Nightmares

Chapter forty-four: Carter

He laughed.

"So you remember me?" He said with another chuckle.

"How could I forget?" I growled. "You ruined my life."

He tutted. "I didn't ask you to be lurking in the alleyways at night. You should have listened to your mamá when she told you to stay inside."

I slowly unclenched my fists. Getting angry wouldn't help now.

"I see you've met mi hijo?" He asked, pleasantly. As if he wasn't holding a girl at knifepoint.

"Who?"

He tutted again. "What short memories kids have these days. Jake."

What. The. Hell.

Had he planned this all along?

He laughed. "My son wants nothing to do with me. Shame. I was hoping for someone to take over after I got too old to do business anymore."

"What do you want with her?" I growled.

"It's not her I want." He said, with a casual shrug. "Though the look on your face is very pleasing."

"What do you want, Winters?"

"Please address me properly. A sir would be a nice touch. But I'm hurt that you don't call me by my first name."

Like I would even know it.

"Your son didn't take your name then?" I asked.

Stall him, Carter. Just until you come up with a plan.

"No. Shame really. All that potential. Just gone to waste." This guy has a serious tutting problem.

"I see you grew up to be a fine young man. With a beautiful novia too." He said, looking Harper up and down.

"You take your hands off her." I growled again.

Harper was still. She didn't dare twitch. Didn't make a sound.

He smiled at me.

"I never knew you had a soft spot for women, Cart."

"I find that hard to believe." I replied. "Considering you've been watching me for the past six years."

"How observant you've been." He said. He almost seemed pleased.

"Not observant enough." I said as I plucked a knife out of my pocket.

"Now, now. Don't be hasty." He said, as he traced a line on Harper's neck. "Or I can destroy your whole world in one quick motion."

"What happened to that black thing you used to have?" I growled.

"Oh that sweet little pistol? I threw it away. Too dangerous to keep in the UK. A minor inconvenience. These are much easier to handle." He said, admiring the twinkle of the knife. "And offer a certain physical advantage."

He took her hand in his, pulling it closer to him as he held the knife to her throat with a smile. I was dealing with a maniac.

I didn't have room for mistakes.

"You would kill a girl? For me?" I scowled. "What do you want from me?"

He chuckled.

"Do you really have no idea? Oh how fun." He said.

"I'm not in the mood for games, Winters. Just let her go and I'll give you what you want." I said.

"What I want." He mused. "I'll tell you what I want. I want the six years I've been chasing you down back."

I growled. Gripping the knife tightly.

"But since that won't happen," he paused and leant in close to Harper. "I'll take what's available to me instead."

He kissed her cheek softly. Whispering in her ear just loud enough that I could hear him.

"Now then, novia. Play nicely and your useless shit for a boyfriend won't lose everything." He held her waist, carefully. Almost lovingly.

I had never wanted to kill someone more than I did at that moment.

Harper stayed calm. Unmoving. She was handling this much better than I was. And I wasn't the one who was being held captive.

He kept whispering to her.

"This is what happens when you mix with the wrong crowd, novia. This niño is bad news. He calls you his lucky charm but he's brought you nothing but bad luck, has he?"

I've never once called her that. I thought.

Really? That's what you're focused on right now? A voice snapped back.

She listened to him. Pretended to listen to him. I hope.

"You should have stayed away, novia. That little voice telling you he was trouble was right. And now you're caught up in his mistakes too."

There we go again with the tutting. So annoying I don't even know how to tut.

Shut up, why are you always so distracted?

I'm waiting for you to do something.

Thanks for your help, subconscious. Really appreciated.

Anytime sunshine.

Don't call me sunshine. Ever.

Carter, focus!

I waited. He waited. Harper waited.

"What are we waiting for?" I asked after a minute.

"Ah, so naive. We're waiting for you to pay up. Or else it's bye bye girlie."

Pay up? With what? For what?

We were so screwed.