All in his head

two

Adrian

"Kings!" 

Turning around I watch Jonah walking over to me with a smug look. Rage builds inside of me as I watch he get closer.

He had a mole working for me, gathering intel. Once the mole was taken care of, I asked to meet with him. No one wants a war, I just need the chance to work out an agreement with Jonah and at least let us become neutral with one another.

"What can I do for you?" He smirks, my jaw clenches at the sight of his sarcastic smile. I want to put a bullet in between his eyes, but I can't. Not right now at least.

"I want us to come work out a deal, we both know war will do us no good." I state keeping my face neutral, he scoffs and shakes his head.

"No."

"No?" I question

"Yeah, no. You have caused to many issues for me, and it's you fucking pay" He snarls.

We both remain quiet glaring at each, but both of our eyes caught sight of a small red head holding what looked to be a surfboard walking quickly by us. The wavy red hair catches my notice first, why does that hair look familiar? Jonah must notice the look on my face, because he looks back at me with an evil grin on his face. 

"And I think I found my first way to do so" Is all he says before walking off to the small girl walking down the boardwalk, her pace fast and tense almost like she can sense Jonah following her. 

I reach for my gun as I follow after him, finally he reaches her. Roughly grabbing her frail looking arm and spinning around, pressing against her back with a gun pressed into her side. On instinct my hands aim to the gun in my hands right in between her eyes. 

"Let the girl go, Jonah" I deadpan, I can't bring myself to look at her. The fear and confusion that must be painted on her face. He lets out a laugh and looks down at her for a second. 

"No, if I die she does too" He states with a smirk, looking over him I see Atlas and a few others approaching. He must sense them behind him. "And why is that?" I ask, hoping to drag this out for the girl's sake. The longer I can keep Jonah talking, the more likely Atlas will be able to take him down and this girl will walk away uninjured.

"Wrong place, wrong time for this little girl. Everyone has a price to pay for something, right?" 

Something in me made me look down at her and  I see tears starting form in her eyes waiting to be spilled. Her bottom lips quivers as she silently begs me to help, but I can't fucking move looking in her honey like eyes. 

Pure unfiltered fear shines through them, two guns are being held to her for reason and I can't even get my arm to put the gun down. I force myself to away from her, but I can still see her shaking figure in the bottom of my vision. 

Atlas finally closes in and presses the gun to the back of Jonah's head. His eyes widen slightly and the girl yanks out his grip running away quickly. 

One of my men start going after her, I yell to stop. She has had enough for one night. I can easily find her and clear up everything, give her protection if she wants or money even. 

Jonah runs off with a victorious smile, and evilly laughing. 

"Who was that girl?" Atlas asks, I stare off in the direction she ran off in. "I don't know, but we need to find out" I answer, he nods and watches with me as a car speeds by with what looks to be the redhead inside driving. 

I try to shake the image of her scared expression, but I can't. Never have I seen another human being look so terrified and it not be for a good reason. 

"Find out who she is, want everything you can find about her on my desk by 10am. No detail is to small" I order before walking to my car and driving home. 

The rest of the night the girl stays on my mind, something about her seemed familiar. The red hair was the biggest thing, other people have curly read hair but it seemed so similar. I couldn't remember where I had seen such hair, but I have. The question is where I knew it from.

***

I walked into my office the next morning and saw the awaiting file, hopefully with everything on the girl from last night. And there it sat, a shockingly thick file on my desk. 

A strange feeling settled in me as I sat down looking at it, why does it feel wrong knowing every detail of her life is sitting in there? I have done this millions of times before, but every time I try to open the file those honey brown eyes full of fear flash in my head. 

"Earth to douchebag!" 

Looking up Atlas smirks at me before taking a seat in front of my desk. 

"Tate Ellis Carter" He says picking at his nails, my brows furrow. That name sounded familiar as well. "She is 24, an aerospace engineer, both parents deceased, and she loves surfing" He states all to causal. Trying to connect the dots, but still nothing connects in my head. 

"Guessing by the look on your face you really need to open the file. Also you are coming with me tonight to the beach to meet my girl and her friend." He finally ends before getting up and leaving. 

Rubbing my eyes hoping to get her fear stricken out of my head, but the small red head stays at the front of my mind.   

Her long messy, curly, flaming red hair. Her honey brown eyes, the freckles scattered across her cheeks. Everything about her was seared into my mind and our interaction was only five minutes long and I could barely look at her. 

But the familiarity of her lingers, I have seen her from somewhere before or knew her at one point. The red hair, the name, the eyes. Everything seemed like I had at one point known Tate, been around her. Yet I still can't place her. 

***

Turning off my computer for the day and gathering my things Atlas reenters my office.

"The hell is wrong with your face?" I scoff, his grin grows as he throws an arm over my shoulder. 

"This my dear friend is called being happy, you should try it sometime" I scoff and push his arm off of me. "I'm perfectly happy, let's go. I need a drink" 

We walk out of the building and to the beach where we were meeting the girl who had him whipped and her friend. I just hope the friend won't be all over me, that is the last thing I need tonight with that girl on my mind. 

A lopsided grin forms on his face as we walk up to a little blondie and a red head, an all to familiar mess of red hair.