Pick a number

Chapter 19

Bianca's POV

I was dragged out of my room by a confused looking Peter just as I had finished getting dressed. "What is it Peter? Where are you taking me to?" I asked him as we ran down the stairs with him pulling me while I followed behind him.

"I have news! Big juicy news I tell you sis," he says as he pulls me towards the door. Peter has always been a gossip. He's always up to date with the happiness of both the legal and crime world. I pull him and we stop to a halt when I see my father and other brothers standing at the door. Their backs were on us as they talked to whoever was outside. They seemed to be deep in arguments.

"Dude, we shouldn't be here. Do you want dad and Timothy to bite our heads off?" I whispered to Peter, knowing that the elders of this family didn't want us around whenever they were occupied with their underworld dealings. 

unfortunately for me, our presence was already detected as the three Burns' males turned to look at us. I saw panic written all over Jack's face. Dad looked confused and frustrated while Timothy looked angry and disappointed.

"Honey, go upstairs," dad said quietly. He tried putting on a smile as a sign that everything was okay but failed miserably, so he just sighed and looked over his shoulder at someone, or some people standing outside. 

"Is that her?" a male voice asks outside, shouting loud enough for all of us to hear. I look at my father and brothers then, my curiosity rising as I am no longer eager to hide away in my room. "Is he referring to me?" I ask them, my voice low and trembling. I notice how my throat is dry because of all the screaming and crying of last night.

My brothers look at my father, and he looks at me. "Let her pass through Burns boys," the voice calls again. "Unless of course if you want the board to know of your abominable transgressions."

I watch as my father and brothers become more and more panicked and uneasy before they finally move aside, my father motioning for me to pass through. 

I walk to the door with Peter silently following closely behind me. My heart beats really fast as confusion and fear fills me. Standing outside are three men. Two of them were body-built and were dressed like guards while the other one was less masculine and was only dressed in a suit and tie. This one was in the middle.

I seem to recognise the masculine guy, but I'm not quite sure of where I have seen him. He smiles at me as I walk out. I stand close to Peter but can feel the presence of my father and other brothers behind me. "Josh-" my father tries to speak but is cut off by the masculine man who raises a hand to silence him.

Josh? Josh... Josh! He was there the night that I was kidnapped. He's also the one who's business card is stored in my drawer along with that of his boss. He's Christina's right hand man, her crime brother. Christina spoke highly of him. She always told me of how close they were. How he was her most trusted soldier. Can't believe I'm finally meeting him.

Finally meeting him. The thought makes my stomach drop as fear quickly engulfs me. Why is he? What does he want from me? Is he here to avenge his friend by killing me? Some 'an eye for an eye' conspiracy?

"Don't look so scared and panicked. I'm not going to harm you," he says to me, his eyes not once moving from me. "You're Bianca, right?" he asks, a small smile playing on his lips. I nod nervously, awaiting anything negative to happen. "I'm Josh, Christina's best friend, or brother. Whatever works for you is fine with me," he says, chuckling at the last part.

Soon Josh holds his hands behind his back and straightens his shoulders, his legs standing apart from each other. "She's coming with us," he says, his smile now gone, replaced by a serious scary face. I gulp rather too loudly. What does he mean I'm going with them? Where does he want to take me? 'Oh God, I am so dead' I think as Timothy walks closer to Josh, the guards stepping forward to stop him from getting any closer.

"She's going no where. Take your dogs and get out of here else-" Timothy begins as he grits his teeth.

"Else what? Are you gonna shoot me, huh boy?" Josh asks, his eyes widening in fake shock as he laughs loudly. He stops and catches his breath before looking up at my brother, his features suddenly darkened as he says, "Look at me carefully, I am not some typical crime head. I was groomed and moulded by the Centurion herself. Don't mess with me, boy."

Timothy steps back, his features still a bit scary. Josh turns to me and smiles. This man changes moods fast. Kinda like Christina. Oh, Christina. Thinking about her alone is enough to make me breakdown. 

"My boss wants to see you," Josh says, the seriousness of the message visible even with the smile he wears. I widen my eyes. "Your boss?" I ask, confusion clear in the tone of my voice. "Yes, Christina Thacker, special order," He says, smiling widely as he looks at Timothy as if to say that he has won, and my brother has lost.

I blink rapidly. What? How is this possible? "She's alive?" I ask, goosebumps suddenly forming on my skin. Josh returns his gaze to me. "Yes, alive and healthy. Just awaiting your arrival, as her Queen," he says, a small hint of warning traced delicately on the last part. What does he mean by 'her Queen'? And How is she alive?