Chapter 47
Diesel
“W hy doesn’t he talk?”
My stomach hurts.
“He probably fainted from the pain.”
It feels stiff, like something’s wrong.
“What’s that thing on his chin?”
Breathing is hard.
“Probably dry vomit, boss.”
It’s like there’s a rock weighing on my chest.
“ Merde . Are you sure he’s not dead?”
“Yes, boss.”
My head’s spinning.
“He looks dead. Didn’t I say not to kill him?”
Why’s the room so cold?
“He’s still alive, boss.”
Someone grabbed me by the hair and yanked my head back. With my eyes barely open, I only saw blurry figures looming around me. Still tied to a chair, I could hardly move a muscle, not that I had the power to move either way, and all that left my lips was a weak grunt.
“See? He’s alive.”
“Barely.”
They let go of my hair, and my head flopped down.
“Barely is still alive, boss.”
He clicked his tongue. “I see you’ve finally decided to be a comedian, Gale. Although, with that nasty face of yours, I don’t predict a bright future in the business.”
Did he say… Gale ?
“I’m sorry, boss.”
Boss. So he’s talking to… Dion.
Finally, the son of a bitch was here. After Oro left me alone, Gale came back, and everything since that moment was rather blacked out. All I knew was that it hurt, incredibly so , and that for as long as I stayed awake, I waited for Dion to show his face again. Knowing now was probably my last chance to meet the fucker, as I could feel my body giving up, I shifted in the chair.
“Y-you k-killed…” My mouth didn’t move the way I wanted it to. “H-him.”
“Did he say something?” one of them asked.
“It sounds like it, boss.”
My head was yanked back, and the man holding me got closer until I could actually see who it was.
“What was it that you just said?” Dion asked.
“Y-y-you…” My breath shuddered. “K-killed h-h-h—” I succumbed to the pain and lost grip of what was happening.
“The fuck is he spitting, Gale?”
“You killed him.”
“What?”
“That’s what he’s saying, boss: you killed him.”
“Who did I kill now?” Dion snarled.
Shay-Lee. He killed Shay-Lee.
Unable to hold my head up, I took a deep breath. “S-Shay-L-Lee.” His name came out of my mouth in a whimper of pain, but I still managed to say it right before it all turned dark again. The next time I woke up, the room was a bit brighter.
Is it already daylight?
“Good, he’s awake again,” a voice spoke before someone crouched in front of me and cupped my face.
I winced in pain.
“Are you ready to finally talk?” Dion asked, a cigarette tucked between his lips.
I felt thirsty, so fucking thirsty, so I parted my lips to ask for a drop of water. But words didn’t come out, and instead, I made a sound that resembled an animal taking its last breath.
“What is it… oh, you want one?” Dion took the smoke out of his mouth. “Well, you should have just asked for it.” He put the cig between my lips.
It slipped right away.
“How would you smoke when you can’t even hold the cigarette?” he grunted, picked the cig up, and put it back in my lips, only for it to fall again. After a few more unsuccessful attempts, Dion gripped my jaw in his palm and forced it closed so the cigarette wouldn’t fall.
“For fuck’s sake, Gale, I’m going to get you beat up for this. He can’t even keep his fucking head up,” Dion complained while holding the lighter to my face.
A few sparks lit the air before the cig caught fire, and Dion smiled.
“That’s it. Now, be a good boy and take a deep breath,” he said, pressing his hand to my mouth, the cig tucked between his fingers so I’d take a puff.
Smoke filled my lungs, and I immediately coughed into his palm.
Dion withdrew his hand with the smoke while I continued coughing. My abdomen hurt with each cough as if something was clinging to my lungs, and when I saw blood was coming out, too, my body froze .
“ Merde … All this from one little puff—”
Loud noises cut into his words.
Not just noises.
Shooting .
“What is this fuss?” Dion grunted while getting up to his feet.
“I don’t know, boss.”
“ Putain de bordel de merde ,” Dion barked. “Go and check.”
I heard a door opening and closing and caught some movement in the corner of my eye before the room slowly became darker, and the noises turned muffled until they were all gone.
Shay-Lee
I parked the van behind a large warehouse that, with its broken windows and collapsing roof, had seen better days. Getting a bit closer to the windshield, I eyed the gloomy place and the cars parked around it before glancing to the back of the van, where Oro was writhing in pain like a slug while Jordan sat beside him.
“Is this the right place?” I asked.
“Y-yes,” he cried. “Now, take me to the hospital. You promised. You promised to—”
“Gag his mouth with something. His voice is getting on my fucking nerves,” I ordered Jordan, then switched off the van’s engine.
“W-what?” Oro gasped. “But you said you’d take me to the hospital if I got you here.”
“And why would you believe what I say? Aren’t I a cunning slut?” After using Oro’s own words against him, I opened the door and stepped outside. The strong musk of salt water and fish that carried through the air hit me, and I scrunched up my nose. It stunk, but I pushed the thought aside and looked at the cars parked around the building. While two of them were just basic black SUVs you’d imagine a gangster driving, one was a beautiful Rolls-Royce. Guessing who it belonged to wasn’t hard, and I was relieved to know Dion was also here.
I heard the back door of the van sliding open before Jordan got out with a muffled Oro tossed over his shoulder. After glancing at the sock shoved into Oro’s mouth, my eyes slid down to his legs and the blood-soaked tourniquets above his knees, right where I shot him.
I sure hope it hurts.
It wasn’t like I wanted to carry Oro with us, but his presence was essential to prove that he was the one behind this whole shitshow.
“How many men do you think are in there?” Jordan asked after stopping beside me.
Looking down at my gun, I loaded it. “Don’t know, but I sure hope all those boxing classes you took are worth something.”
He snorted, and I looked up to smile at him. We might be laughing now, but there was nothing funny about what we were about to do. But then again, I’d rather joke than shit my pants out of fear, and if thinking about this whole thing casually would stop my body from freezing, I’d do just that.
Dropping the smile, I looked him in the eyes.
“Ready?” I asked, well aware of what I was asking of him. Obviously, risking my life to save Camilo’s wasn’t even a question to me , but to Jordan? He hated Camilo and had no reason to help me more than he’d already had. And yet, despite all the bad blood between them, he just nodded.
“Let’s go,” he said before jumping Oro on his back so he’d have a better grip on him.
Carefully, we began advancing toward the building while constantly looking around. I had no clue what to do in situations like this, nor did I know how to work a gun (Oro might beg to differ), but I was about to learn. Sure, Camilo had taught me basic stuff, like how to unload a gun, but to actually shoot a man from a range? All I could think was that hopefully, I didn’t shoot the way I drive.
Once we reached the building, Jordan stopped and took Oro off his back .
“Wait here,” he told me while signaling to stay quiet.
“Why?” I frowned, lowering my voice.
Jordan straightened up and faced me, his expression harsh. “Just trust me, okay?”
I knew that based on our past, I should do anything but trust him. Yet, given the fact he’d saved my life not too long ago and was now risking his, I tightened my lips and nodded. Pleased, he held my stare for a brief second, then turned on his heels and rounded the building. A few seconds after he’d disappeared from my sight, I heard men’s voices, and things quickly heated. Their shouting, followed by the sounds of beating flesh, made my heart pause as nerves nibbled at my spine.
What the fuck was he thinking? Going out there without a gun—
“Are you coming?”
“ Huh ?” I gaped at Jordan, who popped his head out from behind the corner of the building.
“What just happened?” I asked as he walked toward me and Oro.
He bent down and picked the slut up in a fireman’s lift. “Nothing, but we better move.”
Shocked yet pleasantly surprised, I followed his steps as we rounded the building together. My brows reached my hairline after we passed two unconscious men who’d gotten their asses kicked, and impressed, I glared at Jordan’s wide back.
“What did they feed you in that boxing class— steroids ?”
He chuckled. “It’s just a lot of practice.”
“Well, sign me the fuck up,” I said, then whistled when we passed the third man lying on the ground, face down.
“I told you to join me, but you preferred yoga.”
“That’s ’cause yoga is amazing—”
I quickly shut up when Jordan came to a sudden stop next to a large door.
“Okay, wait here. ”
“Again?” I frowned. “What if there are armed men in there?”
Jordan cocked his head in the direction of the guys lying around. “They were armed, too.”
Cocky bastard.
Making his point clear, I waved my head at the door. “Be my guest.”
After placing Oro on the ground, Jordan opened the door and slipped inside.
Staying on guard, I looked around the abandoned place, my hands clutching the gun just in case someone popped up. So far, other than the noises coming from Oro, who tried to speak despite the sock in his mouth, I didn’t hear a sound. But then, it all changed in a brief second as gunshots pierced the air. It came from inside the building, and without wasting a second, I opened the door and jumped inside. Right next to the door was a man lying passed out, and I lingered on him until another gun fired, and I jumped for cover behind some large barrel. Once the shooting calmed, I picked my head up to scan the room. Not far from me, Jordan was kicking some dude’s ass while around them, a few other men were tossed on the floor.
He’s a fucking beast , I thought to myself, chest filled with pride, when a new guy approached them from behind with a damn shotgun .
“Jordan, watch out!” I called as I jumped to my feet with my gun aimed at the shotgun guy.
Pow . I pulled the trigger and fired the gun, only to completely miss the man who now had his eyes on me. Shit . No more than a few seconds later, the shotgun was aimed at me. My heart stalled, and I ducked down just as the wall behind me started to be sprayed with bullets. Each bullet left a hole the size of an apple in the wall, and I gaped at it with wide eyes. Fucking shit . One shot flew so close to my face that I felt the heat of the bullet.
My heart was beating fast in my chest, and I closed my eyes until the shooting stopped. I assumed the guy thought he’d killed me, so I took my chance, breathed in some much-needed air, and got up. My eyes locked on the shooter’s surprised face right before I started shooting at him. I squeezed the trigger, shooting one shot after the other. The sounds were deafening, and sparks flew everywhere as the scent of gunpowder thickened the air. Scared to see who I’d hit, I closed my eyes until I’d emptied my cartridge. Adrenaline ran through me like blood, and slowly, I opened my eyes, only to find the shotgun guy was still standing, without even a scratch on his body.
“He’s still alive?” I snarled, voice high and face twisting with displeasure.
“Of course he is!” Jordan shouted from where he took cover. “Usually, you need to keep your eyes open when you shoot.”
“Well, excuse me for not knowing the logistics— oh shit ,” I gasped when my target aimed his gun at me.
On instinct, and before he could shoot me, I did the only thing I was good at and threw the gun like it was a football at the man. It hit him right in the face, and I smiled like a jackass.
“Fuck yeah!” I roared after he fell back.
Jordan got out of his cover and moved toward the guy I knocked out, quite successfully, if I do say so myself. He quickly took the shotgun from him and disabled it while I walked toward them.
“Here,” he said, handing me my own gun back.
I reached to take the gun from him when I saw his bloodied knuckles. He’d probably hurt himself while fighting all those men. My forehead creased in concern, and I coughed to clear my throat. “Are your hands okay?”
“Yeah,” he said, voice soft.
After I took the gun from him, I glanced up to find him looking at me, and the love in his eyes made me uncomfortable.
Why? Because I would have never risked my life for him, and yet here he was, doing that for me. However, maybe he didn’t do it for love but to make amends for his past mistakes. Either way, it didn’t matter at the moment as we were running out of time.
“We better move,” I said and was ready to go when a new man came down the stairs. Only this dude didn’t look like the others. Built like a freaking lineman, this giant of a man walked toward us, his face almost as ugly as his clothes.
“Stop, or I will shoot,” I warned with the gun raised, only the fucker didn’t listen and instead continued to walk toward us. Biting my lips, I gripped the gun, then threw it at him, only this motherfucker knew how to bend in time, and he dodged the damn gun.
“Seriously?” Jordan hissed.
“What? It worked the first time,” I nervously bit back.
I swore the ground shook with each step this giant took, and feeling sweat gathering at my lower back, I held my fist high, ready to fight, when Jordan pushed me behind him. Next thing I knew, Jordan charged at him, only it didn’t go as smoothly as it went with the others, and with every punch Jordan threw at this man, he got one back, twice as hard. But he didn’t fall, neither did he give up, and instead, he fought back. Like a lion, with blood pouring down his face and gritted teeth, Jordan held back this mountain of a man.
“Go find him!” Jordan shouted in between punches.
My stomach turned with the thought of leaving him behind, especially after he was just tossed at the wall like a piece of meat, but I swallowed back the feeling and moved my ass.
I was always an ungrateful bastard, and Jordan knew what he signed up for when he agreed to help me. So even though I didn’t want Jordan to die, I was more anxious about reaching Camilo on time, which I had a strong feeling we were running out of.
With my heart in my throat, I ran up the stairs, my pulse so high that blood pounded in my ears. The wood underneath my shoes cracked with each step until I reached a long hall. Not wasting another minute, I ran down until reaching a metal door at the end of it. Taking a deep breath, I grabbed the handle and slammed the door open, ready to face whatever was lurking inside.