Okay, it sucks but I’m ready to admit it. I have no fucking idea where we are. I thought we were heading towards the road, I really did, but we’ve been walking forever now and there’s no sign of a fucking road. In fact, the hill seems to be going up instead of down. Shouldn’t it go down if I’m getting close to the road? I fall back against a tree and Dani does something similar across from me. We don’t talk. Neither one of us are happy with each other at this point. We’re cold, we’re tired, and we’re scared. I refuse to list scared first, though truly the fear I feel inside is like this giant knot threatening to choke me at this point.

Worse I’m horribly numb. The guy on the radio said the high today would be forty but it feels like fifteen. I’m so frozen I don’t think I’ll ever get warm again. I close my eyes and picture Dragon. He probably doesn’t even know I’m missing. He was going to be gone all day. Dani and I both have been trying to use our cellphones, but there’s no signal. That’s the thing about living in the Appalachian Mountains, cell service sucks donkey balls. I would almost suck donkey balls to get out of this mess. Shit, no! I’d make Dani do it. Bitch owes me, even if she doesn’t want to admit it, and surely that couldn’t be as bad as sleeping with that creep I had stabbed.

I stabbed someone.

I should feel remorse I guess. The last hour or two we’ve been out here, I was mostly wishing I’d channeled Lorena Bobbit on his ass, or his dick as it were.

“We need to keep moving,” Dani mumbles, sounding as exhausted as I feel.

I want to ignore her because I figure she deserves it.

“Feel free, I need to take a minute to breathe,” I grumble instead.

I sound like a spoiled two-year-old, but I don’t care. I blame Dani, even if I understand her reasons behind it. I love my girl, but she got us into this mess and I want to slap the shit out of her at the moment.

“I’m sorry, Nic,” she whispers. She sounds so miserable that I feel a little guilty.

“Forget it. I understand, but you’ve got to trust me when I tell you that Dragon is nothing like Michael.”

Dani doesn’t say anything. I can tell from her face that she doesn’t really believe me, but she was wise enough to let it go, so I do too. She will see in time, because despite what Dani says, despite the photos, despite everything, if I manage to survive this, I am totally going back to Dragon. I plan on holding him tight and never letting go.

I don’t care what that says about me.

“Should we try getting off the trail and sliding down the mountain to see if it might end up near the road?” Dani asks, and I could hear the fear in her voice. This was because when she said slide, she means it. We’d looked over the edge a time or two and it is more a cliff than anything else. It’s also steep enough that falling off would most likely kill us. The mountains are gorgeous to look at, but clearly I should have listened closer to all those news reports about lost or injured hikers.

“Hell if I know at this point, Dani. You know my parents,” I tell her with a shrug. “Trips to Lexington and Louisville are their idea of recreation. I know shit about climbing hills and apparently even less about direction.

“Did you hear that?” she asks.

My body stiffens because I did. It sounds like branches snapping. Someone’s coming. We stare at each other in panic and then Dani nudges with her head and points to a big rock behind her. It’s not much, but we make our way to it as quiet as we can to hide. Once we crouch down behind it, we sit and wait.

When she grabs my hand, I hold on as tight as my numb fingers will let me.

“Alright bitch it’s time for you two to come out. I know you’re here, but Irish tells me I don’t have time to watch you squirm anymore. It’s time we finish this game.”

I would have thought he was bluffing if I hadn’t heard a gun cocked on my right side. It sounds so chillingly loud—even over the man’s yelling. I look over to see one of the last faces I expected. I almost feel relief but the other guy’s words register in my numb brain.

“Irish?” I ask confused.

“Sorry, Nic. It’s just business. You got caught up in it. It’s time Dragon’s brought down and sadly girl, you are a sure way to keep him so wrapped up in his head. He has no idea what’s going on,” he says, grabbing my arm and pulling me up. He lets me go, then grabs Dani by the hair of the head. He holds a gun to her as he urges us around the rock.

Another man is on the other side holding a gun. I don’t know him. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen him before.

“How could you betray Dragon like this? He thinks of you like his brother?” I ask Irish. I’m not really trying to stall at this point. My mind is racing on how to get out of this, but really I’m pretty sure I’m going to die. I try to keep the tears from falling though, because I don’t want to give Irish that victory.

“Just business, Nic. Dragon and Dancer pissed off the wrong people. The same people offered me a sweet deal to help them get revenge. Club makes a fuck of a lot of money, but Dragon’s gone soft trying to keep everything legal. Once I’m in control and part of Phoenix’s pipeline, I can live in the Bahamas and rake in the cash.”

“So you’re betraying your brother for money?”

“Fucking shut it. What are you doing telling this whore our business?” the other man hollers out.

Because he’s a moron!

Bad Nicole whispers and though that is a hundred percent certainty, I fear I know the real reason.

“What does it matter anyway? She’ll be dead and we’ll be long gone by the time Dragon finds her, or her friend.”

Oh yeah see, I totally knew the real reason.

“It matters. You don’t follow instructions well! I know I told you to make sure Dragon didn’t find out about this until the deed was done, yet here we are.”

“I had to report in after Nailer came through, if I hadn’t it would have been too suspicious. This way I can still play my role and spy on Dragon until you make your big move,” Irish defends.

The other man looks totally unconvinced, but instead of responding asks, “Which one of you killed my friend Tiny?”

I should feel guilt that he died, but I can’t seem to drum it

“That’d be me, but I thought he survived. You’ll excuse me if I don’t shed any tears over him,” I say trying to sound badass. In truth, I’m shaking inside and terrified. If I somehow survived this, I don’t think I’ll ever forget the way it feels to have a gun pointed at you.

“Oh he lived, but I had to kill him for being such a fucking moron,” the man explains, as if he’s talking about his grocery list.

“Well since you’re doing the world a favor and ridding it of morons, maybe you could turn the gun on yourself,” Dani pipes up.

If I wasn’t so terrified, I would smile.

The man looks at Dani and curls his lips and then just shoots her. I scream and go to her, falling down as I try to catch her. He shot her in the leg, and while that’s a good place to get shot, if you had to get shot, there’s instantly a lot of blood. I tear her shirt and try and stuff it on the wound, pushing it tight while the two men above us are laughing.

“A pity, Tiny spoke highly of you. I was going to add you to my stable. Can’t stand a mouth like that though. Of course, if you survive I could cut your tongue out and still use you. Hmmm…” The pig seemed to truly be considering this.

“I’m going to meet up with the others. Take care of the whores and meet us at the docks.”

“Might be more powerful if Nicole here is a gift,” Irish suggests cryptically, and I don’t know what this gift is, but I’m thinking it’s not good.

“True, but think how much fun it’ll be to deliver both. Just do your job and be quick about it.”

“You got it.” With that, the other guy leaves out the way he came. Irish walks around in front of us and I want to kill him. He seems so calm, so detached, while Dani lays there bleeding out. How could I have ever thought he was a good guy? “Aw Nic girl, don’t look at me like that. This is just business. You just picked the wrong dick to hang onto. I was actually planning on giving you a go, but I’m sick of Dragon’s leftovers. So you pretty much sealed your own fate.”

“I wouldn’t fuck you if you were the last man on earth.”

“Don’t make me prove you a liar girl. We both know I can. I’m tempted actually, but I don’t have the time and unlike Dragon, I like to enjoy my women,” he says walking closer to me.

He grabs my hair and pulls me away from Dani. She’s not talking at all now and she looks like she’s passed out. At least I hope that’s what is going on. I feel the panic begin to overwhelm me. I try to strike out at him, hit him, claw him—do anything really—but, he takes the butt of his gun and slams it into the side of my face.

He probably didn’t use full strength, because it doesn’t knock me out, but I am literally seeing stars. I fall back to the ground looking up at Irish, or rather a couple of him. My vision is blurry and he swims in front of me. I register he’s aiming his gun at me and I realize it’s over. I’m half laying on Dani and she didn’t even move, so I figure I’ve already lost her. I close my eyes and picture Dragon’s face one more time. An image of the way he looked before I fell asleep last night comes to mind. Exactly how he looked when he told me I had him. I don’t know what comes after this world, but I pray whatever it is I’ll find Dragon in it.

“Nic, baby! Mama, where are you?” I hear Dragon call out in the distance.

I want to speak up, but I can’t. I figure I’m dreaming, but I shake my head to try and figure out exactly what is going on.

“Fuck!” This comes from Irish. He sounds panicked, so maybe I’m not dreaming. Irish starts to back away towards the rock where Dani and I first hid. I try and steady myself and lurch up to stand, but sway dangerously—almost falling back down. At least my vision seems to be clearing a little.

“Dragon,” I call out, or whisper, I can’t be sure, so I try again. “Dragon!” Shit, was that any louder?

I hear Dragon running towards us now. I look back at Irish and he’s still pointing the gun. I know instantly what he has planned. Dragon makes it into my vision before I run towards him, trying to shield him.