Vengeance

Chapter 22 - regret

Andrew's POV

Flashback

2:41 am

I slammed my car door shut and began speeding down the dark road. I glanced at the clock on the dashboard as Hayden's orders rang in my head - keep the girl busy and scared while he dealt with her brother.

I had been in the gang for two years after my friend Derek introduced me to Hayden. Derek was like an older brother to me, he mentored me once I joined high school.

When I was 14 he left for Uni and without Derek there to shield me, Hayden made me an official member of his gang.

Being the youngest and newest member it started with small tasks, like drug exchanges and petty theft. I was never a junkie but I didn't mind the money. As I got older he initiated more dangerous jobs. Derek and I drifted and eventually stopped communicating.

The engine growled loudly as I pressed my foot down, pulling me back to the moment. My knuckles turned white against the steering wheel, as I got closer to the location. I had been informed that the girl's brother was drowning in debt to Hayden and his inability to pay was a death sentence.

Tonight I was instructed to give a branding, our symbol engraved into her skin as a reminder of his weakness. My mind refocuses on the vacant dark road, lit by the sinister gleam of the street lights.

I sharply turned into the neighbourhood and spotted a fragile figure, exactly where they told me she would be. I pulled up my hood and secured a bandanna around the bottom half of my face.

I stepped out of the parked car and approached the girl at a distance. She turned the corner, so I took my opportunity to attack. I grabbed her, spinning her around and pinning her against the wall of the building next to us.

I raked my eyes over her face taking in her appearance, not expecting her to be so beautiful.

The way her full, succulent lips glistened softly and her smooth chocolate skin seemed to glow in the night light.

Her big, doe eyes were magnetic.

I swallowed hard tightening my grip as I remembered my goal. "Tell Jordan to get the fucking money. By tomorrow." I barked in her face  as I pushed her further into the wall.

She struggled to get free as I reached for my pocket knife.

"Tell him yourself dipshit" she snapped, I held back a smirk finding her wit intriguing.

She wriggled in my arms, desperate.

In a pathetic attempt to kick me, I blocked her leg as it swung up. I pinned her back against the wall firmly, my hand quickly found her wrist again. I flicked open the knife as our eyes met.                                       

I hesitated as her eyes swirled into a dark, mesmerising pool of chocolate. Her beauty was captivating. My eyes lingered on her face, soaking it in.

The presence of the dagger in my hand brought me back to the moment. Quickly remembering my orders my grip re-tightened around the dagger.

I put the metal to her skin, carving the gang symbol, 'X'.

She let out a scream that split through the night, clawing at my ears. My heart sank at the sound of her agony, something tightened in my chest as my blade marked her skin.

I had done brandings before, but this one felt different.

I forced away my guilt as I felt her wrist wriggled in my hand - trying to get free again. I forced her back onto the wall. Her deep chestnut orbs were hypnotic, as our eyes met again.

Suddenly, a flush of red bloomed in her irises. A ring of fire churned in her eyes.

I was broken out of the trance by a sharp hot pain on my neck.

"fuck" I grumbled as I stepped back, aggressively tapping the burning blaze that gnawed at my neck.

Hearing her hurried footsteps fade into the night, I ripped off the burnt fabric, throwing it to the side.

What the hell...is she like me... questions began to formulate in my mind as I stood in awe trying to process what I just witnessed.

My finger brushed over the burn on my neck, the skin was hard and uneven. A dull ache pulsed beneath it, as if the fire was still there, reminding me of her.