The Untouchables (Ruthless People 2)

“People die everyday, I don’t force them to take the things they do.”

“Don’t play coy with me!” he yelled. “You don’t know how long I’ve waited for this day. You destroyed my family. She was doing so well, and then you had to tempt her with your new shit. They were so fucking strong, she lost it. You fucking killed her!”

“Your family destroyed itself. Don’t blame me because your sister lacked self-control! Would you threaten McDonald’s because you ate their food and got high blood pressure? Now please, get out of my fucking face, you little prick.” My head felt as though it was going to explode.

“I thought you’d say that. You have no fucking shame,” he hissed, pulling out the same syringe Aviela had used. “I wonder how much fucking self-control you’ll have left. By the time I’m done, you’ll be begging for it.”

Again I pulled on the cuffs; they were weaker. Five days of pulling had started to wear them out. But before I could do anything, he held my arm down.

“Think wisely, Nelson,” I said. “I will break free and—”

“Shut up!” His fist connected with my cheek. “You’re full of nothing but hot fucking air.”

“Don’t.”

But he didn’t listen. Once again, the needle found its way into my vein, and once again I felt euphoria. Biting my lip, I tried to ignore the colors in my eyes, the pleasure flowing through my body.

He pulled my hair back, smiling only an inch from my face. “What was it that you called my sister, a crack-whore?”

He stroked the side of my face with his gun as if I were his pet, and even brushed back my hair with his other hand. “How do you feel?”

Throwing my head forward, I smashed it against his nose.

“FUCK!” he screamed, holding onto his nose. The best thing about being so fucking high was that nothing hurt and I felt invincible. So even when I should have stopped as the cuff dug into my skin, I pulled hard against them and for the first time in five days I managed to free my wrist. I wish I could have said the same for my ankles.

He turned as blood dripped down his nose, but before he could point his gun in my direction, I grabbed the fork on the table and stabbed him as hard as I could. I thrust the fork so hard into his arm that the only reason it stopped was because it hit bone. He dropped the gun, reached over and clawed at my hands trying in vain to pull the fork out; a feat I was sure his scrawny ass would never accomplish.

“You little bitch!” He reached for my hair again, but I pulled the fork from his arm, causing him to scream before I stabbed him in the shoulder. This time, I didn’t linger in one place too long. I stabbed him over and over, and his blood splattered across my face until his knees buckled, forcing him to kneel before me. He held onto his neck, trying to stop the river of blood that was soaking his shirt.

“You should have walked away!” Pulling the fork out one last time, I drove it into his throat. “You should have never fucking crossed me, bitch. Scream and you’ll bleed out faster.”

Pushing him out of my face, he fell onto the floor. He looked like a fish out of water, trying to breathe, yet drowning in his own blood. I had no idea how much time I had. Aviela came to me every night to read, smack, or insult me, depending on how she was feeling.

“Keys,” I hissed, pointing down at my ankles. He wasn’t dead yet, the least he could do was be helpful. But he didn’t move; his eyes slowly began to turn into his skull.

Well he’s useless.

I had no other choice but to use the bloody fork. Bending to the chains at my feet, I tried to focus, all too aware of the clock ticking behind me.

“Focus, Mel. Focus.” It didn’t help. The drugs burned in my veins. What was worse was the voice in the back of my mind. I wanted to give into the false sense of peace they provided. I wanted to be on a different plane with Liam and Ethan again. I was fucked in every sense of the word, but I couldn’t focus on that now.

“Finally.” Pulling off the chains around my feet, I tried to stand, but my legs buckled under my own weight. Grabbing hold of the end of the table, I wobbled over to Nelson. I took the gun right next to his head and kneeled next to him, pressing it into his eye.

“Where is she?”

He didn’t get a chance to reply before the door opened. “Shit, Cod—”

Before he could even get the words out, I fired, signaling a parade of alarms to sound throughout the house.

“You…re…ne…ver…get…ting…out…” Nelson sneered as the blood poured from his ears.

“Tell your sister I said hello.” I thrust the gun into his eye before pulling the trigger.

Step one: Call Liam.

Step two: Kill Aviela.

LIAM

We fucked up. Mel and I had come to trust the people that surrounded us. We’d gotten used to them, and in a way, we cared for them as though they were our own family. But they weren’t. The truth was, they were broken China that we’d found, hot glued together, and still tried to use. No matter how hard we tried, and no matter how much glue we used, it would never change the fact that they were cracked; broken plates would never be reliable. A broken cup still leaked.

We had trusted Adriana. I had trusted Adriana. Yet here I was, standing on platform B of the Ogilvie transportation center, waiting for Judas. My hand trembled with rage, wanting nothing more than to rip her apart. For five days she had watched us, watched me and my son suffer in agony; she probably laughed her ugly fucking head off.

“Boss, she’s coming your way,” Monte spoke in my ear. When I turned towards the stairs there she was, blonde wig, giant glasses and all.

When she saw me, she tried to turn, but Monte was already waiting behind her. Pulling off her wig, she turned to me, sighing deeply as she made her final free walk towards me.

“I’ve been waiting for you to find out,” she whispered, keeping her head down.

“Where is she?”

“I don’t know.”

“What does Aviela want?”

“To save her from Ivan. Lia—”

Grabbing her arm, I pulled her closer to me. “Do not say my name. I want to snap your fucking neck right now. Was Antonio betraying us too, or were you lying to everyone?”

“No. Antonio would have never—”

“And yet you did.” She winced as I squeezed. “Who is Ivan?”

“He’s demented, a psychopath.”

“So are we! The only reason you’re still alive is because Melody would want to kill you herself.”

“I’ve suffered,” she whispered. “I did this to protect her. Aviela may be insane but she knows how to protect her! She’s been doing it for years. She loves—”

“Do you hear yourself?” How had we been so blind to who she really was? “Make contact now.”

The moment I let go, she wiped the tears falling from her eyes. It only served to anger me even more. How dare she cry!

“Adriana, do not test my patience.”

“After taking Melody, Aviela sent me this.” She threw her phone at me.

If she had this, why did she bother coming?

“She calls every Thursday at 12:01am. Answer only on the third ring. Tell Mel I’m so sorry.”