Chapter 48

Ella

Run… Run!

Funny how three little letters can get the fire burning deep within your veins pumping as if your life suddenly depended on it. Three little letters and you're suddenly running for your life. A life that shouldn’t value much of anything, but in this one instance it holds more value than anything else in this world.

The sound of pounding can be heard as feet continue to hit the pavement. The sound of heavy breathing ringing throughout the air as two people continue to run. The need to find someplace safe more urgent than anything else at that given moment.

“Did-Did we lose them?” cries Kris, her voice shaky as she and I continue to run.

“Not sure” I cried, my hand still holding hers even as we ran, the need to flee overpowering everything else even after hitting James dead straight within his pretty boy face.

Blood pouring from his nose from the force of the hit, knowing I had to have broken it but not caring enough to stay and find out, a part of me knowing that if we had, we would have been captured straight away.

Spotting a coffee shop close by, I slowly moved to pull Kris over towards the front entrance. The need to hide us grows just as I move to pull the door open and us inside does the sound of what appears to be feet rushing past us hits just as we manage to enter without being seen. The door blocking us from sight as we move to find a place to sit down.

A sigh finally leaving our bodies as we take this moment to sit far enough away from prying eyes. Not wanting to risk being seen from a window, we moved to sit in the far back corner of the coffee shop. Our bodies shaking from the adrenaline.

“Think we’re safe?” whispers Kris, her voice clearly shaken by what just happened to us.

“I sure hope so” I whispered back to her, my hand now reaching for my cell phone only to freeze when I suddenly noticed 20 missed calls. Calls ranging from Reece to Dylan to even Caleb. My heart racing at not knowing.

They-They tried calling me, I whimpered softly to myself, my heart thumping against my chest, as my eyes still looked at my phone. My fingers hovering over the keys until suddenly the unknown number pops up.

Unknown: Looks like someone has a mean right hook on her. Gave my cousin quite the nose job.

Unknown: You might find this little cat and mouse game fun, but I do not. 

Unknown: Surrender yourself to me now and no one else needs to get hurt. Choose not to and I’ll continue to make your life a living hell until you do. The choice is yours.

Scanning over each and every text I carefully tried not to panic, not wanting to scare Kris any more than she already was with Goon 1 and Goon 2 and of course, James, who was also after us. Another text soon interrupts my thoughts as I slowly move to read it.

Unknown: No? Then I’m afraid you leave me no other choice, dear Ella. Soon, very soon, you’ll become mine. Only then will I enjoy breaking you to the extreme.

Reading the text over and over, I can’t help but finally tremble. My hands shaking at not knowing what to do anymore. The need to be close to my brothers now rising as I moved to dial Dylan’s phone number, hoping and praying that he would answer me.

Pressing the call button, I slowly lift the phone up towards my outer ear, the phone ringing and ringing until it moves over to voicemail, my body now on the verge of panic when he doesn’t answer.

Where are you? I mentally cried, now worried, as Dylan hadn’t answered his phone.

Biting my lip, I slowly debated about whom to call next, my mind juggling between either Caleb or Reece only to hear the sound of a door being open and a voice to suddenly call out to the person who had entered the shop.

“Sir, are you okay? Your bleeding”

Glancing over towards the front of the shop, I suddenly freeze. James now standing at the front entrance while a customer carefully blocks his line of sight, the customer attempting to leave, only to be blocked by James. Feeling my blood run cold, I slowly move to nudge Kris who only seems to look over at me and then over to James before each of us move to slowly slide down to the ground as we move to hide beneath the table.

James missing us by mere seconds as we move to hide. Tears threatening to spill from my already red eyes as we tried not to move or draw attention to ourselves. James scanning the small shop as he did.

“Have you seen two girls come running in here by mere chance?” asks James, unaware that we were within earshot of his question.

“You have to be a little more specific than that, Hun, lots of girls come and go from here” replied the cashier, her voice clearly toying with James as she spoke.

Growling, James moves to storm out, “Never mind, forget I even asked.”

Slamming the door quickly behind him, Kris and I continue to stay hidden until the cashier who had been helping us slowly moves to approach our table, her voice gentle as she speaks.

“All clear, my dear, he’s gone.”

Peeking out from underneath the table we finally sigh. “Thank you” I whispered, grateful she hadn’t ratted us out to James when he asked.

“No problem, you looked like you two needed the help, especially when you both came rushing in here like a bat out of hell. Figured it was from him. Who clocked him in the face though?” asks the lady, her voice now amused by the way his face had looked with the blood dripping from his already broken nose.

“I did. He was threatening to hurt us” I admitted slowly.

“Nice aim” was all she said as she moved to excuse herself in order to help a customer who was looking to order, leaving us to our own devices once more, my fingers moving to call the one other person who I knew would most likely answer if I called. Grant.

Dialing his number, I move to raise up my phone just like I had done with Dylan, only for Grant to answer his phone on the second ring. “Hello? Ella? Is that you?” asked Grant, his voice filled with worry.

“G-Grant… I’m scared. We need you, please” I whispered, my lip quivering as I tried not to draw any unwanted attention to us, hoping Grant would be able to catch everything that I was trying to say over the phone.

“Where are you two?” questions Grant.

“At a small little coffee shop. Please.. Hurry..”

“Don’t worry Ella, Hayden and I will be there shortly to come and get you both, but whatever you do, do not move from that spot. You hear me, don’t move.”

“Okay”

Then, as if nothing else mattered, Grant moved to ask me a few more questions before telling me not to do anything rash and to keep my phone close by in case he or Hayden needed to call us. His voice easing any and all panic that was steadily rising.

“We'll be there soon. Promise.”

Sighing, I suddenly feel like we can finally breathe for the first time since running into James and his Goon Squad. Knowing that we were now safe, as Grant and Hayden were both bodyguards and knew how to deal with situations such as these. Situations that rarely occurred but when they did, they didn’t hesitate to act. Knowing that if we had waited any longer to call, our situation could have gotten a whole lot worse with Kris possibly getting hurt or worse, me taken never to see Kris or my brothers ever again.