Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Slick ended up carrying Josh into the house and taking him to Heiser- Josh's paid doctor which was no easy task. Josh was a big guy, and Slick was skinnier than Josh. Josh was unconscious and extremely gray. My anxiety was at an all-time high. This was the first time in a long time that I wanted to let my emotions out. I didn't want to be strong.
A trail of blood carried from the garage to the other side of the house. I texted Rory once Slick got Josh situated in Heiser's room. The entire place looked like a hospital room. Heiser and another woman began working on Josh immediately. They hooked Josh up to every wire they possibly could.They cut his shirt off and began doing chest compressions. I felt like I was in shock.Slick walked towards me and grabbed my arm. "Let's go, and let them work." He sighed. "You don't have to watch this."Slick and I sat in silence outside Josh's room until a hysterical RorJosh wasn't recovering as everyone had hoped. He was loopy but awake for a few hours the day he had gotten shot. But, then he started bleeding internally, and they had to put him on a ventilator.Rory has barely slept, and she's been crying for days. I didn't know what to do. I tried to comfort her but to no avail.Ash was upset, even though he didn't want to show it. He'd been angrier than usual, and he and Slick have been at each other's throats.As much as I didn't want to admit it, I've grown to like Slick. Once you get to know him, he's not bad. He's helped me tremendously with learning to shoot. Ash has been so busy since Josh has been in a coma. He's barely left Josh's office. I've hardly seen him in two weeks. We still haven't talked about Sarah, but best believe we will.I grabbed my gym bag and made my way for the basement. I was late today, and I was sure Rory had left already. She trains early in the morning, nonstop. She wants in on f
I was almost regretting wanting in on this plan. Ash was working me way too hard. I think he wanted me to give up, but I wouldn't. He didn't want me hurt, and I understood that, but the fire I felt towards Matteo couldn't be put out. Every day I was feeling angrier. Watching Rory cry every night over Josh tore me apart. They were arguing when he was shot, so the guilt was eating at her. I knew deep down Josh didn't hold it against her. They're both hotheads, but they both care about each other deeply.Rory has been coming to the gym with me every day. I was happy to be training with someone I trusted completely. She has been in a funk mostly because Josh wasn't getting any better. At least he wasn't getting any worse. Slick has been helping us with shooting whenever he could. He's been busy trying to find where Matteo had been hiding out. I'd only really seen him three times in the past couple weeks. Rory would push Slick whenever she could for information- much to my surpr
When Ash decided to give Slick more control, he sure took it. He called in his two most trusted advisers. They both got to the house in record time, and they both were terrifying.Blaze was a tall man with a buzz cut and large muscles. He had a scar on his lip that made him look even more menacing. Blaze was Slick's right hand. He took care of everything while Slick was here. Without asking you could sense they were close.Then there was Crow. Out of them, both Crow had more of a comfortable air around him. He had brown hair that would have easily fallen to his shoulders if he didn't have it pulled back into a pony. He was the shorter one between him and Blaze, but he was still just as deadly.Ash set a meeting for today in the basement with only a few of us. The basement was where Ash handled a lot of his meetings. The walls were stone, and no one could eavesdrop according to Rory she tried before of course.Most of the meeting had been small arg
The days seemed to be growing shorter, and my anxiousness was peaking at new heights. Slick told me to calm down, but I had every reason to be on edge. Rory and I were about to infiltrate the casino where Ash believed Matteo was being hidden at. The van we were sitting in had screens on both sides. It reminded me of every van in a spy movie. Slick sat across from me on the computer. Crow was apparently an astonishing hacker. He sat next to Slick and was a hair away from getting passed The firewalls in the casino's security cameras.Ash and Slick had taken the reigns of this entire operation. Josh was still bed bound. He should be back to running things soon, but he still needed his rest. He had no idea about the plan tonight; which was Slick's idea. Everyone knew that if he heard what was happening he'd want to be involved.Watching Blaze's large frame trying to squeeze in this small space broke me out of thoughts. Of course, they had to choose the smallest van for
"He's here," Rory muttered."We can see that," Slick joked. I rolled my eyes and chuckled."Get out of there now. We found what we needed," Ash commanded. I glanced at Matteo and saw his eyes on Rory."Are you sure? We could scope this room out longer," Rory said."There's no need. Now we have to get the real plan together," Ash muttered.I looked back at Rory, "let's go."She nodded, and we both made our way back towards the door. The room was getting more crowded, and the music seemed to be getting louder. Something was definitely happening here tonight."Where are you girls going?" I heard over my shoulder. Rory scrunched her eyebrows at me and found the mysterious voice."We were just going to get some fresh air," Rory said to the waiter. He looked entirely too young to be working here."Well, the boss wants to see you," he said and handed us both a drink."The boss?" I asked. My heart star
Once we got back to the safe house, it was three in the morning. I kicked my heels off of my now swollen feet. They were red, and I could see a blister forming. My chest felt tight and bruised. Anxiety can sure do a lot of damage. I was physically exhausted, yet I couldn't go to sleep if I tried. Tonight was terrifying, but it was exciting. The idea of almost getting caught was a thrill I had never known. It was twisted, but I couldn't help it.After coming back to the house, everyone went their separate ways. We needed downtime, and some of us just wanted to be alone. We were nearing the end of all this. It was a bittersweet though. Because I knew this wasn't the end of men like Matteo. There will always be another threat, another gunshot, another person hurt.I took the blonde wig off and threw it in the trash. It was beginning to look more disgusting as time went on. The kitchen door opened and Slick popped his head in."Ew, what's that?" Slick yelled,
Mathias showed up in style that's for sure. Four black SUV's followed the white limo he occupied. He brought an abundance of men with him. Slick said Mathias was careful with everything and trusted few. He's done business with Josh before, but he still didn't trust him fully.We all stood in the foyer— waiting for Mathias to make his grand entrance. I felt like I was expecting to meet the president. We all dressed in our fanciest clothes. Josh wanted to make the best impression.Josh stood at the beginning of the foyer. He was still incredibly weak. Rory suggested he sit until Mathias came, but he refused. Rory looped arms with him and helped keep him steady."He doesn't look well enough yet to be involved," I whispered.Ash placed his arm around my waist and nodded, "I agree. But, you know he doesn't listen to anyone."I was a little jumpier than usual. I couldn't stand still— the anxiousness of the day taking over me. Ash placed a kiss
I stared at the clock and sighed— in less than two hours we were going to face Matteo. Rory and Josh were upstairs. They wanted some time alone before we left. Josh was still furious. He hasn't talked to Ash all day and has been ignoring Slick. He feels as if they're being reckless by letting us be involved. But, he also has no idea what we've been through while he was in a coma. The atmosphere around me felt different. Everything was coming to an end. After tonight I won't have to live in secrecy. That is if I live through the night. I glanced across the driveway and spotted Ash. He was finishing loading the van up while I zoned out. I didn't want to focus on what I was going to do tonight. I was terrified, but I was also excited in a twisted way. This new me was scaring me.The cold air made my skin prickle as I walked outside. Ash hooked up the last computer in the back of the van and jumped out. He smirked and walked towards me. "You ready for this?" He whispe