The Path to Love

Chapter 21

"Can you quit the gang?" Sam asked me, as we were driving home from school.

"You don't just quit a gang, Sam. You're in it for life. It's not something that ever goes away, unfortunately."

"How did you get involved with it anyways and how did you manage to hide it from me?"

"It was an accident. I walked in on a drug deal gone bad. I tried to help the guy, but he was knocked out cold and it was me fighting three guys. It was either join the gang or die. I chose the first option. Keeping it from you was the easy part. I wasn't going to bring you into a dangerous world like that. I wouldn't have been able to protect you from that would if I brought you into it. Every time you fixed my knuckles after a fight? Gang work."

"I thought you were in an underground fighting club. I was determined to come to one of your fights and see how it happened. So, what happens after high school?"

"With the gang? Xavier and I were expected to move in and become full fledged members. I think Xav is still going to do it, but I'm not."

"What? Why not?"

"You and that baby are more important to me than some stupid gang. If I have the both of you in that, you become targets, you both are my weaknesses. People will know that and use you both against me. I can't have the two of you involved in that life. I need to get out before other gangs or people that hate me learn about you. I'm sure N will understand anyways. We'll just have to go into hiding for a few years until everything calms down."

"Aren't we in the gang?"

"I am in it, there's no we. My kid isn't being involved in a gang if I have anything to do with it."

"You should have thought about that before you brought me there. You're dragging me into something I don't want our child to be apart of Hunter. If it was just me, I'd slap you around and be fine. But we have a tiny human who has no sense of the world to think about."

"Yeah, I wasn't really thinking about that. I was tired of you calling me names and I just didn't want you accusing me of something false anymore. If you were going to accuse me of something, I wanted it to be correct information. But I am sorry for just springing that part of my life on you like that."

"We need to talk about it, Hunter."

"Talk about what, Sam?" I knew she was talking about what happened with her uncle, but we've been getting along so well the last few weeks and I desperately didn't want to ruin it.

"How you basically signed the death warrant of my uncle," Sam snapped.

"You literally wished him dead anyways, so I don't really think it matters. We don't have anything to talk about."

"Just because I wished him dead Hunter, doesn't mean I actually wanted it to happen."

"Well, what do you want me to say? I'm not sorry I did it. Word is getting around now about what happened, and the gang is starting to be feared. Your uncle is better off dead. He was a child rapist, I'm surprised he wasn't killed long before this."

"Do you not feel any sympathy at all? My mother hasn't left me alone, she's constantly making sure I'm okay, and treating me like I'm some type of glass that will break any minute. My dad has to bury his brother, Hunter."

"No, I don't feel bad about it, Samantha. You were terrified for him to get out. I told you, I would always protect you and I stand beside that statement. It's not like you're going to go to his funeral anyways. He is a child rapist, he raped you Samantha! I bet you don't feel bad for it either. You know you should feel upset, but instead you feel glad you don't have to worry about him anymore."

She ignored my statement and just kept talking about the gang. "I don't want our kid involved in the gang life, Hunter. The baby is innocent, he or she doesn't deserve to have to be raised in a life of violence, drugs, death, and all of those horrible things."

I looked away from the road and stared at Sam. "I can't get out of the gang Sam, you know that. I'm trying but I don't know if it will happen."

"Well, if you don't find a way out, I won't let you see our kid. I don't want my kid in that life, and I will protect them at all costs. No matter what."

I looked again at Sam, and she was already staring at me. "You can't keep my kid away from me."

She was looking back at me with determination in her eyes. "Watch me," she replied.

I stared at her in shock. I said I didn't want this conversation. How did we go from talking about my part in killing her uncle to her keeping my kid away from me? She looked back out the window. "I won't let you," I stated.

"Hunter!" Sam screamed out in horror. She looked at me with panic in her eyes and I looked back at the road too late. I pushed my right arm out to hold Sam back against the seat, I didn't want her to get hurt or jeopardize the baby.

I tried to slam on my breaks, but it was too late. As we crashed into the car in front of us, my head smacked against the wheel and flew back against the seat. "HUNTER!" Sam screamed.

I still fought for consciousness to keep my arm against her to make sure she or the baby didn't get hurt. My head then hit the window and all I could hear was Sam screaming my name again and again.

The crash was over, and Sam was safe. Once I realized that, my arm went limp and then everything went black.