Indebted (A Kingpin Love Affair 1)

Bree

“Is he going to be okay?” I implore, asking Jared over and over again as I look at Zerro’s lifeless body. He has been a douchenugget of all kinds of sorts, but I don’t want him to fucking die. My body is still shaking; I am scared to death. Never in my life had I been shot at until I met him. I had only shot a gun a couple times with my dad. He wanted me to know how to shoot in case someone ever attacked me. I don’t think this would be his idea of an attack.

“He’ll be fine. We need to get to the cabin, then I can remove the bullet, so he can heal.” Jared is acting as if I haven’t just told him Zerro has been shot.

“You’re acting as if we weren’t almost killed. This is fucking crazy.” The gun is still in my hand since I am afraid to let go of it. It is the one thing that is keeping me sane or alive.

My gaze lands back on Zerro. Blood seeps into his white shirt, his blood red tie is ripped and tattered as is my dress. The shoes he had gotten me are long gone in the rush to jump the wall. His face, though covered in a sheen of sweat and dirt, still looks as dashing as the first time I met him. I hate him for everything that he has done, for the person he is, but I also kind of like him. I knew what he was doing as I felt his fingers slipping from my hand. He was going to save me, and even though when he wakes up, he won’t ever admit it, I know it in my heart.

“What happened back there?” Jared asks me, turning down the radio. The men will be after us. I am surprised we even made it out of there. I want to tell Jared, but the truth is, I don’t really know what they were talking about, who the pig is or what is going on. I know that Luccio was a bad man, and that the FBI killed Zerro’s mother and came for him. I don’t know what I have to do with it, though.

“I don’t really know. There was some talk about someone being a pig, and Luccio accused me of being one. Then he told Zerro that the FBI is onto him, and that they will take him out if he isn’t careful. He told Zerro who killed his mother.” I am rambling because I am scared and nervous. Will I ever be safe again? Will I be able to go back to school? Back to my dad?

“Whoa, slow down…” Jared says, trying to soothe me. His eyes shine brightly at me through the rearview mirror, and after everything that happened, I wonder if he can be trusted. Can anyone who Zerro worked with be trusted? What kind of sick and twisted game is this? If Luccio was supposed to be family to Zerro and had betrayed him like that, what could anyone else do?

The gun is still in my hands, and I will use it if need be. I can save Zerro and us from all of these people. I eye it, wondering what I should do next. Zerro must’ve trusted Jared at least a little bit if he called him over anyone else.

“Put the gun down, Bree. I know that look. You’re scared, and that’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you guys. Zerro is my friend. I’m his driver. I’m taking you to the safe house.” He is speaking calmly, and I stare at him and then look down at Zerro. He is still breathing, his chest moving up and down, and I know that if I want to save his life, I need to have Jared get us where we need to be.

“Fine,” I reply after hesitating a moment. I put the gun down on my lap, making sure I can grab it if need be.

“Now what happened?”

“They wanted to kill him,” I huff out, my head landing on the head rest. My eyes and skin hurt so badly. My head is pounding from all the noise, and my body aches as if I have run up a hill fighting a bear.

“Kill him? Why?” he asks, profoundly dumbfounded.

I blow out a breath and take a deep one in, trying to calm myself. My stomach is still in knots, and no matter how many times I look over at Zerro, I can’t help but wonder if he is going to make it. I know it is only a shoulder wound, but people have died from less serious injuries. Getting shot isn’t to be fucked with.

“They said he was dangerous, out of control. They think I’m working with the FBI or something.” I sound just as Luccio did, and I understand the look on Jared’s face as he absorbs what it is that I have said. I had that same look on my face as Luccio told me.

I watch cautiously as his hands grip the steering wheel harder. “He’s dangerous, Bree. I know I don’t have to tell you that; I know you’ve seen him at his worst. However, he’s not out of control. He’s doing what he is meant to do in life. Luccio wanted him dead for an entirely different reason, I’m sure.”

I hear his words, but they mean nothing to me. The pure fact that Luccio wanted Zerro dead is enough for me to gather that I ended up in the middle of something that is sure to kill all of us. Hell, Zerro is already on the verge of death. Even I am. Being shot at isn’t something I plan on doing daily.

“It doesn’t matter because now Luccio is dead, and all of his men are going to come for us. Plus, there’s some fucking FBI agent, or pig, in on all of this.” My voice is growing louder and louder. I am scared and panicking. Where do we go from here?