She’s a Runner Read online

  I didn’t need anymore help being a monster.

  “Are you insane, Medoe? Did you smoke too much? This man would kill you if he had the chance.” Andreas growled again.

  Fucking stubborn men. I was rethinking all the progress I’d made towards letting people into my life. “Listen, you’re both right here,” I looked around Andreas as I said it. “He is clearly not going anywhere after his tussle with Silas, I mean look at him!” I pointed to the man. “He didn’t even try to escape through the back way and through the field while we’ve been arguing like children. Let me try this my way and if it doesn’t yield results, then you can do it your way. But I’m having no part of killing anyone, I’ll leave if that’s what it comes to and after I do, it’s not my business anymore.”

  Andreas didn’t move. I could tell there was a war going on in his mind. I looked over my shoulder at Silas, he was staring at our captive. He wouldn’t look back at me, even though I knew he could see me looking his way. Oh well, tough titty kitty, two can play at the ignoring game.

  I turned back to Andreas, “Well?”

  He hung his head and stepped out of the way.

  I approached the man, kicking what had to be the tranq gun farther away as I passed it. I knelt down to the ground about two feet away from the man, which caused both Silas and Andreas to rush us, guns drawn again.

  The man squeezed his eyes shut when he saw me get to his level. So, he knew what kind of risk he faced. “Hello, my name is Medoe, but you already know that don’t you? We’re going to have a little chat, and if I like what I hear maybe you’ll get out of this alive. Lie to me, refuse to answer, or make me unhappy, and I’m going to let these two strong, virile, men with itchy trigger fingers do with you as they please, understand? Nod if you understand.”

  The man barely moved but he was nodding. Good enough for me. Time to get some answers.

  Chapter 11

  I looked back up into my friends faces. Silas wasn’t ready to let this go and it was painted all over his face. I turned to Andreas, he looked calm, but his jaw was clenched and his eyes held a deadly gleam that was barely noticeable.

  I removed the scarf from my neck and tied it around our captives head. I looked towards Andreas sensing he needed the distraction more, “Andreas would you bind him. I think you’re going to get me up in those high rise apartments after all. I need somewhere private and away from prying ears.”

  His head whipped my way and it only took him a moment to snap out of his anger trance, and to jump into action. He turned quickly and with purpose, hauling his cell phone out and speed dialing a number that looked like he had dialed it a million times. Striding away I heard the tail end of his greeting.

  I knew he was calling Alvarez, his head of security. I’d only seen him once, when we entered the club, and if that one glance was anything to go by, his title should’ve been Head of Sexcurity. He was dripping in come hither, but it was all shrouded in a cloud of ‘I could kill you with a toothpick’, so there was that.

  In just a few minutes - quiet, silent awkward minutes - a sleek, blacked out sedan pulled into the alleyway. DeathSex Alveraz stepped out from behind the wheel and without a word to anyone approached my captive, and grabbed him by his collar. I started to protest, but Silas grabbed my arm and started pulling me towards the car too.

  “You could loosen your grip there coffee god, I’m not the criminal here.” I commented. His grip was firm, nothing that hurt or that would bruise but it wasn’t friendly either.

  “You’re determined to get yourself hurt, or killed aren’t you?” he whispered. He didn’t look down to me, his focus straight ahead, on the car.

  Silas didn’t understand. He couldn’t, because I hadn’t been honest with him. He didn’t know that I had somehow caused those boys deaths, he didn’t know that these men after me thought I was a monster, or that I did too. He didn’t know that this man was the absolute best chance I’d ever come across to getting some answers. He didn't know how much this meant to me.

  I didn’t know if I could let him in, if I could make him understand. However, it was clear that things were coming to a head. I either let the cat out of the bag, or I was going to have to branch out on my own. Slip away, run, and start over. At least I knew what I was looking for now, or rather, who.

  I didn’t respond to his question. I didn’t think he’d meant for me to. When we reached the car, Silas opened the passenger door and gave me a gentle push.

  “Okay, okay,” I complied. “I’m a big girl though, I can buckle myself okay?” I glared at Silas until he turned away with a grunt. He walked around the front of the car and got behind the wheel. I looked to the back, Andreas had our captive tied up, with a gun to his head. “Turn back around.”

  “Oh, not you too!” I whined. These guys were insufferable. How could they be angry with me. Silas I could kind of understand. What kind of coffee shop owner had to deal with this shit. But Andreas had his fingers in every damn honey pot in the city, and I’d wager his devils tail dipped into the underworld market too, he had no room to judge. “Haven’t you ever had to get information before?”

  His eyebrows raised in defiance but it quickly fled him. I saw the exact moment he understood me. Good, one down one to go.

  The engine purred and the lights flared to life. Alvarez saluted the car from where he stood in the headlights and pulled out his cell phone. He turned back to the alleyway and started searching the ground as he spoke into the cell.

  I reached over my shoulder and buckled myself in. I watched the street lights pass by as we traveled away from the club.

  I must have nodded off because the next conscious thought I had was nonsense about a pink elephant and a pair plaid socks.

  “Turn here, go around the back. I rent out the bottom floors, but only to 9-5 businesses, it’ll be empty. We can go up the executive elevator to the penthouse.” Andreas’ deep voice rumbled behind me.

  I sat up straight and rubbed my eyes. We were entering an underground parking garage. We were here. Well, that was quick and painless. Much better than sitting in a car with two stewing over-protective asshats in silence.

  We exited the car, neither man speaking to me still. Andreas pulled the captive from the back bench seat. Both men trained their guns on him.

  “Wait!” I squeaked through the sleepiness that still coated my throat. “I have to see about something first, before we take him up.”

  Andreas looked at me quizzically. “It’s your show Medoe.” I thanked the gods that he was starting to see where I was coming from. The less resistance I faced the easier this was going to be for me.

  I walked over to the man that was held between Silas and Andreas. They pushed him to his knees and I huffed. I needed to be on the same level as the man for this to work. I crouched down to look the man in the face, but he had already diverted his gaze.

  “What’s your name?” I asked.

  He was silent for a moment before he spoke. He kept his eyes off of my face. He looked like what I imagined I did when I was trying not to hurt someone. Pretty pathetic to be looking at it from this side. This man definitely knew things about me. “My name is Calix.”

  His voice sounded like it was laced with defeat, but there was a strength to it I recognized. Buried deep behind whatever play this man was putting on was a like soul, one that called to me. He couldn’t hide it from me, because I was the same, we were survivors.

  That made him dangerous. Was I being foolish keeping him alive? Were Andreas and Silas angry for the right reasons? Calix could be a threat. Bringing him here could be a mistake. I was already sympathizing with him, making invisible connections, that could get me into a shit pile of manipulation.

  Or, it could be just what you need, a voice called out in my mind. Tessssst him. Kissssss him.

  It wouldn’t be until later that I realized the voices logic and strategy made absolutely no sense, but in the moment I went with it. I closed the distance between our faces, and laid my li
ps on his. His breath came out in a short surprised breath, but he soon melted into the ravishing of his mouth, the tangle of tongues. I wanted to roll in the feeling of his arousal.

  Wait! I screamed at myself. What in the actual fuck did I just think. How had I felt his arousal. It had felt so familiar, and then I realised I had felt something almost the same when Andreas was staring at my ass outside Silas’ coffee shop.

  I pushed away from Calix and left him wide eyed, and heavy lidded. It was an intoxicating look on the man. Shut the Fuck up Medoe. No perving on the captive.

  “Don’t close your eyes,” I demanded. “Don’t look away.”

  He did as he was told, but a look of resignation painted his face blue once again, all the surprise and excitement drained from him, but the threat of lust that hovered behind his eyes like a dragon waiting to pounce, couldn’t hide from me.

  We gazed into one another's eyes for a few long moments. I remarked to myself how beautiful his forest green eyes were as I watched the emotions run through them. I imagined I mirrored some of them.

  First he winced as if pain were coming and he was bracing himself, than confusion, then wonder, then the excitement filtered back in. Either he was just as immune as Andreas and Silas or my curse was still broken. I had to know, but how did I test it without killing someone?

  I stood back up, ignoring the smile that had spread across Calix’s face, like a canyon splitting the earth. He mumbled something to himself but I couldn’t make it out.

  Andreas and Silas both look speechless for the first time since this all started. I wasn’t in the mood to explain what just happened or why. I wasn’t even sure I knew myself.

  “Upstairs, guys. Let’s get upstairs now.” I didn’t wait for their replies. I turned and headed for the elevator. Considering it was a private penthouse entrance, you would have thought they would’ve been a tad more discreet with its location, but the signs that lit up the underground garage led me straight to it.

  I pressed the button like a maniac, over and over, but the light didn’t come and no mechanical sounds filled my ears. Maybe the cockswabbling thing was broken?

  I crossed my arms over my chest and tapped my foot. They couldn’t seriously be that far behind me. Seconds passed, but it felt like forever. The nights exhaustion slowly creeping in, was dragging me into cranky mode, and they didn’t want to see me in sleepy cranky mode. I needed munchies too, lots of munchies.

  Andreas came around the corner in front of Silas who had Calix over his shoulder unconscious.

  “Welcome to The Tower, Minx.” Andreas said charmingly, dragging my attention from the mess behind me. He might have thought his charm was enough to distract me but I wasn’t going to forget the fact that when I left them Calix was awake and now he wasn't.

  I needed answers and this dude had them. Why were they making this so difficult. I almost had exactly what I needed and the boys were none the wiser to my curse. I was getting my cake and about to eat the bitch too, but these two stubborn ass meat heads just kept putting obstacles in my way.

  Andreas flashed a card over a screen beside the elevator that I had failed to notice. Man I was getting rusty. I used to be really good at casing joints - it was a runner skill - but I had missed a lot lately, and went against a lot of my own rules.

  When the doors open we piled in. The silence in the small space was deafening. Who the fuck didnt have elevator music? I was going to have to bring this up with Mr. Money Mogul, another day. Today didn't quite seem like the day to test him.

  We came to the top floor and the elevator dinged. So it did actually have sound capabilities. Good. future plans of pimping out his private elevator could still proceed. The doors opened and I was taken aback for a second at just how homey the extremely large space was.

  The room had been gutted of all its internal walls, just beams encased in plaster columns littered the room, holding up the ceiling which was littered with large skylights all the way around. The four outside walls were painted a soft creamy color and beautiful rugs and tapestries lined the floors and walls. Each corner had more and more for the eye to explore. One held an architecturally amazing corner fireplace that looked to be made of soft round river stone and white marble with gold veins running through it. It had a three inch thick floating mantle that was polished to perfection. It clashed and flowed all at once. It was more art than anything else in the place. One of the other corners, directly across from the fireplace showcased a large water fountain shaped like a dragon, the water spewing forth from its mouth like acid fire.

  In the middle of the room a drop-floor living area was piled with cushy looking furniture and my body gravitated towards it. One piece in particular drew my eye, a large round chair that could fit three. I saw big fluffy cushions, soft deep pillows, polar fleece throws and everything else that made a napping spot perfect. I was owning that bitch in 2.3 minutes. It was calling to me and I was ready to brand my name on it.

  A hand fell on my shoulder and I jumped. I had zoned everything else out. I hadn’t noticed that Silas had walked passed me with Calix, and secured him to the modern steel bar - another work of art - or where he had gotten the handcuffs from.

  Andreas peered down at me with concerned eyes. “I’m going to call in some food. Any requests?” He waited a moment but my brain just wasn’t cooperating. I wanted to tell him to hell with the food we had an interrogation to conduct, but my napping chair, and my munchie gut was winning. I wanted to give him an answer but I really couldn’t pick. I shrugged.

  “Okay well, I’ll order a bit of everything. Go ahead and get comfy, it’s been a long night.” Andreas nudged his chin towards the chair I had been staring at dreamily. “That’s my favorite too. Enjoy.” He winked and walked over to where Silas stood vigil over our captive.

  Andreas pulled out his cellphone as I walked to the Napping Throne, but I couldn’t be bothered to listen in. He was probably calling to check in with Alvarez for updates on the alleyway debacle, making sure the security footage was saved, and trying to see if they could identify the license plate for that mysterious SUV. All those questions were still floating around in my mind too, but my body had a different idea, and I was inclined to listen this time. The exhaustion was becoming unbearable. Where had this fatigue come from?

  He would order food for us all, but it was going to go cold, and my questions were going to go unanswered, because I was fading too fast to fight it.

  Chapter 12

  When I woke up again it was morning. The sun filled the space like it had no ceiling at all. It almost made you feel like you were waking up on a cloud, but that didn’t last long once I got my eyes open and focused to the brightness.

  My hair was all over the pace, strands stuck to the corner of my mouth where I must have drooled. Oh god. Mortification wasn’t something I was used to, neither was waking up to a situation where people had watched me sleep. I wiped the crust away from my lip and scanned my surroundings.

  A few things came to my notice first. Andreas was asleep on the floor beside the chair, his jacket placed over top of my legs, and a pillow resting under his head. Our captive Calix was still cuffed to the metal bar, he sat on the floor his arms raised above his head off to one side. It looked uncomfortable, but his lolling head and closed eyes told me he’d found a way to sleep like that. Next was the fact that Silas was gone.

  I jumped from the chair and ran to the bathroom I hadn’t noticed last night. He wasn’t there. I didn’t have his number, either. Did I even still have my phone? I stopped and took a deep breath. Silas was a big boy, he could handle himself.

  I looked into the mirror over the bathroom sink. I looked like shit. I ran the water and cupped my hands under the stream, collecting just enough to splash on my face without drenching my clothes. Which were stanking with sweat. I left the bathroom and made my way to the far wall where Andreas’ california king bed sprawled across a raised platform. I’d noticed the large vanity dresser when I’d come in, surely he h
ad a t-shirt and some joggers in here he wouldn’t mind me wearing.

  I opened the cupboard doors and peered through his collection. I had a muscle shirt and a pair of gym shorts in my hand when my eye caught on a forest green shirt in the back. I pulled it out and laughed out loud. There was writing on it and I almost choked. The shirt read: I drink and I know things. Had Andreas been lying about not knowing what Game of Thrones was, or did he just not get that this was a reference. I supposed the saying fit. He owned and frequented his own night club often, and he seemed to know a lot of things. But! I snarked in my mind like a detective, That would be the outcome of having your own private investigator on speed dial.

  I grabbed the t-hsirt off the hanger and threw back the muscle shirt. I was going for some Tyrion today. I found my way back to the bathroom without waking Andreas, who surprisingly wasn’t snoring. I took him for a snorer, but hey even I was wrong sometimes.

  I filled the tub almost reluctantly. My most recent encounters with tubs weren’t on the positive side, but I just couldn’t help it, it had jets. JETS. I needed them like I needed caffeine.

  That reminded me, Silas still wasn’t back. Where was he?

  When I finished soaking and relaxing, Andreas, Calix and I were still the only ones in the penthouse. I frowned. Silas didn’t seem like the type to ghost people.

  Calix was sitting straighter, less pull on his arms. His eyes fixed on me as I strode from the bathroom. There had been so much silence and I was sick of it. I wanted to start asking him questions now, but I would wait. I didn’t want to do it alone.

  I’d elected to just use the t-shirt, the gym shorts falling off even when I pulled the string tight. If these grown men couldn’t handle me in a too long t-shirt, until one of them could go to the cafe and grab me some of my clothes, then tough titty.