Taken by Her Prince

There was a shout downstairs and a gunshot went off. More gunshots popped, and Davide and Simon leapt down the last few steps. They flung themselves into the hallway as I threw myself after them. Luca was backed up, firing his gun back into the living room. I heard shouts from down the hall and I recognized Percy’s voice.

“Go,” I shouted at Simon. I shoved him toward the mangled front door. He stumbled outside and nearly tripped down the steps. I grabbed Davide and shoved him out next. “Get the fuck out of here,” I yelled.

They ran back and headed toward their car. I grabbed Luca and pulled him as Percy poked around the corner with his little revolver.

“Fuck,” I said, and remembered that I kicked it into the corner, but didn’t take it away. They must have gotten up and grabbed it while Luca was distracted.

I fired my gun at Percy and the fat man stumbled back into cover. I shoved Luca toward the door and shot my gun over and over. I put down covering fire as Luca got out the door and I followed. The cool night air swept across my skin as I shoved Luca down the steps and grabbed him by the shirt, dragging him along the sidewalk as I ran.

Luca had his own car further down the block and kept running as I peeled off and crossed the street. Colleen stared with wide eyes as I came around and threw open the driver’s side door. Percy stepped out of the destroyed door, his little revolver in his hands, followed by Liam and the skinny guy.

“What the hell happened?” Colleen said.

I threw the car into gear and slammed on the gas. We leapt forward and I swung the wheel hard as we drove past the house. Percy fired off a couple wild shots, but he must’ve ran out of bullets as he came into the street behind us and screamed something impossible to hear.

“You okay?” I asked.

Colleen nodded, her eyes wide. “What happened in there? Are you okay? Is anyone hurt?”

I shook my head and laughed. I couldn’t help myself. I tossed the black trash bag into her lap and laughed my fucking head off, giddy with the rush of a good score. It hadn’t gone down the way I planned, all because I fucked up with that gun, but it’d been a good score anyway.

Colleen looked into the bag and sucked in a breath. She lifted out a stack of money and a little vial. “What is this?” she asked.

“I’d guess fifty grand,” I said. “And a bunch of crack.”

She sucked in a breath. “Crack?” she asked.

“You know, crack cocaine. Common street drug, lots of fucking people do it.”

“I didn’t know… I didn’t know the Club sold this stuff.”

I snorted. “Of course they do. They all fucking sell it, including me.” I laughed as she dropped the bag onto the ground and stared. “What, you think I don’t deal with that shit?”

“I didn’t think about it,” she said.

“Well, I do,” I said. “And all told, that bag on the floor is probably worth close to a hundred grand. Not bad for one night, and I bet your uncle’s going to be pissed.”

She watched me as I drove, but I didn’t care what she thought.

I was too high on the violence and the close call. I was too excited that I’d ripped those fuckers off and hurt them where it mattered. If we hit them again and again like that, sooner or later they’d run out of money to pay their soldiers, and the whole Club would collapse under itself.

Or I could just kill them all. That might be easier.

I grinned as I drove and angled the car back toward my place.14ColleenI followed Steven back into the house. He shut the locked the door behind us.

“I have to make some calls,” he said and tossed the black trash bag onto the couch. I stared at it for a long moment as he walked into the kitchen. I turned and watched him pour himself a glass of whisky and sip it as he lifted his phone up to his ear.

I went upstairs. I couldn’t stand to be around that trash bag for another second. I marched back to my room and slammed the door behind me, feeling a mixture of anger and despair wash over my body. I flopped down onto my bed and stared up at the ceiling.

I knew the Club was bad. I knew they sold drugs, hurt people, stole from businesses, threatened politicians, and did a whole lot of despicable shit. But I’d never seen proof of what they did and what they sold before tonight, and staring at the crack cocaine in those little vials at the bottom of all that cash sent a chill down my spine.