Nine Page 6

  “She’s loyal. She would never –”

  “People do things all the time that we think they would never do,” he cuts me off.

  Water builds up in the corner of my eyes. I feel one tear fall down my cheek. I turn my head away so Trig can’t see my face. I’m angry and hurt. Jesus, Jenny. What did you do?

  “How do you do it every day?” he asks.

  “Do what?” I swing my head around and glare at him. “Escort? I can’t believe you, of all people, are asking me this.”

  “Look, I’m not passing judgment. You seem like you might be a nice girl.”

  I roll my eyes at the irony. A killer is asking me how I fuck men every day. This is epic.

  “Easy. I get paid. It’s a job.” I pause. “And you. How do you do what you do every day, Trig? How do you kill people?”

  He clears his throat and finally I get the confirmation that I need.

  “I don’t really have a choice. I have to.”

  “You have to kill people. Bullshit.”

  “You don’t understand.”

  “Make me understand,” I say, surprising myself.

  He shakes his head.

  Right then the door flies open. The Savior walks in with two huge men. Bones comes in right behind them, mouthing ‘sorry’ to Trig.

  “How is my pretty little girl today?” The Savior asks, looking straight at me.

  Both Trig and I spring up out of our seats at the same time. Trig steps in front of me.

  “You gave me twenty-four hours,” he says.

  “I changed my mind.” The Savior grins.

  “We had a deal.”

  “Yeah, we also had a deal for you to go in, get the information, and kill Victor. You seemed to have forgotten the plan, because you went in, killed the guy, saved the girl, and came back with no whereabouts of my drugs. I specifically told you to get rid of her that night at the hotel. She’s a witness and I can’t have loose ends lying around. You’re not as sloppy as your brother was, but you’re just as stupid. I’m tired of waiting. She either has something for me or she doesn’t, and if she doesn’t, then she’s of no use.”

  The Savior looks over Trig’s shoulder to me. “Tell me good news, my love. Tell me where my drugs are.”

  I shake my head. The Savior throws one hand up.

  “We could have taken care of this problem hours ago. Now move, Trig.”

  The Savior pulls his gun out from his waistband and points it toward us.

  “I can’t let you do that,” Trig says, as he pulls his gun out and points it at The Savior.

  The Savior’s two men turn and pull their guns out on Trig. Bones draws his gun and points it at the two men. I hold my breath, afraid that the slightest noise will spark a massacre. I don’t think anyone is making it out of this room alive.

  “All of this over a whore? Have you lost your mind?” The Savior asks, grinning. “Come on, Trig. Just move out of the way and let’s put this behind us.”

  Trig doesn’t respond. He hasn’t even moved. I’m standing behind him like he’s my shield.

  “I knew it would come to this. You’re nothing like your brother. At least he had balls. He wasn’t as soft as you are. He was one crazy son of a bitch. He never would’ve let a piece of pussy fuck up his head, but you…you want her. You actually want that used up slut, for what?”

  Trig remains calm and still.

  “Did she suck you off in this room? Did she make you feel good?” He pauses. “What did she do to you to make you act like such a little bitch?”

  “Victor is dead. It’s over. I’m out,” Trig finally responds.

  “You’re out when I say you’re out,” The Savior yells. “Do you see my drugs here? Because I don’t. So until I see them in my possession or the equivalent in money then you are still in.”

  “I brought you the money I found at the hotel. I’m out,” Trig says through his teeth.

  The Savior laughs and rubs his chin. All guns are still up in the air and pointed at each other.

  “Don’t insult me. Ten thousand is nothing,” he shouts. “And right now neither are you. So here’s my offer. I’ll let you walk out of here completely free, but the girl stays. Maybe she lives. Maybe she dies. Who knows? It doesn’t really matter, but you, you get to be a free man. Deal?”

  Oh my god. He has the opportunity to sacrifice me to the devil and just walk away. What sane person wouldn’t take that offer to save themselves? I reach out and place both of my hands on Trig’s back. I want to remind him that I’m still here. I want to silently communicate to him and beg him not to leave me. He reaches one hand back and pulls me closer to him. My chest is now pushed up against his back, and my head is leaning against his shoulder blade. He assures me with that one move that he hasn’t forgotten me.

  “You don’t make fair deals. The moment I leave here, somebody will put a bullet in my brain.”

  “Or I could just do it now,” The Savior says.

  Suddenly one single shot fires. Trig turns and grabs me, tossing me aside. My sore body crashes against the floor. I look up to see that Trig dodged the bullet, and is now firing off rounds of his own. I quickly crawl over and underneath the bed. I hear more shots being fired off and then I see The Savior’s two men both drop dead on the floor. One of their bodies falls right in front of the bed. He’s so close I could reach out and touch him if I wanted to. I place my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming. I hear more gunshots and then I see The Savior’s body drop down to the floor. I watch as Trig’s black boots walk across the room toward him. I can see the gun lower and then pop, pop, pop. Trig fires three more bullets into him. The room fills with silence for a minute, but the ringing in my ears continues.

  “Are you crazy? This could start a war. You know he has connections with the cartel,” Bones says.

  “She’s innocent. Since when do we kill good people?”

  “Uh, since we get paid to do it. That’s when. Let me remind you that you’re still on some IOU type shit with him, so...”

  “Not anymore,” Trig says. “He’s dead.”

  “Dude. This is my house. You bring a chick here, then you have the boss track me down, and then you kill him in my basement. What the fuck were you thinking?”

  “You have medical experience and you have drugs here,” Trig replies.

  “I use to be a paramedic, not a damn doctor, and the drugs were not free by the way. I expect some type of compensation for that whole night. I got out of bed, came down to the hotel, and helped you sweep that room. I helped you dispose of that body, and I helped move and treat that hooker. Now throw me a fucking bone and help me out here. ”

  “How many times have I had your back?” Trig asks.

  My throat starts to close and my chest begins to hurt. I can hardly breathe. I think I’m having some type of panic attack and it’s all because this dead man lying there keeps staring at me.

  “Just know this. You’re the one that brought a shit storm to our front door, not me. Congratulations, asshole.”

  I can feel myself taking in more air than I should as a puddle of blood begins to move its way on the floor toward me. I try to push my arms up and scoot back from it, but I can’t. I’m hyperventilating and my arms start to shake. The blood touches my fingernail and if I could scream, I would.

  “I suggest you leave town then,” Trig says. “Consider both of our debts paid.”

  “Paid? I’ll have a bounty on my head after tonight,” Bones says. “And so will you.”

  I see the bedframe above me being lifted up, but I’m paralyzed. Trig is standing directly over me, calling out my name. I’m shaking so badly I can’t even fix my mouth to speak.

  “Shit, she’s in shock.” Trig says. “I got her. Just hold up the frame.”

  He scoops me up and over his shoulder. He starts to carry me toward the door.

  “So you’re just going to leave me here to clean up this mess?” Bones says.

  “Dude, just go. Get out. Get as far a
way as possible. You’re free now.”

  “No, fuck that,” Bones replies. “When your brother died and they threw you into this shit with me, you said we were in this together.”

  Trig stops and swings around. “You coming then or what? We can’t stay another minute.”

  I don’t hear a response. Trig swings around again and walks out of the room and down the hallway. All I can see are the marks in the dirty carpet. He makes a swift turn and opens another door that looks like a garage. I hear a car door open and he places me down and shoves me to the side.

  “She barely has any clothes on, Trig. Is she wearing your shirt? What if we get pulled over? She looks like we beat the hell out of her. Look at her.”

  It takes me a while to notice this is my car, but I can’t speak yet.

  “Just drive,” he says, and tosses the keys to Bones as he gets in and closes the door.

  I sit there shaking. I’m not sure if I can recover from this. I just watched three men get killed and the look on that dead man’s face will haunt me forever.

  “Are you okay?” Trig says.

  I can’t answer him.

  He slides over and attempts to put his arm around me. I look up at him. Trig’s face suddenly looks like Victor’s and now my throat feels tight. I remember the feeling of a belt wrapped around my neck. I start screaming and crying and kicking Trig away. I’m officially having my first psychotic breakdown.

  “What the hell is going on back there?” Bones shouts.

  “Nine!” Trig yells. “Stop and look at me.” I keep fighting him. “I see you,” he yells, and places my head between his hands. “It’s okay. Breathe.”

  It takes a minute but I start to calm down when I realize he’s not Victor. He carefully grabs my wrists and slowly unties them. He then calmly reaches over and takes his time to pull me close to him. I’m frozen and part of me needs comfort, even if it is from a stranger. Even if Trig is a killer. He just saved my life again. I’ll allow myself to be pulled in, but only by him. I let my head fall against his chest and I begin to sob. Trig gently cups the back of my head.

  “She’s not well at all, man. What the hell was that?” Bones yells back.

  “She just needs time to recover. That’s all.” He pauses. “She obviously can’t travel in this condition. Let’s head up to the cabin.”

  “I hope you know what you’re doing,” Bones says.

  “I know exactly what I’m doing; now give me your cell phone. We need to toss both of these out now. No tracer.”

  Bones reaches back and hands Trig his phone. Trig pulls his from his back pocket and opens the window, tossing them both out. I sit there hanging on to Trig’s neck with my face buried into his bare chest. The smell of his skin is familiar and for whatever reason it makes me feel secure or maybe it’s him.

  “We could just drop her off at her place. One less thing to worry about,” Bones suggests.

  “Just drive the damn car to the cabin,” Trig commands.

  “All I’m saying is that we could be on a plane in no time if we didn’t have to deal with her. Those bruises and cuts all over her face will take at least a week or two to heal. Do we have two weeks, Trig? Think about it.”

  “More driving. Less talking,” Trig orders.

  “You rescue a girl with a gun name, and suddenly you lose edge. Trig and Nine. Stupidest fucking names ever. I bet you must think that she’s your soulmate now based off of that shit too.” Bones bitterly mumbles to himself.

  Trig settles back into his seat and clutches me closer. I stay silent because I don’t know what else to do. I remain in his arms because it’s the safest I’ve ever felt in my life. There is something about the way he said the words I see you. With my head resting against him, I look out the window and watch as we drive away.

  ***

  The car pulls to a stop. Finally, I think. We’ve been driving for hours, and I didn’t care to talk about what just happened, so instead, I’ve been pretending to sleep. I crack open my eyes just enough to realize we’re parked at a gas station. I watch Bones get out of the car, and then I see his body work its way around the vehicle toward Trig’s window. I quickly close my eyes. Tap. Tap. Tap. His knuckles hit against the glass. Trig rolls down his window.

  “I’m going inside to pay for gas. Do you want something?”

  “No, I’m good. She might be hungry when she wakes up. Find something in there that girls like.”

  “”What? Like Starburst or somethin’?”

  “I don’t know. Use your best judgment.”

  Trig’s clearly irritated.

  I hear the window go back up, and then I feel Trig take his fingers and gently play with the ends of my hair. He thinks I’m knocked out, so I do my best not to move. He adjusts his body slightly as he continues to stroke my hair. My internal thoughts are battling with each other and at this point, I’m not sure which side makes more sense.

  Why am I letting this happen? Where is that no tolerance girl at that I used to be?

  But this feels nice. He feels good. He saved you. He’s still saving you.

  Pull your shit together. What the hell are you thinking? Get your head out of your ass and make a run for it.

  “You are definitely trouble, girl,” Trig says to himself. “You’re gonna get me killed. Crazy thing is…”

  Tap. Tap. Tap. He gets interrupted. I hear the window being rolled down again.

  “Okay. I got some Slim Jims, a Butterfinger, and some powdered doughnuts.”

  “This is what you thought she might eat? This food is shit.”

  “Excuse me. I’ll ask them for their fine dining menu next time. Asshole,” Bones says.

  “Whatever. Just get in the car and watch her. I have to go take a leak.”

  I feel Trig slide out from under me, and then I hear his door open and shut. I crack open my eyes to see Bones upfront stuffing his face. He turns on the music low. I wait for a while, and then I slowly slide over and quietly open my car door. That’s when I jump out. My bare feet hit the concrete and I take off running toward the little mini mart. I begin to scream for help. The worker inside looks out of her window. Bones dashes out of the car and grabs me by my waist. We are now wrestling near a gas pump when a shirtless Trig runs out. His eyes fill with worry as he sprints over and grabs me. He tosses me over his shoulder and then he throws me in the back of the car. I’m fighting him this entire time and yelling at the top of my lungs. If I can just get one good punch in then maybe I can jump back out of this car. Bones hops in on the driver’s side and squeals out of the lot.

  “Are you crazy?” Trig yells. His face is beet red and he’s breathing hard.

  “You can’t keep me as your hostage. Like I’m your personal pet or something,” I shout.

  “Is that what you think I’m doing?” Trig snorts. He turns his attention to Bones. “Step on the gas. That little stunt is going to screw up everything. If a cop catches up to us, we’re toast. They now have surveillance tape of a battered woman in just a T-shirt screaming for help, while two men wrestle with her to get her back into a car, which they now have the license plate for.”

  He turns his attention back to me.

  “Congratulations, Nine. Shit just got real,” he yells.

  I look confused. These two a-holes might be going to jail, but me – I’ll just go home.

  “Maybe for you, but certainly not for me,” I say.

  “Oh, you think you’re off the hook? Think again! What are you going to tell the police about your face, about your body? Will you tell them you’re a call girl, and that a dead pimp beat you? Will you tell them that I know where Victor’s body is? Because that makes you an accessory to the crime, pumpkin. Or will you lie through your teeth and say that we did this to you?”

  I swallow the lump in my throat. I don’t know how to respond, so I stay silent as I search for the right words. I notice Bones is now driving down the road as if he’s operating a racecar. He’s weaving in and out of lanes, and the tension i
nside the car is thick. I decide to keep my mouth shut as I digest what Trig just said. I scoot as far away from him as possible and focus my attention outside the car. The sun begins to set as one-mile turns into many. Tree. Bush. Sign. Those are my only visuals at the moment. I’d turn my head and stare forward, but then I’d probably get a side-eye mega death stare from Trig.

  It’s almost nightfall by the time we get to the cabin. It’s tucked away, all by itself out in middle of nowhere next to a lake. The boys get out first and then I follow suit. Trig walks up the steps to the wide porch. He takes the keys out of his pocket and opens the door. He waves for me to go in. I start to walk through, and then I feel his fingers wrap around my arm.

  “You’re bleeding,” he says, and motions to my side. “You might’ve busted a stitch with your gas station performance.”

  I stare down at the bloody circle on the white fabric.

  “Good. Maybe I’ll bleed to death and finally rid myself from having to deal with you.”

  “Lift your shirt up,” he demands.

  I cross my arms and stand there.

  “Lift the shirt,” he says again. This time with more bass in his voice.

  I exhale, turn to my side, and lift the shirt up for him.

  “No busted stitches. You’ll live.”

  “Damn. I was already preparing a eulogy in my head for you to read at my funeral. Oh, wait. You’d probably just bury me here in the dirt or toss my body in that lake, right?”

  He looks at me unamused.

  “You? No. That car of yours, yes. Do you have anything in the car you want, before we drive it into the lake?”

  My mouth falls open.

  “My Benz? You can’t be serious. Is this payback?”

  “Do you want something out of the car? Yes or no?” he snaps.

  “There’s a bag in the trunk. It has my clothes and shoes inside of it.”

  Trig leaves me standing there as he walks back to the car. He returns a few seconds later with my black gym bag. He waves for me to go inside.

  “I call dibs on the room upstairs,” Bones yells out as he walks in.

  Trig looks at me. “I guess we get the bottom room.”

  “We?” I protest.