CHAPTER 144 No Excuse


    Cristos


    54%


    I was in Sebastian’s room, still in my hideous camping disguise, waiting for Sebastian to


    wake up, so I could tell him I was going home. Xavier agreed to let me go under one condition… I had


    to tell Sebastian my decision.


    Sebastian’s room was a reflection of his personality. It was contemporary and efficient, but styled with


    boring minimalist pieces in monotonous tones of white, gray and ck. Sure, everything looked clean


    and neat in all its simplicity, however it gave off a rather dull impression.


    There was one small object though which contrasted with the simpleness of the room. On his smart


    nightstand was an old cigar box, its varnished wood gleaming under the soft glow of the yellow light


    coming from the matte ck dimmable tablemp situated right beside it. That box, I knew, was from


    Joy. Just like our home in Los Angeles, Sebastian’s room had the same subtle Joy touch. There was


    one piece of vintage furniture that stood out in his monochromatic bedroom, a restored vintage ck


    leather chair located right beside hist


    window… another gift from Joy.


    Joy and I, we had the same tastes when it came to furniture. We loved antiquing, spending hours and


    hours during the weekends flittering from one antique shop to another, purchasing unique items


    created during a certain period of time in history. We enjoyed incorporating each item into our sp acious


    contemporary home and adored how each carefully crafted piece brought character to our


    surroundings.


    Sebastian, of course, wasn’t the only one who received gifts from Joy. I had a beautiful  leather


    antique cufflink box in my office at the pub which I brought with me from Californi while Xavier had an


    antique pistol case in his office at Bo’s; small trinkets that reminded us


    how well Joy knew us.


    Our Joy…


    I couldn’t believe I almost lost her. I didn’t even think that worn down, fly infested gas station was a


    hotspot. From outside, it lookedpletely harmless, yet on the inside, it served as a trap and


    operated as a prison.


    How could I have been so naive? I’ve been berating myself for being so careless since we left that


    disgusting ce.


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    CHAPTER 144 No Excuse


    When we left New Salem to pick up Ki ki at the airport, I didn’t expect that a somewhat uneventful


    morning would turn into a tragedye noon.


    Outside, as I waited by the gas pumps, I kind of suspected something was wrong when the ice cream


    truck music began to y through the loudspeakers hanging on the canopy. It was so loud, I couldn’t


    even hear myself think.


    Through the dirty windows of the convenience store, I manage to see Joy’s silhouette


    walking through the aisles as she casually looked around and shopped. After a couple more minutes, I


    noticed her rushing to the counter to pay. She moved so fast, I expected she would being out as


    soon as she was done paying.


    “K, hurry up. V is at the counter paying. Once she’s out, we’ll head down further south a bit,


    then make a u-turn back to Mandan. Knowing Bo, he’s probably freaking out,” I yelled to


    K iki.


    “We’ll contact him as soon as we hit the road again, so he won’t have to worry,” K iki yelled back. “I’m


    about done. Just give me another minute to tie this thing up and we can be on our


    merry way.”


    After several minutes had passed with no Joy, I began to fret. Ki ki was already done tying the VSAT


    system in ce on the truck bed while Joy was still inside the store. She should have


    been out by now.


    “K, I think I should go and check on V,” I yelled, pointing at the convenience store.


    “She isn’t out yet?!” K iki asked surprised. She quickly let go of the piece of tarp she was covering the


    satellite dish with and jumped off the truck. That’s when I saw the worrie


    in her eyes.


    The expression on her face was enough for me to walk on over to the convenience store. pushed on


    the wooden door with all my might, but the da mn thing was locked.


    I peered through the windows and saw two men pass by, walking towards the counter. Where in the


    hell did those twoe from?!


    The hairs behind my neck stood up and my heart began to beat rapidly


    in trouble.


    in my chest. Joy was


    “What’s going on? And why are you still outside?” Ki ki asked loudly as she peered through


    the ss windows.


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    CHAPTER 144 No Excuse


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    “V’s in trouble and the door’s locked,” I yelled, banging on the door and shaking it, hoping for some


    miracle.


    “It’s locked?!” K iki eximed, pulling out her gun. She aimed at the window furthest from


    where we were and shot at it. I expected the ss to break, but to my utter shock and


    dismay, it was bulletproof ss.


    “This ce looks like it’s falling apart, but their windows are made of bulletproof ss,” K iki


    eximed. “This dump is a front. We need to get inside before it’s toote. Is there a keyhole?” She


    looked down at the door. “There’s no keyhole, C. This thing is locked from the


    inside.”


    A cold sweat appeared on my forehead and my hands began to shake uncontrobly. I felt a sudden


    pain in my chest at exactly where my heart was, as if someone was squeezing the life


    out of me.


    I gasped for air; the grip-like constriction in my chest made it difficult for me to breathe. For a split


    second, I actually thought I was going to keel over from a heart attack.


    I closed my eyes and steadied my breathing. I needed to get a grip on myself. Joy needed me.


    I opened my eyes… We were going to get inside that store… by any means necessary.


    I took a step back and rammed my shoulder against the door, but it wouldn’t budge. I took another step


    back, silently praying the lock would give when I rammed into it again.


    Ki ki positioned herself beside me to help and both of us mmed our shoulders onto door. We felt it


    move, but it didn’t open..


    “Let’s use the truck,” I yelled to K iki, who was massaging her shoulder. “Come on. It’s only way in.” K


    iki nodded her head and gave me a thumbs up sign. I turned to run to th


    truck when I heard K iki call out to me.


    “Hold on, C,” Ki ki suddenly yelled. “Do you hear that?”


    Inspite of the loud irritating ice cream truck music, we heard the unmistakable sound of the door


    unlocking. Oh thank G od!


    I immediately ced my hand on the grip of my gun tucked in the rear waistband of my shorts and


    gestured to Ki ki.


    She took her gun out and nced inside the store before crouching low. She gestured she


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    CHAPTER 144 No Excuse


    had eyes on one bogey standing near the door… right before she barged in.


    A wave of relief flowed through my body seeing Joy standing with a gun in her hand aimed. at the poor


    schmuck crying on the floor. She was okay! Actually, she was more than okay. She had killed two men


    without any help. A dead man was lying on top of a wooden rack, his blood staining the merchandise.


    And judging by the blood stter on the wall, another one


    was behind the counter. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    I wanted to cradle Joy in my arms and kiss her, but it wasn’t the ce nor the time. Good thing K iki


    had her wits about her. She quickly barricaded the door from where the two thugs emerged from and


    quickly decided it was best if we set the whole ce on fire.


    I picked up the wounded man named Dous off the floor and led him outside to the camper trailer,


    realizing the filthy m otherf ucker had peed in his pants. He was terrified.


    If you want to live, be a good boy. You never know… we might need you for something else,” I


    whispered in his ear, giving him hope so he would cooperate.


    Iin the camper trailer, I had to fight the urge to strangle him with my bare hands while I


    ckchained him to the sink in the bathroom.


    I toughed in disgust as I inhaled his horrid stench. His smell was so terrible, I had to make thhe


    conscious effort to breathe in through my mouth, while I binded his arms and legs. together, to prevent


    myself from puking.


    I doubted hisck of hygiene was because of theck of water. It was more likely it was because he


    and his friends seldomly left the basement. An old man behind the counter wasnt rutich of a threat to


    the campers who happened to drive through these pa kept out obtisight to lure them in.


    When i was sture Dous couldn’t escape, I hit him in the head with the butt of m rendering


    himunnconscious for the trip to Mandan headquarters.


    This was all my


    tattlt! I had apse in judgement. I knew Pete wanted Joy delivered to the


    this gas


    as station… that alone should have been enough for me to suspect that


    station was one of Petre’s hotspots.


    ey


    At Mandan, I only had ddo.toke one look at Xavier’s enraged face to know I really f u cked up. When he


    learned we had daatinned with one of the men who tried to kidnap Joy, he quickly pulled out his gun


    and entered the camper trailer to confront the s onofa bi tch. Both Joy and K iki had to restrain him ben


    killing the ba stard, convincing him that we still needed


    Dous for questioning.


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    CHAPTER 144 No Excuse


    “What is that smell?” Xavier yelled, kicking Dous awake. Dous woke up screaming, the sound m


    uffled by the duct tape covering his mouth. “You f u cking stink… You worthless piece


    of sh it!”


    A red-faced Xavier lifted his gun above his head to hit Dous in the face, but stopped, knowing that


    hitting him was futile.


    Unexpectedly, Xavier raised his face towards the ceiling and bellowed out his rage and frustration


    through clenched teeth in front of a cowering Dous and a frightened Ki ki. It was very rare to see


    Xavier so furious, so it wasn’t a surprise when K iki jumped back in


    rm.


    After he was done releasing some of his pent up anger, he spat at Dous before gesturing to Sam


    and Max to take him into a holding cell. You know what to do with him. And hose him down, will yah?


    He f ucking smells like s hit.”


    Xavier quickly exited the camper trailer with Ki ki close behind him.


    “Xavier, brother. I need to tell you something… Ki ki began.


    I raised my finger to silence K iki and shook my head at her, warning her not to say another word. This


    wasn’t the time to make excuses.


    “You three,e with me. And the rest of you, get back to work,” Xavier said, walking towards the


    offices at the end of the warehouse.


    With our heads hung low, we followed him quietly amidst the curious eyes of our fello Blood Disciples.


    There was no excuse.


    And I… I never ever wanted to feel that helpless again.


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