bullets and bouquets

59

Gianna turns to look out the back, but Bella stops her, "Don't look, just act normal."

"Have you got eyes on us?" Lyle asks Cinna, "We need to lose them."

"Yes, keep going straight and take a right in a quarter of a mile," he answers. Bright headlights flash behind them.

Gianna whimpers. Bella and Jenna grab her hands.

"It's gonna be fine," Jenna assures her. She's extremely overwhelmed by all of this. Bella is nervous too and she's been in the same place as Gianna, but now she needs to be brave for her.

"Turn now," Lyle says to the driver.

"Brace yourselves," the driver announces. He takes a sharp right turn at an unreasonable amount of speed. Jenna slams into Gianna who slams into Bella who gets squished against the door. She doesn't care though, she would just prefer to not die.

"How are we looking?" Lyle asks.

"Headlights are still behind us," Vaughn reports from the trunk.

"Take the next right and go down the alleyway," Cinna instructs.

"Got it," the driver answers. The headlights flash again. Gianna's hands squeeze Bella's and Jenna's as they prepare for another sharp turn.

The next turn is sharper and has Vaughn slamming into the side. The alleyway is narrow and they speed down it. Although it looks like the car could still follow them.

"Cinna, what now?" Lyle exclaims.

"Keep driving."

"Where to?"

"Take a left at the end of the alleyway," he instructs.

"The car is still following!" Vaughn announces. A horn honks behind them, making the girls jump.

"Just trust me on this," Cinna replies.

"They're speeding up!" Vaughn shouts.

"Then go faster!"

Gianna closes her eyes as the car speeds up. Vaughn watches from the back as the car begins to draw closer.

"Cinna! It's getting closer!" he shouts.

"Just keep driving!"

The driver presses his foot all the way down. The engine revs and the car jumps forward. The little arrow on the speedometer reaches the red zone.

"Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god," Bella whispers. The steering wheel shakes as the driver tries to hold it steady.

"Oh, please lord..." Gianna whispers. Suddenly, behind them, the car blows up, "Ah!"

"Ah!"

Fire erupts in the alleyway as metal car parts begin to rain down. The driver continues to drive fast but lowers the arrow down to the yellow zone.

"What the fuck was that?" Jenna asks.

"A missile," Cinna replies nonchalantly, "I needed you to stall the car long enough to get the tracker on it."

"And you couldn't have just told us that?" Bella exclaims, catching her breath from the adrenaline rush.

"My apologies, Miss. I was trying to be quick," he answers, "You may resume your route to the Estate. I'll be watching until you arrive back safely."

"Copy that," Lyle answers. The driver lowers his speed tremendously and begins to head back in the direction of the Estate. Gianna releases her grip on the girls' hands. All three girls' hands are clammy.

"Holy shit, is it over?" Gianna whispers. Bella nods. She side-hugs the girl.

"You're safe now."

***

"They're on their way back now," Dacre announces to Briar, Natalia, Robin, Finn, and Joe. Finn brought Joe along for reinforcements.

"Good," Natalia answers, "We should get going."

"Yeah," Finn agrees, "I'll debrief the trainees."

He walks off to the dining room with Joe. Inside, trainees from Natalia, Finn, and Dacre's gangs wait for instructions.

"Listen up!" he shouts, "Every single one of you now belongs to Madame Sink. Right now, she is away, so you will listen to her second-in-command, Trent."

"And if you don't, Madame Sink will not hesitate to dispose of you," Joe threatens, "And by dispose of, I mean she's not going to send you back to Miss Natalia or to Finn or Dacre. She will dispose of you and your body. No one will ever find you."

"Does everyone understand?" Finn asks. The large group murmurs answers of "yes". He looks over at Trent.

"All right. First things first, if you try turning on us, we will kill you. You will prove your loyalty and earn your rank here," he explains, "Your test will begin right now. Your jobs are to protect the ladies that stay with us here tonight. Miss Bella, Miss Jenna, Miss Briar, Miss Robin, and Miss Gianna. You shall guard them with your life and in the event of an attack, give your life for them. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Sir," the trainees answer.

"Second. You are not to interact with them unless they request your assistance. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Sir."

"And finally, you will all be given daggers as your first weapon. If you prove your loyalty, you will earn your way up to a pistol. And once again, if you turn, you will be executed. Does everyone understand?"

"Yes, Sir!"

Finn, Joe, and Trent nod at each other. Finn and Joe leave the dining room while Trent continues with the trainees. Gianna, Bella, and Jenna have just arrived back when Finn and Joe walk out.

"Ready?" Natalia asks.

"Yup."

"Okay. I'll see you soon," the gang leader says to her girlfriend. They kiss on the lips. Dacre hugs Briar before joining Finn, Joe, and Natalia. Trent comes out of the dining room and a lot of trainees follow. They begin to take their positions in guarding the girls and the Estate as a whole.

"Miss Bella," Trent approaches, "Madame Sink has suggested you all sleep in a central location. Safety in numbers. She said you could decide if you oppose the idea."

"Oh, I think it's a good idea. We could stay out in the living room?" she asks. He nods.

"I'll have mattresses and linens brought out for you. Should I have Felipé prepare dinner?"

"Please," she answers. He nods and retreats toward the kitchen. Bella goes back to the group to relay the information, "Sadie wants us all to stay in a central location. So, we're gonna sleep in the living room. Trent's going to bring us mattresses."

"So it will be like a big sleepover!" Robin exclaims. She's trying to remain positive in a very stressful situation like this one.

"Yeah," Jenna agrees, "We can binge-watch TV and movies."

"That sounds like a good idea to keep our minds distracted," Briar adds. They are mainly saying this for Gianna, knowing she's never experienced something like this before. Briar has never been kidnapped or had Dacre be kidnapped, but she's seen the others be kidnapped.

"Yeah, that sounds good," Gianna says, "I might not pay attention, I'm... I'm just a little overwhelmed."

"That's totally fine," Bella says, "We'll just put something on, nothing scary or anything. And we'll just try to relax, okay?"

Gianna nods as some trainees begin to bring mattresses out.

"You know what we should watch?" Jenna grins.

"Oh no," Briar shakes her head.

"What?" Bella asks confused.

"The Barbie movies!"