Saving Della Ray

Their uninvited visit was a big deal, especially as they were not supposed to be aware of this apartment’s existence, but they were past pretending. We all knew that bridge had long been crossed.

Without a word, I turned around and headed back to the place in the living room where I had been. I had a gun hidden on my lap and was grateful for the foresight to have kept it underneath the blanket as I’d settled in for the evening with the news on.

They came in and the racket began.

“You’re living large, Bone,” Rose bellowed, his eyes sparkling with excitement as they roamed around the apartment.

The other two took their seats on the sofa.

I turned towards them.

“How you holding up?” Volt asked.

I glared at them both.

Tyler folded his hands across his chest and leaned back into the sofa. “We’re here for further investigation,” he said. “You’re not off the hook yet.”

“Don’t take offense, Bone,” Rose said and came over to stand by my side. “You know how things are. Jump these last hoops and you’ll be in the clear soon enough.”

“We need your fingerprints,” Tyler said.

Volt immediately began to dig into his backpack for what I supposed was a kit.

“What for?” I asked, my tone cold and unforgiving.

“It’s an added measure,” he replied.

I turned away from him. All these checks had been done before I was patched into the club two years earlier but now it was all being re-done to see if they had missed something. Thus far, they had re-obtained my social security number, all addresses, and needed background information in a bid to review if I was a rat.

“You screwed up big time,” Rose said. “But if all goes well, especially with the drug deal in a few weeks then we’ll petition Snake and the rest of the club. You’ll be re-instated and all will be back to normal.”

I didn’t bother informing him that a month from now, I intended to be dead. I didn’t need reinstating into their stupid fucking club.

Suddenly, there was movement at the front door and we all looked up.

“Expecting someone?” Tyler asked.

I glanced towards the clock on the kitchen wall. It was only four o’clock so it shouldn’t be her, but I knew it was her. I felt chills go down my arms and the hair at the back of my head stood. My hands nervously gripped the chair, but I stopped myself before I could overreact and put us both in deeper suspicion.

She walked in and froze when she saw the full house.

Suddenly, I heard the cock of a gun from behind me and saw fear flash in her eyes just as she let out a scream of terror. She shot down to the floor, her hands to her ears, the plastic bag she had brought falling to the ground.

My gaze briefly noted the bell pepper that rolled out of the bag before I turned around to see that Volt was the one who had a gun pointed directly at her. “Put that damn thing away!” I growled. I hoped that for his sake, he didn’t think I was joking.

He didn’t respond. Instead, he shared a look with Tyler, and began to move towards her.

The blanket across my lap flew off and in a flash, he was staring down the barrel of my own gun.

The entire room went very still.

For what seemed like a lifetime, no one said anything.

Then Tyler rose slowly. With his gaze on me, he went over to Volt who was also staring at me in surprise. With his hand on Volt’s hand, he lowered the gun.

I refused to lower mine. “Go to the bedroom, Della,” I ordered.

When she didn’t move, I turned to glance at her.

She was trembling. Her lips parted to speak, but the words wouldn’t come out.

“I’m fine,” I assured her. “Now go to the bedroom and close the door.”

With a brave glare at the other men that quite surprised me, she picked herself up from the floor and left the room.

I returned the safety to my gun, picked up the blanket from the floor, and spread it across my lap.

“I wasn’t going to hurt her, Bone,” Volt said, his tone dipping with a hint of hurt at my reaction.

“Well, I was going to hurt you,” I stated clearly. “If I had my full strength, you would be unconscious by now.”

“Whoa, Bone,” Rose complained. “Take it easy man. You’re the one who messed up. Everyone does from time to time, and they pay for it. Why are you so sour about it?”

“Get your fucking questions done and be on your way!”

Della Ray

I hugged my knees and I waited for Bone. The whole time, my ears were cocked, listening carefully for every bit of movement or trouble.

My hand was on my phone, ready to call for help if he needed it, but even then I knew it would be too late. When the door was suddenly pushed open, I jumped up from the bed, my knees almost giving out in relief when Bone rode in with his wheelchair.