Frustration forces her to toss the stack of paper aside. Her thoughts are leading her down the rabbit hole of self-pity and she needs to put a stop to that before it’s too late. Before she’s a lying heap of mess on the floor again.
She goes to the closet and slips into her running gear, grabbing the shoes off of the floor.
Dressed, she walks into the living room to find Marcus napping. Or passed out cold. She can’t be sure because he didn’t make a move and she didn’t have the heart to wake up him to go on this run with her either. Adam did say she could leave the house. She isn’t anyone’s prisoner.
She reaches for the doorknob and slips out as quietly as possible.
The weather is exceptionally magnificent. It’s lively and fresh. It invigorating and immediately uplifts her spirits.
She starts with a slow jog since she decided to forego stretching. After stepping outside alone, she didn’t want to spend the time to stretch for the chance that Marcus might wake up and join her. He’s always with her. She appreciated him for being here but she’s never had a moment alone other than in her bedroom.
After a half-hour steady jog, she waves to a couple as she reaches the park where she and Marcus have jogged together many times. The couple waves back to her but she catches their nervous vibes. She turns around to find them whispering to each other.
While doing so, she catches the two out-of-place men with sunglasses steadily jogging behind her. They’re not quite in nor out of shape but they have on jeans and dress shoes. Not exactly the appropriate running gear.
One of the men gives her a wave and he removes his sunglasses to greet her with a genuine smile. She’s seen him before. He’s one of the men that guard the safe house. He’s one of McCullen’s men. The other short guy struggling to keep up with him was one of Kings’ men. He’s been out with her and Marcus a few times as well.
She waves back to them. So much for being alone but she didn’t mind. They’re only doing their job.
She stops at the public water fountain and waits for them to catch up.
“Do you guys need a sip?” she asks when they reach her.
“Oh dear Lord, yes!” the short one exclaims. He heads right for it taking in huge gulps.
“Thank you for coming with me,” she says to the other one standing.
“Aye,” he replies politely with an accent. “Wessel,” he tells her. “That’s me name.”
“Wessel,” she repeats because it’s such an odd name. “I’m Ariana,” she replies politely.
“Aye. The thirsty water buffalo there is Mitch,” Wessel tells her.
It earns him a frown from Mitch but Mitch leaves the water fountain and properly shakes her hand.
“Think we might take a nice walk back?” Mitch asks.
“Sure,” she concedes, taking pity on him. It’s such a beautiful day for a walk anyway.
Once they are a few blocks from the safe house, it’s Wessel who stops everyone from walking. He’s staring at his phone questioningly and then ushers all of them into the side alley.
“What is it?” Mitch asks.
She sees him reaching behind his back and under his shirt. His head darts left and right.
“The lads at the safe house dinna text me back,” Wessel replies. He looks at Mitch and then juts his chin out. “Check ye phone and see if it’s clear.”
Mitch immediately checks his phone and a smile slowly spreads across his face.
“Your boys probably fell asleep. Phil says the place is quiet. Safe and quiet.”
Wessel nods and they continue their walk back but she can feel him on high alert. It puts her on edge too.
The sound of what is undoubtedly a gunshot ring out when they approach the house. And immediately Mitch shoves her into the row of bushes along the sidewalk as Wessel runs to the house.
“We gotta go, Ariana!” Mitch yells at her.
He’s pulling on her and they’re running in the direction they’d just come from. He’s half dragging her even though just moments ago he was struggling to keep up with her jog.
She turns around in time to see Marcus staggering out of the front door of the safe house. He’s bleeding and bleeding badly from his upper body.
“MARCUS!” she screams to her friend even with Mitch dragging her.
Marcus turns his head and he’s as pale as the house. “RUNNN!” he screams out to her.
Mitch drags her around a corner into an alley. “The car! We have to get to the car!” he screams.
Pop. Pop, pop.
The shots come when they round the corner. The sounds were barely audible but she feels Mitch’s grip slip from around her arm and he falls forward in slow motion. A hand clamps around her mouth right before she can let out a scream.
“I’ll end you right here and now!” a man shouts in her ear, ending her struggle.
The voice was familiar. It’s a Romano soldier. She knows it in her heart that it is.
He drags her down the alley but she didn’t see a waiting vehicle anywhere near and her eyes dart left to right, looking for a way out or anything that might help her.
Pop.
Another shot echoed from somewhere and the man loses his grip on her. He falls to his knees but he’s trying hard to get back up.
“RUN, ARIANA!! GET OUTTA HERE!” Mitch screams at her before he falls flat on the ground again.
She waits, hoping on her next heartbeat that she can see any movement from his still body.
The stranger must’ve regained some of his strength back because he reaches out and grabs her ankle.
There’s no way she’s going back. Not today. Not ever. This is her first chance at escaping a debt that she never took, a debt that she’s never even seen. There’s no way in fucking hell that she wouldn’t put up a fight. If she’s prepared to die under Cristian’s drugs then she should be prepared to die fighting to get out too.
She pivots her hips and kicks at the man’s hold on her as hard and as many times as she can. He finally let go when she gives him a good knee to the face. She hopes that the crack she heard is the sound of something breaking in his head.
The moment his hand slips off of her, she runs. And runs.
She runs as fast as she can, turning corners up on corners, not knowing which direction to go. But she keeps running. She runs like the wolves are chasing her down. Because that’s exactly what’s chasing her. Wolves.
She didn’t know which way to turn or which house to go into but she continues running until homes turn into businesses. Until streets are lined with cars. She didn’t even know how long or how far she ran but the sight of the sushi restaurant that Adam took her for lunch comes into view and she heads right into it.
It’s not crowded, thankfully.
The hostess stares at her with eyes widened as she tries to catch her breath. “Are you okay?” the hostess asks.
“I need a phone,” she half shouts and half whispers. “Please! I need you to call the Kings. Adam King. Hurry!”
Chapter Twenty-One
He’d just walked into the house, trailing after Jazzy when his phone buzzes…and buzzes. He watches his daughter walk away with Pam who was waiting by the staircase before he answers the unfamiliar number.
“Adam!” Derrick calls out to him from the office before he can say anything into the phone. He looks down at the phone and sees that the call has disconnected anyway.