The Absolution of Aidan(68)

Son of a bitch. That voice I’ve hated since the day the little prick was born strains my ears. Fuck him. I keep applying the pressure to my friend’s wound, ignoring his demand once again. “I’ll kill you right the fuck here.” I feel the butt of the gun at the back of my skull. “Do it, you fucking pussy.” The gun clicks. I close my eyes, prepared to die right here. Nothing happens for several seconds. The lighting is vague without my phone. I lift one hand off of Dilan’s still body, grab Stefano’s phone that lies face down on Dilan’s bloody stomach, and shove it into the front of my pants. I then laugh at the coward until I’m yanked up from behind and shoved face first into the side of a brick wall.

My hands are snapped securely with cuffs behind my back before I can even try and fight back. Pain is surging through my wrist and upper arms. I will not let this fucker know I’m in pain.

“Get him in the van. We need to get the hell out of here,” Junior snarls at my unknown attacker.

“Where is she, Ryan Drexler?” I yell his name as loud as I can, praying like a motherfucker someone hears me. “Shut him up.” I’m dragged like a heavy box toward a dark-colored van behind the building. I resist, making his movements slow down. I hear the faint glitter of a siren in the distance. With every step this asshole takes, I poke and jab my feet forcefully in the opposite direction, doing everything I can to stall, to resist.

The sirens become louder, he pulls harder. “You cocksucker.” I twist out of the bastard’s hold and face my demented attacker. “You always had a dirty mouth, Aidan. I wonder how dirty it would be if I blew your goddamn brains out?” I spit in his face. “Do it. You’ll still never get what you want.” He says nothing as he wipes my spit from his nasty face.

I react, head-butting the piece of shit. Bones crunch. Blood spills out of his nose. “Shit. Get him in the goddamn van.” Fuck that. I’m not going down as easily as he may think. I kick him in his balls. Ram my head into his chest, knocking him off balance. Shots ring out in the air as he crumbles to the ground.

Reaction is a curious motherfucker. I’m ready to stomp him in his fucked-up face when the lights from the ambulance quickly approach. I’m lifted off of my feet by his crazy man and tossed into the back of the van, the solid steel doors slamming in my face.

“Fuck,” I yell. The front doors slam shut. My body is whipping around, slamming into… “Jesus, what have you done to her?” Anna is bound and gagged, beaten nearly half to death.

“Shut your mouth, Aidan,” the belittling little asshole barks through his busted-up face. He is going to have to do a hell of a lot more that make idle threats if he wants me to shut up.

“I’ve always known you were worthless, but hell, man, I never thought you had it in you to kill anyone, let alone your dad. You had me fooled. I mean, Christ, I always thought you had a pussy instead of a dick, you know?” I shrug even though he can’t see me.

I’m met with silence. I watch him as he busily does his best to clean himself up. The dashboard lights from the van show off just enough light. He’s pissed. Good. I enjoy a good game of antagonizing the prick!

“Aidan,” Anna gurgles my name. “Anna. Can you sit up? Let me look at you.” I scooch in her direction. “My hands are cuffed.” I twist my body around so she can see. If she can see anything at all. Her face is so messed up. God. I will kill him if I have the chance. I swear to god I will beat him to death with my own hands.

“He’s crazy. He… he shot Dilan,” she whispers. Tears are streaming down her face. “I know. I found him. Stefano called an ambulance. He’s going to be fine.” Her eyes flutter closed briefly. She exhales deeply, like the woman had been holding her breath the entire time, more concerned about Dilan than herself. She’s one tough woman. I’m not about to add any more to her pain by telling her Dilan may die.

She may have the blood of a selfish son of a bitch running through her veins, but she is nothing like him. She’s caring. After she gets her dainty little self up, she holds on to the side of her ribs, wincing and trying to clamp in those cries of pain. Her hands are tied in the front, scraped and bleeding. Christ, my gut spins, sticks on autopilot at the sight of her. Guilt claws at my throat. I let out a deep breath. Everything inside of me is struggling within themselves. God, I’ve failed once again to protect someone. And then there are Dilan and Stefano. Will they make it? If they don’t… My mind cannot go there. They fucking have to make it.