Chapter Text
She didn't care how hard her bare feet were slapping against the gravel beneath her. She didn't care that she was barefoot at all. She would have never made it this far if she had kept those tight black heels on. Now they were right where they belonged: In the trash on Hollywood Boulevard.
She used to say the same thing about herself. But things change.
She didn't care that she had no idea where the fuck she was running to. She didn't care that it was five in the morning and she couldn't see two feet in front of her. None of that mattered anyway. All she could do was run.
She was a tall, pale-skinned woman with bobbed brown hair that fluttered against her neck with each step she took. Her breathing was ragged as she ran through the suburbs, sweat dripping down from her temple to the edge of her chin. She clutched something wrapped in a blue blanket to her black leather-covered chest that one could only assume was a baby.
Poor girl. She was only twenty-eight. She had so much life ahead of her.
The woman wore a black leather vest that revealed her midriff and a black leather skirt to match. It wasn't a practical outfit for March at all. But it was the only outfit she'd had with her when she started her escape. She'd have to make do.
The woman wouldn't dare look back. She knew her pursuers were behind her in that dingy tan Mercedes. She felt the headlights shining on her from behind, so she didn't need to know they were there. Besides, looking would only make them know that she was running out of energy. They would realize they were going to win.
The woman crossed the street and onto another block to find that the streetlights ended and the neighborhood was coated in darkness. Perfect. She had an opportunity.
Her strength came flooding back to her and she picked up speed, racing into the pitch black that lay ahead. She ran so far that she couldn't hear the car driving behind her anymore. She was lucky. For now.
The woman didn't stop running until she was forced to by a large dirt wall. She felt her shoulders sag as she stared up to see the rest of civilization waiting for her at the top of it.
Shit. This was a cul-de-sac, wasn't it? That meant there was no way out but up.
Before she could figure out how she was going to get up there, she felt goosebumps crawl over her once she heard the sound of tires against gravel in the distance. She hid behind a nearby tree and waited with bated breath as her pursuers drove around the curved street and moved on to the next one. They hadn't even seen her. Thank God.
When the coast was clear, the woman took a deep breath and walked towards the hill. She took several steps up and found it to be easier than she thought. The ground was hard enough that it created a steady elevation, making several little hills to climb rather than one large hill. Sure, there were patches of soft dirt that made her slip now and then, but she never let go of her baby. That was one thing she was making damn sure of.
The climb took about fifteen minutes, and she reached the top with only a couple of dirt stains on her legs. She hadn't even twisted her ankle. Maybe she was stronger than she thought.
The woman walked around and saw that she stood on the side of a lavish house on another winding cul-de-sac street. God, Los Angeles was so over-the-top. The City of Angels? Yeah right. More like the City of Unnecessary Mazes.
The woman made her way to the front of the house and looked both ways. There was no one in sight. She was alone. But how long would that last?
Maybe she could go to the end of the street and see if they were coming. Of course, they couldn't be. They hadn't seen her hide. But it was best to take precautions.
The woman looked at her baby and sighed. What if they were there? She couldn't take that risk. Not after all she had done these past two days. She would just set him down for a minute. She would be back. It would just be a quick look.
The woman saw a patch of bushes at the front of the house and bent down before them. She gave her baby a gentle squeeze then kissed his head. She placed him underneath the bushes and made sure the leaves covered him from view. When the deed was done, she got up and continued running.
It wouldn't take long. She would look both ways then go back for her baby. She'd been saving up money for a plane ticket. She had it back at her apartment. She could grab it then take herself and her baby on a one-way ticket to their new home. Maybe Seattle. She'd heard that Seattle was nice.
The woman reached the end of the street and found herself turning left. Wait. Shit. The plan. How could she forget? Fucking Seattle had distracted her.
The woman stopped and turned around, seeing no one coming from behind. She sighed then turned around but found a bright light in her face.
"Freeze!" a voice called.
The woman held her hands up over her head and felt her eyes grow wider in the light. If there was anyone that could look like a deer in headlights, it was her at that moment.
The light then turned off as he stepped forward. That bastard. How had he found her?
She didn't bother turning around. She could hear his two goons come up from behind, preventing her from escaping.
The man before her chuckled as he lowered his flashlight.
"I have to admit, you put up quite a chase," he greeted in his deep but kind voice that she used to love. "I thought we lost you back there. But I said to myself, 'No, she couldn't have climbed up that hill, could she?' Well, it's a good thing I checked, isn’t it?"
The woman didn't answer. She wasn't afraid. She wasn't scared of him anymore. She wasn't even in love with him. The only thing she felt towards him was pure hatred.
He continued, "So it's just you and me. And the boys, of course. So how about you just come in the car? Just you, me, and-"
The man's eyes fell to her chest and he couldn't help but scoff. "Hang on. Where's our baby, baby?"
The woman kept her cold eyes on him, stiffening her lip as well.
"Not talking, huh? Honey, you know I don't like it when you keep things from me. We're a team. We're not supposed to keep things from each other. We work together. And you're not being a very good team player right now, Little Star. So I'll have to raise the stakes."
The man reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a .35, pointing it directly at her leather chest.
"Tell me where the kid is."
Two words. There were only two words that were running through her head. Saying them would determine whether she lived to see the sunrise that morning. But they were all that remained. They were the only two words she wanted to say. They were the only two words she had left for him. She had to say them.
Arching her back with her arms still raised above her, the woman gave the man a cold glare as she said the two words through gritted teeth.
"Eat shit."
A single gunshot rang throughout the neighborhood as a young woman crumpled to the hard street.
The man tucked his gun back in his jacket then walked past his men.
"Let's go. We'll find him," he told them.
The three then hopped back into the Mercedes and drove off into the night.
The woman's body remained untouched on the street, her blood beginning to pool underneath. Her head was turned to the side with her eyes open, seeing the future that she would never have.