My father is on his knees on the old broken highway, his head hung.
Felix steps forward and grips my dad’s hair, pulling his face to look up at Frank.
“What lesson? We had a deal, Frank!” my father shouts.
A deal? What deal? My mind races trying to figure it out, but everything is happening so fast I can’t keep up.
“I’m afraid that was off the table when lines were crossed,” Frank informs.
“Fuck you!” I wince at my father’s courage.
Frank smiles like the devil and turns, facing Zeek.
“The lesson will come to light very soon. I’m sure of it.” Zeek frowns in confusion, as does Felix. “Finish the job.”
The shorter guy hands Zeek and Felix a rifle. Everything around me blurs, my ears ringing.
My hand grips the door handle.
They aim at my father.
I scream.
A loud bang sounds, a second following quickly after, and I scream so loud I can’t hear anything else. I kick the door open and fall out of the car, trying to get to my dad faster than my body can keep up.
“No!” I sob.
Zeek’s eyes pop to mine, and Felix’s gun raises in my direction.
I skid to my father’s side and find little bullet wounds all over, his breathing barely audible as he struggles for air.
Blood soaks my uniform, staining my hands.
“Dad, wake up!” I cry, rocking him.
Sirens sound in the distance, snapping me out of my deaf state.
“I—I didn’t know,” Zeek stammers. Slowly, I take my gaze from my father to Zeek. He drops the rifle, his hands in his hair as his eyes look at mine with pure panic.
“I told you everything would come to light.” Frank chuckles at Zeek before walking in front of a line of men, all wearing leather vests.
“Kill the girl, too!” Frank orders. “You’ll learn, Zeek, that it is I who owns you. If it takes me taking another female from you for you to learn that then so be it.”
“Run!” Felix whispers harshly, his voice so low I barely understand him.
Zeek bends down, scooping me up in his arms quickly.
“Let go of me, he needs me!” I cry, trying to grab onto my father, my hands scratch at Zeek as he lifts me from my father’s lifeless body. “Please, put me down!” I beg.
My fingers claw at Zeek’s throat in effort to be released, and I rip the necklace from around his neck in the process. Beads fly everywhere, bouncing off the pavement as he manhandles me into submission. Zeek closes his eyes as if he’s in pain, before opening them with an unreadable look crossing his face and running towards the cruiser. Gunshots ring out, and I tense as bullets fly around us.
Quickly, he opens the driver’s side door and gets in.
“Damn!” Zeek falls into the seat, holding his arm as I scramble into the passenger seat. Blood appears in a small circle on his shirt, growing rapidly.
He throws the car in reverse, drifting into a complete circle before he speeds off.
“Shit, that burns.” Zeek pounds his fist against the steering wheel.
“Stop the car! Let me out!” I scream, needing him to turn around. Adrenaline races through my body to the point I feel dizzy.
He looks over at me, his eyes dark and ominous.
“STOP THE CAR!” I cry hysterically, my bottom lip trembling. “We have to go back.” My words are coming out hoarse from all my screaming.
His eyes flash with an unreadable look. It cuts me. My heart aches.
He just killed my father.
He just killed us.
“I hate you. I want nothing to do with you. You promised me you’d never hurt me.” The last of my words come out in a whisper.
“You’re mine, Jillian. I told you that.” He looks at the road for a second, then to me. “If I let you out, you die. If I stop, I die. We’re stuck together. You can’t escape me.”
“Escape?” I croak, his words scaring me.
The static of the radio surrounds us before a voice comes through.
“All units, all units. Please be advised for a stolen sheriff’s car. Deputy Jillian Adams and Zevin Deluca are noted to be armed and dangerous. Be advised.”
“How is that possible?” I shake my head, saltiness from my tears slipping between my lips. They should be coming to rescue me, not chasing after me.
“Because your entire department is dirty. My uncle is out for your blood, and he’ll use any and all resources he can.”
Shaking my head, I refuse to believe it. I refuse to believe that everything I grew up wanting to be has been corrupted. I refuse to believe my father is dead, or that he was a part of it all. But most of all, I refuse to love Zeek anymore.
“Your father was dirty,” Zeek finally speaks. “The cops, sheriffs, highway patrol. Nine times out of ten, if they are working for the law enforcement in Las Vegas, they are working for us.”
“That’s bullshit,” I seethe, teeth gritted.
“Is it? Then why is there an APB out for your arrest, Jillian? Why is my club untouchable?”