22. Momentary Peace #3
The dressing room door opened before she saw Caleb enter.
“Hey, baby,” she smiled at him through the mirror.
“What do you think of this robe? Ian picked it out.” He walked up behind her, his eyes lingering on her body before he slowly grabbed her hips, sliding his hands around her waist. “Hey…” she smiled softly, holding his arms around her stomach. “You okay?”
As his hand slid up between her breasts, Deja noticed a strange tattoo on his arm that wasn’t there before, and her nose twitched at the unfamiliar cologne.
Her eyes widened at the realization before his hand quickly wrapped around her throat.
Burying his face into her neck, he growled in her ear. “Scream… and I’ll snap your neck…”
Deja breathed heavily, her chest heaving as she tried to calm down. “...what do you want?” she asked breathlessly.
Jamie pushed his face against the side of her head, speaking in a hushed voice. “It’s not safe for him here. Get Caleb out of this country…”
Deja looked at him through the mirror with confusion on her face. “You don’t want to see him?”
Jamie scoffed at the ridiculous question. “More than anything. I’d give my life just to-” Jamie stopped short to temper his emotions before he looked at Deja through the mirror.
“Get him the fuck out.”
Keith strolled up to Ian with another swimsuit set. “Okay, she’s gotta like this one. Big enough to cover at least… half a titty. But not the whole thing because where’s the fun in that?” he grinned.
Ian looked at Keith, confused. “I thought you were with Deja.”
“Caleb is with Deja,” Keith said.
Ian turned his head. “...Caleb is with Jax.”
The brothers exchanged confused looks before their eyes widened, and the store's lights abruptly went out.
Jamie looked up as the lights went off, and Deja slammed her head back against his face. As he stumbled off of her, she ran out of the dressing room, wearing just the robe and her undergarments, and fell into a rack of clothes.
Trying to wrestle out of the clothes, she crawled towards a door when she spotted the shadow of a masked figure standing just a few feet from her.
That didn’t look like any of her men.
And Jamie was in the opposite direction.
Who the hell was that?
She saw a chain fall from their hand. Jumping to her feet, she rushed through the door, out of the darkened store, and into a dark back hallway.
Deja panicked. This was worse. She turned around to run back into the store. But the door was locked from the inside. “Shit!”
She heard the sound of metal hitting metal and looked to her side. Another masked figure stood at the end of the hallway—a mallet dangling from their hand.
Deja took off in the opposite direction. But she skidded to a stop, coming face-to-face with another masked figure. “What the fuck?!” she blurted. She turned to find a door and ran through the first open one, into a staircase. She started down the first flight of stairs but stopped midway.
Blocked by another masked figure.
Deja bit her lip, trying to figure out her next steps before she ran back up the stairs.
The door swung open, and she was met with the same masked figure as before as they raised their mallet.
Deja went to dodge when a massive blade drove through his eye, splattering her with blood.
Her jaw dropped in shock as the blade was ripped out, and his body fell to the ground.
Her heart flew into her mouth. “Esme?!”
“Hey, did you know that a Reaper was trying to kill you? This one. This one right here- Why are you naked? I mean, I’m not complaining, but… Seriously, why are you naked?” Esme asked, confused.
Deja flew into Esme’s arms as Esme stumbled backward.
“Well, hello, to you too,” Esme chuckled.
They both jumped, startled as a gunshot went off and a bullet flew past Deja, hitting the masked man ascending the stairs.
His body went tumbling down when another gunshot went off, the bullet ricocheting off the wall. Then another.
“Baby! Baby, oh my god! You already got him! Stop fucking shooting!” Esme said frantically.
Holding a rifle in her hands, Renee looked at Esme wide-eyed. “Did I get him?!” she shouted.
“Dear Roselyn, please tell me my wife didn’t make herself go deaf 'cause she can’t shoot for shit. Baby, please put the gun down,” Esme said.
“Did I get him?” Renee shouted again.
“Yes, you got- Put the gun down!” Esme said.
Breathing heavily, Renee lowered her gun. “This thing-… like the kickback-… it’s so fucking, like-… holy shit!”
“This is why I told you Reapers don’t use guns,” Esme said, taking the gun from Renee.
“Okay, but I don’t wanna get up, close, and personal so he can freaking stab me!” Renee snapped.
“I would never let anyone hurt- You know what- Just say ‘hi’ to Deja,” Esme sighed.
Renee looked at Deja, startled, as if she were just noticing her. “Hi Deja!” she said loudly.
“Baby, you’re shouting again,” Esme groaned, grabbing Renee’s face between her hands. “My sweet, beautiful, sexy angel. No more guns for you, okay?”
“I just need headphones,” Renee said.
Esme shook her head. “No, baby… No.”