The E.A. Barket Short Stories

Amore

     Three years ago, I was running away from...him. Now I'm 21 and living with my uncle in the big city of New York. But what happened today, I never would've thought would happen and I'd be reunited with my only lover.

     It was a warm summer Saturday, and the bank was about to close when I rushed inside the air conditioned building. I joined the long backup line, and went on my cell phone. I was third in line,  a half an hour later.

     The bank was completely shut down from the outside, when shards of glass exploded towards the front desk. I got down on my knees, and crouched in the glass covered floor. Blood was starting to drip down my legs when four masked men stepped through the broken doorway.

     "Hands up! Step away from the counter," one of the masked men pointed a gun at the older men and the young girl behind the counter. "Give me clearance to the vault and no one will get hurt." The men looked at the nine of us cowering in fear near the wall.

     His eyes landed on the girl next to me, she had fat tears rolling down her cheeks, and she was in a fetal position. She had dark red hair, cut to her shoulders and heavy eye-liner that was now running down her cheeks, also. The masked man grabbed her by her forearm, and hauled her up, pressing her against his chest.

     He placed the gun to her temple, making an example of her. The young bank teller raised her hands in surrender, "Okay, okay, I'll do it, no one has to get hurt. I just need to step behind the counter so I can put in the code..."

     "No I'll do it, step away," He throws the pixie cut girl down to the ground and I grab her arms, breaking her fall, and pull her towards me. She pushed her head into the crook my neck and sobs. The masked man jumps over the marble counter, and circles over to the two bank tellers.

     He kneels down and types the code into the hidden keypad under the counter. The large heavy vault door at the other end of the room swings open, and the other three men raid the vault while, what seems to be the leader, climbs back over and orders the men around.

     When the leader turns his back toward me, I see a small tattoo on his neck, not quite covered by his face mask. It's a hibiscus flower, purple, to be specific. It was his favorite color, he loved purple hibiscus flowers, he used to leave them for me everyday in my locker. I thought it was sweet. But I was so wrong.

I pull the pixie cut girl from, and I run my hand over her head, trying to sooth her. "Everything is going to be okay, I promise." I whisper to her. She nods her head, and wipes under her eyes. I get up on my wobble legs, blood covering my skin. The men have yet to notice me, so I have a slight advantage.

     I spot a handgun one of the men must of dropped on the way in here. I tip-toe over to it, and hold the heavy weapon in my hand. Mustering up my courage and my voice, I shout as them to stop.

     "I know who you work for, and you don't need to hurt anyone, I'm sure the police will be willing to bargain with you if you just put the...the money down, and...and surrender." I choke on my words, my hands shaking around the weapon.

      The men stop, and stare at me, then they start whispering among each other. One by one, the men drop the duffle bags full of money and there weapons. I stand there stund, and I feel everyone's eyes on me.  The men raised their arms in the air.

     I dropped my arm with the gun, but kept a firm grasp on it. One of the men, walked towards me, "Your her?" He questions.

     I my eyebrows pull together in confusion, "I'm who?"

   "You said you know our boss?"

     If I didn't know any better, he sounds almost sincere.

     "My name is Danica Sinclair," I say confidently, and I notice the men's eyes widen, and they...look scared. "And, your boss...Kane..." I choke on his name. Flash back from three years ago threaten to take over.
My feet pound on the forest floor, my breathing became labored.

    "Danica!" Kane shouts, but I don't stop. I can't believe he....
Strong arms wrap around me and I'm pulled against someone's chest.

     "Let me go!" I yell. "I can't believe you killed someone! You murder!" He placed me on my feet slowly but kept a grasp on my forearm. He turned me around to face him, and he had a tear trickling down his face.

     "I didn't have a choice..." He whispered.
    
My vision clears.
    
     I'm laying on my back, on something very hard. I hear the engine first before I heard the shuffling of mens boots. I keep my eyes closed, my body paralyzed in fear.

     "We can present her to boss like this. She's not to come back with a scratch on her."

     "Well it's not our fault she knelt in glass."
I heard the rough sound of a palm hitting flesh.

     The vehicle pulls to a stop, and a door slides open. Light fills my eyelids, and I try my hardest not to scrunch them together.

     "Go in and get Ms. Leeann, The girl needs to be cared for before we alert boss of our findings. Hopefully this is better than the loot from the bank." The man who was speaking, had a irish accent to his voice, and recognition lit up inside me, It can't be him...He ran away three years ago.

     Arms scoop under my legs and my back, and I'm lifted up in the air like I weigh nothing.

     It was a while till I felt something soft underneath me. The warmth that used to settle me down after the nightmares I had of our father, disappeared.

     "It's okay, he won't hurt you again, I'll make sure of it Danica."

***

     It's been an hour, and what I'm assuming was Ms. Leeann bought me a outfit to change into. It consisted of a pair of skinny jeans that fit perfectly, and a loose blouse, like the ones I used to wear all the time in high school. It's almost like he...memorized everything about me.

     A soft knock on the door came, and it swung open. I freeze again, as I feel the fimiliar gaze, graze my body from behind. Damn him, and his affect on me.
      "Kane," I whisper.
     "Amore."