Chapter 21 Don't Mess With Me!
1890words
'Don't mess with me when I'm angry!'
"Aww... Feisty. I like it." says the friend of the stranger who tapped my shoulder, smirking.
She wanted to pull out her gun, but noticing that there was a surveillance camera install next to the lamp road behind her, she changed her mind.
Plus, maybe they're just scumbags who aren't worth her gun's punishment.
She can fight them, but the surveillance camera would record it.
She didn't even care if she got caught by the surveillance camera when she had her mask.
Plus, she had her whole body covered with black clothes.
Vale walked backwards until they reached the dark alley with them approaching her tauntingly.
She took one more step backwards but stopped when her back collided with a wall.
"What is a beautiful girl like you doing here alone at night?"
Her ears perk up at the unfamiliar voice behind her. She turned around quickly and stepped away until she can clearly see the man.
"You-!" Vale stopped herself from acknowledging him. That could throw her in trouble. Not that she's in it already.
Lance O'Brien! The Venomous Gang!
She had heard Keith talking about him and his gang in a meeting. He said that the men who had a snake tattoo on them are the strongest among all of their other members.
She gulped, looking at the few men behind him—about ten, including the boss and twelve, including the two behind me.
"You led me here!" she spat the obvious to the strangers behind her.
"You are the one who walks here, beautiful." Lance words had her slapped in the face mentally.
‘Well, goodbye, my life!'
This is what she feared the most. If the other gang knows about her, then it's the end of her life. She won't say any word till she died, though.
And if it happens, she knows for sure, Keith will not stop until blood puddled around his feet.
He might be a cold blood killer, but he protected his members like a family.
That's what she heard. But, she was not too sure either.
It's either getting kidnapped, tortured and interrogated before they decided to kill her.
Or, she had to fight till her last breath.
"What do you want?" she asked.
"It's simple, really. Cooperate, and I won't have to hurt you," he said with evil glint flashing in his eyes.
"Cooperate in what?"
Maybe talking will stall them. She just needed to buy a little more time so that Keith and the guys will notice something wrong and came here. She just hoped they would.
"Just follow us and do as told. You don't have to work in this-" he pointed to the buildings around us.
"-to make money anymore. I've got some work for you, and the payment is high." he spread his hands in invitation.
Vale's blood runs cold at his words—bloody human trafficker.
Sweat began to form on her forehead as she looked at their neck that had a snake tattoo on it means, her chance of surviving was very small.
Her brain was working way too fast inside her head, trying to find a way to escape, making dizziness surround her. If she doesn't act quickly, she would die on their hands or worst kidnapped.
"What if I don't want to?" she asked.
'That wasn't what I supposed to say!'
The boss, Lance O'Brien, step towards her as she staggered back. Her heartbeat increased. One of the strangers behind Vale hold her hands behind her.
She thrashed from his grip, but it was too tight.
She never let her victim have the upper hand.
Vale glared at Lance with defiance.
She's not gonna show any sign of fear!
He slaps her once, twice, thrice, till she lost counts. His ring grazed across her face and felt blood dripping from her nose, cheeks, and mouth.
She smirked at him, making him look even angrier than before.
'Vale, what are you doing? You're going to get us killed!'
Her conscience shouted.
He punched her jaw, her stomach wherever his hands would like to hit. Vale gritted her teeth and let out a groan as her body throbbed from the pain.
He stopped, and she looked back at him before spitting the blood in her mouth to his face. He became furious as he kicked her hard repeatedly.
Vale pitied him. Is he afraid she might be stronger than him?
If he wasn't, then why wouldn't he order his men to let go of her and fight her like a man?
Vale realized how much of a coward he is. She just hoped that someone would notice her absence by now. She feared that she was actually walking to her own grave right now.
She chuckled when he stopped again.
"Is this how you make people fear you? What a coward!" She mocked him.
"Shut up, bitch!"
Her words fuel his anger more as he draws a small knife and Vale shiver but stand still looking at him daringly.
A playful smirk was formed on her bloodied face.
That's it.
The knife slashed on her body as she closed her eyes.
Will this be the last day of her life?
Is this how she will die?
She had stopped trashing from his men hold after she did it once. Losing energy was the last thing she wanted to do right now.
Vale blinked several times when dark spots appeared in her sight. She breathed in and out slowly so that she wouldn't lose her consciousness.
Lance stepped back, admiring his work before he chuckled darkly. Vale bit her tongue to hide the laugh she was holding on.
They didn't even bother checking her. Her bag was still strapped around her and she felt relieved at that small fact. Although her bag also received the same treatment as her.
"Take her to the car!" he orders the man that was holding Vale's hands behind her in a tight grip.
'Oh, hell, no!'
Vale lifted herself from the ground using the man's hold to support her as she gave Lance a kick on his face.
He crumpled to the ground. He wasn't aware of this as he had turned on his side.
Vale headbutted the man behind her before she landed back on the ground, and he let go of her, groaning.
Vale grabbed him from behind and had him in a tight headlock in a swift movement.
She pulled out her gun and didn't even hesitate to pull the trigger on Landon's head. Two of his men were just helping him on his feet back when he crumpled back to the ground.
Dead.
The rest of the guy's look was stunned seeing their boss died in front of them.
Vale took the chance to shoot the other men who helped their boss to lured her towards the alley. The others pulled out their gun and pointed it at her and she rolled her eyes.
Finally.
Vale pressed her gun to the man that was turning blue in her tight headlock with one hand.
"Drop your gun, or I kill him," she demanded.
They hesitated, making her grow aggravated.
"Do it!" she yelled.
They finally drop their gun one by one. She was about to drag the man in her grip away as a hostage. That was till one of the men stepped in and talked.
"Please...don't hurt my brother," he said.
Vale gave the man in front of her a kick on the back of his knee and he stumbled forward, kneeling.
The man coughed as he breathed.
Vale looked at all of them warily.
"Why did you try to kidnap me?" she asked them.
None of them answered.
She scoffed.
Tight-lipped idiot.
They don't want to admit what they've been continuously doing.
"Fine then." She stepped back and almost pulled the trigger when the younger man earlier stepped again.
"Don't-"
"Stay where you are!" she yelled.
The younger man stepped back with a worried face.
"If you don't want him to die, then answer me." she snapped at them.
"We're doing human trafficking." one of them answered.
"Mike!" they snarled at him.
He ran his finger through his hair as he breathed heavily, "I have a wife and a child to look after."
Vale almost burst out laughing. That's how she treated his victim.
Pathetic.
If Vale were to kill him, she would only regret it when the day passed by.
He just spilt some secrets that might put his family in danger.
"How do I know you won't speak about me if I were to let you go?" she eyed them.
Ten people are too many to keep their mouth locked.
Even if some of them were tight-lipped, the others would talk.
That is not a solution either.
They will only be tight-lipped around their gang information.
"We wouldn't." the man who was kneeling on the ground replied.
"How?" she asked.
"Our leader had been killed, and the person that took it his life will rule the gang. It's a rule for every gang," he said.
Vale froze.
She shouldn't have shot Landon!
She should've knocked him out and pulled out her smoke bomb and run while they're busy attending their boss.
This is not what she wanted.
Heck, the news will spread, and her family and friends will know. That means more problems.
She suddenly felt sick to the bones.
"Why should I believe you?" she asked.
"We had agreed to have our tongue cuts out if we lie about the gang rules," he said.
Vale wanted to know more, but her consciousness is slipping away. She had lost too much blood.
"Fine! For now, I trusted this matter in your hand. Get up." Vale pulled her gun away.
"Set up a meeting with all the gang members and me, but don't tell them about my appearance. None of you will talk. I remember everyone's face. If one of you decides to speak up-" she stopped.
Their body stiffened.
"-I will hunt you down along with your family." she threatened with a deadly tone and a serious expression.
Vale turned to the guy beside her.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"James," he replied.
"Well, James, make sure none of them talks about me while I settle down for a bit,"
"Yes, boss!" he answered.
Vale wanted to laugh, but her face contorted in pain when she tried to do so.
"Give me your phone number," she asked and grabbed her phone from her bag with shaky hands.
He gave her his phone number.
"I had so many questions but-"
A loud screech of car made her jumped back, frightened and she stumbled on a rock. She fell to the ground and her head hits the road's pavement.
James rushed to her in panic, and that warmed her heart a bit, knowing that she had someone supporting her from the gang.
"Leave..."
Her head throbbed, and her breath hitched when she saw Lexy from Keith gang's run towards her.
'Shit!'
"Don't...shoot. Don't..tell.. her..." she whispered and closed her heavy-lidded eyes.
Not before she heard a gunshot.
No!
She wanted to scream and yell, but the darkness had taken complete control over her.
No!
A/n: Woah! A long Chapter here!! Thank you for reading, though.
