The Runaway

Chapter 6

It was so quiet; you could hear a pin drop. Violet was still in a daze, but she didn't dare ask any questions. It was Aiden who broke the silence. "That was bound to happen. The girl was annoying the hell out of me," he said, brow arched with a careless grin.

Colton ignored him and carried on. "Did she hurt you at all?" he asked Violet.

"I'm fine. I can take care of myself." Her voice was still shaky but she pretended like it was nothing.

"Violet, let me explain everything."

She stopped him. "No, it's okay. I think I'm fine. Just let me go."

"There's nowhere else for you to be, is there?" he stated.

He was right. She didn't have anywhere to go. Why didn't she think of a plan B? How could she be so stupid?

"I'll find something eventually," she lied. She knew all too well that there was no chance. She had traveled all this way for nothing. No money, no shelter, and now no purpose. Violet didn't want to bother trying anymore.

"Colton, just let her go," Aiden said, "Let her do what she wants."

Colton flashed his eyes at him. "No, Violet is staying here. She'll join us."

Many glances were exchanged around the room. Violet could tell they were not happy.

"Why should she join us? She's not even one of us," Riley argued.

"She doesn't have to be," Colton said.

Riley was not comfortable with his decision, but didn't argue any further.

"Have to be what?" Violet questioned.

"That's not important. Do you want to join or not?" he asked.

To join a gang like them was risky, but Violet didn't really have a choice but to agree. She decided that she was going to go along with it, and once she had enough money and resources, she would leave. "Fine."

Everyone clearly opposed, especially Riley, but the choice had been made. "Everyone is dismissed. I'll fix the problem by tonight, so let's meet up later. Listen to me and hold on until then."

Aiden, Delsin, and Colette headed out the door with concerned faces.

"Can I come with you?" Riley asked Colton. Her tone softened. "Sorry I yelled at you earlier. Everything was just hectic and I freaked out." She turned her attention towards Violet. "I'm also sorry I scared you." She smiled.

Violet knew it was a lie. She could figure out when someone was veiling themselves with false words, so it was obvious to see that Riley was only playing innocent. "It's okay," she replied. If Riley was going to play that way, then she had to do the same. She'd rather not get in anyone's way.

"I want to talk to Violet alone," Colton announced.

Riley shot a glimpse of disappointment. "Oh, okay." It was a relief when Violet saw her go, but now, it was just her and Colton.

What was she supposed to do? She couldn't exactly be cheerful and chatter away like nothing was wrong. She was hurt that he left her a year ago, but now that she saw what kind of things he left her for, it was like a stab in the heart. Her feelings and thoughts about him shattered in an instant. He was a kidnapper, a criminal, the leader of a gang, and maybe even a killer. It didn't make any sense. Did he deceive her the entire time?

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

She slowly nodded.

"Alright, I'll take you out."

He led her out the door and what she saw wasn't a surprise. The walls outside were completely covered in graffiti and all the rooms were vacant. She was correct about it being an abandoned building. The rest of the walk down the endless flight of stairs to get to the exit was done in awkward silence.

"I'm sorry you had to see me like this," he said while they were inside of his car.

"In a kidnapping gang? Yeah, that was hard to acknowledge," she replied.

"Gang? Is that how you see it?" He was driving past places that she hadn't seen before. She realized that she hadn't seen much at all since she arrived.

"If it isn't a gang, then what the hell is it?" she blurted out. There was a small silence.

"It's hard to explain, but I don't think we're a gang. It's more like we're a team." He focused his eyes on the road.

"A team of what? Murderous killers?" she said.

Colton could not argue with her about his "team" doing any good. She saw it all and there were no excuses. "You don't know the full story," he mumbled.

She couldn't put up with it. "Do I need to? Damn it, Colton. I was nearly killed!" she said in frustration. "They harassed me. What kind of disgusting people would do that?" Before she knew it, she was in tears. "I don't even want to be apart of this, but I have no choice. There's nowhere left to go. I traveled all this way for a new life and to see you and-"

"Who asked you to run away to see me?" Colton interrupted. He was angry now. "I told you to stay away, so don't make it seem like I'm at fault."

"You left me with no explanation whatsoever. That was when you messed up. To find out the truth this way hurt a lot."

He stopped the car and parked in the middle of nowhere. "You barely know what's going on. The truth you speak of isn't real. You only know half of the story, so please calm down."

Violet wiped her tears and looked away from him.

"I'm sorry I did what I did, but there are reasons I can't speak of. Trust me on this," he explained.

Violet didn't know what to say. Maybe she misunderstood, but then what was the truth? How could there possibly be a better explanation to kidnapping her and trying to kill her?

"I'll explain, but not right now. We should get going and eat," he said. He looked tired and weary. The rest of the drive was spent in complete silence until they stopped at a fast food diner that she had never seen before. When she ordered a cheeseburger and sat down, it was like she automatically lost her appetite. It looked like he wasn't touching his burger either.

"So how's Fran and Joe?" Colton asked out of the blue.

Violet could suddenly feel the hunger rising in her stomach again. She picked up the burger and took a giant, juicy bite. "They're fine," she answered in between bites. The burger was disappearing real fast.

"Does anyone know where you are?" he questioned.

She shook her head. He picked up a fry and ate it slowly. They didn't talk much and it wasn't very long before they left.

"I'll get you a hotel room for tonight, okay?" Colton said.

Violet replied, "You don't have to." She thought it would be nice though.

"It's just for one night," he said.

They arrived at a hotel and booked her a room. After a few minutes, he drove off, but she was upset because her duffel bag hadn't been returned to her yet. There were no clothes to change into, but at least she had a bed and a shower. Violet spent the rest of her day resting and thinking in the hotel room. What now?