KILLED

Chapter Fourteen

I sit on the park bench, my hands folded neatly in my lap and my foot bouncing up and down impatiently.
Tyler is going to be so mad if he finds out.
A hand suddenly rests on my shoulder, and a unfamiliar voice asks, "Tess Furlen?"
"That's me", I answer. "Am I allowed to look or am I getting my arms tied behind my back again before getting shot at?"
"Ash didn't say you were funny."
"So that's his name."
"May I sit?"
"I guess. But I really want to do this fast, so please, make this quick."
"What'd Ash use against you?", the man asks, taking a seat beside me. I glance at him.
White- blonde hair and hazel eyes.
I look away and say quietly, "He shot my mother. There's shrapnel near her lung and she's in surgery. He threatened to make something go wrong. Then they'd have to release my dad from prison to be my guardian. And he probably killed my best friend Christmas morning."
"Pretty high leverage."
I nod. "Can I please have the package? My temporary guardian thinks I went to get coffee."
"Of course." The stranger reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out the small brown package, handing it over.
"Can I ask you something?", I ask, taking it. "Why are you in this business when you look so young?"
"Need to pay my father's medical bills. Good money."
"Oh."
He reaches into his pocket again, and says, "I'm sorry, but the also is just business."
Before I can ask what he means, I feel a needle slam into my neck, and then everything goes dark.
»»»»---------»
I hear the sound of distorted voices, talking from far away.
"She's not going to be out for much longer", the man from earlier's voice says. "We don't have long enough to prepare."
"Good. We don't need to." The sound of the other person's voice makes me wake up a little more, just enough to clear my senses as I listen to the sounds of retreating footsteps.
I force myself to open my eyes, my surrounds a blur of brown and gray.
Then my vision clears, and I find myself sitting in a metal chair, arms tied behind my back.
I lift up my head, and someone walks over from behind me, setting their hand on my shoulder.
"Hello, Tess", Johnsmen says.
"I thought we were even now", I say. "So why am I here?"
"You're not here because you went to the cops", Ash replies calmly. "You're here for another reason."
"And that is?"
"Me", a new voice says, this man coming towards us and walking around so he can crouch down in front of me. "Hi Tess."
"Why am I not surprised?", I snap. "You always were a rat."
I jerk forward, but Johnsmen holds me in place, forcing my back to hit the metal.
"Manners", my father scolds calmly. "I don't want to hurt you."
"Who killed Sara?"
"I did."
"You f**king bastard!", I shriek, jerking forward. "There's always another way! You-"
Ash covers my mouth with his hand and sighs, "You talk too much."
I try to bite his palm, but the man squeezes tighter, holding my mouth closed with his fingers.
I keep struggling however, getting more and more frustrated with each failed attempt.
"I did it to protect you", Will says, putting his hand gently on my knee for a second. "So we could be  a family again."
I glare at him, shaking with fury as I keep trying to break free.
"You need to calm down", he says. "Or we will Gove you something that will force you too."
My chest rises and falls quickly, but I stop moving, letting my dad think his point got across.
My father smiles, at least until my foot collides with his nose, causing a small crack to reach my ears. Scarlet blood trickles down his skin in a small waterfall, and he tips his head back to stop the flow, pinching his nostrils together.
"Give it to her", he orders, getting up, leaving his patience behind as he leaves.
I start fidgeting again as Ash shifts, still keeping a good grip on me as I feel thin metal enter my neck.
I jerk my head to one side, but barely move as a false calmness enters my blood, forcing me to relax.
I'm released, and I listen to the man leave before trying to struggle again.
Nothing happens.
I can't move.