Chapter 7 - Score settling

It was much later and Wren Austin was seated at the bar of Teq's pub. The young girl was still boiling from her unwanted encounter with Giovanni O’Connell. He had again, in less than forty-eight hours, managed to get her worked up.
"Get me a bottle" Wren ordered the moment Gwen made it behind the counter
Gwen stared at her friend warily before stretching her arm and taking out a bottle of beer from the fridge. The moment the bottle was placed before her, Wren Austin wasted no time in gulping down its contents without any pause.
“Wow, slow down” Gwen exclaimed but it was too late because the moment Wren brought the bottle down, it was empty and she was already requesting another bottle.
Gwen, concerned for her friend knew it was a bad idea to serve her another, but she also knew better than to deny her request. So when Gwen placed another bottle of beer before Wren, it was followed by a question.
“You okay? Wanna talk?” Gwen’s brow lifted in concern.
Wren Austin took a while to respond, and when she did, it was nothing but lies.
She was far from okay. Her life was already messed up as it is and Giovanni’s presence in Craigsburg seem to worsen it. She knew with him being back in town, her entire life was going to be bamboozled, but she didn’t expect it to happen that fast.
She could still feel his warm breath on her skin. The delicious smell of his cologne and his melodious voice that used to be soft when they were teenagers, but now, it was sultry and it sent shivers down her spine.
He was back in town. That was starting to settle in with Wren. But why couldn’t he leave her be? Why couldn’t he just complete whatever brought him back and leave like he did all those years? He didn’t have the have to balls to inform her about his departure so what did he want with her now?
Wren realized she hadn’t replied to Gwen’s question so she looked up and shook her head.
“Tell me. When are you going to make a move on Topaz? Gosh, it was so awkward standing there with you two. It was almost as if I was stopping you guys from getting naked and jumping to town” Wren Austin teased, earning a blush from Gwen. At last, she found something that could take her mind off things.
“I don’t know. I don’t think she’s gay. Even if she was, I doubt she’s into me like that” was Gwen's reply as she fished out a bottle of beer from the fridge, unscrewed the cap and leaned on the counter while simultaneously bringing the bottle to her lips.
Wren Austin scoffed. She always wondered how someone wouldn’t pick on the fact that someone liked them, yet they are quick to know when it’s the opposite. Just like the case with Gwen and Topaz.
The chemistry between them was undeniable and the way they looked at each other was disgustingly sweet, talk less of the fact that Topaz looks at Gwen like she wants nothing more than for her to sit on her face and ride the hell out of it.
“Bitch, get out of here. You should see the way she looks at you. If someone looks at me like that, you bet your ass I’m going mount that stallion and ride him like there’s no tomorrow” Wren argued whilst bringing the bottle of beer up to her lips.
Gwen’s face had already turned into a crimson shade, and with every passing second, it became more flushed.
“You think so?” she inquired warily.
“I know so. You should give it a shot” Wren said.
It was quiet for a while because someone sat next to her and Gwen suddenly got busy as more people filled the bar. Soon, the place became noisy with banter and laughter from the locals. It wasn’t long until Luke walked in with Mason and Gary, making Wren immediately roll her eyes.
She was too beat up to deal with Luke, talk less of dealing with Mason’s ugly stares.
It wasn’t her fault he was in love with an asshole. Wren thought to herself.
The moment Luke made it to the counter, Wren Austin downed the last of her drink and got off the seat and began to walk away, not without informing Gwen to add the drinks to her tab.
The entire pub quieted down as Wren walked, making the sound of her clanking heels loud. She heard them murmur amongst themselves, but it didn’t bother her. She was used to it, so much so that, she had formed an armour whenever they began talking about her, and she would only break down when she was in the safe corners of her apartment.
But right now, Wren feared she wouldn’t make it to her apartment before breaking down in tears, because a pool of tears had already formed before her eyes. But as soon as Wren pushed ajar the door of the pub and the cold air slapped her face, she was able to blink away the tears and took in several deep breaths.
Instantly, she began to feel herself come back to normal.
It was a few minutes before Wren started walking back to her apartment. The wind was whipping through the leaves, creaking and groaning like an old rocking chair announcing the heavy storm that was on its way, causing body tremble and teeth chatter from Wren. The young lady regretted gravely not leaving her apartment in more appropriate clothing, given the fact that when she had left, the rain was just dying down.
Again, she was grateful for the fact that her apartment wasn’t far from the pub, as, in less than a minute, she was negotiating a bend leading to the building.
Wren sucked in a breath when suddenly, three hunk men appeared before her, making her gasp and instantly begin to feel heat. Wren recognized one of the men to be Hunter's right hand man. His face wasn't one she could forget because he was the same man who led her through the dark corridors to Hunter's office, and their encounter from that day made him keep a close watch on her.
He made it his mission to make her life here in Craigsburg a leaving hell.
And as Wren recognized him, she immediately knew that Hunter had sent them, and if he had, then it most certainly wasn't good.
Wren began to panic, wondering why they had gathered before her, but her questions were soon answered as she felt a blow to her stomach, causing her to wince in pain and simultaneously fall to the ground. But it didn't stop there because one after the other, they punched her stomach, mercilessly kicking at it.
Wren cried out in pain until she could no more.
The blonde tasted something metal on her lips which disgusted her, she she brought her hands up to her lips only to notice that it was her body.
Her body became weak from the pain, her vision blurry and the last thing she saw before everything went blank was a smirk on Reik's face.

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