Their Light

Chapter 6

Hadley

It took me a while, but I finally made it back to the city. Fortunately, I had come across a bus stop that actually had a bus at it. I didn't have any money to pay for it so I used my abilities and laid on top of it and rode it straight into town. Thankfully, because it was so early in the morning, no one was out to see the random girl climb off of the bus.

I made my way to the alley where I was taken. It was a long shot, but my bag might still be here somewhere. There. I noticed a strap sticking out from under the dumpster. Pulling it out, I almost cried in relief. Checking inside, my spirits sank. My money was missing. I needed that money.

I slung the bag over my shoulder and headed to the warehouse, resigned. Before I could step inside, I heard a whine and glanced over my shoulder. A four-legged body slammed into my legs, crying. Dropping my bags, I hugged him close.

"Hi Joe," I said, even as my eyes burned. My only friend, my only family.

He was some sort of lab mix or something. One day I bumped into him and he just sort of adopted me. I didn't know how old he was, but he had the personality of a grouchy old man, so I normally called him Old Joe. He sat back and glared at me in a way only he could. I laughed.

"I'm sorry, boy. I was taken but I'm back now. Want a sandwich?"

He still glared at me, but seemed curious about what I was pulling out of my bag. When he smelled it, his tail went crazy. He devoured it within seconds, so I gave him another one. I could see that he had forgiven me. Taking a deep breath, I headed into the warehouse with him in tow.

The others stared at me as I passed. I must have been gone for at least a day, maybe more. If it was already time for my payment, I didn't know what I was going to do. I didn't know if I still had my job at the motel. Nick would use anything against me to cut my pay or force me to do things I would never do.

I made it to my bedroll just as footsteps approached me. Joe growled quietly. I shot him a look, and he stopped, thankfully. They barely tolerated him on a good day.

"Well, well, well look at what the cat drug in," Romeo taunted. I turned to face him, taking in the other three men with him. All of them were familiar.

They weren't guards, though. They were part of the punishers. At least that's what a lot of us had taken to calling them. When someone didn't pay, when someone broke the rules one too many times, anything really, Romeo called them in to put on a show so that no one would do it again.

Romeo ran the warehouse. He ran it with an iron fist and an ego the size of the Pacific. Rumor was that he was a son of one of the mob bosses in the area, but anyone that said anything of the sort to his face wasn't long for this world.

"Romeo," I greeted, even as my pulse raced.

"Where have you been, chick-a-dee?" he asked, a menacing gleam in his brown eyes. They were like mud compared to Finn's. His short black hair was oily and spiked in a way he probably thought was cool. It wasn't. A gun was holstered at one hip, a large knife at the other.

"I was snatched on my way back from work," I told him. "I don't know how long ago it was. I was able to get free and make my way back here."

He looked surprised, but it did nothing to change his eyes. He had already made up his mind about what would happen to me. His emotions were filled to brim with excitement, even a bit of arousal which made me sick to my stomach.

"Well, that's too bad," he stated dramatically. Taking out his knife, he began twirling it in his hands. "I'm sure you have your payment ready, though, right?"