Ember

 

That stupid son of a bitch. He’d made this whole thing into a mess ten times the size of what it needed to be. Why couldn’t he have just listened to me? Pay up, get the girl, and everyone would be able to go home safe and sound. But no, that fuckin’ idiot refused to give up any coin. He thought he was being a hard-ass, standing up to the “criminal element.” Fuck that and fuck him – and fuck that slimy bitch Pincer, too, just for good measure. They could all burn in hell as far as I was concerned.

 

But the fact remained that they had cooked up one hell of a disastrous situation and I was gonna have to deal with it no matter what. There was no way I could let Baudelaire and his gang of jolly dumbasses come running into the park, all guns blazing, only for Selena to take a bullet between the eyes because her daddy thought he was a tough guy. I owed her that much, at least.

 

All of which explains how I came to be thirty feet off the ground in a tree, squeezed into the most ungodly, uncomfortable position I’d ever been in, holding a gun to my chest and trying not to breathe too loudly. I had good lines of sight to the two main entrances to the park and to the clearing below where the meeting was going to take place. The sun had set a couple hours ago, pushing most of the civilians out of the park. Now, it was quiet and empty.

 

Fuck, this shit was ridiculous. And if it had been any other girl but Selena, I would’ve been long gone, halfway back to Houston by now. But it was Selena, and I wasn’t going anywhere. I couldn’t deny the rush of emotions that tore through me every time I thought of her face or those banged-up wrists of hers. More to the point, I couldn’t deny that raging hard-on that popped up every time I reflected back on how she’d looked when she rubbed her soaking pussy against my dick and then slid me inside of her. That was sex on a different level, something I’d never ran across before. Part of me wasn’t sure if I wanted to run across it again. The shit sure was a lot to handle. Fucking random club whores was simpler and easier.

 

But goddamn, I thought to myself, it just isn’t the same.

 

I needed to focus on something else, anything else. Sitting up in this fucking tree reminiscing about fucking Selena wasn’t gonna save her life, and popping a boner was only gonna make the position I was sitting in that much more uncomfortable. I busied myself with checking my equipment instead.

 

On my way from Selena’s father’s house, I’d stopped by a gun shop belonging to a friend of the Inked Angles. I’d started to explain the situation, but the man had only held up a hand and said, “Say no more. What do you need, son?”

 

I’d grinned. This was the kind of guy I liked dealing with. Without another word, he’d loaded me down with gear like I was about to storm motherfucking Normandy. I had flash bangs, automatic pistols, night vision binoculars, and a sniper rifle that could pick the zit off a hooker’s nose from ten blocks over. This wasn’t no kiddy shit, no “just-fuckin’-around” shit. This was warfare weaponry.

 

And here came the war.

 

I saw a truck and a horde of motorcycles trundling up along the western path of the park. I zoomed in on the binoculars, trying to get an accurate count of what I was dealing with. There were maybe twenty men, all wearing black ski masks, and armed to the teeth. I figured Selena was in the truck, but I couldn’t get a good enough line to make her out.

 

To say I had a plan would be a bit of an overstatement. There was no way of knowing what the Lost Souls had up their sleeves. That was the problem with down-on-their-luck men – just like junkyard dogs, you never know what to expect when they decide to go on the offensive. I was prepared for anything, but I was gonna have to hope that an opportunity presented itself to me. The backup plan was simply to spray bullets indiscriminately across all those bastards. Given the risk to Selena, I was hoping to avoid that particular course of action.

 

The vehicles kicked up a cloud of dust as they left the asphalt and hit the dirt road that led into the woods. The tree tops masked them from view as they entered.

 

Right on cue, I saw motion in the east. A caravan of sleek black SUVs slid down the road. At the mouth of the park entrance, they came to a halt, drawing around in a semi-circle. I saw two dozen or so men leap out. They were each clad head to toe in tactical night gear, clutching shiny guns to their chests. Last out of the car was a broad-chested silhouette that I recognized instantly – Baudelaire. He leaned haughtily against the hood of the car as the soldiers fell into formation and received orders from a bald man standing in front of them.

 

Pincer. Fuckin’ asshole.

 

He pointed in a few different directions. At each gesture, a segment of men sprang off towards where he directed them. The rustles of their movement through the wildlife disappeared quickly as they dispersed.

 

I spun back to the west. “Where are you, motherfuckers?” I growled to myself. Wait a second – there they were. A flash of motion between the trees caught my attention. I saw the Lost Souls grouped up, receiving orders. Every few seconds, a new group broke off to take their post.

 

“Fuck,” I whispered. “Motherfucking fuck.”

 

They shouldn’t be breaking apart. That was exactly what I didn’t want to see. I wanted them to stay together like they were trying to intimidate Baudelaire, not spread apart like they were about to try to ambush his ass.

 

This was going to end badly.

 

I kept watching as the Lost Souls encircled the western half of the park around the clearing. The territories had been set – Souls on the west, Pincer & Co. on the east. The clearing itself sat at the bottom of a bowl-like natural depression in the landscape. The woods rose up on all sides. The tree I was sitting in looked over the whole thing, set back about five hundred yards from the edge of the treeline.

 

I waited a few minutes until silence fell back over everything. The two factions had been too far apart to see or hear one another, but I had seen the whole thing, and a creeping sense of dread was pouring into my stomach. I prayed that they didn’t discover each other before the transaction had taken place. If either side ran into the other ahead of schedule, gunfire would erupt in every direction, and the whole clearing would become a very dangerous spot to be.

 

Nothing moved for a while. It was pitch black now. Clouds covered the night sky, blotting out the stars and moon. Beneath the canopy, it was even darker.

 

A stick cracked. It sounded like footsteps. Below – a few hundred yards to the west. I listened closely. People – three of them. Two voices, low, whispering. Definitely male. Thick bayou accents. Lost Souls, then.

 

I started to creep down to a lower branch. I had to move slow – if I went too quickly, my gear would clank against the tree and let the whole world know that I was perched up here. I’d be a sitting duck. The last thing I wanted was to end up with my stuffed head nailed above a Lost Souls fireplace mantle.

 

I paused about twenty feet above the ground, low enough to see the forest floor while still staying above some leafy branches to provide camouflage. The men talking to each other were louder now, though I still couldn’t make out what they were saying. They kept walking in my direction.

 

I eased a knife out of its sheath on my leg. It felt good to have some weight in my hand. My heartbeat was slow, but each pump was strong and furious. It was almost time. My watch read 11:55 p.m.

 

Five minutes.

 

I racked my brains, hoping to come up with some brilliant idea that hadn’t occurred to me yet. I reviewed the facts of the situation: Lost Souls spread throughout the woods on my right, Baudelaire’s men on my left. Big death-bowl sitting in the middle, which of course was where everything was about to take place. I had to find a way to swoop in, grab Selena, and get the fuck out of there, before someone tagged my ass with a bullet. Good thing there were only forty heavily armed men who stood between us and our escape. Should be a piece of cake.

 

11:58. Two minutes.

 

The group moved into my line of sight. I saw two men in ski masks, guns dangling by their sides. And then, between them – Selena.

 

I gave her a quick up and down. She didn’t seem to be harmed, although her wrists were bound again. Her face was a churning mix of fear and depression, like she hadn’t quite decided yet whether this was just the type of life she was destined for. Well, if I had anything to say about it, that wouldn’t be the case.

 

I thought about taking both of the men out from right where I sat, but before I could even load my gun, the shorter one took Selena to the far side of a thick tree, out of firing range. Shit. The taller guy stood alongside them, wavering in and out of my scope. Even if I’d wanted to eliminate him, the other guy would have plenty of time to run away with Selena before I could catch up. That option was a no-go. I had to keep waiting.

 

I glanced down at my watch again. 11:59. Any minute now, Baudelaire was going to enter the clearing to meet the president of the Lost Souls and hand over the money.

 

Midnight. Clearing was still empty. I heard a noise from below and looked over, surprised. The taller man had broken away from his partner and Selena and was walking towards the base of the tree where I sat. My grip on the knife tightened. Did he know I was here? He approached the trunk and circled around to the far side. Don’t you dare look up, I said to myself. If he saw me, everything was gonna go to hell…

 

He unzipped his pants and started to piss.

 

The breath that had been caught in my throat whistled out with a sigh. Thank God. He hadn’t seen me. He was just peeing in the woods. I heard him grumbling to himself as he shook off and zipped up.

 

Fuck. I saw motion in the bowl. Baudelaire, walking from the east towards the center. I had to act now. I looked down. The man had just begun to turn to walk back. I had an idea.

 

Before I could second guess it, I jumped out of the tree.

 

My booted feet crashed into the man’s back. We fell into the bushes at the foot of the tree. The impact had knocked the wind out of my lungs, but I didn’t have time to hesitate. Three quick stabs to the throat, and the man lay still. Thankfully, he hadn’t made a noise. Blood leaked from the wounds.

 

“You dumb motherfucker,” I said to him. I pulled the mask off his head and yanked it down over my own. He’d been gone too long – I had to hurry back.

 

I jogged to where Selena and the other Lost Soul were standing.

 

“Sorry,” I said, pitching my voice low. “Fell in the bushes.”

 

“You idiot,” he shot back, pissed at the man he thought was his partner.

 

“Yeah, well –”

 

“Shh, shut the fuck up. He’s here.”

 

I fell silent.

 

“Take front,” he commanded, pointing with his gun towards the clearing.

 

I tried to get him to switch positions. If I was in rear, it would only take one quick shot to his back, then I’d be able to take Selena and run. “Lemme get the back,” I said.

 

The man seethed. “Shut the fuck up and walk, idiot.” He pointed the gun at me.

 

Goddammit. These bastards really were insane. I didn’t have a choice. I glanced at Selena, trying to let her know with my eyes that I was here, that she was safe. She refused to look up from the ground. I was screaming at her in my head – Look up, look at me! It’s Ember! – but she didn’t make eye contact. I had nothing else to do, so I started walking towards the one place in the woods I had been desperate to avoid.

 

We approached the edge of the clearing and paused. Out in the middle, two figures were standing in front of each other and conversing. The echo of their voices rang around the enclosure. I listened in closely.

 

“Where’s my daughter?” Baudelaire demanded.

 

“Gimme the money and you’ll get her back,” said the Lost Soul.

 

“I want to see my daughter first.”

 

“You ain’t the one calling the shots around here.”

 

“I’m not giving you a damn thing until I’ve seen my daughter!”

 

“Lower your tone, Pops. I don’t like bein’ talked down to, you understand?”

 

“No Selena, no money. Simple as that.”

 

The Lost Soul stepped forward until he was chest-to-chest with the old man. I pleaded silently for Baudelaire to drop the tough guy act and just give him the money. I knew it was a pipe dream, but there was always a chance. As long as the Lost Soul didn’t push him too far…

 

I saw the flash of metal. A gun was pressed against the underside Baudelaire’s chin. “I said, give me the money, old timer,” hissed the Lost Soul.

 

I cursed inwardly. There was no way that a crotchety, prideful son of a bitch like Baudelaire would back down from that. There was no going back. Things were about to get ugly.

 

Baudelaire raised his hands in mock surrender. “Okay, okay,” he said in a hushed voice. “I have your money right here.” He pointed at the briefcase he’d set on the ground to his right.

 

“Open it.”

 

“Okay, I’m reaching to open it, see? Just put the gun down, please.”

 

The Lost Soul lowered the gun to his side. He licked his lips as Baudelaire leaned over and reached for the lid of the case. His fingers popped the clasps as it fell open to reveal neat stacks of hundred dollar bills.

 

“Please, just let me see my daughter. Then it’s all yours.”

 

“Bring the girl,” called the Lost Soul into the night.

 

“That’s us,” said the man behind me. I swallowed. Fuck.

 

We walked into the open – me in front, Selena in the middle, the other Lost Soul bringing up the rear. Slowly, one step at a time, we approached the two men who faced each other in the center of the clearing.

 

Ten yards away, five yards away, two yards away…

 

Then, everything erupted.

 

Baudelaire ripped a gun from a hidden holster on his leg and fired a quick three shots into the Lost Soul president’s stomach. The man collapsed, gurgling, but not before he squeezed a return round that nailed Selena’s father square in the center of the chest.

 

Sniper fire and the rattle of automatic rifles began to tear across the woods as both sides opened fire. I spun, dropped to my knees, and unleashed a shot directly between the eyes of the fat Lost Soul behind Selena. He fell to the ground with the world’s most surprised expression on his face.

 

There was no time to waste. Bullets were whizzing by overhead as I grabbed Selena’s hand. “Run!” I barked. We sprinted back into the woods.

 

A slug buried itself into a tree trunk right behind my head as we ran at top speed, weaving between branches and bushes, headed north.

 

A Lost Soul popped out of a tree a dozen yards ahead. I shoved Selena to the right as I dove to the left, just in time to avoid a spray of gunfire that would have torn us apart if we hadn’t moved. I rolled to the far side of a monstrous tree and threw a flash bang in his direction. It exploded, sending light and deafening noise ricocheting through the night. Ears ringing loud enough to drown out all other sound, I ran back to Selena, scooping her up in my arms as we kept surging forward.

 

We had to get away from the danger behind us, then find a way back to my bike so we could make our way out. I looked down as we passed the man I’d flash banged. The sides of his head were streaked with the blood leaking from his punctured eardrums and his eyes were crossed back in his skull. Poor bastard.

 

“Who the fuck are you?” Selena yelled at me as we ran. I pulled the sweaty mask off and looked at her. Her eyes bulged. “Ember! Oh my God!”

 

“No time to talk, babe. We gotta go, before one or both of us gets killed.” I squeezed her hand in mine and pulled her to keep moving. “My bike is at the edge of the park. If we can get there, I know a back road that’ll take us out of here.”

 

“I don’t think so,” came an eerily familiar voice. “Neither of you will be leaving.”

 

I stopped on my heels and slowly turned around, dreading the sight of the son of a bitch I knew was behind me.

 

Pincer.

 

I grinned. “Good to see you again, amigo.”

 

“If only I could say the same,” he replied. The gun he held in his hand was prepared to do some seriously irreparable harm to my body. Selena and I slowly slid apart from each other.

 

“Well, I was just being polite. I actually think you’re a slimy fuckin’ spawn of the devil, if you’d like to know the truth.”

 

“Charming, as always.”

 

“So I’ve been told.”

 

As we talked, guns pointed at each other, Pincer took slow strides forward. I stood my ground cautiously. My finger took the trigger past its first click. I was biding my time, waiting for a window.

 

“Selena, walk this way, darling,” Pincer said.

 

“Don’t move,” I told her. She stayed put.

 

Pincer raised an eyebrow. “I advise you to give the girl to me.”

 

“I advise you to shut the fuck up,” I replied.

 

A millimeter more and the gun would fire. Waiting, waiting…

 

A crashing noise emerged from the bushes to our right. I didn’t hesitate before throwing another flash bang with my left hand as I raised and squeezed off two rounds with my right. I saw Pincer shield his eyes and screech as he fell to the ground. I wasn’t sticking around to see if I’d hit the bastard. I grabbed Selena’s hand and towed her in my wake as I hauled ass deeper into the forest.

 

We ran hard for five or six minutes until we couldn’t draw in another breath. The footsteps pursuing us had grown quieter, but I had no doubt that the flash bangs would have drawn attention. We couldn’t keep running. There were too many of them, and one look at Selena told me that her body didn’t have much left in the tank. We needed to find a place to hide while both the Lost Souls and Pincer’s men moved past us.

 

I jogged a few yards ahead and saw a fallen tree over a deep divot in the ground. Peering between the loose branches, I noticed a small hollow that would be perfect for two people to lay in side by side.

 

“Come on,” I gestured to Selena. “Take my hand and climb down.” I lowered her into the hole and followed behind her, tugging branches overhead to conceal our hiding spot.

 

We hardly dared to breathe as the sounds of men lumbering past us came and went. I wanted so badly to say something to her to take the fear out of her eyes, but I couldn’t risk speaking. Instead, I pulled her against my chest and wrapped my arms around her. I tried to calm my heartbeat. All I could do was look into her eyes and let her see that mine were steady and present.

 

Fuck, I was starting to love this girl. I wasn’t sure whether it was due to the bullets I’d ducked under to save her ass, or the lengths I’d gone to just to track her down, or the wild, intense sex we’d had back in the motel room – lifetimes ago, it felt like. I didn’t know what the reason was and I didn’t care. All I knew was that, when I looked into her eyes and she looked back into mine, I felt something that was better than any feeling I’d ever had in my life. I wanted that feeling forever.

 

The only issue was that our “forever” might only last a few more minutes.