Spots danced in front of my eyes. “It’s your name,” I rasped. “Unless you want me to come up with a quippy nickname for you.” I swallowed against his palm. I was going to faint before we even made it inside. “How about Fucky? Oh,” I wheezed, digging my nails into the skin between his riding glove and leather jacket, “I know. Limp Dickerson.” I grunted, his fingers digging into my esophagus.
I coughed, the world turning hazy. “Master,” I panted, losing strength in my hands quickly. My head was pounding, my heart thudding. I was going to lose consciousness, I was going to—
He released me.
I inhaled sharply, coughing violently, stumbling a few steps when he stepped away from me.
I rubbed my neck, glaring at him angrily, his eyes suddenly unreadable. “Dick,” I rasped hoarsely.
His jaw feathered and he turned away from me. “Let’s go.”
I straightened, glancing around to see if anyone saw, but of course, we were alone. With a roll of the eyes, I followed after him. I don’t know why I said it, but I hated that I did, and I hated that look I thought I saw right before he stepped away.
It had to have been due to lack of oxygen. The way his expression filled with a sudden feral need, that couldn’t have been real.
I followed him through the door into a quiet room with a longbar-like desk sitting across from us. Behind that desk was a wall of guns. Any gun you could imagine, from handguns to assault rifles.
My heart skipped a beat seeing them. I remembered what it had felt like with one inside me, but I couldn’t imagine what it would feel like actually holding one. To feel that…thatpowerin my hand. To feel the kick back when I pulled the trigger, to watch as it slammed through a target.
Fuck.
“Hey, Bobby. Give me a .45 ACP.”
I found the eyes of an older man, round, faded hazel eyes, nearly bald head. For some reason he was exactly who I pictured sitting behind the counter. He glanced behind Everett straight to me, eyeing me up and down. “Alright,” he said, straightening.
I came to a stop a few feet behind Everett, using him as a shield between me and that man as I studied the room. Everett ‘knew the guy’, so I had my doubts that there would be any paperwork or money exchanged for this. Off the books, I would have written down. Untraceable.
So if he took me into those woods to kill me, there would be nothing tying him to this place.
Good thing I wasn’t his target. Not today, at least.
Bobby set the gun and the bullets down on the counter and nodded. “Stay safe.”
Everett grabbed the gun and bullets and nodded his thanks before turning back to me, only to pause when he saw where I was standing.
His eyebrows furrowed and he glanced to Bobby and back, only causing my own eyes to harden.
I had scars on my face and a collar around my neck. I didn’t need people staring at me as if I were some goddamn clown. He was looking into it far too much
After a second, he nodded in a general direction and I followedit, finding a door at the other end of the room just as he walked by me. I sent one last glance back towards the man, who was eyeing me, only for him to freeze when he caught sight of my face.
I frowned and followed after Everett to the side door. This was my face now. Eventually, I would have to get used to it.
27
Olivia
June 21st, 2022
Itwas a hike, which I expected after seeing where the building was located.
I kept my distance, remaining a few feet behind him as the nice path turned into a steeper, bumpier trail. It only took five minutes of walking to realize how alone we were in these woods.
Nothing but the sound of distant gunfire and the wind whistling through the trees could be heard for miles. It was crazy how silent it was out here.
But the air?
I inhaled deeply. It smelled just like him. Just like Everett.
