Page 2 of Reckless

The Underwoods wouldn’t stand for this but maybe pissing them off would work out for my benefit. It left them vulnerable to lose such an asset and they’d be looking to replace him.

I didn’t have time to enjoy my kill though, because as I wiped the blood off the knife on the outside of my pants, a car pulled up, breaks screeching. Several men jumped out, guns aimed right in my direction shouting at me that I was dead. Fuck.

To my left, there was a rusty metal ladder, halfway pulled down from a fire escape. I sprinted towards it and lunged for the lowest hanging rung, catching it with one hand. The knife I clutched tightly in my other, trying not to drop it.

A barrage of bullets peppered the wall behind me with ear-splitting thwacks that zinged right past my head. Glass broke right above me as the bullets flew into a nearby window. I kicked my legs trying to get enough momentum to swing myself up. Thankfully, I had enough upper body strength to grasp the next rung. I barely made it, hoisting my weight one hand at a time as my injuries were catching up with me. With every zing of a bullet, I hoped that the hitmen would continue to miss.

But I spoke too fucking soon.

A hot searing pain sliced across my hip, and I screamed out in agony. I couldn’t let it slow me down though, no matter how much it hurt. To stop would mean defeat and death. I didn’t fancy ending up at the bottom of a lake. Kicking hard with every ounce of energy, I managed to keep climbing. Blood soaked through my pants as I moved. Fucking bastards doing the dirty work of a low-life criminal. I didn’t know how men like that could sleep at night.

My arms buckled as I continued to pull myself up the ladder, climbing with every spark of hatred I harbored for these people that ruined my fucking life.

Fueled by spite and revenge, a deep desperation to see those responsible for kidnapping my sister behind bars or six feet under resides deep within my ribs. I wasn’t picky.

“Don’t fucking let them get away,” I heard one of the men yell out as I make it to the landing. The ladder had led me to a fire escape that scaled the side of the building in a zig-zag fashion. My black leather boots clamored up the metal steps making the entire thing shake.

The gunfire stopped and I knew they were coming up after me. Thankfully, none of those men were too good of a shot or I wouldn’t even be standing here now. If they ever were looking for work, I’m sure they’d make excellent stormtroopers.

My feet carried me up the fire escape while my body cried out in pain. I covered my bleeding wound with my hand, feeling the blood drip down my skin making it warm and sticky. Dammit. I’d have to stitch that up later.

From where I stood on the roof, I could see the faint outline of the cityscape before me. The fog had lifted just enough that the neon lights of Polaris cut through leaving glowing red and yellow streaks slicing across the misted sky. The club I worked at wasn’t too far off. If I could make it just a few buildings over, I’d be able to hide there. Polaris was the perfect place for people who wanted to disappear.

Suddenly, a sharp stab to my brain stopped me in my tracks. An aura obscured my vision in a starburst of colors, and a blinding pain encompassed my entire head. I’d been prone to migraines my whole life, and they were commonly brought on by extreme stress. I guess getting in an accident, being shot and then chased will do it to you, but it couldn’t have come at a worse time. I knew from experience that I only had a few minutes before the migraine rendered me completely useless.

Urging my body forward, I began running until I was at the edge of the building. There was no time to think. I threw myself off the side with nothing but hope and audacity, eating air until I hit the next roof over, feet reverberating with the impact. My body tucked and rolled on instinct, propelling myself farther, faster. I had to move or they would for sure catch me.

I could hear them now, their voices and footsteps getting closer.

Lights pulsated in my vision, and I wobbled with each step. It would only be a matter of moments before they found me. I scrambled as quickly as my broken body would allow me. Every muscle and nerve ending screaming with protest with each sloppy movement. Black crept in on the edges of my vision as shouts followed me like my own shadow.

Polaris’s lights flashed, beckoning me closer as my legs shook with adrenaline. I only had to make it a few more buildings over and I’d be in the clear. With immense effort, I hoisted my leg over a short red brick wall and dropped down onto the next building. The flat garden topped roof gave me enough coverage that I could crouch down without being seen. Whoever lived here was bougie as fuck but had excellent taste. Flowers and plush patio chairs and tables filled nearly every corner. There were several strung up, soft fairy lights that looked like shimmering white halos with my impending migraine.

I couldn’t slow down and appreciate the decor though, because my eyesight was quickly fading. The aura made it difficult to see already, obscuring half my vision with a rainbow of colors that was darkening by the second. From the little I could make out—it appeared that the only way off this roof was to climb up the patio wall that was covered in foliage.

“They’re down there!” I heard someone yell, just as I was fitting my boot onto the ivy filled lattice. Shit.

When I attempted to duck, my boot got stuck in the diamond shaped hole and brought the whole structure down on top of me in a heap of broken wood and vines. If I got a splinter in my ass from this, I was going to be royally pissed.

Another round of bullets buzzed passed me, but I was already moving. Slipping out of the mess and spinning with practiced moves I’d done dozens of times before. My training was paying off. If I got out of here alive, I’d have to thank Janus for all their help. That crotchety old crone knew what the fuck they were doing, I’ll give them that, even if they were an annoying old turd most of the time and ridiculously overpriced.

Off to the side, a slim, black pole attached to the building caught in my periphery that I hadn’t seen earlier. It looked like it could stand to hold my weight, but I couldn’t sit and deliberate about it.

Not hesitating for even a second, I wrapped my legs around it and slid. It was too slick from the rain and my thighs and hands struggled to maintain my grip as I fell. My feet hit the ground hard with a shock that slammed up into my bones and my knees nearly buckled.

The migraine was even worse now. It felt like someone was splitting my head open with a crowbar, and it made me want to throw up. I was so close. All I needed to do was make it a few more steps and I would be free. It took all the strength I had to keep pumping my legs before I disappeared around the corner, enveloped by the familiar rancid scent of cigarette smoke and stale boos that permeated the alley of Polaris. My vision began to pulsate and spin, making every excruciating step feel like I was trudging through sludge.

Maybe I have a concussion, I thought as I stumbled to the back door entrance to the club. You could almost miss it if you didn’t know what you were looking for, but this place was like my second home. I was inside before the men even had time to realize where I’d gone.

“The hell happened to you?” My aunt, and owner of the club, asked seeing me wobbling into the changing room like a baby deer learning how to walk. The pain was intense, drenching me from head to toe in its vice-like grip.

“Do you know where my pills are?” I asked, not answering her question, fingers fumbling along the array of shit I housed in my work issued locker.

“Top shelf. Behind the tampons.”

My hand grazed the shelf and found the open box of tampons. I pushed it aside and sighed with relief, feeling the familiar bottle in my hand.

“Thanks. You’re a lifesaver,” I said around the pill I’d popped into my mouth. My aunt handed me a bottle of water, looking at me with her signature worried expression. One that I think made itself permanent the moment she became Andromeda’s and my guardian. She called us her wrinkle makers.