7. Felix
CHAPTER SEVEN
FELIX
Bang!
Remind me to never piss her off.
“Ahh! Yes!” She raised her arms high, nearly knocking her electronic earmuffs off. I shot forward, catching her as she smiled.
I smiled back, trying not to completely melt into her arms. “Easy,” I cooed.
I then adjusted her eye gear, making sure she was good.
Dream watched me as I doted on her. I caught her giving me an oddly amusing look, one similar to what Haze would give when we were kids and he’d done something he shouldn’t have.
I sighed and straightened my posture. “Do I want to know?”
She popped a large bubble of gum she’d been chewing and turned around, tapping the back of her neck. “Check it.”
I stepped toward her and gently lifted her hair to see a tiny tattoo, barely visible and etched into the skin of her neck just below her hair. “What—” I squinted. “D…plus F…?” I gently brushed my thumb across the tattoo.
She spun around and smiled. “Do you like it?”
“When did you get a tattoo?” I was genuinely shocked she had the time to sneak away and get inked, especially with how much time we’d been spending together over the last couple weeks.
She popped another bubble and shrugged. “I have my ways.”
Sneaky little cottontail.
A low growl vibrated in my chest as I crossed my arms in a huff. “You shouldn’t be sneaking off…it’s not safe.”
She spun around, twirling her hair as she stopped in front of me, holding her gun. “I didn’t go alone. I had this baby.” She pointed the gun at me.
I reached out and lowered it. “You’re way too comfortable aiming things at me.” My fingers looped through hers and I pulled her close, kissing the top of her head. “Just promise me you won’t go wandering off again?”
Dream sighed and nodded. “Do you even like it?” she asked in a whimpering tone.
“Depends. What does it mean?”
She pushed off me with a huff. “It’s us, silly.” She popped another bubble. “Danika and Felix. D plus F.”
A smile grew along my face. “You mean Dream and Felix.” I yanked her back to me, wrapping my arms around her waist.
“Why do you always call me that?” she asked.
My head titled. “Dream?” She nodded. “Well…” I sighed.
“Because that’s exactly what you are. Who you are.
You’re a fucking Dream, Danika. But even more so, you’re my Dream.
You possess my thoughts and fill every inch of my mind.
I spend every second of every day consumed by you.
And when I go to sleep, you’re all I dream about. My Dream.”
Tears filled her eyes as she stared at me.
“And as for your tattoo…” I tipped her chin and leaned in for a kiss.
“I fucking love it.” I kissed her roughly, pulling her body against mine as I held her close.
She wrapped her arms around me, hitting my earmuffs with her gun as she popped her leg.
We stayed in that moment, tangled together, until my phone rang.
Damn it…not now.
My hand fumbled to my pocket, silencing it, hoping I didn’t just fuck up the moment. But it rang again.
I groaned loudly, ripping my mouth from hers as I pulled the phone out and saw a name I didn’t expect. My face must’ve given me away, because Dream stepped back and asked me if I was okay. “I-I have to take this.”
And without any explanation, I sprinted out of the room as I ripped the earmuffs off. I pushed past a few random people and rushed outside the gun range as I answered the call.
Before I could even open my mouth to speak, Hui’s voice hit my ear. “Felix…you’ve got a problem.” My blood ran cold. I knew Hui would never make the effort to call me unless it was something serious.
I cleared my throat. “What is it?”
He sighed loudly. “Your cousin is a persistent one. A real pain in my ass…and yours, it seems.”
I rolled my eyes. “Get to the point.”
Hui sighed again. God, he really was the living embodiment of laziness. “Word on the street is you’ve been seen spending time with a woman…one with white hair.”
I froze. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about—”
“Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Save the lying for your cousin…you’re going to need it.” My jaw clenched as I tried to control my anger. “I must say, sneaking out every night to stalk someone…risking everything to be with them? It’s a bold move, green-eyed devil.”
I took a deep breath, trying to keep my cool.
“You’re not even a part of Charlotte’s Web, Hui…
how would you know if I’ve been sneaking around?
” I looked back toward the gun range, worried about leaving her all alone.
I reached into my pocket and pulled a piece of hard candy out to help soothe my budding anxiety.
Hui groaned. “Not everyone has the appetite to get all tangled up in your family’s bloody web of lies and betrayal.
Charlotte’s Web…Northern Lights…you’re all just one big disgruntled family split down the middle and fighting over scraps of what you could’ve been had it not been for your aunt and dad.
” I felt a pain in my chest at the sad truth he spoke.
“You’ve been sloppy, Felix. Neither myself or Kief would know about your little side piece if you’d done your job right. ”
My hand nearly broke the phone in my grasp at his insult. “She’s not a fucking side piece.”
“Oh? Well, whatever she is, I hope she’s worth it.”
My nostrils flared as I tried to keep calm. “And what the hell is that supposed to mean?” I paced around for a bit. “Are you threatening me, Hui?”
Hui laughed softly. “I’m no fool, Felix.
I know better than to cross the green-eyed devil.
” He paused. “But Kief is coming for you. You and your girl.” My focus shot back to the gun range.
“If I were you, I wouldn’t let that woman out of your sight…
Your cousin may be a dick, but he’s a sly one.
And the moment you let your guard slip, he’ll slither right in and stab you in the back. You know that better than anyone.”
Fuck…Dream!
I hung up, shoving my phone in my pocket as I sprinted back toward the gun range. I pushed anyone in my way aside, giving no fucks as I ran.
Please be okay…fuck…Felix, you god damn idiot!
I swung the door open to the shooting range and hurried inside without my protective earmuffs.
The immense sound of gunfire pierced my ears, making them ring.
My head ached as I searched for her, feeling an overwhelming sense of fear.
“Dream?” I shouted. “Dream!” Sadly, my voice was drowned out by the sound of gunshots.
Fuck! Where are you?!
I looked ahead, the path before me stretching further and further, blending into something completely different.
The floor faded into sand, the walls dissolving as I looked up to see the sun blazing down on me.
I tried to block its light only to see a Black Hawk fly overhead, gunshots coming from every direction.
My head ached and throbbed, the ringing growing as I stumbled forward, panicking.
What the hell is happening?!
A loud explosion boomed from just ahead, followed by the sounds of screams. My chest tightened as I struggled to breathe, clutching it tight.
“This can’t be happening…it’s not real!” More gunfire splattered around me and my instincts kicked in.
I whipped my own handgun from its holster and gripped it tight, ducking along an old abandoned building.
The ground trembled as the sounds of war played loudly all around me.
Sweat dripped down my face as I clutched my head tight, groaning through the pain.
“Fuck!” My old injury along my temple pulsated. “Make it stop…make it stop!”
A hand touched my arm, and within the blink of an eye, I swung my arm up, aiming my loaded gun straight at the strange man. “Woah! Easy!”
I blinked, realizing I was now back in the shooting range.
“W-where is she?” I asked, my arm trembling as I tried to calm the hell down.
The man looked around, confused. “Where is who?”
I shot to my feet and pistol-whipped the man, knocking him to his feet.
“Don’t make me ask again,” I growled. The man rolled around on the floor, cussing me out.
I stepped over him, my eyes burning with rage as I pointed the gun at him.
“Where is she?!” My throat burned, hoarse from fighting back tears and screaming.
“Don’t play games with me, fucker. I’ll kill you right here, right now.
” My finger hovered over the trigger as the man tried to plead with me.
“You don’t get it, do you? Your life is nothing to me!
Nothing!” I applied a faint amount of pressure to the trigger, ready to take his life.
“She’s the only thing that matters…and I won’t let him have her. ”
I twitched my finger to fire the handgun, but something stopped me.
“Felix.” My eyes widened at the sound of her voice saying my name.
I blinked, slowly turning to see Dream standing next to me. My eyes followed her arm, realizing she had placed her finger behind the trigger, preventing me from shooting the man. “Dream,” I exhaled, buckling into her.
She caught me, lowering my arm and carefully peeling the handgun from my grasp. I couldn't help myself, crying into her as she held me, soothing me. “It’s okay…I’m here. I’m here.”
The man groaned, standing as he wiped a small bit of blood from his mouth. “God damn it—I’m calling the police!”
Dream raised her own gun and aimed it at him, her brows furrowed as she glared at him with such intense anger. “Go on…call them…I fucking dare you.” Her entire demeanor shifted as she tilted her head and smiled. “Go on…do it. I dare you.”
God, I love this woman.
The man quivered, waving his hands around. “I-I didn’t mean it.”
“Yes, you did.” She fired her gun, purposefully missing as the man recoiled in immediate fear and pissed his pants.
“Awww, poor guy had a whittle accident.” She scoffed, lowered her gun, then stepped forward.
“Excuse me—” She stomped her platform shoe along his shin, cracking it as she helped me over his piss-stained body, the man screaming as we nonchalantly walked past. “Men these days have no manners.”
Dream and I stepped outside the building and I immediately plopped my ass down on the ground. “I’m sorry about that…” I ran my fingers through my hair, embarrassed.
She quietly sat next to me and placed her hand on my arm. My eyes rose as she smiled. “For what? Being you?”
I blinked.
Dream tugged my head close to her chest, squeezing me tight. “I love all of you, Felix. Good…bad….crazy. All of it.”
Her smell surrounded me and I let go, folding into her. She was too good to me…too fucking perfect. “I don’t deserve you,” I whispered into her skin.
“Yes, you do. And I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me, stalker.”
I laughed at her tease, accepting my fate.
But deep in my gut, I had this sick, twisted feeling…one that gnawed at my happiness, telling me things were too good to be true. And I fucking hated it.