It Starts With Him

29

I stand frozen in fear as the Outlaws' and Aaron's eyes rake over me like rattlesnakes readying their attack on prey. What have I done? I feel small and inferior under their gaze, and force myself to meet eyes with Ace. His pools of cerulean blue are wide and round, seeming to scream Run! But I don't.

His hand is still wrapped around Diesel's collar, but once the shock leaves Diesel's face, he yanks Ace's arm off of him, causing Ace to stumble in surprise.

"Well, well, well..." Diesel taunts, starting to walk up to me. "Look who came back for round two." He starts to circle me, and I stand deathly still.

"I didn't come to start anything," I say, willing my voice to not waver. "I just wanted to say goodbye to Ace a final time before I go back home," I add maybe too quickly. The lie spouts out of me easily though, and Ace's head cocks to the side just by a millimeter that no one else notices but me. I stare at him with a gaze that says Trust me.

Diesel circles fully around me and stands mere feet in front of me, cocking his eyebrow. "Home?"

I nod. "Yes. We came here for summer vacation, and if you've paid any attention to your surroundings, then you'd know it's August starting tomorrow," I retort, not hiding the condescending tone in my voice. He glares at me, and the rest of them do, too, except for Ace and the youngest Outlaw, Max - Diesel's younger brother, and the one who's saved me and Ace more than once. I feel a pang of sympathy for him as he stands closer to Ace than anyone else, his eyes fearful.

"You're telling us you came here to say goodbye to him? Not to, oh, I don't know, rat us out to the cops?" Rocco sneers, and a string of ice shoots down my spine as I remember the night he drugged my drink. That feels like years ago when really it's only been about three months.

"I haven't called the cops. We could stand here for another five hours and they still won't show up," I answer, and the Outlaws glance at each other, still suspicious. I sigh and cross my arms, trying to look nonchalant. Ace is standing so still that I don't think he's even breathing. I can't say I am, either.

"Look, I came here to say a final goodbye to someone. I don't give a shit about you guys or what you do. I'm not from here, I couldn't care less about your lifestyle," I say, looking only at Ace. He subtly cringes at my rude tone, but I don't care.

"Oh yeah? You don't give a shit?" Diesel says, getting even closer to me. His face is so near that his lips touch my ear. Ace tenses and I know if Diesel makes a move right now, that Ace will lose it. "Even after we put a knife to your throat? Bet you went running to mommy after that," Diesel boasts, and my blood turns to ice at the word mommy. My gaze shoots right to Aaron's. His eyes are glazed over from the alcohol, his amused smile sickening. I don't say anything. I just hold his stare like a lifeline.

After a few agonizing moments of silence, Diesel backs away from me, and Ace's shoulders relax a little. Diesel waves a dismissive hand towards me and turns away. "Five minutes, Ace. Then you get your ass back in here and we talk business," he says in a bored tone. Relief floods through me so quickly I get lightheaded.

The only reason the Outlaws had it out for me before was that they could tell Ace cared about me, and they used me as leverage for him to do their dirty work. That's why they were constantly on my trail and tried luring me in with Lilith. But now that they think I'm leaving, they must not care as much. They know I'll be gone soon, and their lives will go back to normal: Ace will be wholly their servant, and will have no distractions. He'll work three or four jobs just to pay for his dad's drugs, and all will be well in the Outlaw's little world.

Too bad they're terribly mistaken.

Ace looks just as shocked as I feel as he carefully makes his way over to me. Our gaze stays glued on each other as we turn, slowly and nonchalantly walking away from the living room and towards the front door. We stay multiple feet apart, and silently make our way down the corridor when Diesel pokes his head out of the living room and says, "Ace."