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

 “Yes he did, now we just wait and plan our next move.” I sigh in response leaning back into my own chair. The frustration I am feeling right now is unbelievable, we gave a loose plan on what to do but neither of us thought to plan out where we would stop. With that said it’s kind of hard to determine where to stop considering the fact that we do not know where Devon is or if he is following us. Driving out as far as we have I was watching the rearview mirror for any cars that are very suspicious, or intriguingly exotic in nature.

“What is there to plan? It’s simple we continue stringing Devon along clear into Georgia then let him catch up to us, when he does we’ll take him down and turn him over to authorities.” Barrette replies while I’m rummaging around in the mini fridge looking for something to munch on. Barrette has to do a double take because when he was looking at me moments ago I was in the chair and now I’m at the fridge.  “Bonnie.” Barrette calls my name; I look over to see what he wants only to see he’s handing over one of those massive seven ounce chocolate bars.

My expression, instead of being grateful is rather confused because we only stopped at one store between there and here. I didn’t see these massive bars of chocolaty goodness on the shelves so he must’ve stocked up on them at some point before we left. If the latter of possibilities is the case then I am losing my touch because I can sniff out a perfectly sealed chocolate bar a mile away. After all it’s my favorite snack, as my oldest sister Ferra says frequently ‘Bonnie, your obsessions with chocolate out ways your drinking problem, you need chocolate rehab.’

“Thank you!” I squeak allowing my inner child show through, once I’ve cracked through the wrapper I take a seat, Barrette thumps the table a few times showing his boredom. “I don’t remember the three week run being so boring.” He finally announces tipping the chair back to kick his feet up on the table. I look at him with wide accusing eyes; he’s the last person on this earth that I would suspect to put muddy boots on the table.

“What?” He asks clearly confused with my expression. “If I can’t sit on the kitchen counter to eat then you cannot put your muddy boots on the table.” I say shoving his ankles hard enough that his feet slide off the table landing on the floor with a thud. “Fair enough.” Comes the muttered reply, I’m about to comment further on manners in the south versus the mannerisms of other states when Barrette jumps to attention running to straight the window. He carefully peels back one corner of the curtain just enough to look out, he hesitates a moment then turns back running for the car keys and the guns.

“We gotta move, now.” Barrette’s voice is very quiet yet urgent; whatever he spotted out that window has him alarmed. “Who’s out there?” I whisper back, Barrette looks towards the front door when someone or something heavy slams into it. “I’ll give you one guess, and it’s not the candy gram guy.” Barrette says as both of us start shoving our belongings into our separate suit cases. “Out the window, go now, I’m right behind you.” Barrette orders nodding to the window as he shoves our two bags at me, I look at him worriedly deciding that we need to stay together.  Our enemy is way too close for us to split up, by the time I get to the car the person outside will be in here and after Barrette it’s a risky move because my guns are buried in the bottom of my bag at this point.

 “No, come with me. I’m not leaving you here.” I say to Barrette who’s about to give a final order for me to leave, his order is given no chance to be spoke because at this exact moment the door to the hotel busts down, with newly improved reflexes Barrette shoves me to the ground behind him and takes aim at the intruder.

I have no idea who the man before us is, but he is a big guy, he doubles in size compared to Barrette, he’s also more muscled than Barrette. This man has a scarred up bald head and a very unappealing face, his demeanor is something to fear even coming from someone like me who really isn’t afraid of much in this world, except daddy long leg spiders, those things are evil!

“Barrette!” I scream when the guy before us easily round house kicks the gun from Barrette’s hands, the weapon flies through the hotel window. I scramble backwards towards the wall giving Barrette the room to distance himself between the intruder. Now that I’m in the corner and somewhat out of harm’s way I unzip my bag rummaging around frantically looking for either of my twin revolvers.

“My name is Hugo, and you killed my baby brother. Now I’m going to kill you.” The intruder says in a very matter of fact way, his voice is so deep and vicious it’s scary. Barrette takes a sharp left hook to the jaw and flies back onto the bed. “Barrette!” I scream when I see this, I’ve never seen him get slammed like that. Panic shoots through me when I see Hugo actually getting the upper hand over Barrette, fed up with my messy bag I dump it out causing my gun to skitter across the floor back to my side.

“Get away from him!” I scream at Hugo as tears flow from my eyes, I am visibly shaken by the attack Barrette just took. Thankfully Barrette isn’t to hurt, and he not unconscious but he is equally as concerned as I am about the massive wall of muscle standing between the two of us. “What are you going to do little girl?” Hugo says reaching forward to snatch the gun out of my hand; I am to petrified to move at this point. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before which causes the panic to amplify, I’ve never been so scared of watching someone die that I cannot pull the trigger on a gun to protect them.

Thankfully Barrette has another moment of quick thinking and grabs the ash tray off the bedside table and breaks it, with added help from the bed springs Barrette leaps forward taking the momentum to his advantage he jabs a long piece of the broken ash tray glass into Hugo’s collar bone close to his neck. It’s a soft spot on the chest area on any human being so it’ll buy us enough time to get out of this room and away from Hugo. Except there’s one minor problem, I can hear Barrette yelling at me to run but I can’t make my feet move!

Realizing that I am basically incapacitated Barrette leaps around Hugo who is shouting in pain trying to remove the glass from his neck and run out the door with me over his shoulder and my gun in his free hand. Outside the room and at the car Barrette shoves me into the driver’s seat and looks me directly in the eyes. “Bonnie you need to snap out of whatever this is and drive I can’t right now.” Barrette says showing me his seriously sliced up hand. Seeing the blood oozing from his palm I snap out of my horrified trance, as I’m starting the car Barrette runs down the side of our hotel room to grab his gun. On his way back Hugo comes out the door of the hotel and runs at Barrette who wastes no time in shooting Hugo in the shoulder four times. The beast of a man falls to the ground, he is not dead but probably in more pain than you want to know about. Trust me, I’ve been shot and it’s not pleasant, there is no emergency room pain scale big enough to way out that burning sensation.

“Drive Bonnie Drive!” Barrette shouts the moment his behind hits the seat of the car, he doesn’t even have the door closed before I’m peeling out of the parking space and aiming directly for the onramp.   “You okay darlin?” Barrette asks as I’m merging into traffic at a reasonable speed, I give my best angry woman scoff before replying. “Yeah, fine now.” My voice comes out in a shaky whisper betraying my false words to Barrette. I’m far from okay, I’m still shaking like a leaf in a snow storm and my heart is still hammering in my chest. I seriously thought Barrette was a goner for a second there, and that thought rattles me to the core, I never ever in a million years thought that I would become this attached to someone aside from my sister Anna. Yes we give each other a lot of grief and pick on each other constantly but there was no one else living in this world that I was more attached to than her until Barrette walked into my life. Or rather I rampaged into his otherwise peaceful life in my blood red mustang.

I will admit this one time only, if anything happened to either Anna or Barrette I would mentally be destroyed.

“Bonnie-

“No, Barrette just let me be. I’ll be fine.” I say to him, if he starts talking now there is no way I’m going to be able to focus enough to drive and one only know if Hugo is going to get back up and pursue us or if Devon is around here someplace waiting for a good moment to strike.

Barrette falls silent knowing I’m beyond the point of reasoning with; instead he does what he knows works for me every time and turns on the radio. Of course it’s not very loud, but I think it’s safe to guess that he has a headache right now. From the corner of my eyes I see Barrette lean his elbow against the window frame and rub his sore jaw, however as his hand retreats to the upper portion of his jaw his attention draws to the side mirror.

“Bonnie you might wanna tie a few more lead bricks to that foot of yours.” Barrette announces as he sits up straight to secure the five point harness in place. “Why is Hugo after us?” I yelp looking to the rearview mirror to see a neon yellow Ferrari, it’s not an Enzo I don’t think, the vehicle is so much further behind that I cannot quite make out what model it is but I can tell by the aggressive driving that it is Devon driving.

“Devon is behind us.” Barrette confirms angrily glancing from the side mirror to me, my eyes slide to meet his with a nervous anticipation, the best way for me to calm down aside from loud music is to drive as fast as my car will allow. I’m very much over this whole entire mission by now, all I want at this point is to get to Georgia, catch Devon, and go home so I can sleep for a week and then lounge in the California sun and maybe get a really good tan pool side at my dads house.

“Bonnie, don’t even start with that evil look.” Barrette rambles out worriedly, he knows my signature ‘I’m so over this’ look he knows by now that when the right side of my lips pull up into a sneer, my eyes widen slightly, and my nose scrunches that I am about to do something dangerous, reckless and all around