Invincible (4 page)

“
Where
’
s Danny? I
’
d love to give him a piece of my mind.
”

“
Don
’
t worry about Danny. He
’
s not involved with this one. It
’
s you and Tommy. You two go out there for me. I
’
m asking you, for me. Set this thing up, help out my family, and we
’
ll go from there. You walked away from a fight that wasn
’
t called the right way. I
’
m not sure who to blame on it. I
’
m getting heat, Wes. A lot of money was spread around and wasted. Purposely breaking a man
’
s ankle and shattering his knees is one thing
…
but letting him quit? We don
’
t quit in fights, Wes.
”

Aton nodded and backed away. He retrieved his gun and then pointed to the front door. He and his guys left.

I stood there for a few seconds before I turned and heaved into the kitchen sink again.

I had gone from blowing up my own life to now having to blow up someone else
’
s.

~ ~ ~

I sat in the passenger seat, Tommy next to me in all black. No suit for the guy tonight. His eyes were intense as he stared at the little blue car parked next to a garage.

“
See, they tried to fucking hide it,
”
Tommy said.
“
It was supposed to be in the restaurant parking lot. That would have been much better because it would cause a lot more damage. Sending a bigger message. I swear, there
’
s rats all around us.
”

“
Good to know,
”
I said.

Rats.

That shit came from friends and from trusting people. That
’
s why I didn
’
t trust anyone. I had no business trusting anyone. It was better for me to stand and walk alone. To have the appearance of being invincible.

A two hour nap and two hours at the gym-slash-boxing ring gave me all the energy I needed for the night. The old man who ran the gym - Jack - told me that life wasn
’
t made to be easy, fun, fair, or pretty. Life was meant to make death look enjoyable. Jack believed in heaven, hell, demons, and angels.

I faced all that in the mirror and in the circle where I fought. I didn
’
t need to believe a thing when I lived it.

“
Okay, we
’
re good now,
”
Tommy said and opened the car door.

He climbed out and I followed him. I kept my eyes open, watching, not sure what the hell to look for.

Tommy walked across the lot like it was nothing. I figured for a couple of guys about to blow up a car, we should be laying a little low. Moving a little quicker. Trying to blend in with the night.

When we got to the car, Tommy took out a long rod from somewhere. He leaned against the door of the car and stuck the rod between the window and door. With a few wiggles and a grunt, the door popped open.

“
Pop the hood,
”
he said to me.
“
I
’
m going to get set up.
”

I reached into the car and pulled the lever for the hood.

A smell overtook me
–
a flowery, fruity smell. I looked around the car, realizing it was a woman
’
s car. There was no way a guy drove this tiny little thing and smelled like this. The smell was almost familiar. That wasn
’
t a shock though since there was a good chance women used the same sprays or lotions or whatever.

Tommy opened the hood and went right to work.

I reached across the car and opened the glovebox. I had absolutely no reason to find out who owned the car. It was a terrible idea.

When I opened the glovebox, a picture fell out onto the floor. I stuck my hand into the glovebox and then retreated. I shut the glovebox and shook my head. The less I knew the better. Christ, if this went wrong and I got pulled in for questioning, it was better to know nothing.

I saw the picture on the floor and reached for it. I was going to put it back where it had been. But when I saw the woman in the picture, I froze.

She was fucking stunning.

It was a five-by-seven of a woman in a leather jacket. The jacket was down off her left shoulder. She stood sideways, head turned at the camera, her blonde hair covering half her face. She had blood red lips, big blue eyes, and a beauty about her that caught me off guard. Where the leather jacket opened, she wasn
’
t wearing anything under it. Not to mention the leather jacket was long enough to go just beyond her ass, leaving the eyes to wonder if she was fully nude under the jacket.

Was this the woman we were going to kill? What the hell did she do to deserve this kind of fate?

My mind then started to play it all out.

This woman climbing into her car. The key going in the ignition. Turning the key to start the car and then
…

Boom!

The hood slammed shut and I jumped.

I moved from the car, quickly folding the picture and sticking it in my back pocket.

“
Done,
”
Tommy announced.

I stood and looked at him.
“
That quick, huh?
”

“
When you know your shit, it
’
s easy. Trust me, this car ain
’
t going anywhere but the junkyard as a charred piece of metal. Probably some skin and bone stuck to the metal frame forever.
”

Tommy grinned like a kid who just won a big prize at a carnival. He was sick, but this was his job. He got to muscle people around and murder when Aton and his family needed.

I thought about the picture in my back pocket. That beautiful woman was going to die. She could have been out to dinner or something right now, not thinking about death. Then again, what if she deserved it? If Aton wanted her dead
…

“
Come on,
”
Tommy said.
“
Let
’
s get out of here. I
’
d love to sit and watch my work but I can
’
t risk anything. This one is serious.
”

“
Who is it?
”
I asked.

“
None of your damn business.
”

We got back into the car and drove away.

Tommy dropped me off at my place and I raced inside. I took the picture out of my pocket and tossed it to the table. I went to the fridge and opened a beer. It tasted like shit. I opened the picture and looked at it again. She was goddamn beautiful. Seductive in her pose. I turned the picture around and there was an address on the back. Handwritten with the name
Rose
on it.

There was nothing I could do about this. I couldn
’
t stop it from happening. If I tried, Aton would have me killed in a second. Plus, if he wanted someone gone, they were gone. There was no stopping it. Especially if the call came from above. Higher up in his family. Deeper connections that nobody really wanted to know the truth of.

I drank the shitty beer and walked to my bedroom with the picture of Rose.

I crashed to the bed and tossed the picture to the nightstand.

“
Sorry, Rose,
”
I whispered.

I then felt guilty and had no damn reason to. For all I knew this woman was a murderer. Christ, maybe she had been involved with Shane
’
s death. Whatever she did, she  deserved to die, blown up when she started her car.

I shut my eyes, leaving half a beer behind. I demanded sleep, but my mind thought about Rose. The smell of her car. That smell
…

My eyes shot open and I sat up.

Christ
…

That
’
s where I knew the smell.

Rose was the woman standing behind me before the fight with Johnny. She was the one I told to go away.

What the hell was a woman that beautiful doing at a fight?

I turned on the lamp next to my bed and grabbed the picture again. I ran my hand through my hair and shook my head.

I couldn
’
t stop it from happening
…
but I could check on things tomorrow.
Maybe she was smart enough to somehow survive.

5.

(Rose)

“
Someone tried to kill you last night.
”

I swallowed hard, pulling the blanket tighter around my body. I sat across from Luke. He looked half drunk or high or something. He had dried blood under his nose and at the corner of his mouth, but I didn
’
t dare ask about that.

“
Why?
”
I whispered.

“
I think we know why,
”
he said.
“
Do you want to go down that road again?
”

I lowered my head.
“
No, Luke, I don
’
t.
”

“
I got word about it and I stopped it from happening. Well, your car is gone, but you
’
re not.
”

“
My car?
”

“
It was wired to blow up,
”
Luke said.
“
Don
’
t worry though. You weren
’
t the one inside when it went up.
”

“
Who was then?
”

Luke half smiled.
“
Let
’
s just say Marco served out his purpose
…”

My stomach felt sick. Luke had sent poor Marco to my car to blow up. He knew it was going to happen and he let it happen. That
’
s why Luke was evil. That
’
s why Luke was a murderer.

I had to get away from him. From this life. From everything I knew.

But how? Where would I go? Any little mess up and Luke could pull the trigger. Not just literally with his gun and kill me, but he could come after me in another way. For something I didn
’
t do
…
that I was blamed for.

“
So what do I do now?
”
I asked.

“
First off, everything is cancelled for you. You
’
re gone. You need to act like you don
’
t exist.
”

“
So I
’
m stuck in this apartment?
”

“
Exactly. You don
’
t leave. You don
’
t do a damn thing. You need food, call someone. You need a drink, drink water. Got it?
”

I nodded.
“
For how long?
”

“
Until I fucking tell you,
”
Luke yelled.
“
I have to go, Rose. I can
’
t babysit you anymore. You disgust me sometimes. Everything built in this family and you fucking ruin it.
”

“
What did I do?
”
I asked.

Luke slammed his fist on the table and jumped up, sending the chair flying. He pointed right at me.
“
You fucking killed him. He was heartbroken after Ma died. You were supposed to take over. But you never did. I had to carry his ass. I had to carry your ass. And you killed him. You broke his fucking heart.
”

“
He drank himself
…”

Luke opened his suit jacket and showed me his gun. That was my cue to shut the hell up.
“
Don
’
t,
”
he growled.
“
Don
’
t you ever. Someday
…
you
’
re going to get it for real, Rose. And I won
’
t be there to help you.
”

With that in the open, Luke left the small apartment.

I was trapped again.

I changed my clothes, living out of another suitcase. That was how I had lived since a kid. Some girls had closets. Some women had bigger closets. Me? I had a dozen suitcases. All packed with enough outfits to last a week or two, with all the feminine stuff I
’
d need to get by.

After I zipped the suitcase, I started to pace the bedroom.

It was fight or flight time in my heart, but what could I do? I had no car, obviously. It had been blown up.

Blown up?

Who would blow up my car? Who would want me dead like that?

My mind raced. I started to feel jittery.

I needed a drink.

I rushed to the kitchen and started opening and closing the cabinets. I even resorted to the silverware drawer, wondering if there was a small bottle hidden. The only thing I found was a pack of cigarettes. I had no idea how old they were. I hadn
’
t smoked in a long time. The only reason I ever did was to look cool in front of people, like an idiot. But the cigarettes looked good.

I licked my lips and grabbed them.

When I left the apartment and went down the back emergency stairs, I knew I was defying Luke. All I wanted was one smoke. Maybe two. I
’
d probably end up with a headache and stomachache but at least that would give me something else to focus on for a little while.

Outside, I huddled behind the restaurant like a teenager sneaking their parents cigarettes. I put the cigarette to my lips and flicked the lighter. My hand shook, making the flame dance. I put the flame to the tip of the cigarette and started to suck.

“
You know, those will kill you.
”

I yelled, dropping the cigarette and the lighter.

I spun and saw a guy standing a few feet away. He wore jeans, black boots, and a leather jacket. As I scanned up and met my gaze with his, I lost my breath.

That hair.

That build.

It was him. The sexy monster from the fight.

“
Who are you?
”
I asked. I reached for the door to the restaurant but didn
’
t open it.

“
Just checking on you,
”
he said.
“
You
’
re alive.
”

“
Yeah. I
’
m
…
alive
…”

Does he know? What does he know? Why is he so fucking sexy?

“
You
’
re Rose, right?
”

My face burned red.
“
How do you know my name?
”

He took his hand from his pocket. He had a picture of me.
“
I found this. With this address on the back. Look, I know it
’
s not my
…”

The sexy guy stepped toward me but then jumped back like he
’
d been punched in the chest.

I didn
’
t even hear the
ping
of the silenced gun going off.

I looked back and saw a car at the end of the alley.

Holy shit
…
someone
was here to kill me
…

~ ~ ~

I didn
’
t have a chance to ask if he was okay. He could have just ran away, saving himself. He wasn
’
t the intended target. But he didn
’
t run away. He caught his balance and came storming at me.

Logic finally kicked in -
he was part of this! He was going to try and kill me!

I opened the backdoor to the restaurant.

The sexy guy was right behind me. He slammed the door and grabbed me.

“
We have to get out front. I have a car.
”

“
Who the hell are you?
”
I asked.
“
Are you here to kill me?
”

“
No, sweetie, I
’
m not.
”

Sweetie.

It shouldn
’
t have done a thing to me, but looking at his dark eyes, dark hair in his face, I was melting already.

“
You
’
re shot,
”
I whispered.

“
Let
’
s go.
”

“
I have to get my stuff!
”
I said.

“
Are you serious right now?
”

“
Yes. If I leave I can
’
t come back. You don
’
t
…”

He gritted his teeth and pointed to the metal stairs.

We made it halfway up before the door opened below us.

“
Come out and play!
”
a voice yelled.

That was followed by echoing footsteps.

When we got to the apartment door, the sexy guy opened it and we rushed inside. He slammed the door and pointed.
“
You have two fucking seconds.
”

“
Who are you?
”
I asked again.
“
This doesn
’
t
…”

Sexy guy grabbed me by the shoulders. He smelled of all man. Lingering sweat. I looked to each of his hands. His knuckles were swollen, a few had crusts of scabs.

He was a fighter. A real fighter. The gorgeous fighter who had been facing the wall, in tears.

“
Wes,
”
he said.
“
My name is Wes. That
’
s all you need to know. Someone is trying to kill you. And now I
’
m shot and in your apartment. We have to get the hell out of here, right now.
”

“
I
…
I
’
m not supposed to leave,
”
I said.
“
I shouldn
’
t have been outside.
”

“
Dammit, sweetie, there
’
s no time,
”
Wes yelled at me.

I had no reason to trust him, but what choice did I have? If guys barged into the apartment and killed me
…
or maybe they
’
d kidnap me. Use me against Luke. Torture me the way Luke would torture people to get information.

I started to shake.

Then there was pounding at the door.

“
Open up, cupcake!
”
a voice yelled.

“
Fuck,
”
Wes said.
“
Hurry. Get your damn bag and lets go out a window.
”

Wes ran to the window and looked out. There was a small ledge and a chance to jump to the fire escape. One slip though and you were gone. Maybe you wouldn
’
t die from the fall, but you
’
d be hurt. And then these guys at the door would be right after me. Or us.

“
It
’
s too dangerous,
”
I said.

I ran into the bedroom, Wes behind me. Funny how it dawned on me that it had really been a long time since I was alone in a bedroom with another man. Yet there was no time to really dwell on it.

Wes stood in the doorway, hands balled into fists.

I grabbed my bag.
“
I
’
m ready.
”

“
You
’
re already packed?
”
Wes asked.

“
You don
’
t know a thing about me.
”

“
I know. I
’
m starting to regret coming to check on you.
”

“
I
’
m supposed to be dead, remember?
”
I asked.

“
They
’
re going to bust down the door and I
’
m going to take them out. Don
’
t get shot, sweetie, okay?
”

“
What? Wait!
”

Wes moved through the apartment. He stood next to the door, ready to go. The guys kept pounding at the door, kicking at it. Finally, a gunshot rang and the door splintered around the knob. Another swift kick and the door flew open. I stood there with a suitcase. I let it go and put my hands up. Call it instinctive, but I knew how to create a decent enough diversion.

Two men came into the apartment and Wes went to work.

Maybe it wasn
’
t the time or the place to feel the way I felt, but watching him throwing a right fist and connecting with one of the guy
’
s faces
…
it turned me on. The guy fell to ground in a hurry, knocked out. The other guy turned, gun in hand. Wes threw a left, but he screamed in pain from where he
’
d been shot. His right hand came across and grabbed the guy
’
s wrist, twisting it so the guy released the gun.

“
No, no, no,
”
the guy said.
“
You can
’
t
…”

Wes threw his shoulder and the guy flew back into the wall. He then started to unleash punches - left, right, right, left. The guy bounced like he was being shot at. And when Wes stopped punching, the guy toppled to the ground.

He looked up at Wes.
“
You
…
you aren
’
t supposed
…”

Wes lifted his foot. I turned my head. I wasn
’
t able to see it, but I heard the sickening squishy thud sound of Wes
’
s boot slamming down on the guy
’
s face.

“
Move! Now!
”
Wes bellowed.

I grabbed my suitcase and went on the move. I hurried past the two bodies on the floor and followed the man who put them on the floor. The man who had taken a bullet - not sure whether it was meant for me or not.

I followed the man who had my picture, knew my name, and knew that my car was destroyed.

I wasn
’
t sure if I was being saved
…
or if I was being set up.