On the Run by M Zeigler (online e reader txt) 📕

“Bonnie you are terrible.” Barrette speaks, looking up I see him giving me a disapproving look with this meerkat smirk playing at his lips, his head is slightly tilted to the side. “I know.” I reply then look away trying to hide the blush staining my cheeks. He’s even strangely adorable when he’s upset with someone, I don’t like Barrette anymore.

“Hn, anyways, you won’t convince me that you enjoy being alone all the time, I don’t even like being alone that much. And I think we can both agree I’ve done worse things than you.” Barrette replies, I look up at his arrogant smirk and shake my head no with a grave expression in place. He’s so far off base with this one it’s not even funny, of course I’m sure there are things that the magazines don’t know about him.

“You had an alcohol problem, you wrecked your car, you were arrested, you did time in jail. You paid the price for what you have done. As for me, I was stone sober when I made my mistakes; I have hurt people, Barrette, good people who didn’t deserve what I gave them. I’d do it again, I still don’t care about others, I was raised in a broken family, I am a broken person. That’ll never change, people like you that have a functioning happy family, they can be saved but people like me. I cannot be mended, nor do I want to be.” I sigh then glance around trying to find some way to escape this conversation; I’m no good at opening up to people. I keep my heart on lock down for a reason, you start talking at me and you get hurt, it’s just that simple.

“Maybe that is part of the problem, you can fix whatever is wrong you just choose not to?” Barrette says, his words hit home with me, I don’t like it so I scan the area more frantically looking for a door that isn’t closed and locked.  As my eyes scan the room I realize that this area has filled with even more people than there was when I arrived, including four very angry faces that don’t belong here or anywhere.

“Barrette, we need to get out of here, now.” I order taking steps back while trying to drag Barrette with me, my eyes are focused on Devon who is leading his men inside.  Barrette looks down at me appalled and refusing to move from his place, the man is like trying to move an elephant! He’s tall, he’s well built, and has his feet firmly planted with the idea of refusing to move, and therefore he isn’t going to without a reason! I give up on the notion of making him  move just long enough to see why he refuses to move.

 “Really, I start giving advice on life and you’re thinking of bed wrestling?” Barrette gapes down at me, giving an aggravated grumble I grab hold of the leather shoulder harness that fastens his and once again try to drag him off towards the dressing room door.

 “No, you two headed, one brained moron. We’ve got company and it’s not good company to keep!” My words come out as a panicked hiss. Barrette’s face screws up with confusion as he looks around passing up Devon who has noticed us and is quickly closing in.

“What?” Barrette asks confusedly  looking back  at me again. “Run you idiot!” I shout at him as I take off running down the hall, the door we just entered is slammed open once more as Barrette and I run through.

Barrette looks back and finally see’s Andrew, he panics but finds his secondary brain and starts running faster to catch up with me. “Hey Bonnie! Where exactly are we running to?! This place doesn’t have a back door ya know!” Barrette shouts out to me as we quickly cover the ground between the event staff area and the party. “Follow me and try to keep up! Let’s see if you can still run better than Bo Duke!” I shout back to Barrette as I close in the end of the gated path outside the party.

Several gun shots fire at Barrette and I as I am launching half way up a fifteen foot fence, I hear several people shriek instantly. Above all I hear Marissa Lee. “You show em how it’s done cowgirl!” Marissa trills over the shrieking and uproar of the more easily unnerved guests. Barrette jumps up to the fence just as I’m clambering over the top trying to not snag this ridiculous dress as I go.

“Okay now what smart one?” Barrette asks when we look up and see a fifteen foot length of fence to our right and a brick wall to our left that also ends with a brick wall. Little has Barrette noticed there is a ladder leading to the roof between us and the brick wall.

 “Always go up.” I reply running straight for the ladder, in a flash of black and white Barrette and I are scrambling quickly up the latter then up onto the roof.   

“Now what?” The cowboy beside me rumbles for a third time once the two of us are out on top of the building, I look over to him and for a split second in time I feel like my grandmother standing there in the heat of danger with Clyde. Both of them unsure of their next move knowing somehow some way they will make it out alive.

Barrette even looks like he could pass off as Clyde Barrow, wearing that outfit, the only that differs Clyde Barrow from Barrette is the fact that Barrette’s left arm is covered, full sleeve in tattoo’s depicting many different things. I’ve really never looked close enough to tell you what is inked into his skin though.

If Barrette were to see pictures of my grandmother, ones that the press never found he would probably say I look like my grandmother right now with this ridiculous vintage looking dress on and this made to look like antique necklace hanging around my neck.

“Hold that thought.” I reply running for the edge of the building opposite the ladder, as I predicted the fair is going on full swing to our right, complete with rides, people, and vendors.  Directly ahead of us but below the roof, standing about ten feet out is one of the chain link fences I clambered over to get into the party. I begin to double back for Barrette who is now walking towards me with an urgent and aggressive rigidness about the way he is carrying himself; behind him I hear the chambering of a round in someone else’s gun. Seconds later I hear Devon’s voice as him and his goons come scrambling onto the roof top.

Realizing that danger is upon me I feel my blood run cold, all panic, fear, and other hindering emotions leave my mind. Barrette looks at me waiting to gauge my reaction, I watch as the man who doubles me in size steps back with a look of fear in his eyes.  The wind up here adds to the cold dead feeling coursing through me right now not to mention really adds drama to this already theatrical moment. Having Devon so close within my reach tonight I know I might end up going to prison for murder, the challenge is far to tantalizing to ignore.

“Bonnie, your dad really failed to teach you much of anything.” Devon comments coming to a stop with Andrew, Marty and a new face standing behind him in a perfect line, all his minions are looking directly at me with a devilish smirk on their faces.

“You should ask your corvette about what I’ve been taught. Oh, wait…sorry; not sorry.” I reply in a voice that is so void of emotion that I almost sound psychotic, Devon grimaces at my remark. Barrette is really confused and worried about our exchange because I have not had the chance to warn him about the cynicism that I am prone to in a dangerous situation. I really don’t think he is worried about Devon so much as he is worried about my mental stability.

 “The problem with you Parkers is that you descend from the greatest outlaw in the history of outlaws. If you would just embrace that lifestyle we might actually be able to stay friends, it’s not too late, Bonnie, I’ll offer you twenty million in cash right now to walk away and let me take Barrette for a ride to the desert.” Devon offers, I look to Barrette who has a new worried expression on his face as he looks at me.

Barrette is the one man who trusts me to get us out of this situation alive, without a prison sentence, and the only person aside from my non biological sisters, who will actually trust me without having a single reason to do so. As much as I hate Devon, I cannot subject Barrette to potentially facing prison because I ripped out Devon’s throat with a bullet shell.

“Bonnie?” Barrette says as I start walking towards Devon doing the only thing I can think of to get us out of this situation.

 “Bonnie you said you help me out of this, not join the bad guy!” Barrette shouts after me angrily as I gain a closer proximity to Devon acting like I’m taking the offer.

“Yeah, well…family comes first.” I reply moving in to stand behind Devon’s team. “See, Barrette? That is why you always pay your dues on time, in full.” Devon says taking aim at Barrette who squares his shoulders even more, ready to take the bullet straight in the chest.

My heart jolts and skips a beat pitifully at the sight, now this is what a real man is, he will take a bullet straight in the chest instead of cower and beg for mercy. Barrette knows that the only thing he did wrong with Devon was not pay his due on time, it’s not worth being shot over unless you’re in the life we walk, and even then it’s not worth it. But he knows that is how the world turns for people like us, so he is ready to take it square in the chest.

I lock eyes with Barrette; I’m astonished to find there is no fear in his eyes at all, just stern cold blooded anger. Before Devon has the chance to pull the trigger on Barrette I pull my revolvers and shoot Andrew point blank in the back of the head at the same time shooting Marty square between the shoulders. The female of the hitters whirls around with a look of sheer terror on her face, Barrette’s expression matches the new girls face.

Neither Barrette nor the professional assassin can believe that I wasted no time and had absolutely no qualms about shooting these two men. Most every assassin I’ve ever come across has at least hesitated long enough to mutter a prayer, not me, like I said earlier, I take no prisoners and leave no survivors. I’m the worst person to ever hand a loaded gun to, I’m a ticking time bomb of heartless, hateful, psychological mayhem.

 “You can’t just go around shooting people! Even Devon was going to take him out of the area!” The female assassin shrieks at me throwing her arms out to the side incredulously. My face contorts to full show my inner insanity and I give her a very masochistic smile before replying. “Sure I can, watch.” I say before pulling the trigger shooting her directly in the throat, blood spatters everywhere the minute the bullet slug goes through her neck.

The open gun fire that erupted from here causes terrified screams to rip through from the party and from the fair grounds. Another informative bit about people from Los Angeles, when the majority of us hear gun fire we tend to panic.