Her Mob Boss (Book Three Of The Brave Series)

28 - Three's a Party

     28-Three's a Party
     Elena's blood was cold as ice as she looked at the man before her. It had been so long since she'd seen him, she'd nearly forgotten what utter terror it felt like to be in his presence. His once shaggy blond hair was now cut short, framing his deceivingly handsome features perfectly. His jaw was clean shaven, his clothes obviously expensive. All of that would make one think he was a normal, well-rounded, handsome man.
     The look in his eyes though, it was monstrous. The sinister smile that played at his lips, terrifying. Elena felt her body begin to shake, panic setting in, the pain in her body heightening until she had to grit her teeth in order not to fall on her, still bleeding, leg. He took a step towards her then. Her body reacted immediately, gripping the knife defensively but out of his sight.
      "S-stay where you are." She choked out. He paused, then his smile widened.
       "What, no hug for your big brother?" He stated snidely, his arms outstretched. Elena nearly growled at him; teeth bared like an animal. She needed to get out of here. If it was just Ronny, she could probably make it out, but with Jackson she was a goner. It made no sense that they were both here though. How?
      "I have no brother. What do you want?" She spat out venomously. His smile faltered then, and he took another step towards her. She limply stepped back at an angle, and they began circling each other. Elena kept an eye on the door behind her, making sure Ronny didn't sneak back in behind her.
      "You think getting rid of me would be as easy as $100,000?" He asked her and Elena froze. They'd never told her how they'd gotten Jackson to give her up. $100,000, to help a girl that they'd barely known? Elena felt her heart melt even more for the Santigos, even as she faced off with her demon. She squared her shoulders then, noticing a window in the corner of her vision. It was cracked open and just big enough for her to get out and just short enough for her to reach.
Jackson was walking away from it as they circled each other. They were within arm's reach of each other. She just needed to keep him distracted and strike at the right time.
      "So, what's your big plan then? Use me to get more money out of the Santigos?" Elena asked, shifting her weight onto her good leg. Jackson raised an eyebrow, reaching out for the phone that still sat, balanced on a box. He hit a button, and the flashlight turned off before he tucked it into his pocket.
      "No need to let them know our little plans. Ronny has such a flair for the dramatic." He rolled his eyes.
      "How did you even know about him?" Elena asked, baffled. The sound of footsteps descending the basement stairs caught Elena's attention. She scurried away from it as Jackson moved towards it, reaching out a hand. She saw red bottom heels, then tan bed legs, barely hidden beneath dark grey denim shorts. The person took his hand before they stepped into Elena's view.
       "Oh, that would be me." Anita's voice said as her face was revealed to Elena. Elena didn't have the energy to be shocked anymore.
       "Great, so then what's the big plan?" Elena said as she positioned herself below the window feigning interest. Anita leaned on Jackson's shoulder then, his arm around her waist. She nearly wanted to puke at the sight, wondering how this relationship somehow came about.
       "Well, since you decided you'd take Rysen from me, I decided to take the Santigos, and you for that matter, out of the picture. You see, Daddy doesn't want an outright war, but if the Santigos were to just suddenly disappear, then he wouldn't particularly care. Then his daughter could potentially take over the region, so long as she had a partner to do so with. Tradition and whatnot you see." Anita said as she waltzed closer to Elena. Jackson stayed where he was, giving Elena the chance she needed.
       "And how do you plan on taking out all of the Santigos with just the three of you?" Elena asked. Anita reached her hand out then, gripping Elena's chin tightly, her acrylic nails digging into her skin.
       "Who said Daddy wouldn't help?" She smirked, gripping tighter. Elena bit her tongue to hold back a whimper. "We made it easy to find us. And if they thought it was just two people, then they wouldn't bring enough people to save you, let alone protect themselves. They have no idea what we have in store for them." Anita snarled as she wrenched her hand away, scratching Elena's cheek.
      "Well then, guess that's my cue." Elena said. Anita looked confused for a moment, before Elena gripped the knife in her hand tighter and with as much strength as she could, stabbed Anita in the thigh. Anita let out a scream and fell to the ground as Elena took her chance and quickly lifted the window, grabbed the frame, and pulled herself out. She nearly cleared it when she felt a hand grip her ankle.
        "No!" She screamed as she kicked out wildly. Her foot made contact with something hard  and then her ankle was freed. With what little energy she had  left she boosted herself up and through the opened window, heart pounding in terror. She made it through the window, the setting sun blasting into her eyes. She was surrounded by woods on all sides, trees decades old towering over her. She had no idea where she was, but that didn't stop her from limping as fast as she could behind the forest line. The sound of a door slamming open made her look back. She had just gotten out of sight as both Jackson and Ronny came running out of the house, looking around frantically, panic clear on their faces even from this distance.
      Suddenly a warm hand covered her mouth, and she was being dragged backwards. Her heart pounded as she silently fought off the person pulling on her, freezing when she heard them speak finally.
     "Hush Elena, they'll hear us." She turned her head slowly then, looking up to find the man that only hours ago had her against her locker.
       "M-Mitchell? What are you doing? Are you behind this too?" Her questions came out almost silently hushed but her glare seemed intense enough to make him step back from her. His eyes were wide and he shook his head.
     "Elena, I swear, I had no idea this was happening. I got home early after the fight with Rysen, and my father told me what Anita was planning." Elena narrowed her eyes.
     "Why would he tell you? He wants this." She responded, remembering Anita's nonchalant statement about her father 'not helping' earlier.
      "Look, I'll explain everything, but we have to get somewhere safe."  He grabbed her hand and started to pull her. She began to pull against him when she heard Jackson's voice boom "Elena!" She jumped and allowed Mitchell to pull her deeper into the woods.
     It was getting dark quickly, and Elena's leg was throbbing painfully. Her head hurt, and the world was beginning to spin on her. She began to slow then, and Mitchell turned.
      "Come on Elena, just a little further." His eyes widened then as he looked at her.
      "Elena, you're so pale! Your leg." He said, and Elena looked down to find that her leg was soaked in her blood, the wound still bleeding. Mitchell helped her to sit on the cool forest floor, leaning her up against a tree. Elena was so tired that she almost didn't register Mitchell taking off his shirt. She squealed softly and her hands flew to cover her eyes. Since when was Mitchell so bulky?
      "W-what are you doing?" Elena whispered as her face burned. She heard a tearing sound before he spoke.
      "Relax Elena, we need to stop the bleeding." He said, his voice too close for comfort before she felt his hands on her wounded thigh. Her hands shot out then, trying to grab the torn shirt from him.
      "I-I can do it myself!" She blurted out but he refused to give it to her, his hands gripping her thigh once more.
      It was pitch black out now, which is why when there was the sudden sound of a click Elena's blood went ice cold. She'd heard that sound plenty of times at the Santigo household. It was the sound of a gun safety being clicked off.