23
Golden
Perry- Then
Sloan has been at college now for an entire semester. We broke up a few times since she left, but are currently in a good place—for now. I’m not entirely comfortable with her going to the same school as Johnny, but I have hope it’s a large enough campus that they won’t run into each other often. Maybe it’s wishful thinking or maybe I’m just plain dumb, but I love that crazy bitch and there’s nothing I can do about it.
Things with Walker and I are also going better. The new arrangement with Sugar is going surprisingly well. We almost doubled our previous profit and have less hoops to jump through. I’m actually starting to believe it was a good idea. He was able to buy the building downtown and we’ve been working day and night to get all the renovations complete. It also helps when you have a seemingly endless stream of cash and people willing to work under the table.
Tess is at school, so Walker and I are able to team up and make a few last minute deals before she gets home. We just finished meeting with one of our regulars when I spot a familiar-looking Suburban creeping down the road. I nod to Walker and pull him into an alley. We huddle together behind a dumpster.
“That’s fucking Robby. You think he knows?” I whisper.
Walker shakes his head. “I don’t know, man. If he does, I bet he’ll be pretty pissed.”
I grit my teeth. “Pissed doesn’t even begin to describe what he’ll be feeling if he found out.” I turn to him, crouching down further. “We fucked him, Walker. Drug dealers don’t like when you do that.”
He looks thoughtful for a minute and then smiles. “That’s what we have Sugar for. She said if anyone gives us shit, go to her.”
I slap him upside the head. He narrows his eyes at me. “What was that for?”
“Don’t be stupid. What’s she going to do if we’re already dead?”
His eyes widen a little while he rubs the back of his head. “Good point.”
I stand up and look up and down the alley. There’s no sign of him. “Okay, I think we’re good.”
Before I can turn to look at Walker, something sharp pokes me in the side. Not enough to break the skin, but enough to get my attention. My entire body stiffens.
“What are you good for, Michaels?” Robby growls in my ear.
I swallow hard, raising my hands slowly. “We don’t want any trouble.”
Robby laughs and I see Walker’s body being flung to the ground in front of me. He puts his hands flat on the pavement, but doesn’t get up. His eyes meet mine and I can imagine he looks as scared as I am right now. Three other guys gather around me.
“I’m not here for trouble either, I came to give you a message,” Robby continues. The knife digs a little deeper and my pulse begins to quicken.
“What’s that?”
I’m surprised I can get the words out, my mouth is so dry right now.
Robby chuckles darkly. “I know about your deal with Sugar and that’s fine, what’s done is done.” He leans in closer and the warmth from his breath brushes across my ear. “But that’s the only break you’re going to get. Next time, we won’t be so forgiving.”
I nod quickly. “Okay, sounds fair.”
He laughs again as the other guys start walking away. I’m about to breathe a sigh of relief until he stabs the blade directly into my side. Sharp pain radiates through me like an explosion and I let out a strangled grunt.
My knees buckle and I swivel to face him. He pulls a bandana from his back pocket and wipes off the blade, locking eyes with me the entire time.
“That’s so you won’t be so forgetful in the future.”
Without another word, he turns and walks casually back to the waiting SUV. When the tires squeal down the road, Walker scrambles to his feet and rushes to my side.
“Oh my God, Perry. He stabbed you!” he shouts.
I clutch my side as warm blood seeps out around my fingers. “I know. You need to get me to a hospital. I’m…” My voice trails off and I risk a glance down to my wound. “I’m bleeding too much.”
Walker continues to panic, pacing around with his hands in his hair. The longer he freaks out, the greater chance I have of not making it out of this alley alive.
“Walker,” I call to him, the struggle in my voice greater than the last time I spoke.
He ignores me and continues to curse into the air.
“Walker!” I say more forcefully.
Finally, he stops and kneels back down at my side. His hands hover over my wound, but he doesn’t touch me. His entire body is shaking. “I…I don’t know what to do? How can I help you?”
My teeth grind together in pain and I try to put more pressure on my side. “Get the jeep. We need to get out of here.”
He nods emphatically, but doesn’t move to stand.
“Now, Walker,” I growl.
He appears to get stunned back into reality and he takes off down the road. Slowly, I reach into my pocket for my phone. I type out the first number I think of and hold the phone against my cheek before I hit send. It only rings once.
“Perry? I’m in class right now,” Tess whispers.
I cough and a mouthful of blood comes with it. That ain’t good.
“Tess, I need you to meet us at the hospital. Something—it’s bad, Tess.”
She’s quiet for a moment and I hear shuffling in the background. A door closes and the way she speaks sounds muffled. “Perry, you listen to me. Are you listening?”
I curl myself on my side and the pressure subsides a little, but the bleeding doesn’t stop.
“I’m listening,” I breathe.”
A sob catches in her throat. “You’re going to be okay. I don’t know what happened, but you’re going to be okay because I need you to be. You got that?”
“I got it…”
“No, you say it,” she demands.
I take a painful breath. My insides feel like they’re twisted in the most excruciating knot. “I’m going to be okay.”
She releases a forceful breath. “Okay, where’s Walker?”
“He’s getting the Jeep.”
“I’ll meet you there,” she says quickly. Her locker slams in the background and by the tone of her voice I can tell that she’s running. The next thing I hear is her car door. “Perry?”
“Yes,” I whisper.
“I love you too much for something to happen you. Do you know that?”
“I love you, too Tess.”
That’s the first time it goes black.
The wind is whipping through the vehicle now. I’m buckled in the passenger seat and Walker is frantically driving down the highway. He must be taking me to the ‘good’ hospital. My hand is still firmly planted on my wound, which is now tied with Walker’s hoodie.
He notices my movement out of the corner of his eye.
“I tied it around to stop the bleeding. We’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
Fifteen minutes? How long has it been so far? How much blood can you lose before you die?
I lean my head back against the seat and fumble for my phone again. “I called Tess,” I choke out.