Chapter 9
Mina
“Ihave to go after him!”
“No, you really don’t!” Mark argues.
“It’s fucking storming. He could get hit by lightning.” As if on cue, a bolt of lightning lights up the sky.
“Mina, he’s weird as fuck. Just let him go,” he huffs as he sits back down in the booth. It took forever to clean up because I bumped the table and it knocked over a coffee cup, plus the orange juice that went everywhere.
“He wasn’t weird.”
“He was. He’s old and a loner.” He closes his eyes and rests his head against the back of the booth.
“How the fuck would you know he’s a loner?” I slump down in the seat across from him as he cracks one eye open to glare at me.
“Really? You of all people are asking me that?” he laughs.
“Are you implying I’m a loner?” I cross my arms over my chest, which just makes him laugh harder.
“You used to be.” He takes my hand in his. “It’s one of the first things that I noticed about you…”
“What was?”
“The sadness in your eyes. You were lonely, but at the same time, you didn’t want anyone to get close.”
He’s not wrong. When I first moved back, I went to my old home. I asked around town to find out where it was. Most of them knew my parents. They couldn’t believe I was back after all these years, and honestly, neither could I.
“So, what do you think?” Mark asks.
“What?”
“Tomorrow night.”
I must have zoned out, or my world is skipping again. It’s happened a handful of times since I woke up from the coma.
“Umm…Sure.” I watch his eyes light up with excitement.
“Perfect! It’s a date.” He stands and walks back toward the kitchen, leaving me stunned. What the hell did I just agree to?
Once he is fully in the kitchen and out of eyesight, I grab my jacket and keys and bolt out the door. I need to find Myles. I don’t know why he reacted that way. I hop in my truck and turn the key.
*Click* *Click* *Click*
“Fuck! Not today. Please!”
Another bolt of lightning strikes off in the distance. The earth shakes. It definitely hit something. I hope to God it wasn’t Myles.
“Please….Please work….”
The engine sputters to life on the third try. The burning smell of oil fills the cab, and I have to roll down the windows. Rain blows into my truck as I speed out of the parking lot. He couldn’t have gotten too far walking back to town, unless someone picked him up.
The rain feels like razors slicing against me as it whips in through the window. Fuck this truck. Fuck this weather. And fuck him for taking off in the middle of a storm.
The rain is finally starting to slow. The early glow of the sunrise is starting to peak through the clouds. There’s a black SUV stopped on the side of the roadway up ahead. A man is standing next to the passenger side. I think it's Myles.
As I get closer, I can make out more details. It’s definitely Myles. I honk twice for him to hopefully see it's me. He opens the door and climbs into the black…black Range Rover.
Fuck!
That’s Declan’s car!
I step harder on the gas pedal as the passenger door closes and the car spins around to speed away. My truck is practically choking as I speed up to seventy miles per hour.
Declan must see it’s me because he picks up speed. They’re heading to Badlands. They have to be. I pick up my phone and try to call Declan. After three rings, it goes to voicemail. I try again, but it immediately goes to voicemail this time.
“Fuck!” I scream as I hit the steering wheel. He’s going to kill him. I should have told Myles that Declan was after him.
I can hear a clunking noise followed by a loud hiss.
“No, no, no! Don’t do this! Not right now!” The car begins to slow. It smells like burnt rubber and oil now.
I watch Declan’s taillights disappear further into the distance. My truck slows as I steer it to the side of the road. The engine gives one last sputtering clunk noise before the motor completely stops.
“Fucking piece of shit!”
I grab my phone and try to call Mark. I need to get to Badlands before Declan kills him.
“Hey. Where’d you go?”
“I need you to come get me. I’m just outside of town. My truck died.”
“I’m off in ten. Can you hold on till then?”
“No. I need you to come get me now. I need to get to Badlands.”
“What’s the rush? You don’t work until later.”
What do I even say? My boss kidnapped the guy whom I know nothing about, and now I have to rush in there and try to save him, even though I have no clue why Declan wants him dead.
“Okay, don’t freak out or anything. But Declan kidnapped Myles.”
“Your boss kidnapped a dude who you barely know, and now you want to go save him? Is that what you’re saying?” His words are coated in sarcasm.
“Yes! Now, can you please hurry up!”
“Mina…If Declan's involved, you know the guy must be bad news. You see the kind of shit Declan does on the side. Why the fuck would you even think about getting involved?!”
“Forget it!” I hang up and toss my phone into my bag.
I grab a pair of running shoes out of my back seat.
Thank God I practically live out of my truck with how often I work.
I quickly swap from my boots to the runners and get out.
I throw my backpack over my shoulders, click the lock twice, then take off running toward town. It’s only a couple of miles away.
As I get closer to town, the little voice in my head starts nagging me and making me question the whole situation.
I don’t know why the fuck I’m even doing this.
I don’t know this man. He could be a drug trafficker or murderer for all I know.
This is so fucking stupid. And risky. He’s just some guy…
No. I know I felt the connection between us. First in the room when he kissed me, then at the diner when he held my hand. He can’t be a murderer…Maybe a drug trafficker, but definitely not a murderer…I hope.
Damnit, Mina. Why the hell do you always end up in fucking weird ass situations? After this is all said and done, and I move to Vegas, I need to start fresh. I need to bury this old life. No more strip clubs. No more shady bosses.
The town is quiet. I'm out of breath as I finally turn onto Main Street. My chest is burning, and my feet feel like they’re going to fall off. Noted, if I haven’t run in over a year, running more than two miles might kill me.
I glance around the empty street, then pull my phone out of my bag. I try Declan one last time. The phone still goes straight to voicemail.
“God Damnit!” I shout as I shove the phone into my backpack before tossing it back onto my shoulders.
I stretch, feeling the burn in my muscles before taking off again. Badlands is only a ten-minute walk from here, so I should be able to run it in five.
I practically collapse on the sidewalk outside of Badlands. I feel like I’m going to throw up. After all this is over with, I need to start going back to the gym for cardio, not just muscle strengthening.
I take a moment to walk around the building.
There are only two cars in the side lot, one of them is Myles's and the other might be Tony's. I walk over to Myles’s car and check the handle. It’s unlocked.
I toss my backpack into the back seat before heading towards the back door of the club.
Out back is only Declan’s Range Rover. No one else is here.
When I take a few steps closer to the Range Rover, my heart drops into my stomach. Deep red blood streaks are leading from the car to the back door. It looks like he's bleeding badly, and they dragged him inside. I pause at the back door before walking inside. He has to still be alive.
It’s silent in the club. No lights are on except the glow behind the bar and the rope light surrounding the stage. The scent of fresh cleaner mixed with blood hits my nose and makes my throat burn.
I keep checking over my shoulder. I feel like someone is watching me.
I can feel their eyes following my movements…
Or maybe I’m just paranoid. There aren’t any cameras set up in this club, so it’s not like that would be the cause of the sensation.
Declan had them all removed when he took over after Jocko was murdered.
I head down the back hall to the employee area. The hall is dark, nearly pitch black. If it weren’t for the line of red LED lights running along the floor, I wouldn’t even be able to see where I was going.
“Mina,” a whisper comes from behind me in the darkness. But the second I turn around, something metal connects with the side of my face. Hitting the floor is the last thing I feel before my world turns black.