Authors: RJ Lawrence
Yes (6 page)
As
she drew closer to the lobby floor, Hannah looked at her dress. Dominic's blood
had congealed into a thick, wine-colored splatter that made her look as if
she'd stepped out of a horror movie. When the elevator opened, a well-dressed
old couple stood before her, their jaws agape at the sight of her predicament.
As she stepped out into the lobby, almost everyone looked up, and gasps spread
through the room like a virus.
Through
the hush, a suited man rushed forward and took her by the arm.
"You're
coming with me," he said, as he held his off hand to an earpiece that
barked instructions in low tones.
"Help
me!" Hannah yelled to the people in the lobby, but all seemed too shocked
to move. "Please, help me, for God's sake!"
Finally,
a large man wearing a cowboy hat stepped forward and blocked the suited man's
path.
"Hold
it right there," he said. "Where are you taking this woman?"
The
man stopped and looked his opponent over.
"This
is none of your concern," he said. "Now, I advise you to stand aside
before you get hurt."
A
fire took life in the large man's eyes, and he cocked his hat back and then
pointed a thick finger at the other man.
"I'm
warning you once more," he said. "Turn her loose. You ain't takin her
nowhere til we figure out what in the hell's going on."
A
crowd began to form around the three, and this seemed to make the suited man
nervous. He looked from side-to-side and then released Hannah's arm. The large
man held out a hand, but before she could take it, the suited man drove his
empty palm into the front of his neck, knocking his hat backward and choking
the breath from his throat.
The
crowd let out a collective gasp, as the large man fell to his knees. Without
hesitation, Hannah turned and made a run for the exit, but just before she
could grab the door handle, the suited man had her arm again, this time
squeezing it tight enough to make her cry out.
"You're
not going anywhere," he whispered into her ear. "You're going to pay
for what you've done."
With
that, he turned to face the lobby, but before he could focus his eyes, a large
fist collided with his nose, and a crunching noise racketed through the room.
Instantly, the suited man lost consciousness and fell forward, his face landing
hard against the unforgiving floor.
Teeth
fragments shot out and skipped across the tile, settling just in front of the
old couple from the elevator, their faces painted with horror and disgust. The
large man hovered over his fallen adversary, his left hand still clutching his
throat; whistling, wheezing breaths passing in and out of his purple lips.
"Are
you all right?" A woman asked.
"I'm
fine," he whispered. "Someone call the police."
As
people gathered around him, he looked for the girl.
"Where's
that woman?" He asked to no one in particular.
Everyone
looked around, but no one had an answer, and no one knew what to say, when the
police finally arrived.
Chapter 6
Courtney
sat inside her apartment, a cup of coffee cradled gently atop her lap.
"Listen,"
the detective said, his voice raspy and gruff. "It's in everyone's best
interest if you tell me where she's gone."
She
took a sip and assessed the man before her, his stomach hanging over his
ill-fitted belt, his balding head giving back the lamp light.
"I
don't have any idea."
The
detective looked at his partner: a younger man who looked like he exercised
regularly.
"Ma'am,"
the second man said. "I don't think you understand what's going on here.
We're not looking to hurt your sister; we want to help her."
Courtney
tapped her foot impatiently.
"Now,
try to understand," he continued. "This man that she's killed is a
very important figure in a very powerful group of organized criminals. Now,
these people, they aren't just going to let this go. They're going to look for
her, and they will find her, because that's what they do. They find people and
they hurt them. Do you understand?"
Courtney
drank her coffee and looked away, as if he'd said nothing of significance at
all.
"Listen,"
the first man said. "We don't give a shit if she killed the motherfucker
in self-defense or cold blood; we just want to find her, so we can protect her
is all."
Courtney
set her coffee on the table and looked at the two men, her bold, beautiful eyes
throwing daggers.
]"Bullshit,"
she said. "I'm not some doe-eyed girl who just got to this city. You want
to use her for anything and everything she can tell you. You want to see if you
can play her against whomever it is you have designs on. You don't give a fuck
about her, and even if you did, you couldn't really protect her at all.
The
young detective stood up and dusted his slacks.
"Alright
then," he said. "You call us when you change your mind."
As
the older detective left the apartment, the younger one lingered.
"I
will tell you this," he said. "If there's one person that should be
most worried, it’s you. These people, they're going to come for you, and when
they ask where she's at, they won't be as nice as us."
Courtney
looked up and told him to go to hell using just her brilliant eyes. The young
detective shook his head and stepped out, closing the door behind him.
Immediately,
she took to her feet and peered through her window shades until she saw the two
men make their way down the apartment stairs, get inside their vehicle and
drive away. Then, she ran back to her bedroom and collected two suitcases,
packed tightly with only the most crucial of assets: some clothing, some
pictures and a few rolls of cash she'd stowed away over the years.
She
hauled the suitcases through her little apartment and stopped at the door. For
a moment, she allowed herself to look back if only to take a mental snapshot of
the little home she was leaving behind. Then, she was down the stairs and
inside her car and driving toward a little hotel just outside the desert.
When
she got there, she idled just out front. Soon, Hannah crept outside, her head
darting back and forth, eyes asquint, like something coming out into the light
for the first time in a very long while.
"Hurry
up," Courtney yelled from out her lowered window, and this brought Hannah
scampering across the parking lot.
"Do
you have everything we'll need?" Hannah asked, as she took a seat beside
her sister.
"Enough
to last us until we can figure it all out."
Tears
gathered in the corners of Hannah's eyes.
"I'm
so sorry Courtney. I'm so sorry for getting you into this."
Courtney
put a tender hand to Hannah's cheek.
"Listen,"
she said. "In my life, I've let love go I wish I still had. I won't do
that again, not with you. We are sisters and that makes us soul mates for
life."
Hannah
smiled and the two embraced.
"I'm
scared," she said. "I hope this is the right decision."
Courtney
squeezed her tight.
"There
is no right decision until you make it the right decision."
She
let go of her sister and started the car.
"Where
will we go?" Hannah asked, her voice little and soft.
"It
doesn't matter," Courtney said. "Fun isn't very good at hiding from
us."
With
that, she put the car in drive, and they took out toward something uncertain,
the warm summer breeze licking dryly their bare arms, the red sun falling fast
toward the barren soil before them. After a while, the radio played a song
about hope, freedom and self, and they drove all night until it came true.
THE END
If you enjoyed
this book and are interested in reading PART TWO and PART THREE of the “YES”
series, please visit the author’s Facebook page. All followers will be notified
the moment the sequel is released.