Chula

Chapter 9

Luna

The party is actually in an old factory. It’s a little creepy, but the setup and the fact that there are so many people here make it at least warm.

Brett and I have been dancing for a long time and laughing. Drinks are flowing freely, although I don’t know if they’re paying for them or not, and the way I’m feeling right now, I don’t care.

My hands are in the air and I’m having the best time ever.

I’ve never felt so free in my life. Hands land on my waist, and I don’t care whose hands they are.

I’m too busy, lost in my own little world.

As soon as the hands are there, I feel them being pulled away.

Now I spin around to see Marco in some guy’s face, his hands balled at his sides, ready for a fight.

Instead of letting him ruin my night, I grab his arm and pull him into me.

He turns his head to look back over at the guy who was grabbing me, but I reach up and pull his face to mine and kiss him.

It’s the only thing I can think of to de-escalate the situation.

I don’t want him fighting over me, not right now.

Our kiss becomes heated, but I know I have his attention now, too.

I grab his hands and slide them to my waist before I start to move again.

Our lips stay connected as our bodies move to the beat.

We’re swaying, our sweaty bodies molding to each other.

Marco pulls his lips from mine and slowly moves them down my neck.

I tilt my head to the side, allowing him access to the sensitive spots that drive me wild, and he knows it.

The music changes and begins to pump through the speakers. Everyone is screaming and having a good time, but I’m lost in Marco. Our bodies have slowed, and we move to our own beat.

“You make me crazy, Chula,” he whispers in my ear, causing a shiver to run down my spine. He notices it too as he pulls me in closer.

We keep dancing, and drinks keep being thrust into my hands.

I don’t turn them down, although I probably should.

I’m feeling great and having the best time of my life when all hell breaks out.

It’s a huge party, so none of this surprises me.

Typically, back home, you hear about the fights breaking out at the parties, too.

Shots are fired, and Marco shoves me to the ground as if I’m just any other girl. I climb back to my feet and reach for the second gun he has in the back of his jeans.

“What the fuck are you doing?” he roars at me.

“Helping!”

“Give me the fucking gun, Chula.”

“I know what I’m doing!” I snap at him. The guys take off chasing after whoever was shooting, but Marco doesn’t.

He spins on me, snatching the gun from my hand and shoving me against the wall.

I eye him, wondering what the hell is going on in his head.

He closes the distance between us until there’s nothing but a breath remaining.

Then he raises his gun and lifts my chin with it before pressing it to my temple.

“You ever shot a gun?” he asks me. I huff out a laugh.

“Obviously.”

“You ever killed anyone?” Now I don’t answer him. He presses the gun harder against my temple when I hear sirens in the distance. Tony is yelling that we need to leave, but Marco isn’t moving.

“Answer me, Chula. Have you ever killed anyone?” I shake my head as he begins to laugh.

Fuck him. Just because I haven’t killed anyone doesn’t mean I can’t.

If it came down to me or them, I’d do it.

“You aren’t shit, Chula. Stop acting like you’re crew.

Maybe in your crew, you don’t have to step up to the plate, but in this one?

You do.” He pulls the gun away and shoves it into the back of his jeans before grabbing my arm and jerking me along.

“Don’t touch me,” I hiss, pulling my arm away from him. He laughs once more as he nods his head.

“Find your way home, Chula. Before the police pick you up,” he says, nodding toward the door.

He turns and runs out of the factory, and I do the same, but I have no idea where I am or where the hell to go.

What the fuck am I supposed to do now? I don’t know where I am. I don’t know where this factory is.

I groan and slide my phone out, looking through my contacts, but none of them are around here except one. And what the hell am I going to tell him? Hey, I know it’s late and all, but I have your change I borrowed.

There’s no one else to call, so I dial his number and listen as it rings.

“Hello?”

“Hey. I … I’m sorry it’s so late, but I need help,” I tell him.

“Late? Baby girl, it’s two in the morning.”

“I know, and I’m so sorry. I just … I don’t even know where I am.” I hear him shuffle around on the other end of the phone before he starts talking again.

“What’s around you? Do you see a street sign?” I rattle off what I see to him and wait for him to answer.

“What the hell are you doing over there at two in the morning?”

“I was at a party. The assholes I came with left me,” I tell him truthfully. Marco did leave me, the prick. I should shove his gun up his ass when I get back, if I get back.

“I’m on my way. Don’t speak to anyone.”

“I won’t. And thank you, Damion.”

“You owe me one.” The line goes dead as I huddle into myself on the side of the damn road. I can’t believe that bastard actually got that mad at me over taking his gun. I was down and ready to help.

I flick through my phone as I wait for Damion, checking the area as well for anyone who might be coming my way, but there’s no one.

That’s when I see headlights coming toward me at a fast pace. The car stops in front of me, and I watch as Damion climbs out and jogs around the car.

“You good? You okay?” he asks, his eyes scanning my body.

“I’m fine. No one bothered me.”

“Good. Come on, you’re probably freezing out here,” he says as he ushers me to the car.

I know I shouldn’t take rides from people I don’t know, but here I am doing it anyway.

The same thing I teach Davey not to do, I’m doing.

But what other choices do I have at this point?

I don’t really have any. That asshole left me here.

“Where to?” he asks once we’re inside and settled. I chew on my lip, not ready to go home and face Marco yet. I’m still angry at what he did, but I know he’ll be over there as soon as I set foot in the apartment.

“I’m not sure?”

“You’re not sure? You don’t want to go home?” he asks as I turn to face him now and shake my head.

“I don’t want to deal with the issues at home right now.”

“My place? You comfortable with that?”

“I … I don’t know.”

“I’m not going to touch you, Luna. I promise. You have your phone, you can call for help if you need to.”

I nod my head. He’s right. I could call the police if I need to. Damion nods, and we take off down the street in silence before he finally decides to talk to me.

“So what kind of party was this?”

“I don’t really know. Some friends asked me to go,” I tell him.

“Not really good friends if they left you.”

“That’s true. It’s complicated, though.”

“I get it. I used to live that life,” he admits.

“Really? Were you crew?”

“I was. It was a long time ago. Not a place I want to go back to. Are you?”

“It’s a long story.”

“We have all night.”

“You really want to know?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“I was crew back in Chicago. I technically still am. I’m supposed to get my brother settled in here and then go back,” I tell him.

“You’re going back?” he asks as we keep driving.

“I don’t want to. I don’t want to leave my brother, but I know that Rafe will come looking for me.”

“All the way over here?” he asks as I nod my head.

“Yeah. Let’s just say that I was his favorite and leave it at that.” I tug on the hem of my dress, not willing to give him more than that. I can’t tell him what Rafe does to me or what hold he has over me.

“You know, if you ever want to talk about it, I’m here,” he adds softly.

“Thanks. But not right now.”

“I get it. Being in a crew is hard. Some aren’t the best.”

“How did you get out?”

“I moved on with my life. I went back to school and got a degree. Now I run a few companies,” he says.

“Really?”

“Yeah. You finish school?”

“I did high school. I always wanted to go to college, but the funds weren’t there.”

“What did you want to be?”

“I want to be a nurse.”

“Good money in that field.”

“It’s not even about the money. I mean, it is obviously, but it’s about helping others. Mainly kids, like my little brother, Davey. He’s non-verbal, and the way some people treat him because of that makes me sick.”

“People are cruel when they don’t understand things. It’s up to us to make them understand,” he tells me.

“And when they don’t listen?” Now he laughs.

“That’s when we break out our crew status,” he says with a laugh. I laugh along this time, too.

He pulls up to an apartment complex, and we both climb out before he leads me to the elevator. We step in, and he keeps talking about life in general and how sometimes we need that crew background to get us through as we ride the elevator up.

When it stops, he leads me out and toward the first door, where he opens it.

“Go ahead,” he says, ushering me inside. I walk in, and I can’t believe how nice it is.

“This is pretty,” I tell him, taking in the floor-to-ceiling windows and the nice furniture. It’s all expensive, you can tell.

“Thanks. Hard work pays off,” he tells me before walking toward the kitchen. He grabs some drinks and comes back, passing me one before nodding toward the couch.

“Tell me more about your brother,” he urges as we sit and drink. I tell him all about Davey and my mom. How we have no idea who our fathers are or if they ever knew about us. In fact, we talk about a little of everything, and I find that it’s actually relaxing to talk to him.

After a bunch more drinks and laughs, I find myself falling over.

This isn’t typically me. I don’t drink like this with people I don’t really know, aside from Marco.

I should be embarrassed, and a part of me is.

I try to lift my head, but it does no good.

Damion laughs, but lets me rest my head on his lap before I fall asleep.