately, we need you. You”re the only one that John trusted enough to show the inner workings to, the only one higher ups will work with without John,” Micheal reveals, and I can tell by the look on his face he’s furious about the fact that he needs me.
“So what? You”re just gonna untie me, and you expect that we”re all gonna be best fucking friends?” I question. How the fuck did this happen? How the fuck am I going to get out of this? What about Nate? Riley? Even Isabella? Are they going to suffer because of me? I’m probably better off dead. I can barter their safety for my knowledge and life.
“We may need you alive for now, but you”ve abandoned the Sinners Gabe; that can”t go unpunished,” Phoenix pipes up.
“Yes, and for some dirty little whore at that,” Marko adds, “Hope her fucking pussy was worth it.”
A sense of panic washes over me. Shit, do they know about Riley? How much she means to me? How? I”ve been so careful to keep my two worlds apart.
“Oh,” Marko laughs, bringing his face just centimeters from mine, “You thought we didn”t know about your little whore?”
“Leave her the fuck out of this!” I snap as I spit directly into his face. How did they find out about her? Is she safe?
“Cunt!” he shouts as he kicks my chair with so much force that I fall backward. As I do, one of the legs snaps off, making it easier for me to partially free myself.
“What I wouldn”t give to kill you right now,” Marko says through gritted teeth as he points his gun down towards me. My hands are still tied behind my back but my legs are now free so I take my chance and attempt to kick him away, but he’s too quick. The sound of gunfire echoes around the room. I wait for the inevitable feeling of either pain or death to overcome me, but nothing happens.
“The next one won”t be a warning,” Phoenix shouts. I turn towards him and see he’s holding his own gun high in the air.
“The bastard deserves it,” Marko states coldly as he brings his boot down, and stamps directly on my abdomen, winding me.
I begin coughing and sputtering, trying not to throw up from the shock and pain.
“Man, you”ve no idea how long I”ve wanted to do that,” he laughs as he attempts to do it again. This time I”m ready. Just as his foot comes down I roll over and his foot hits the chair, causing it to break, setting me free. Bring it on asshole!
Realization flashes across his face a second before my foot connects with his balls, bringing him to his knees. I waste no time climbing on top of him and punching and elbowing him as quickly and forcefully as I can. I enjoy watching the fear in his eyes as he realizes he’s unable to break out from under me, despite all his attempts at thrashing around. I feel blow after blow connecting with my ribs and hips but barely register the pain, I”m too lost in the euphoria of the fight.
I suddenly feel arms attempting to pull me back and off him but I resist.
“Make the call now!!!” someone bellows as two sets of strong arms desperately attempt to drag me off a bloody and bruised Marko.
The sound of ringing fills the air for a moment, but unfortunately it”s enough to distract me just long enough for Marko to escape from under me as Phoenix and Michael pull me off him.
“I believe you know my cousin Ryan,” Marko says as he spits out a mouthful of blood and possibly a tooth.
The only man still wearing his stupid balaclava removes it and my eyes widen in shock. It”s the wannabe rapist from Tucker”s birthday. He’s Marko’s cousin? How didn”t I know that?
I see the same sadistic smile lighting up the prick”s face as the one I”ve seen on Marko’s so many times before. The family resemblance is fucking obvious now. “I told you I”d get you back, didn”t I?” he smirks.
“I’m gonna fucking kill you!” I bellow as I attempt to break free of the tight hold the others have on my arms.
“Fucking try it,” he laughs as he presses a button and suddenly a projection of a familiar sight lights up a makeshift screen on the wall behind him.
My heart drops out of my ass as I see my beautiful girl, fast asleep in her bed. A masked man standing near her and holding a knife appears on the screen. Please let this be fake, please!
“Can you hear me?” Rapey Ryan says aloud.
The masked man nods his head before lifting his finger to his lips, telling us to be quiet. Shit, it”s real. These monsters have Riley.
“Please!” I beg. “Kill me, but spare her.”
Laughter erupts from the men around the room. “Seems our fierce leader has gone soft boys,” Marko smirks before punching me square in the jaw. I try to fight back but the two men have a firm hold on me, plus my attention is still mostly on my sleeping beauty on the screen.
“Fucking bow!” Marko snaps. “Drop to your fucking knees and bow. Bow in front of everyone and let them know that you accept me as your fucking leader,” Marko sneers as he manically bounces from foot to foot.
A growl of frustration leaves my mouth. “Never!”
“Seems he may need a little more motivation,” Phoenix laughs beside me.
“Phase two,” I hear Rapey Ryan say into his phone.
I watch as the masked figure flashes his knife at the camera, then walks over to Riley. He lifts the blanket and slowly runs the knife up her leg, “Gaaabe” Riley whines playfully before her snoring continues. Seriously, how is she still asleep?
Part of me wants her to wake up, fight, get away. But I know that will only make it worse. These sadistic bastards would find it a game of cat and mouse then.
So instead, I pray that, like the zombie sleeper I know she is, she stays asleep and oblivious to it all.
“Fine, fine,” I concede as I reluctantly lower to my knees. “Stop it!” Please stop! God if you”re real, find a way to stop this.
“Continue,” Marko says as he snatches the phone out of his cousin”s hand.
The masked man then moves the knife higher, up her thigh, and towards the hem of her shirt.
I want nothing more than to fight back, protest, and kill every last one of them. But if I do that I know Riley will be hurt so I have to fight every natural instinct I have.
“I bow, I bow, now stop!” I scream in a panic.
“Continue,” Marko says into the phone as he looks down at me.
I watch in horror as the knife lifts the bottom of her shirt and makes its way towards her pussy as if in slow motion. But just before it reaches its destination the picture disappears.
I can”t see Riley anymore as whatever was recording this has now been dropped to the floor. Please be okay baby, please.
“That”s enough,” a voice says from the screen. This is the first time I”ve heard the voice so I try desperately to pinpoint who it belongs to.
I can hear a hushed but frustrated conversation, but it”s too low to hear what”s being said or who the voices belong to.
“I didn”t sign up for this shit.” Wait, I recognize that voice -Deeno. The phone is lifted from the floor and I briefly get a glimpse of the figure leaving the bed. But I still don”t know what happened in those soul destroying minutes when we were left blind. I”m gonna make every single one of these cunts suffer for touching my girl. And if they”ve hurt her, I’ll hurt them so bad they will be begging for death.
I launch myself at the phone, tackling Marko to the floor as I do.
“Give me the fucking phone!” I bellow, but it”s too late. The line’s gone dead and the only connection I have to my girl has been stripped away from me.
Anger, panic, and fear overcome me as I begin to attack him. “Call them back! Call them back!” I scream in between punches.
The rest of the guys attempt to pull me off him but I”m too frenzied. Like a wild animal I suddenly seem to possess inhuman level strength.
“Call them back!” I snap again as I drag Marko off the ground and pin him against a wall.
“Never.” Marko smirks as he spits out a mouthful of blood.
“I”m telling you…” I begin before I”m cut off.
“No, I”m telling YOU,” Marko smirks with blood dripping from the side of his mouth, “I’m in charge now and you will do what the fuck I say, when the fuck I say it. Because I’m the fucking boss now.”
“The hell you are,” I reply before it suddenly hits me. I just agreed to this. In my panic, I agreed to this. I agreed to step down and let Marko take over as top dog. And in doing so, I signed my own death sentence. I can”t do anything to him without the repercussions for not just myself, but my whole family as well. He has me exactly where he wants me!
If I try to break away, my whole family is in danger. That means my brother, Izzy, Riley, heck even their friends are fair game. If I disobey, I start a war I cannot fight alone.
Reluctantly, I step away and have no choice but to step in line.
“That”s what I thought.” Marko smirks as he straightens up and uses the sleeve of his hoodie to wipe away the blood from his mouth. Keep smiling motherfucker, I’ll fucking get you for this, mark my words.
“Now fuck off bitch boy, I expect you to be available every day and all day. If I say jump, you ask how high!” he cackles.
“I”m gonna get you for this. Mark my words. I”m not backing down lightly,” I vow under my breath.
“Oh you will back down; you’ll step in line and lick my fucking boots if I tell you too,” Marko laughs as he turns his back on me. I launch forward but am met with a bunch of angry looking faces, letting me know that at this moment, the whole gang is standing with Marko.
“Come on boys, I think we’ve all earned ourselves some booze, blow, and bitches,” Phoenix smirks as he leads the guys out the door.
“Oh, and Gabe,” Marko chimes, as he turns to look back at me. “I expect you first thing in the morning, ready to take up your new role as bitch boy. For now, I suggest you go bury your whore. That”s if there”s anything left to bury; maybe I should send Ryan around there first. He’s always had a fascination with necrophilia, maybe I should let him test it out,” Marko says with a sadistic laugh.
I run towards him, no longer caring about the rules, and simply wanting to murder him, but before I reach him the barn door is slammed shut and something is pushed through pinning the door shut.
I pound against the door, trying to escape, as I hear the truck start and then drive away. I run at the door, pounding against it with all my strength, once… twice… on the third time the door flies open, and I see a broken rake handle on the floor.
I run off in any direction, having no idea how to get home since it”s been years since I was last here. Something in me must remember though, as I make it to the road relatively quickly and manage to hitch hike back to town and straight to Riley”s.
When I arrive the front door is wide open, and with my heart in my throat, and fearing the worst I rush inside and straight towards her room. As soon as I enter I see she”s lying motionless on the bed. Fuck, fuck. FUCK. She”s dead! They fucking killed her.
I begin shaking her, not knowing what else to do. “What the…” Riley shouts and the sound of her voice and the relief I feel knowing she”s alive opens the floodgates as the tears begin to pour down my face.
“You”re alive!” I sob.
“Of course I”m alive,” Riley says, sounding confused as she holds me as I sob like a fucking baby into her chest.
“Baby what happened; was it a nightmare?” she asks groggily.
“No… they were here… Sinners, they were here,” I sob, even though I know I”m not making any sense.
“No one”s here baby, it”s just us,” Riley tries to soothe. It would have almost worked, had I not spotted the discarded knife on the floor.
Bending down I pick it up. “Then what”s this?” I say holding the knife in the air.
“No idea, I”ve never seen that before. Is it yours?” Riley questions as she rubs her eyes, as if she can”t believe what she”s seeing. That”s when it dawns on me. She really has no idea what the fuck happened tonight, how close she was to dying, or worse, all because of me.
“Err, yeah maybe,” I mumble, because what the fuck else am I supposed to say? Actually no, this belongs to one of the psychos that broke in tonight. Oh yeah, and each one is a thug for hire who’d think nothing of slitting your throat or raping you in your sleep. To top it all off, it”s all my fault as I led them straight to you!
I pull her body tightly against me as I snuggle down into the bed, terrified to let her go, knowing once I do, it will be forever.
“Gabe?” Riley attempts to ask, her voice confused and unsure.
“Shhh baby, it”s fine. You”re fine, go back to sleep my Angel,” I whisper as I bury her head into my chest and I rest my own head against the top of hers.
I hold her in my arms one last time, memorizing everything about her. The way her skin feels pressed against mine. The faint smell of coconut that wafts from her hair. Heck, even the grunt-like sounds she makes when she snores. I lie awake holding her in my arms until I see the sun starting to rise outside the window. I pull out my phone and snap one more picture of her asleep in my arms, then place one final kiss on her temple, before I walk out of her life. Forever.