"DANI, ARE YOU okay?" Niko grabbed my shoulder as he looked at me with concern. "You're turning kind of green."
"I'm not feeling too good," I started, praying Niko wouldn't prod too much. Although he wasn't nearly as good as Alex at detecting my lies, I felt the guiltiest being dishonest with him. "I think it was something I ate."
My brother's eyes widened. "It wasn't from the taco truck, was it? I've been wanting one all night."
I had to fight the temptation to smack my face with the palm of my hand. "No, Nikolas, it wasn't the taco."
He scowled. "No need to pull out that name, sassy. It's fine, you go home and rest."
"Are you sure?" I couldn't make it seem like I wanted to leave or he might get suspicious.
He smiled, nodding his head. "Brent will understand."
I smiled back at him, feeling knots forming in my stomach. Why was I doing this for someone who didn't even care about me? I knew it was smarter to stay here with them, so why was I saying goodbye to everyone and walking to the parking lot? The foreboding feeling increased with each step I took but it was too late to turn back now. Despite James proving to be an absolute prick, he deserved college more than anyone I knew, and even though we weren't together I wanted to help him one last time. I quickened my pace as I entered the parking lot, making a beeline for my car.
The person had sent me the address and instructed me to go to the pick up location, put the boxes in my car, drive to the delivery site, and once I dropped it off my money would be waiting for me. The contents of these boxes I did not know, but I figured the less I knew the better. Overall the task sounded simple enough, it was just a quick drop-off, no questioned asked. Plus James had done it before and he was fine, so how difficult could it possibly be?
Surprisingly this drug delivery wasn't the most challenging part of my night yet. While walking toward my car, I noticed an all too familiar figure up ahead. My jaw slacked as I saw her get out of her car, a confused and semi disgusted look on her face as she took in the view. The one time I didn't want to be seen had to be the one time Mom decided to be a parent. I ducked behind the nearest car, peeking out from the side as I watched her walk to the field. It was such a weird sight to see her dressed in a dress, blazer and heels while everyone else at this game was repping Stone Creek Jerseys and track pants. I held my breath as Mom walked past me, lowering my head so she wouldn't be able to spot me. Once she was far enough I ran to my car and hopped inside. Without wasting another minute I started the engine and drove before Mom could spot my jeep.
The drive to the pickup site wasn't too bad, aside from the near heart attack I got whenever my GPS announced the next turn. In about twenty minutes I arrived outside of what seemed to be a furniture warehouse. This was obviously a coverup, but I was smart enough to know when not to ask questions. I exited the car and knocked on the front door three times as instructed.
The door opened just enough for me to hear the voice on the other side. "Are you lost, kid?"
"I'm here for the pickup," I said in a flat tone, my fear getting replaced by annoyance.
"You're not Hastings," he said in a gruff voice.
"James sent me on his behalf," I lied.
The man was quiet as he thought over what I said. "What's the code?"
I glanced down at my phone to see my text messages where the sender sent me the password to tell the person behind the door. "She sells sea shells by the sea shore." Who even came up with this? Again, I had to remind myself to hold my tongue and save all comments for the end when my life wasn't on the line.
The door opened wider and the man pushed out three giant boxes. I didn't question what was in there but judging by the look on his face, whatever it was, it sure seemed heavy as hell. I led him to my jeep and opened the trunk so he could put them inside. I expected a bye or something, but after finishing the man swiftly returned back to the warehouse.
"Goodnight to you too," I grumbled as I walked over to the front. I sat inside and strapped my seatbelt on before inputting the new location. I pulled out of the lot and started my drive to the drop-off site.
My heart banged against my ribcage as I drove, my mind drifting to possible things that were in that box. Who knew, maybe they were just innocent little vitamin C caplets? Or maybe it was something more illicit... I gulped nervously as I drove, my palms getting sweatier by the second. So far it was going well but I had no idea what to expect when I arrived at the site. While the man I just dealt with was part of the group James worked for, I didn't know how the consumers would react to seeing a teenage girl drop off their goods.
As my GPS instructed me to turn, I heard the audible buzzing of my phone. While I didn't condone texting and driving, I was concerned it might be a text from the person giving me the information so once I stopped at a red light I grabbed my phone from the passenger seat and glanced at the notification. Needless to say the text wasn't from them, rather it was from a certain ex-whatever of mine.
If you're doing what I think you're doing you better turn around right now.
Oh, so now he unblocked my number? Two could play that game. I turned off my phone and threw it back in its place, not bothering to reply to his message. How convenient that James suddenly cared for me, but I didn't doubt he was more concerned about the fifty grand than my wellbeing. He was probably just worried I'd somehow screw things up so he decided so very kindly to unblock my number, probably not even bothering to listen to all the voicemails I had left.
I continued driving, questioning why the hell I was even putting myself through this for a guy who gave zero shits about me. I must have been speeding to release my anger because I arrived at the location a solid fifteen minutes sooner than my GPS had predicted. A shiver ran down my spine as I entered what appeared to be a junkyard. This junkyard was nothing compared to the furniture warehouse before this. In fact, it made the warehouse seem like a McDonald's PlayPlace compared to this creepy wreck.
The text said to drop it off where the broken cars where, specifically in the trunk of the red truck. I continued driving until I spotted the cars, my eyes landing on a rusty maroon truck. It wasn't the epitome of red but it was close enough. I slipped my phone in my back pocket and slowly got out of the car as I walked to the trunk. I swung open the door and lifted one box, my legs wobbling like no tomorrow from how heavy it was. I groaned as I carried the box to the truck, my hands unable to stop shaking. I propped the box as gently as I could in the trunk, letting out a sigh as I wiped the sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand. I repeated this with the second box and then the third, my hands completely numb by the time I was done. The message with instructions I had received gave me a number to text when I was done unloading the boxes so I sent them a message of the special password I was given.
Birdie birdie in the sky laid a turdie in my eye.
Seriously, who came up with this shit? This had to be some kind of joke but yet again that night, I had to mentally remind myself to keep my mouth shut. The last thing I wanted was to have someone blow my brains out all because I made a smart ass comment. I got a notification and I assumed it was these tongue twister creeps, but it was just another text from the jerk who left me.
This is your last chance to turn around and leave.
As if I was going to listen to a word he said. Plus, I was kind of in too deep to turn around at this point. There was no way I was going to risk getting killed or thrown into jail just to leave empty-handed. I was getting that money no matter what.
After a couple of minutes of waiting, I started to get a little anxious. Why weren't they here yet? Was this some kind of trap that I was falling right into? I wanted to leave but I couldn't find it in me to go without the cash. This trip would have been wasted if I completed a whole drug delivery without getting a damn dime in return.
When I felt something on my shoulder I turned around to see who had tapped me, my eyes slowly widening when I saw no one there. The slight pressure on my shoulder was still present, and I sucked in a breath as I slowly placed my hand on my left shoulder. I slapped my hand over my mouth to muffle the shriek that escaped my lips when I made contact with something soft. I shook my body violently and flicked off whatever the hell was nesting on my shoulder, my eyes practically bulging out of their sockets when something black and fluffy flew past me. I stared at the creature scurrying away with my jaw dropped so much it was practically grazing the ground. A goddamn rat was nestled up on my shoulder!
Fifty thousand was not at all worth having a repeat of that situation so I headed for my jeep. I figured I'd just wait in there until these tardy assholes came, but just as I opened the door a flashlight shone from ahead.
"Step away from the vehicle!" a voice barked.
I muttered choice curse words under my breath as I slammed the door shut and sidestepped in front of my car, my hands raised above my head. Getting busted by the cops was the cherry on top of a very, very shitty night.
What I hadn't envisioned seeing was a short scrawny man and a tall buff one, both of them holding flashlights and staring at me. Their street clothes made me realize these guys were no cops and were probably the people I had been waiting for.
"Who the hell are you?" the skinny guy, who was the one to speak before, asked.
"I came with the package," I answered, not trying to give it away in case they were the wrong people.
He looked confused. "Huh?"
"The goods," I continued.
"What are you talking about?" he demanded.
I rolled my eyes. "Turdie birdie."
That seemed to jog his memory because he lowered his flashlight as he remembered. "Wait, you're not our normal delivery guy."
The goon behind him nodded. "Where's the blonde?"
"He couldn't come so he sent me," I responded as calmly as I could.
"There's no way he sent you," the scrawny guy said.
The goon nodded. "She's a goddamn nark."
Realizing this wasn't going anywhere, I lowered my hands and ran to my car, hoping I could jump in and drive off. My plan was foiled when I heard the sound of gun cocking, forcing me to turn around and face them.
"Hands where I can see them," Scrawny barked.
I tried to steady my breath as I rested the palms of my hands on my head. Regret flooded my mind as I eyed the sleek black gun pointed right at me.
"Now tell me who sent you here," he said in an eerily calm voice.
"No one," I answered in a shaky voice.
He took a step towards me. "Look, doll, I won't hurt you if you cooperate with us. Who sent you?"
"I'm just filling in for James," I testified.
He continued walking until he was in front of me. "I'm going to give you one last chance before I put a bullet through your head."
As Scrawny circled around me I mentally visualized every wrestling game I played with my brothers growing up. If I had learned absolutely anything, now was the time to show it. He was right beside me, his hot breath blowing down the side of my neck, so I used this opportunity to my advantage. I simultaneously smacked my head against his as I reached out to grab the gun from his hands. He had an iron grip, so I aimed the gun upwards and kicked him in the groin. He let out a squeal and released his hold on the gun, allowing me to wriggle it out of his bony fingers and take it. He fell to his knees, but just to be safe I kicked him in the side of the head, making him collapse on the ground. When he wasn't moving I focused my attention on Goon.
I got lucky since Scrawny was, well...scrawny, but I didn't have that same luxury with Goon. This dude was massive and there was no way I could take him down in a fight. Since I had Scrawny's gun, I held it out in front of me, aiming it at him.
"Where's the money?"
He held his hands up. "I don't know."
"Bullshit," I spat. "Tell me right now."
"Our job was to check everything. Dox is supposed to give you the money."
"Where's Dox?" I demanded.
He shrugged. "I-I don't know. We were just told to give you his number to contact him for the money." He slowly lowered his hand, his arm trembling as he reached into his pocket.
"I'll shoot," I warned, even though I knew there was no way I was capable of doing that.
"I'm taking out his number," Goon said. To prove it he took a single slip of paper out of his pocket and held it out in front of him.
"Put it down," I instructed.
I walked toward Goon, making sure to still angle the gun at him. I stopped in front of him and slowly knelt down to pick up the note before shoving it in my back pocket. I rose to my feet, my eyes never leaving his as I held up the gun. Seeing that I was done here I was going to hop back into my car and drive off to contact this Dox character to get my money.
As I slowly retreated backwards, I couldn't help but notice Goon wasn't looking at me anymore. His gaze was watching something behind me, but as soon as I turned around it was too late. I felt the impact before I even knew what had hit me. My entire right leg felt like it was on fire as the bullet made contact, breaking through my skin. My breathing slowed, no words able to escape from my lips as I lost all balance in my right leg. My knee made contact with the pavement, the impact so rough it tore through my jeans, but I knew I had to get up. As I stood up, I turned to face Scrawny but that was my fatal mistake because I felt a forceful hit from behind me and I fell forward, my head smacking against the ground so hard I swore I saw stars. I felt the blood oozing from the side of my head and my vision started to blur. It felt like there was a marching band inside my head as everything began to slow down, the world around me spinning.
In my hazy state, I held the gun above me at who I thought was Scrawny and I shot twice. It looked like there were three different versions of him in front of me, but by the lack of groans and screams, it seemed like I missed him. Despite the protests from every part of my body I warily got to my feet, only to have my hair pulled. I screamed as I felt the hairs being ripped from my scalp, and one of these idiots held me in a chokehold. Judging by the massive arm wrapped around my neck I assumed it was Goon. A gun cocked and I felt the cool metal press against the side of my bloody head.
"Now I'll ask one last time," Scrawny said. "Who sent you?"
"No one," I croaked.
Apparently, that was the wrong answer because he smacked my already injured head with the barrel of his gun. I let out a wince, my vision getting blurred to the point where I couldn't see straight.
"Answer my question or I'll kill you, bitch," he threatened.
I was too out of it to even cry as I realized this was my untimely demise. I was seriously going to die right here right now and there was nothing I could do about it. I was really starting to question all those useless prayers I'd made if this was how I was going to die. Had I known things would end up this badly I probably would have tried whatever the hell was in those boxes first. And all the time I wasted studying and going to school? If I was going to die before I even heard back from the schools I applied to, I would have had a lot more fun and skipped every damn biology class.
Biology class...
Even in my near-death state, all I could think about was James. I couldn't tell if this was from me being a lovestruck and naive moron, or due to the many blows I had taken to my head. If my last few minutes of life were going to be spent mulling over James, then I hoped these guys just killed me now.
The gun rammed against my head brought me back to reality, and also made me realize to be careful what you wish for. "Are you mute now?" Scrawny barked.
"I told you, no one..."
My voice trailed off when I saw bright headlights up ahead. Scrawny and Goon followed my gaze, neither of them uttering a word as a motorcycle appeared. It all happened so fast as the motorcycle came right at us, driving at least double the speed limit. I squeezed my eyes shut as I braced for impact. A scream erupted but it wasn't from me. Opening my eyes, I saw Scrawny's limp body on the ground, his arm twisted in a way arms naturally shouldn't twist. I felt bile rise up my throat and a wave of nausea hit me, which didn't help my already feeble state.
"I'll shoot," Goon warned, but just as the empty threat came out of his mouth, the helmeted person on the motorcycle whipped out his own gun and shot the arm that was holding the gun.
When Goon released me, the person shot him twice in the chest and he fell forward. Ignoring the two presumably dead bodies that were probably going to traumatize me for life and contribute to my eternal therapy debt, I was more focused on the person hopping off of the motorcycle. I didn't even have to guess to know who it was as he took the helmet off, his grey eyes piercing into mine.
The atmosphere was so awkward I kind of wished they had finished the job and killed me. Anything beat having James give me his signature death glare.
"What are you doing here?" he barked.
"So we're on speaking terms again," I mused. "Interesting because last I recalled you broke up with me and blocked my number."
"Dani..."
"Don't Dani me, James. We're done."
My badass exit was halted when I took a step, my head spinning like no tomorrow. I wobbled and would have fallen over if it weren't for James, who caught me just in time. I ignored the tingles I felt as our bodies touched, and I pushed him off of me.
"You're hurt," he stated in a flat voice.
"And you're not my boyfriend, so why do you care?" Technically he was never officially my boyfriend, but minor details.
He shook his head, clearly not fazed by anything I said. "You could have gotten hurt."
"I didn't exactly walk away unscathed..."
"What the f*ck were you thinking?" he roared, a look on his face I had never seen before. It was a combination of anger, betrayal, and pain.
I shrugged my shoulders. "Maybe I wasn't thinking. What do you care?"
"Just because we're done doesn't mean I want you risking your life for stupid shit," he bellowed.
I let out a yawn, unable to conceal the wave of sleepiness that was hitting me. "Man, I'm tired. I could really use a nap right now."
"You're not leaving until you tell me why the hell you would do something this stupid."
Ignoring James I started walking away but James grabbed my arm, pulling me back. I stumbled over my own goddamn feet, and he extended his other arm around my waist to steady me. Not wanting to feel his warm touch I slapped his hand away. "I can stand perfectly fine on my own."
"You're wobbling, and you have blood dripping down the side of your head," he pointed out. "I don't think you can take care of yourself at all."
"I want nothing to do with you," I told him in a firm voice. "You broke my heart, James. You're dead to me."
"If you tell me why you did this I'll let you go."
I had to conceal the disappointment from my face. I was spewing these words out of anger, but was he really that quick to give up on me? It was like he didn't even give two shits that I nearly sacrificed my life just for him. Things would just go much faster if I answered his question so I did. "I saw the text when you stayed over. I thought you were done with this."
James' eyes widened and his lips parted before he looked down at his feet, ashamed. I didn't know what response he was expecting, but it definitely wasn't that one. "I was just going to do one last run. I needed the money for school." I knew the answer, but hearing him admit it made me feel somewhat hurt that he didn't tell me. We could have figured something out instead of him having to deal with this burden by himself. He suddenly looked at me, his grey eyes cold. "I can take care of myself. I don't need your help."
"I only did it because I..." My voice trailed off as I caught myself before I could say anything stupid.
His eyes bore holes into mine. "Because you what, Dani?"
I felt my face getting hot. "Can we just drop it?"
"Answer my question."
"Because I love you," I muttered. How stupid was I to fall for a guy who wanted nothing to do with me?
"No, you don't," he corrected. "You're just impulsive and reckless."
"Are you serious?" I couldn't believe him. "Forget it." I turned around to go to my car and get the hell out of here. I hadn't even made it a few steps when James placed his hand on my shoulder.
"You'll regret it."
I brushed his hand off of shoulder and turned to face him, my hands balled into fists by my side. "Don't you get it? I know you think you don't deserve love, but it's so transparent even a blind person could see how I feel for you. I f*cking love you, idiot!" I was seething by the end, my chest rising and falling rapidly.
James looked at me with wide eyes, not expecting my outburst. "You're crazy."
"Tell me something I don't know," I huffed.
James reached out to cup my face. His hand hovered beside my cheek and I wanted nothing more than for him to kiss me and tell me everything was going to be okay, but much to my chagrin he retracted his hand. He saw the deflated look on my face, but just as quickly he averted his gaze. "It's not going to work out. The timing isn't right and we're just too different."
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
His expression was solemn as he nodded. "It is a bad thing."
"James." I cupped his cheek but he recoiled from my touch. I stared hard at the ground so he couldn't see the tears welling up in my eyes.
"We should leave."
I pointed at my leg. "There's no way I'm going home looking like this."
HIs eyes bulged, flickering to my leg, then my eyes, and back to my leg. "Holy shit! When did that happen?"
"Right before you ran over Scrawny."
James didn't even bother to question the nickname as he stared at my injury with wide eyes. "We have to get you to a hospital. Shit, shit, shit!"
I raised an eyebrow. "You sound like you're the one in pain."
He glanced at my leg. "There's so much blood. Shit, why's there so much blood?" Just like that, my knight in shining armour passed out. Turns out he wasn't too good with copious amounts of blood. Heaving a sigh, I dragged him to the passenger seat of my jeep. I then limped over to the driver's side and drove to the nearest hospital.
It had only been a few minutes, and I was starting to feel dizzy, so using the last bit of strength I had, I pulled over to the side of the road. I took out my phone and shone its flashlight at my feet. The entire bottom of my side was covered in blood. My head began to spin, and my eyes slowly fluttered shut. I used all my willpower to force myself to stay awake just a bit longer. I unlocked my phone and sloppily dialled 9-1-1. It took about three tries before I could finally get it right.
"9-1-1 what's your emergency?"
"I think I'm hurt," I muttered before my eyes shut.