“I’ll go,” Snake suddenly announced pulling his jean jacket off his shoulders.
I wasn’t surprised. I kinda knew he would step up, but I was ready for him. “No. You’re too important to our club. Without the head, the snake doesn’t live to fight another day. I’ll go.”
The room went silent at my declaration. I cocked my gun in preparation. No one else would care enough to stop me since I was offering, but the quiet grief over my safety filled the room.
“You might not make it,” Snake said quietly.
I tucked the gun behind me into the waistband of my jeans. “Well, someone has to go,” was my response. “I’ll hold onto one of them for as long as I can. Make sure that you’re all able to take them.”
“Stay alive,” Skippy said. “They’ll arrest you but we’ll be able to get you out. Just make sure to stay alive.”
With one last look at the men, whose world I had lived in for the last two years, I pulled the door open and with my hands in the air I stepped out towards the barrage of law enforcement officials awaiting me.
Della Ray
-there’s a calm before the storm-
I was halfway through the first coat of shell pink polish on my right hand, when my phone began to ring. I was ready to ignore it, but when I saw that it was Nichole, I leaned over and tapped the call through. “Hey.”
“Where are you?” she asked, her tone grim.
“Home. I just put Jess to bed. We left pizza for you. Where are you?”
“Sorry I couldn’t come back on time to help you with Jess.”
“It’s okay. I don’t start back at the Sinkhole until tomorrow.”
“Are you in the living room? Is the television on?”
My brows furrowed at her strange questions. “No,” I replied. “I’m in my room. Why?”
“Nothing,” she responded. “I’ll be back soon.”
“Are you okay?” I asked again.
“Of course. We’ll talk when I get back. Bye.”
“Okaaaaaay,” I responded and wondered at her strange tone. I went over to the living room and switched on the television. The news channel was on, but it was on a commercial break.
Before I could pay much attention however, there was a knock on the door. It was hard and immediately made me ill at ease. I went over to it and took a peek through the peephole, but saw no one. I waited, as uneasy feeling trickled down my spine. I had ordered some new shoes for Jess, but a delivery at this time? My hand reached out to lock it, when the door flew open. I fell back with a scream and Michael loomed over me. There was a sick leer on his face, but there was something different about it. It was as if he knew something I didn’t. I was afraid, but I wouldn’t show him. Nichole would be here anytime.
There wasn’t much he could do to me.
“You’re here again?” I spat. “How can you have absolutely no self-respect? I told you the next time—”
With his hand to my chest, he pushed me into the house.
I staggered back, losing my footing and landing on my ass painfully. Now, I was really afraid.
He looked around. “You haven’t heard, have you?”
I was stunned and very afraid. I began to peel myself off the floor.
“Bone is dead!” he announced.
Everything in me stilled. The strength left my bones, and I collapsed back on the floor. My voice was a whisper. “What?”
He linked his hands together to watch me, and I suddenly realized why he came here. To watch me spectacularly fall apart.
He turned towards the television that I had put on, but had not yet paid attention to. They had returned from their commercial break and the red breaking news strip lined the screen. I listened to the broadcaster, her face not particularly registering, but her words striking every single chord in my shocked heart.
She was discussing with another guest about the bust of more than 3500 pounds of meth hidden in tomato crates heading across the state, discovered through the interception of the dealings between the Mexican cartel and the outlaw biker club based in the picturesque town of Arnault.
They had tried to escape, with the now deceased member simply known as Bone holding an officer at gunpoint, but the officials had been able to quickly disarm him and in the confusion, he had been killed. All the culprits were now in custody with many wounded from the resulting vehicle crashes.
Thus far, only one death had been recorded and it was the one that chased my soul out of my body.
I turned to Michael, who was watching me intently.
“I’ve seen it,” I replied woodenly. “Could you please leave now?”
His laughter was haunting. “Not on your life.”
Della Ray
I left without making a fuss because Michael asked me whether I wanted to go with him alone or would I need to take Jess with us. She was the perfect bargaining chip for my submission.