“Come on,” Emery turned out the light and was out the door. I followed her automatically, still processing what had happened.
I realized Luci hadn’t ever come back just as his fist hit my jaw. Caught off guard, I rolled on the ground. Luci kicked my side before his body came down and trapped me. He elbowed my face, trying to secure my hands. The jarring pain brought me back to my senses and I managed to slip out of his massive paws. A real fight now, I put up my fists, letting him stand before I took a hit.
Thinking of Shirley, the blood, my mother dead on the cold tile floor of the truck stop, Halley, I punched right in his big open mouth, his teeth scraping my knuckles. Luci fell on his ass, and I heard Emery scream, “Come on.” He was as unarmed as I was and there’d be time to get to my bike, but, suddenly, it wasn’t enough to have the big guy on the ground.
The blood turned her black hair red as the puddle grew around her.
I kicked him in the neck. Jumped, hammering my knee into Luci’s chest and struck him again. His hands grabbed me, and I saw Serpiente’s scarred face as he picked me up as if I were a sack of potatoes.
Luci head butted me, and I rolled off him. I couldn’t see straight but felt his big fist sting my cheek.
The old man threw me on the table and pulled open my shirt. “Who the fuck do you think you’re dealing with kid? I’ll gut you like a pig.”
“Go to hell.”
“Son, I am Satan. Welcome to hell.” The blade stabbed as I fought against the pain. Squeezing my eyes shut, I tried to picture my parent’s faces one last time but all I could see was my mom’s pitch-black hair dripping red. All I could hear was her blood-curdling scream before silence fell and the life seeped from her eyes. “We’ll keep the girl.” Halley… my little sister’s name echoed through me, chilling me to the bone before all went black.
Somehow, I was back on top, straddling Luci’s chest. My fist pounded again and again until Luci no longer had a nose.
“He’s dead,” Emery screamed, crying as I reared my fist back again. The bloody stump on the ground used to be a head, but you’d never know.
“Fuck Scar, there’s teeth in your hair.” Emery reached out for my mangled hand. “We’ve got to get out of here.”
For a girl who wanted to die, she was awfully good at staying alive. Looking into her eyes, I didn’t know what to believe anymore. Emery had a connection to the Armenian Mafia. If that wasn’t bad enough, she’d killed my friend without asking. There was only one thing to do. I seized her from behind, cupping my hand over her nose and mouth until she passed out from lack of oxygen. I checked her pulse and threw her over my shoulder. Heading to my bike, I brightened; I had a hundred grand to buy my sister back from the Sons of Satan. Emery wanted to die anyway and in seven sunsets, she’d get her wish.