I'd Kill You First: when bad meets bad

Chap. 50

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-M

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SODA:

It was 10:47 when I got the call:

"I'm so 'humph' sorry," Kio slurred into the speaker. "I didn't know what to 'humph' do!"

I frowned, slowing down on my accelerator a bit as I clenched the phone in my hand. "What do you mean?"

There was noise in the background and music blaring, the sound of a gulp coming from Kio. "They came right after yooouuuuu 'humph' did, and s-said they coouuuuld kill my f-family right then and there!"

"Who did?" I demanded. "Kio?!"

"I'm sorry," he whimpered, hiccuping again. "I didn't know who to listen to!"

"Where are you?" I hissed.

"K-Kitty's Karaoke B-Bar," he stammered.

I hung up and did a u-turn so fast my car tipped sideways with squealing tires.

(11:01 PM)

I walked into the club, blinded by panic and rage as I stalked over to the bar and sank my fist into a familiar brown leather jacket.

"Move now or I will put a bullet in your head," I growled in his ear, yanking him off his stool and forcing him to stumble ahead of me out the club side door.

Once in the alley, I shoved his slightly limp body against the brick wall and pressed my knife to his mouth. "Spill. Now," I hissed. "If I have so much as one damn question by the time you're done, your tongue is mine."

Kio sobbed for a second before nodding and wiping nervously at his sweating brow. "Alright, alright!" he pleaded, looking a little more sober now.

"There's this bounty hunter, Marvin, that's looking for you. I used to work with him on a count of my cousin, Marco, runs with his crew. He found out I had been talking to The Fighter and to you, so yesterday, shortly after you left my hospital room, Marvin came in. He used my cousin to get past the front desk since he was family. Marvin said he wanted me to deliver you to him, but I told him you would never listen or trust me or fall for a trap. I mean, I knew you would probably come if I called you, but you said you could keep my family safe, so I was willing to keep you safe in return. Then they showed me pictures they had taken of my family and said they could kill them in seconds if I didn't help them catch The Fighter. They said if I couldn't help them, he certainly could."

Kio coughed a bit and wiped away his drunk, nervous tears before continuing. "So I agreed. About an hour ago, I got out of the hospital, knowing The Fighter would be there, and I gave him the name you told me to give. I didn't tell Marvin I was helping you, too. I knew that after I left, Marvin was going to grab him..." he trailed off after that sentence.

I felt my breath catch in my throat. Keenon had been taken by a bounty hunter? What did Marvin want with me?

"What about The Fighter?" I yelled, shaking him. "What else?!"

He heaved out a cry and shook his head, blubbering nonsense to himself. "I don't know, I don't know! I heard gunshots and-"

"They shot him?!" I hollered, horrified. Was he dead? Was my Keenom dead this very minute?

No, he can't be. I can't lose him.

Wait a minute, I had been planning all along, and now I was sad he might be dead? What?

"I guess," he slurred, slipping a bit in his jacket.

"Where did they take him?!" I screamed, slapping Kio's face.

"Nowhere!" he whimpered, cowering. "My cousin told me some stuff- said they just wanted The Fighter to work for them. I don't know what happened but Marco said they killed two of Fighter's friends to make him obey. That's all I know, I swear!"

I backed away from Kio and tugged wildly at my hair. They killed Keenon's friends? Could it be Toby? Was Toby dead? Why did they want Keenon to work for them?

Wait, Kio said they wanted me. If they knew anything about anything, they would know Keenon could contact me, get to me. What a perfect way to kill two birds with one stone...

"Where is The Fighter headed?!" I yelled as I turned back to a slumped Kio.

"Th-the client m-meeting," he whispered.

Oh no. Please, please don't go there, Keenon! Please!

I ran out of the alley and back to my car, sliding in and peeling out of the lot with smoking tires.

It was a trap. The plan I thought I had complete control over was my own trap. By having Kio spill, Marvin knew the client location tonight. Marvin had Keenon at his disposal by scaring him with dead friends. I was already going to be there because it was my ambush plan to begin with.

Damnit Soda! How stupid can you get?!

This bounty hunter was sending Keenon to kill me, or so Keenon must think, but all this was was a double mouse trap. All Marvin wanted were the two of us, and by setting all the right things up at all the right times, he was getting exactly what he wished for. When Keenon and I walked into that alley, we would be caught.

I had to save him. We would not go down like this, no. What had I even been thinking? I couldn't kill Keenon! No! That wasn't me. I didn't pick and choose my loved ones that got to live. No, I fought for all of them because no one deserved to have to die for me. Keenon's friends were dead because a bounty hunter wanted me. Matt and Brody's lives were on a very thin layer of ice because of me. All my friends were going to die because of me. Keenon was going to die because of me.

I gripped my steering wheel so tight I thought my knuckles would crack as I made my way to the club, praying, hoping I wasn't too late.

I couldn't lose anyone else. No one deserved to die.

I had a plan.

As I raced to save the life of someone who didn't really want to be saved, and possibly killing dozens of others in doing so, I came up with a plan.

A crazy, insane, probably going to fail plan.

But a plan, nonetheless.