Runaway ✔

074 • Dana

I'm always happy to hear from new readers! So, 07203721c welcome! Hope you'll like this new chapter. :) 

Dana barely dared to breathe. With a pounding heart she looked at Juice's brown eyes when he answered the phone. It didn't take long before his face turned blank, before he started to grimace. 

She covered her mouth with her hand. 

Things went wrong, just as I predicted. 

Even though she wanted to scream, wanted to grab him by the collar to shake him until he told her what had happened, she forced herself to sit down. 

When the conversation was finally over – even though it couldn't have been that long, Juice had barely spoken a word – he looked up. Past her, to Bobby. 

"They shot Kozik. He's in ICU, close to dead. The ones who were with him, are arrested and accused of murder."

"Oh fuck." Dana closed her eyes and bent her head. With her hands she clung to her hair. She took a few deep breaths. "Who's arrested?"

"They couldn't tell. Kozik is unconscious."

"Kozik?" Dana repeated when the name came up again. Through the dense forest of concern in her head, a light became visible. Her eyes went wide. "Herman?"

The name left her lips in a whimper. As soon as she'd said his name, she knew it was him. 

Juice sat down next to her and laid a hand on her knee. "You know him?"

"I did. When I was a teenager," she muttered. "Oh fuck man!" She shook her head. The powerlessness she felt was unbearable. 

The last time she'd seen him, she had been fourteen. While her friends were giggling because of one of their macho classmates, Dana had been on fire because of the friend of her brother, regardless the fact that he'd been twice her age. He had been her first love, something that had grown slowly.  He'd looked after her sometimes, when Happy wasn't at home and her mother wasn't able to take care of her. He'd done so since she was ten, and even though he'd been like a brother in the first place, her feelings had gradually changed when she grew older.

When she no longer needed a babysitter, he still came over. Together they read comics he brought with him, and they came up with their own superhero stories. There had even been some nights they'd kissed, and it had been one of these nights that Happy had opened the door of her room, not suspecting anything when he heard them laugh. 

Since then she'd never heard from Kozik again.

She hadn't known the two had still been in contact. In fact, she'd been afraid she had ruined their friendship. She had been outraged when Happy had snapped at her that she wouldn't see Kozik ever again, and that she should find someone of her own age. 

Now she understood him very well. The idea that she would do anything with an elf year old, made her feel sick. But no matter how wrong it all had been; she had been fourteen and very curious to the other gender. She'd never blamed him, and she never would.

Had Happy forgiven him? Had they been just as close as they'd been in old times? Had Happy been with him, was he arrested now? 

She could no longer sit still. She dumped the guitar on Bobby's lap and started to pace through the room.

It might have been years ago that she'd seen Kozik, or even thought about him, but a part of her heart had always belonged to him, and the thought that Maddox would soon be responsible for his death too, made that she wanted to scream in frustration. Before she would really do so, she slipped out, sat down on the picknick table and lit a cigarette. Her fingers trembled when she moved her hand to her lips. 

What a fucking mess. 

And the worst of all, was that she'd seen this coming. 

She looked up when someone sat down next to her and put an arm around her. Cherry rested with her head against her shoulder and heaved a deep sigh. 

"I never should have come here," Dana muttered. The thought that Kip could end up behind bars thanks to her, made her feel sick. 

"Don't say stupid things like that. If you hadn't been here, I would have been crying in a corner all alone. Or perhaps with some croweaters who think they feel the same as I do."

Dana looked up. Cherry's face looked pale. 

"I love Kip and I know how much the club means to him, but only since you're here, I have the feeling this is also the place where I belong."

"I bet you change your mind when Kip will end up in jail," Dana muttered. Or even worse. 

"Then Kip will be there because he is loyal to his club. To his friends. To his family. They're involved in dangerous business all the time. I rather see him doing prison time because he hurt the man who'd screwed your life than that he will be arrested because of some stupid gun deal."

"Then he won't face life."

"Come on, Dane!' Cherry bumped her shoulder. "You should be cheering me up, tell me that I have no reason to believe Kip was with that group!"

"Sorry," she sighed. "You're right."

But she couldn't think of any encouraging words. Sometimes the days were pitch black, feeling heavy as lead, and after her mother's passing the amount of those days had increased. It felt like Juice was the only one who could keep that stifling darkness away from her, and as soon as she was alone, she didn't know how to defend herself.

"Now, here comes the talk," she sighed when Juice walked toward them. In the meantime he'd surely gotten in touch with one of his brothers.

The way he looked at her, already told her the truth. 

Happy had been there.