7. Indi
INDI
My body shivered and burned at the same time, sweat smothering my skin as I struggled to breathe.
“Haze…” I whispered into the dark void. “Haze…” My eyelids fluttered, too heavy for me to see.
My heart raced and I felt as if I were dying.
My back burned from the brand Toro had left on me, my skin tight and crusted from how deep he’d pressed the brand into my flesh.
Haze…please…help me…help me.
My arm trembled as I reached out into the darkness, reaching for him. “Haze…”
My consciousness faded away as I slipped into absolute darkness.
The recent memory of what happened played through my mind as I felt my body fall slowly into a pool of shadows.
I remembered Ray showing up in my dressing room…
and being hit…but the rest was a blur. There was a car…
and the sound of rain…and I remember seeing Kief’s face.
But the rest faded away like ink in water.
I don’t understand…what happened?
My body felt weightless…drifting in an endless pool of dread. A faint light glistened high above me, its brightness rippling in the water that surrounded me. I opened my mouth to scream, but my voice vanished,, and I felt myself choking.
Haze…please!
I reached out, struggling to reach for that light.
Save me!
“Indi.” His distant voice hit my ears and I felt a pressure in my chest. “Indi.”
Haze.
I kicked my legs, fighting the weight of the water. The darkness tried to drag me down, but something pulled at my heart, and I knew I had to keep fighting. I couldn’t give up…not yet.
Please…wait for me. Wait for me! I’m right here. I’m right here!
I extended my arm, gasping as I felt my fill with death. But I kept pushing, staring up at that burning light.
No! Not yet…not fucking yet.
Haze’s voice began to grow in volume as the pressure in my chest grew into a rhythmic pulse. And just as I was breaching the surface of that heavy darkness, I opened my mouth and gasped, feeling the cold air filled my lungs.
And for the first time in what felt like forever…I was able to slowly open my eyes.
“H…Haze?”
“Indi!” His warmth wrapped around me, pulling me close. Tears fell from his eyes, landing along my cold face as he cried, squeezing me tight.
“W—where am I?”
I coughed, spitting a gross foam from my mouth, my body still weak from everything I had endured. My chest ached, as if I had been stabbed. I felt weak, sitting on the edge of death. But the more I breathed, the more everything came flooding back to me.
After Ray found and beat me, he dragged me into a car and took me to meet Toro, who happened to be in charge of a large sex trafficking ring.
I tried to fight back, but it only earned me another beating, leaving me weak.
Too weak to stop Toro from branding me. He claimed ownership of me, drugging me up with the others he’d been collecting for his upcoming auction.
I tried to escape, but I only angered him some more, forcing him to drug me into submission.
I thought I’d never see Haze again, but at Toro’s auction, I noticed a familiar face.
Spier had found me. He tried to outbid the others, but at the last minute, Kief outbid him.
And I was dragged back to The Burnout, hidden away beneath the club in an empty room, kept away in the dark to die.
Fuck you, Kief.
Haze stood, lifting me up as the sound of distant gunfire filled my ears. “I got you, little sis.” He kissed my forehead, keeping me close. “And I’m never letting you go.”
He carried me from that godforsaken room, stepping out as the sound of gunfire grew, piercing my eardrums. Haze covered my ear, pressing my head into his chest, protecting me. I inhaled his scent, catching a whiff of blood. My eyes strained to focus, but I could see he was covered in it.
I opened my mouth to speak, but the words wouldn’t form. My throat was dry and weak, sore from how much I’d screamed during all my torment.
“Haze!” Felix’s voice broke through my twin’s palm as I weakly looked over to see him. “Indi!” I began to cry at the fact that my brothers had both come to save me. “Kief isn’t here.”
What? How could he not be here?!
Haze clutched me tighter. “I don’t fucking care. I’m going to take everything away from him, just as he tried to do to me.”
Another set of footsteps quickly joined them as my brother turned and I spotted a familiar pair of shoes. “Indi!” Spider shouted, rushing towards me. “Is she okay?”
Haze slowly uncovered my ears, my head aching from all the sounds. “They doped her up so much, she almost fucking overdosed. I had to use Narcan on her.”
So that’s why my chest aches.
“You told me to wait to burn the world, hermano.” Haze turned, looking at our older brother. “But I’m done taking orders. I’m going to burn this whole place to the ground, and then I’m going to fucking kill Kief.”
Felix didn't argue or try to stop him. He simply pulled out his lighter and offered it to Haze. “Try not to kill yourself in the process.” Haze took the lighter. “We’ll clear a path. But Haze…remember, once you do this, there is no going back?”
My twin clenched his jaw and looked down at me. He gently stroked my face, wiping away the sweat forming on my brow. “I know. But I’m going to finish what I started.” He looked up at the two men. “And no fucking touches Indi and walks away.”
Felix patted his arm, and he and Spider led the way. They both were armed, showing just how skilled they were as they shot at Kief’s men, keeping our path clear. Haze followed behind them, protecting me with his body.
Haze.
The four of us entered the main floor of The Burnout, a full-on shootout ensuing as Felix and Spider took Kief’s men out one by one. Haze sprinted to the car, kneeling while keeping me in his arms. He reached for a large bottle of vodka, creating a molotov cocktail. “Indi, can you cover your ears?”
I nodded weakly, my arms trembling as he helped me raise them to my ears. I pressed my palms against my ears as Haze lit the cloth wick, chunking it over the bar. Within seconds, it exploded, shaking the floor. He readied another, tucking a smaller bottle in my lap as he stood.
“I’m sorry, little sis,” he breathed, tossing the second bottle. It exploded in the distance, destroying the stairwell, setting fire to the club. “I’m so fucking sorry! For everything!”
Felix and Spider rushed ahead, making way as we approached the front doors of The Burnout.
Haze reached down and grabbed the smaller bottle from my lap, pouring it as he ran through the doors.
He lit Felix’s lighter and tossed it back, setting the club on fire.
Flames roared behind us, growing almost instantly into a deadly beast.
Rain poured down my face as Haze held me, stepping across the street, joining Felix and Spider.
The three of them stopped, staring up at The Burnout, which had quickly ignited.
Within seconds, a loud, vibrating explosion erupted from within, setting the whole building ablaze.
Flaming debris shot out into the road, landing all around us as the rain quickly put it out.
“Well,” Spider sighed. “Now what?”
Haze gently brushed my hair from my face, tucking it behind my ear. “Now, we go after Kief.”
Felix removed his mask, gasping as his breath fogged around his face. “There’s only one place he’d be.” He locked eyes with me. “The Cosmic Oxen.”
I felt sick at the mention of that fucking club, but the same anger that ran through my brothers’ now also surged through.
I strained, forcing my body from Haze’s grasp, stumbling to my feet.
The three of them all tried to help me, but I slapped their hands away.
“No,” I hissed, struggling to stand on my own two feet.
I looked over at Felix, rain dripping down my face.
I clutched my chest, still aching from the Narcan. “I’m…I’m going with you.”
“Indi.”
“No!” I growled back at Haze. “Look at me, Haze!” I slowly turned to face him.
“Kief did this to me! He beat me…let Toro brand me…and then he left me there to die, drugged out of my mind!” I took a step toward him, nearly losing my balance.
I gripped his soaked shirt, tearing a button as I struggled to stand.
“We all have a reason to want him dead.” My eyes fell to his sheath.
I pulled the KA-BAR free and raised it, staring at my reflection in the blade.
“And just like you, I want my fucking revenge.”
Haze lifted me from my feet and wrapped his arms around my frail body. He stared at me, his emerald eyes burning through the darkness as his wet hair stuck to his face. “You’re so fucking stubborn.”
I rolled my eyes, fighting back a smile. “So are you.”
He leaned in close, smiling as he breathed into me. “We really are the perfect pair.” He kissed me gently, refusing to let go.
Yes…we are.
Spider scoffed, pulling out a blunt. “Fucking Taurus.” He lit his blunt, taking a long drag. “So…we saying fuck the Web and just taking matters into our own hands?”
Haze and I both turned to look at him as my twin spoke.
“Fuck Charlotte’s Web…and fuck Northern Lights.
” He looked over at Felix. “I say it’s time we finish what our father started, hermano.
” He extended his arm, waiting for our brother to accept his offer.
“What do you say? Want to help me kill Kief and bring back the glory of the Osvaldo family? The way our grandfather always intended it to be?”
Felix stared at the two of us. He stepped forward, still clutching his gun. “Promise not to try and kill me again?”
Haze smiled. “Don’t do anything to jeopardize Indi, and I’ll keep that promise.”
Felix pondered for a moment, raising his arm as he shook Haze’s hand. “Let’s start a fucking riot.”
Spider clapped his hands together as we all turned to look at him.
“Gotta say, it’s nice seeing you two getting along again.
” He exhaled a mouthful of smoke into the night.
“Oh, I’m totally down for all of this, by the way.
Not to mention.” He looked at Felix. “You’d make a hell of a mafia boss. Just like Ignacio always intended.”
Funny how things turned out.
“Alright then,” Spider sighed. “Let’s go kill Kief!”