Running

Chapter 29

After Scott left, they sat on the couch. Corey was laughing. "What's so funny?" She asked grinning.

"You bought a house that you haven't even looked at. I've seen it. It's a great place. I knew you would love it. That's why I called him" He grinned.

"Well you have great taste. And correction, we bought a house. I had your name added to all of my investments by the way." She said. His jaw dropped.

"What? When?" He asked confused.

"A few weeks ago. I even opened a bank account online." She said.

"You really didn't have to do that Vyla. I am fine on my own, money wise." He said, still in shock.

"We're getting married right? If something were to happen to me, you would need access to it. Otherwise, it would go to an estate, and then there'-" Corey cut her off.

"Babe. Thank you. I have no idea what all that means that you just said, but thank you." He grinned, kissing her softly. She laughed.

"I will teach you banking 101." She laughed.

"Christ, are that pissed at me?" He asked making them laugh.

"You're going to love the bathroom." He said, pulling her up from the couch.

She followed him up the stairs, down a hallway, and into a giant master bedroom. He led her through the room, to a bathroom, almost the size of the bedroom. She saw the double sinks, and a separate shower. Her eyes lit up at the giant Jacuzzi bathtub.

"Holy shit." She whispered. He laughed.

"Told you." He said kissing her neck. "Want to try it out?" He asked in her ear.

"Why are we still talking about this? Of course I do." She said.

A little while later, they were relaxing in the tub together for the first time in months. She leaned back into him, closing her eyes. "I have missed this." Corey said to her.

"No kidding. It's quiet, I'm not sharing a bathroom with a bunch of guys, and I am here with you." She said.

"Yeah. I am glad we are off the bus. I love those guys and all, but we get on each other's nerves." He said.

"I can understand that. I had fun. They were all really great about everything that happened." She said.

"They really were. I was surprised actually." He said.

She turned to look at him, "It's my charming personality, huh?" She asked making him laugh.

"I think it's because you pretty much acted like one of the guys." He grinned.

She grinned, turning around, leaning against him. "That and I have great tits." She said making him laugh.

"It probably helped some, yes." He said.

"Are you feeling better from last night?" He asked, referring to her nightmare.

"A little. I need to get it in my head that he's really gone. I just don't know how. It's a never ending cycle it seems like." She said.

"He fucked your head up pretty good Vy. People don't get over shit that easy." Corey said.

"Yeah. It just sucks. I was doing really well. Like I was getting over it, and then he fucked it all up. I wasnt scared for a few months. It was nice." She said. "Now I have to start over." Vyla said.

"How did you get over what happened to you?" She asked him quietly

She felt him tense, then let out a deep breath. "You never really get over it. I did a lot of shit I am not proud of. A lot of drugs and a lot of alcohol. I don't recommend either. I just realized I had to deal with it. I still deal with it. It gets easier over time." He said. "I know it's not what you probably want to hear, but it does get easier." He finished.

"I just want to feel better now. I'm impatient." She grinned turning to him. He smiled.

"No way! I had no idea." He said sarcastically, grinning back at her.

She turned around again, leaning her head to one side, resting it on his shoulder, closing her eyes. She felt his mouth on her neck, leaving a long trail of kisses down it, making her shiver.

"I need a nap." Corey said. She nodded agreeing.

"We need to stop by my house later. I want to get the last few things out, before I drop the keys off." She said.

"Ok. But a nap first." He said helping her out.

Late that afternoon, she sighed as they pulled up to her house. The garage had been replaced, and everything looked as it should.

They walked into the house, as she inspected the kitchen, noticing all signs of smoke damage gone. She continued down the hallway, making her way to the basement. Corey followed close behind. She led them to her safe. She moved the boxes off of it, entering the code. It beeped and she opened it.

Taking out the stack of cash, the gun and bullets, she reached in further, pulling out a few jewelry boxes. She grabbed some paperwork, and a few more jewelry boxes.

She opened the boxes, inspecting them. She pulled out a gold chain, that had a men's wedding band on it. She turned to him and smiled. "Come here. I have something for you." She said.

He sat next to her, as she handed the necklace with the ring on it. "This was my dad's. I want you to have it." She said.

He wrinkled his brow at her. "Babe, are you sure? I don't know if I can take this." He said, looking at her softly.

"My dad loved his ring. He spent so much time cleaning it, and he wore it every day." She said. "My dad told me that if he died, to not let that ring sit in a box somewhere. He said it would piss him off if someone didn't wear it." She grinned.

It was a thick gold band, with three rows of diamonds in it. Each row had five diamonds. "You sure about this?" He asked hesitantly. She nodded.

"I mean I can give it to Jim if you rather." She grinned, making him laugh.

"Asshole." He said laughing.

"I would be honored to wear it. Thank you." He smiled, kissing her mouth.

"Does it fit?" She asked. He slid the ring on, and it fit perfectly.

She laughed, and he looked confused. She shook her head smiling. "He also said "If you can find some asshole crazy enough to marry you; you'll know it's meant to be if he fits this ring." He was right." She said, making him laugh.

"Your dad was something else huh?" He smiled at her.

"Oh yeah. That he was." She grinned. Just then her phone rang.

"Ahh shit." She groaned.

"Hey Tiny. How are ya?" She asked, leaving it on speaker phone.

"How the fuck do ya think I am? I'm old and cranky, ya smart ass." They heard from the deep gravel voice on the other end. Both of them chuckled.

"Someone else there with ya Vy?" Tiny asked.

"Yeah. Corey's with me." She said.

"Hey Hollywood. You taking care of Vyla? You fucking better be kid." Tiny said.

She motioned for Corey to talk. "Uh, yeah. I am. We actually just bought a house today." Corey said nervously.

"That right? I hear you're coming with to see me soon." Tiny said.

"Yeah. Vyla thought we should meet." Corey said.

"Better not bring the press with ya to my shop, or I will-" Vyla cut him off.

"Cut the shit Tiny. I fucking told you. You will treat Corey with respect. Right?" She asked.

"Fucksake Button you're taking all the fun out of everything." Tiny said with deep chuckle.

"So Hollywood. I want to talk with you about what happened the day that shit went down when you get here. Got it? And don't fuck me around kid. I want to hear it from you. And Vy? You don't get to pick and choose what I should hear got it?" He asked.

"I promise I will let you talk to Corey, you big baby." Vyla said grinning.

"Hollywood? You got that?" Tiny asked.

"Yeah man, I will." Corey said nodding.

"Vyla. How are you holding up? I mean really, how are you?" Tiny asked seriously.

She paused. "As good as I can Tiny." Was all she said.

"Hollywood, how is she doing? Don't fuck me around kid." Tiny warned Corey.

"Some days are harder than others. She's hanging in there. Hasn't been easy, man." Corey said sadly.

"Alright. You two come see me this week. Got it?" Tiny said.

Knowing she wouldn't win, Vyla sighed, nodding her head. "Yeah. We'll leave in the morning." She said, defeated.

"Corey? You'll be here too, right?" Tiny demanded.

"Yeah. We'll see you tomorrow." Corey said.

"Alright. Love you Button. See you tomorrow." Tiny said, hanging up.

"Oh fuck me!" Vyla yelled in frustration.

Corey laughed, "Babe, it's fine. Were you really gonna argue with him?" He asked.

"No, and he knew that. But I think he likes you already. He called you Corey and not Hollywood. That's a huge step for Tiny." she grinned.

"Well I feel a little better about going now." He grinned.

"He's gonna shit when he sees how skinny I am. I may need to borrow a sweatshirt of yours." She grinned.

"Babe a sweatshirt isn't going to hide it, but we can try." He grinned. "Hungry at all? I am." He said.

"Sure, I'll try and eat. I need to get my guns and a bag from my room, then I am done here." She said.

"That's all your taking?" He asked.

"Starting over. I already ordered a bunch of clothes online. The stuff here is all shit I want to forget." She said.

He smiled, nodding, and said, "Ok, then. Let's get the rest of your stuff and say good bye to this place ok?"

They grabbed the rest of her stuff, leaving the keys in the mailbox as they left. Vyla never turned around once to look, as they drove off.


They pulled up to Tiny's the next day. The sat for a moment, before getting out.

"You ready for this?" She asked.

"Guess so." He smiled kissing her quick.

They got out, walking into the tattoo shop. They walked to the front desk to see a younger guy with tons of piercings and tattoos sitting reading a magazine.

"Is Tiny in?" Vyla asked him.

The kid smirked at her. "Never heard of him." He said.

"Go get him. Now." She glared.

"Look chic, take your boyfriend and go. Never heard of Tiny." He said, going back to his magazine.

Before she could say anything, Corey reached over the desk, grabbing him by his shirt, yanking him up to his face.

"Listen asshole. Go. Get. Tiny." He said through his teeth. The kid nodded, as Corey let him go. They watched as he walked to the back of the shop.

"Goddamn Babe! That was impressive!" Vyla exclaimed.

He smirked. "That was how I used to be. I have mellowed out some." He said.

"Well I'll be goddamned. Vy?" They heard a gravel, booming voice behind them.

They turned, seeing a hulking man. He stood at least 6'7. He weighed 350 easy, and didnt appear to be fat. It looked like Tiny worked out a lot. He had firey red hair and beard, with specks of gray throughout it. He had tattoos covering all of his arms and his entire neck.

Corey gulped, slightly. Vyla smiled, walking up to him, as he pulled her in for a hug. She looked like child next to him.

"Tiny, this is Corey. Corey, this is Tiny." She said.

Tiny eyed Corey up before walking over to him. Tiny looked down at Corey. "So your Hollywood, huh? You're the one who saved her from that dickface?" He asked.

Corey nodded. "Yep. That's me." He said nervously.

A slow grin appeared on Tiny's face. "Bring it in man." Tiny said, yanking Corey forward for a hug. Corey looked surprised, and patted Tiny on the back. Tiny yanked Corey back, slapping him on the shoulder, moving him a few steps back.

"Come on. I'll get you that tattoo Vy. We can talk back here." Tiny said.

Tiny paused before they walked back. "Hey shithead!" He yelled to the kid at the desk. The kid looked up.

"Don't interrupt me today. I'm busy. Got it?" Tiny said.

The kid nodded nervously at Tiny. They walked back to the room, and shut the door. "Sit in the chair Vy. Still want this on your arm? Or you want something different?" Tiny asked.

She held out her arm. "Just like we talked about." She said. Tiny nodded, sitting down getting everything ready.

"You next Pipe Cleaner?" He grinned at Corey.

"Pipe Cleaner? Nice. Sure. I'll go next." Corey laughed.

"So. Corey, is it?" He asked, as Corey nodded. "Tell me what happened." Tiny said as he turned on the tattoo gun. He started working on Vyla's tattoo, listening carefully.

"Well, I went to get Vy some clothes, to take them to the bathroom," Corey started, noticing Tiny raise a brow at him.

Corey continued. "I heard a noise from the front of the bus, went to check it out. Then woke up with a pounding headache. I heard a male voice I didn't know, and went to check it out. I saw..." He stopped, for a second. Vyla closed her eyes. Tiny stopped working. He shut the gun off.

"I told you kid. Tell me all of it." Tiny said.

Corey looked down, sighing, then looked up at Tiny. "He was on top of her, with one hand up her shirt, and the other around her neck. She couldn't breath. I snapped. I pulled him off of her, and lost my shit. I beat the fuck out of him, until two of my friends pulled me off of him." Corey finished.

Tiny smirked, but nodded at Corey. "How good did it feel to hit that motherfucker?" Tiny asked.

"Best thing I ever felt." Corey said calmly. Tiny could see the anger inside of Corey. He knew that anger all to well.

"Thank you. For what you did. I mean that kid." Tiny said. Corey nodded at him.

Tiny went back to working on Vyla. "Your turn Vy. You get to tell me your side. Don't fuck me around." Tiny said.

She sighed. "I came out of the bathroom, dressed in the shorts and shirt I had worn in. I had heard a loud noise. I went to look, saw Corey face down. Then I heard Mason behind me. I tried running, but he grabbed me and threw me down. He kicked me, slammed me into a wall, kicked me some more, choked me." She said.

"You're fucking me around Vy." Tiny said as he worked.

"Leave it alone Tiny." She said. Tiny stopped working and looked at her.

"No. This is why this shit happened Vyla. You wouldn't talk about anything. Now tell me what you don't want me to hear." Tiny said, picking up the tattoo gun.

"He kept telling me how he was going to rape me. Satisfied?" She snarled at him.

"Almost. What did you do?" He asked.

"I punched him once to get him off of me. I laughed as I spit in his face. I tried crawling away from him. He was going to rape and kill me that day." She said.

Tiny nodded. "I'm glad you got a swing on him girl. Bet that one felt good." Tiny grinned.

"You have no idea." She said.

"Why didn't you come to me Vyla? I would of kept you safe. You know that." Tiny said.

"You went to prison Tiny. I wasn't having you go back because of me. I wasn't getting you involved because of me." She said tearing up.

"Hey. I'd go back today if it meant you never had to go through what you did. It would of been worth it." He said looking at her.

"I just wanted everyone to be safe. I didn't want him hurting anyone else. I'm sorry Tiny. I am. I stayed on the run for 3 years, until I met Corey. And he kept me safe. He is why I am alive." She said.

"I didn't know where you were. I would track you down, then you'd be gone. I would get a phone number and then you changed it. I spent 3 years looking for you. Then I turn on the news and see you all over it. Vy, no more hiding. No more secrets from me. If you're in trouble, you call me. Got it?" He asked.

"I will I promise." She said wiping her eyes. She looked at Corey, as he smiled softly at her.

"Hey Pipe Cleaner. You're too quiet. Tell me about this band you're in." He smirked at Corey.

"Ever heard of Slipknot?" Corey asked.

"Yeah. I listen to your guys stuff actually. Not bad. Might see a show when you guys come my way again." He grinned looking briefly at Corey.

"I'll add Springfield to our next tour. I'll get ya backstage passes so you can hang with Vy. She doesn't like crowds, so she watches on a t.v. in the dressing rooms." Corey said.

"Still can't get over that Metallica thing huh." He said to her. She shook her head.

"She did come up the other night though. It was quick, but she was there. It's on UTube babe, just so you know." Corey said grinning.

"Pull it up I gotta see this." Tiny laughed.

Corey pulled up the video on his phone handing it to Tiny. Both Tiny and Vyla watched.

Tiny laughed hard. "You had to drag her ass out on stage huh?" He laughed.

"I did it before she had a chance to run off." Corey laughed.

"Who's the two you hugged Vy?" Tiny asked.

"Two of the best guys I know. That's Sid, and that's Mick. Both of them helped me out alot. Sid especially." She grinned.

"Sid can get her to do whatever she doesn't want to do. He has a unique way of kicking her in the ass." Corey laughed.

"You mean like the day at the courthouse when I wouldn't come out of the bathroom?" Vyla grinned at Corey.

Corey laughed, nodding. "She wasn't coming out of the bathroom. Sid just walked in there. We heard a lot of arguing, then silence. She came out alright. She was fucking pissed." He said, laughing.

"This also after she bit his hand, called him an asshole, and threatened to kick him in the balls." Corey smirked, as Tiny and Vyla laughed.

"I like this Sid kid already." Tiny laughed.

"Someone needs to kick her in the ass. She's always been a stubborn asshole." Tiny said making them all laugh.

"Oh and Jay couldnt take it any longer Vy. This one is out there too." Corey said handing the phone back to Tiny, showing them the video of her punching Violent J.

Tiny laughed until he had tears. "Now THAT is my Vyla. Good job Button!" He said still laughing.

"That asshole had it coming to him." She grinned.

"You have no idea babe." Corey said laughing.

"Alright, it's done Button. You handled that like a champ." He said.

"It didn't hurt. And I'm not a pussy." She said making Corey and Tiny laugh.

She had 3 butterflies on her arm. Each one a different color, and each had a name. One for Gabe. Then one for Marla, and Doug, her parents. He added along the side, a saying that said "Now they fly with butterflies."

She had tears in her eyes. "Thank you Tiny." She said.

He nodded hugging her. "Why don't you get us some food. You need food. That sweatshirt won't hide it either Vyla." Tiny said.

"I told you he would notice." Corey laughed.

She flipped both of them off, then grabbed her bag. She kissed Corey quickly and left.

"I havent let her go anywhere by herself. She gets scared." Corey said to Tiny.

"She won't be." Tiny said opening the door. "Hey shithead! Tell Moose he needs to go with Vyla. Now!" He yelled.

"Moose?" Corey asked.

Soon an even larger man appeared in the doorway. He had tattoos covering all of him, including his bald head. He looked even more terrifying than Tiny.

"Keep my niece safe asshole." Tiny said. Moose nodded followed Vyla out.

"Pretty sure no one will mess with her." Tiny laughed. Corey chuckled.