Chapter 193

First thing I thought of was "Run!"
I looked at Dom with wide eyes that reflected the panic I was feeling.
This was not part of the plan.
Jax strolled closer to us. The guys holding Dom and I didn't let us move an inch.
I felt like a kid who just got caught trying to steal a cookie from the jar. No matter how much I flailed to get out of the dude's hold, he just wouldn't budge.
It took me a second to actually realize that Jax looked pissed and anxious more than joyful and excited for having caught us sneaking around.
"Do you realize what could have happened? You fucking idiots!" He cursed at us as he paced.
I looked at Dom, trying to make sure I didn't hear that wrong.
Why was he so anxious? I mean I get why he'd get pissed but anxious? Dom and I were the ones who're supposed to be anxious for having been caught red-handed.
Jax finally stopped pacing and turned to look at us, eyes still blazing. "You idiot are going to get us all killed."
"My fucking God." He cursed again, throwing his head back.
"Uh, sorry, but why the fuck are you freaking out again?" Dom finally asked. If he didn't I certainly would have.
I waited for Jax's answer as his eyes flew to Dom.
"Are you seriously asking me that question?" Jax asked him as if Dom was the dumbest person he has ever met.
Dom looked at me like he was trying to confirm he wasn't the only one wondering that and I shrugged to back him up. I honestly didn't get why Jax was getting so worked up.
"I introduced the fucking asshole to Quentin, you fucktards. Then, he got you in. If either of you so much as fucks up, Quentin's gonna have my head for bringing you guys in. I don't even know what he'll do to me if you guys start trying to plan shit against his circle. You're fucking lucky I predicted that this was gonna happen and made sure Quentin didn't send his men to get this package with me or we'd all be fucked."
My lips formed an 'O' as I finally got enlightened.
"Fucktards." Jax muttered again as he resumed his pacing.
After a while, he finally turned to the guys that were restraining Dom and I. "Search their phones and delete whatever they got."
The guys manhandled us and groped us to find our phones.
These guys were big enough and strong enough to actually hold Dom and I still with one arm and go through our phones with the other hand.
Before we realized what was happening, they were already flashing our phones in front of our faces to get our face ID to unlock our phones against our will. It was so quick that I didn't even realize what he was doing until the lock icon morphed into an unlocked one. I could only curse myself for not closing my eyes quicker.
As the guy holding me went through my camera roll and started deleting the pictures and videos I took, I could only try wrestle out of his grip one more time, thinking that maybe I'll have a better chance against just one of his hand. Sadly, even against one of his arms, I still failed to get out of his hold.
When they were done, they gave Jax our phones and let him decide what to do with it.
Jax looked at the two phones in his hands and tapped them together.
I sent a silent prayer to God that he wouldn't decide to do something like throw the phones to the water as I watched the phone in his hand be thrown in the air before he caught it again. I don't know what I'll do to the little shit if he wrecked my phone.
Luckily, after the second time the threw it and caught it, it stayed in his hands. He looked up at us and looked back at the phones.
"I'll give you back your phones. I trust that you want to keep your heads so let's all bury the hatchet as well as bury this small incident as if it never happened. Everyone good with that?" Jax asked, though his tone was nothing like a questioning one. He raised his eyebrows when neither Dom nor I answered him.
I nodded slowly, watching him closely in case he decided that he had a change of heart and fling my phone into the sea. Though, it wasn't like I could do anything about it if it was to happen.
I was just grateful that he finally handed both our phones back to us.
"I'm only letting you live because it'll be suspicious if I didn't. For God's sake, boys, be fucking smarter and quit being such amateurs! You'll seriously get all of us killed at this rate!" He cursed again before finally nodding at the burly guys to let go of Dom and I.
He didn't wait for our response before walking away with his minion in tow. I wasn't sure if minions was the appropriate term but it surely looked that way to me.
I walked closer towards Dom and opened my phone to check if anything was salvageable.
"You got anything?" I asked him when Jax and his guys were finally out of earshot.
Jax shook his head as he unlocked his phone and checked.
I bit my lip and tried to think hard. There must be something we can do to salvage those videos we took. I mean with today's technology.
"Check your recently deleted." I told Dom as I opened my own camera roll, praying to God for it to be our lucky night.
"No way, they can't be dumb enough to-" Dom stopped speaking mid-sentence as he brought his phone closer to his face to take a better look.
I looked up from my own phone, grinning wildly. "There's no such thing as 'not being dumb enough,' my friend." I raised my phone and showed him my screen. There it was, the videos that I took, sitting idly in my recently deleted file, waiting to be restored.
I sent a quick thank you prayer as we made quick work of restoring the pictures and saving it in our snapchat memories and emailing each other copies of it using all the email accounts we own.
You can't be too careful, mate.
Once we were done, we got back to our rides and rode back to Dom's house, where we were finally able to properly gather our thoughts on what just happened.
"Correct me if I'm wrong but this means that Jax is basically on the same boat we're on, right?" Dom asked as he paced in the living room just like Jax had done on the docks.
I sat on his couch as he paced, rubbing my tired eyes and resting my head on the back of the couch.
I'm exhausted. The adrenaline that had rushed in and out of my system took all of the energy in me with it as it went.
Nonetheless, I forced my brain to process what Dom just said. "I guess that means we'll be on the clear for a while as long as Jax keeps his trap shut." I muttered under my breath.
"Yeah, but we need to be more careful." Dom input.
I nodded, agreeing with him. "Jax was right, we were being too careless. If he didn't take care of the situation, we would've been caught and God knows what would've been left of us if Quentin had gotten his hands on us."
Dom nodded along, deep in thought.
I knew what he was thinking. We've gotten really deep in this now. If we wanted to survive, we needed to adapt quickly. We have to start picking up our trails to make sure they have nothing to suspect us with.
"Don't let them know about anyone you care about. I know it's near impossible but try to keep your distance with everyone around you." I finally said. These were the things I've learned the hard way so far.
Dom looked at me, "Don't worry, I don't really have anyone that I care about aside from Casey, but they already know about her."
I clenched my teeth and tried not to let his words get to me. I didn't want things to be awkward between us because I know that feelings don't just vanish like that no matter how much you will it to.
But it was still hard to try and hold it in when he's flaunting his feelings in front of me like that. Miraculously, I somehow managed to keep my protests to myself and sat still.
"You were great at acting so I'm sure you'll be alright. You got any tips for me on that?" I moved on with the topic by mentioning the time he first met Quentin.
Dom gave me a shrug. "I wasn't really thinking about it. I guess try to forget that they have guns on them and just pretend they're just normal citizens who won't harm you unless you give them a reason to?"
I didn't want to acknowledge it but something about how calm Dom was about the whole situation irked me. I didn't want to sound like I was hoping he felt troubled and restless but I've always thought that that was the normal thing to feel in such situations. But no, Dom was calm. Too calm.
I watched him closely, "How did you pull off acting so calm? I mean how do you even forget or pretend that these guys weren't part of the Mafia that each has a gun tucked into the back of their waistband, ready to shoot you dead anytime they're ordered to, or hell, even when they feel like it?"
Dom tilted his head as if he was really thinking about it. "I'm not sure, to be honest, I just try not to think about the guns in their waistbands and I feel at ease already, like talking to a friend? I don't know, aren't you able to just momentarily disregard the fact that they have guns? Aside from their guns, they're pretty much humans that can get hurt too."
I didn't quite understand the first two-thirds of what he was saying but the last sentence made sense to me. He was right, they were humans that can get hurt too.
That's why we're taking this leap of faith. To find their weak points and pressure each and every one of them until they back off or end up behind bars. I had a feeling that the latter option is more likely than the former one.
I stood up from the couch and clapped his shoulder. "I don't know how many more times I have to say it before it feels enough for me but thank you, really. I appreciate what you're putting yourself through for me."
"For Casey, too." He added.
I squeezed his shoulder before letting it go along with what I had to say about his last comment. I'll let it go because he's done enough to earn the right to say that.
"But seriously, Bry? Don't mention it. We do everything together, it's only right that we fight through this together too." He said.
I gave him a smile, slapping his arm lightly twice with the back of my hand before I walked to the guest room where I usually stayed when we have sleepovers.
It was kind of my designated bedroom from the get go since Dom and I have always been tight since we were kids. We would have a lot of sleepovers and after we got a bit older, this guest room just became my room because it was the closest empty room to Dom's. Dom didn't have any siblings and would often get lonely so his attachment to me was understandable, and since Casey was the girl that has always hung out with us and spent the most time with us, I guess I could understand why he would catch feelings for her.
My sister was a sweet girl after all, I can't blame the guy for falling for her, but remembering how uncomfortable Casey looked when she told me about how Dom confessed to her made me uncomfortable with the idea of them being together. I didn't want Casey to be in a situation where she will have to make a decision between losing a friend and being with someone she wouldn't feel comfortable with in that way.
I know she'll have to make hard decisions on her own in the future but for the meantime, I wanted to save her the trouble of making unnecessary ones.
As I laid on the bed, my mind continued to race with those thoughts until it wore itself out and knocked my conscience out cold with mental exhaustion.