psycho who killed my man dead by shooting him up the ass,” Temple uttered. “I waited for him to leave before he got his fingers in you. You will work that goddamn corner for me, you bitch. And I don’t care about what the rumors say about your father. He doesn’t give a shit about you if he lets you hang around Sun Valley. I’m going to beat the pretty off you until you’re nothing but an ugly whore with a pussy.”
“Hey, Temple, man. I thought we were going to scare her. What about what—”
“I don’t give a shit,” Temple spat at one of his cronies. “My man is dead. Fuck it all.”
I lurched forward, hitting a soft part of Temple’s face that crunched under the force. Blood clouded Temple’s Cupid’s bow. Embers of anger ignited in his eyes. Blood and curses were spat from his mouth.
My face tightened with a grin as I chuckled at him.
“Fucking bitch.” A blow to the side of my stomach came fast at my body, sending torturous signals throughout my torso.
A harsh and heavy knock was the only thing that stopped Temple from landing his fist on another part of me. “Manager. We received a call about a disturbance.” The deep and hoarse baritone voice rang familiar.
“Get rid of the fucker,” Temple hissed.
A slam forced a hush over the room. A sound similar to an arrow whizzing by my head increased in volume. One by one, the men holding me down became feather light.
“Hey, man, I didn’t mean anything by it,” Temple’s voice shook with abject fear. “Let’s just—”
Soft popping sounds silenced whatever Temple had to say.
“Sugar?” A gentle grip of my shoulders and a familiar voice soothed me.
“Catch?”
“Stay conscious. Open your eyes and stay awake. You have a head injury.”
I fingered the bump at the back of my head. “No shit, Sherlock.”
“Did they hurt you anywhere else?”
I circled my hand over my stomach.
“Stay put,” he ordered, his words fading. “I’ll come back for you.”
I blinked away the blindness taking over my view, catching sight of a few bodies strewn across the room. “Sure, Catch. I’ll just stay here with the rotting dead bodies while you do whatever it was you were going to do.”
“Sugar?”
I thought I had responded, but as the darkness closed in, I knew I hadn’t kept my promise to stay awake.
* * * * * *
A jolt of pain reminded me I was still alive. My head pounded like I’d been on a long bender without an end. The last I recalled, Temple threatened me…then everything turned a darker shade until nothing could be seen or heard.
The bright sun pouring in from the window stung my eyes. The sheets clung to the parts of my exposed limbs, stuck as though they were drenched in adhesive. I ran my fingers along the bed linens and came up with blood.
I rolled over and grimaced, sensing the pain Temple left me with from last night. Cold metal pressed against my hand, my fingers were wound around a thin metal piece. I lifted up my arm, examining a gun that didn’t belong to me.
I looked to the right and flew back into bed. Temple was on his back; a bullet wound was right between his eyes. Chunks of brain and skull fragments were splayed out on the pillow beneath him. Another pillow was on his chest. Something had created a burn hole clear through it.
I scanned the room for something to cover the blood decorating me. I tripped over the unknown, falling to the floor. A man faced me; his ghastly face hardly resembled a human for the welts and knots distorting his features. He wasn’t breathing.
I scrambled to my feet, trembling at the sight of the dead men who rushed into the room last night and the woman who disguised her voice to get me to open the door.
The gun rattled in my trembling hands, filling the room with a soft clinking noise. My gaze scattered around the room, searching for a clue that it was a nightmare I’d awaken from in the morning. I plucked Catch’s jacket from
“Hey, Temple, man. I thought we were going to scare her. What about what—”
“I don’t give a shit,” Temple spat at one of his cronies. “My man is dead. Fuck it all.”
I lurched forward, hitting a soft part of Temple’s face that crunched under the force. Blood clouded Temple’s Cupid’s bow. Embers of anger ignited in his eyes. Blood and curses were spat from his mouth.
My face tightened with a grin as I chuckled at him.
“Fucking bitch.” A blow to the side of my stomach came fast at my body, sending torturous signals throughout my torso.
A harsh and heavy knock was the only thing that stopped Temple from landing his fist on another part of me. “Manager. We received a call about a disturbance.” The deep and hoarse baritone voice rang familiar.
“Get rid of the fucker,” Temple hissed.
A slam forced a hush over the room. A sound similar to an arrow whizzing by my head increased in volume. One by one, the men holding me down became feather light.
“Hey, man, I didn’t mean anything by it,” Temple’s voice shook with abject fear. “Let’s just—”
Soft popping sounds silenced whatever Temple had to say.
“Sugar?” A gentle grip of my shoulders and a familiar voice soothed me.
“Catch?”
“Stay conscious. Open your eyes and stay awake. You have a head injury.”
I fingered the bump at the back of my head. “No shit, Sherlock.”
“Did they hurt you anywhere else?”
I circled my hand over my stomach.
“Stay put,” he ordered, his words fading. “I’ll come back for you.”
I blinked away the blindness taking over my view, catching sight of a few bodies strewn across the room. “Sure, Catch. I’ll just stay here with the rotting dead bodies while you do whatever it was you were going to do.”
“Sugar?”
I thought I had responded, but as the darkness closed in, I knew I hadn’t kept my promise to stay awake.
* * * * * *
A jolt of pain reminded me I was still alive. My head pounded like I’d been on a long bender without an end. The last I recalled, Temple threatened me…then everything turned a darker shade until nothing could be seen or heard.
The bright sun pouring in from the window stung my eyes. The sheets clung to the parts of my exposed limbs, stuck as though they were drenched in adhesive. I ran my fingers along the bed linens and came up with blood.
I rolled over and grimaced, sensing the pain Temple left me with from last night. Cold metal pressed against my hand, my fingers were wound around a thin metal piece. I lifted up my arm, examining a gun that didn’t belong to me.
I looked to the right and flew back into bed. Temple was on his back; a bullet wound was right between his eyes. Chunks of brain and skull fragments were splayed out on the pillow beneath him. Another pillow was on his chest. Something had created a burn hole clear through it.
I scanned the room for something to cover the blood decorating me. I tripped over the unknown, falling to the floor. A man faced me; his ghastly face hardly resembled a human for the welts and knots distorting his features. He wasn’t breathing.
I scrambled to my feet, trembling at the sight of the dead men who rushed into the room last night and the woman who disguised her voice to get me to open the door.
The gun rattled in my trembling hands, filling the room with a soft clinking noise. My gaze scattered around the room, searching for a clue that it was a nightmare I’d awaken from in the morning. I plucked Catch’s jacket from
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