Monsters' Gift (Crude Hill High 2)

“We need to get back to Emily,” he said.

I couldn’t agree more.

****

Gael

I was hurt. It stung like a son of a bitch, but I looked a lot more alive than my attacker. Going to the hotel rooms Drake had told us about, we’d discovered the men were indeed assassins. None I recognized, which meant they were old school, like our parents. I didn’t like not knowing my attackers.

“You could always get Emily to come and stitch me up?” I asked as Vadik began sanitizing the needle. I loved my best friends, all of them, but I didn’t want any of them coming at me with a needle, not today. I wanted to look all pretty for my woman.

Of course, the large gash on my right side would complain. The guy had nicked me with his blade as I’d strangled the life out of him. I’d taken that same blade and plunged it in his neck. I was pissed off that I’d been too distracted, and now look at me. I was a mess. I still wanted to be pretty for my woman.

“I’m not bringing Emily down here to see you like this. She’d freak out.” Just as Vadik was getting ready to sew me up, complete with a nice large bottle of vodka for company, his cell phone rang. I took a nice big swallow of the liquid, but it was nasty stuff. I’d never been much of a vodka drinker myself.

“Fuck, you’re sure?” Vadik stepped away from me. “You’re okay.” He looked at me and I raised a brow. “We’ve got a stab wound of our own. Get here soon.”

He hung up his cell phone.

“Do I want to know?” I asked.

“I don’t know what’s going to annoy you more. This”—he plunged the needle into my flesh and began his ministrations of sewing me up. What fun.

“What’s the that?” I asked, gritting my teeth.

“Or that our fathers have all escaped. Someone is helping them, and Kyle was found dead in a kitchen pantry.”

“Fuck!” I tensed up.

“You can’t do anything. River and Caleb are on their way.”

“Which one got stabbed?”

“River. He was coming out of the basement when they were attacked. He took a blade to a shoulder.”

“Fuck. Careful,” I said.

“You’re such a baby.”

“Oh, bullshit.” I took one last swallow of vodka. With our fathers now out and hiding, I didn’t want to be drinking on the job. I was going to be needed to keep Emily safe.

Vadik worked quickly, swiftly, and was putting the finishing touch, complete with a bandage, when River and Caleb came in.

River had already removed his jacket and shirt. Blood dripped from the wound, but it didn’t look nasty. Vadik swiped the vodka bottle, handing it to River, who shook his head.

“No, stitch me up,” he said.

“You don’t have to be a hero.”

“I’m not drinking. Not with them out on the loose. Fix me now.”

Caleb grabbed the bottle, took a swig, and launched it into the fire. “Fucking pieces of shit.”

“So, do you want to tell me what happened?” I asked.

“We believe when Caleb was there last, the camera was hidden and he didn’t notice it. He gave them the codes. When Kyle came for his shift, they killed him and busted out our fathers,” River said.

“Gave the codes to who, exactly?” I asked.

They all turned toward me.

“Look,” I said and took a couple of swallows of vodka, “is anyone curious as to how in the past three years no one has sprung our dads out? It has to be an inside job. There’s no way our dads could have gotten word out. Otherwise, this shit would have been a bloodbath a couple of years ago.”

River tossed his cell phone to Caleb.

“The only people who went into that fucking basement are us four, Drake, Kyle, and a nurse, Olivia,” River said. “But Olivia didn’t come for her shift which was today. She was supposed to give them the injections.”

“I’m guessing we’re going with the nurse then,” I said.

“I turn my back for two minutes and you all get injured?” Drake asked. He stood there with a cell phone in his hand.

“You need to get to Emily now!” Caleb said.

Drake turned his cell phone. “I don’t. I heard the commotion, but she’s sleeping. I admit, it took her a long time to fall asleep. She didn’t like me being in her room. I’ve locked up all of her windows, and there are even wires. I’ve got everything covered that if anyone gets near her room, I’ll know about it. What the fuck happened?”

Caleb gave him the run down. My feelings for this man were still all over the place. I wasn’t sure if I completely trusted him, even though he’d proven himself time and again.

He handed his cell phone to Caleb and took River’s phone. I watched as he typed away.