"Bitch, you need to learn how to drive." He snarled at her from the passenger seat. She was still in shock from the latest beating, though she didn't know why. It seemed to be the only thing constant anymore. "Go around them!" He snapped, smacking her. She added a bit more gas and was trying to drive politely around the two cars, one being a suburban. He grabbed the wheel from her and cut the guys off, and she didn't have to look in the rearview to know they had to swerve off the road to avoid hitting the car, but always deep down, she hoped they had hit them.
His name was Marco, and he'd taken everything she'd ever cared about away from her. When she was fourteen she ran away from home, Marco had said he would just give her a place to stay, and she was naïve enough to believe it. Her name was Erica, and whatever spirit she used to have had been long since broken because of him. The night he picked her up was the last time she seen her brother. Now, almost thirteen years later, she had the look of a dog that had been kicked to many times. His beatings we nothing compared to the words. People claim words can't hurt you, but what they don't realize is they can, especially if told enough, one tends to believe it.
Erica was a pretty girl, she was slim, almost too skinny at five foot five. Her red hair, green eyes and lighter complexion showed the Irish in her. Marco, he would have been handsome at one point. He was tall, little over six foot, with a fighters build. He was darker skinned, black hair, brown eyes, and he may have at one point been a decent man, but that wasn't who he was now. Now he didn't even try to pretend to care about Erica. He'd never let her try to find her big brother after he found her those many years ago, though she asked countless times. Each time she asked though, he beat her bloody. She worked in a bar, scantily clad because his brother owned it. Rape was much apart of her life, but she tried to block it all out.
Now it was just after nine thirty, and Marco wanted something to drink. He dragged her through the gas station and shoved her into the counter. "You can get me what I like, you dumb slut." He growled. With shaking hands, she began to move as quickly as she could without dropping anything. Looking over her shoulder she seen an old station wagon pull in and four guys in cuts got out. It wasn't going to take a rocket scientist to figure out how far south and how fast it would go there.
A sharp smack to the back of the head brought her back to reality. "Pay attention," he growled, "And stop looking at them, you'll get what you want later."
"Pass me one of those hostess cakes, would you?" The blond guy in the VP cut said. As Marco turned around, he hit the ground.
Erica jumped back, trying to figure out where to go. The guy finally looked at her, and really looked. "Is that his work?" He growled. Erica's legs gave out, there was too much going on, slowly she nodded.
"I'm sorry. I cut you off, I was told to." She whispered with tears slipping down her black and blue cheeks. Another man, older guy in a cut similar to the VP's, gently grabbed her arm. He had sunglasses on his head and his salt and pepper hair was sticking up in many ways.
"Love, come with me." He smiled softly at her.
"He'll beat me." She didn't take her eyes off Marco, as he lay glaring at her from the ground. "If I leave now, I'll never make it."
"You will." The man nodded at the VP guy, and gently lead the shaking girl from the store. "Juice, you and Prospect get her things from this car and tuck her safely away in ours." He ordered. "Love, my name's Filip, and don't you worry your pretty little head anymore. He won't hurt you again." He smiled at her again.
The two guys rushed forward to listen to the man with a very sweet accent. "Hey, I'm uh… I'm Juice." The more built guy of the two said. He had a Mohawk thing, with tattoo's on either side of his head. He was smiling, and Erica could see his laugh lines. If she lived through this night, maybe she would get to know him. "This guy here, call him Prospect." Juice was smiling warmly at her. Slipping his arm around her waist, he lead her towards the old wagon. "What is it that you need from this car?"
"My… my bag. It's the blue one, kinda beat up." She spoke just above a whisper. And Juice could still see the fear in her eyes. "I don't want you guys to be upset. I only didn't what I was told." the words seem to spill out of her mouth and the terror returned.
"Babe, don't you worry. It's not hard to figure out that he thought he was a tough guy beating on you. You wouldn't have done it if he hadn't hurt you." Juice smiled and gave her a one armed hug thing. "Half-sack, get her bag out of the car. We need to get her tucked in with us." Half-sack or Prospect, moved quickly to the Chevy nova and took her blue bag out, only after breaking the window. She wasn't allowed to touch the keys to it. He would start it if she was driving.
Back inside the store, the older gentlemen, with the scars and the accent, walked over to the VP. Only then did the VP see the storm raging in this mans eyes. "'How dare you." He spoke softly but there was a dangerous edge to his voice. "You beat on a woman, for what reason? You feel tough? Feel like a big man?" The man named Filip, threw one punch, and Marco hit the ground. "You slice her cheeks, you make her bear the mark of a traitor, when all she's done is cower from ya." Filip hit Marco again. The VP could sense this was far from over as the storm in the older man raged. He wore those scars, he knew their meaning, and only he could deliver the punishment to those who gave it out, ignorant of it's meaning. When Filip punched, you could hear the sickening cracks of Marco's facial bones splitting.
Looking at the VP, "We're going to make him pay." He said softly. The VP nodded, and together they hauled Marco to his feet. "Lets talk a walk boy-o."
"Where's that bitch?" Marco growled. As soon as they had him outside along side the building where there wasn't much light nor the young girl to see anything, the VP punched him.
"You should have some respect for the fairer sex." VP growled.
"Jackie-Boy, He was obviously never taught to respect anyone." Filip growled. "Jax, he needs to suffer." He finally said seriously. They continued to beat on the guy, not only to teach him a lesson, but to also gain payback for the girl whose soul he took.
In the car, Erica was still shaking. "Why are you shaking?" The prospect asked. His confusion, which Erica mistook for anger, made the girl flinch.
The look Juice was giving him, made him scoot into the corner and be quiet. "I'm sorry for shaking. It's… I've never… He found me when I was fourteen. I'm twenty-seven now. I just want to find a new life away from him." She looked pleadingly at Juice.
Juice put his arm around her shoulders, the look in the girls' eye said she didn't have much fighting left. That must have been gone before eighteen, he thought. "Don't you worry about a thing Hun. He's not going to hurt you again." He whispered, squeezing her shoulder. That was more a promise to himself than her, it always pulled at him to see a girl harmed. He wasn't exactly what you'd call a ladies man, that was Jax, he was just a techie. But he could protect a woman should he have to.
It had been almost a half hour by the time the guys came back. The one man, Filip, he sat passenger seat and turned to look her in the eye. That worked, for about a split second. Quickly, she looked down at the ground. "No Love." He whispered. "Bí cróga"
Erica looked up at the man, a flicker passed through her eyes. "Be brave." she whispered. Her father used to tell her that when he was in the hospital. He would tell her to be brave for herself and for him. It had been many years since she heard that, and the memory brought a tear to her eye.
"Aye love." Filip smiled gently. "Be brave." Turning around he looked at the VP and nodded. By midnight they were in a place called Charming, California.
~~~~~
I just came up with this, I own nothing in SoA. Should I continue with this? or should it just be a one-shot thing? I have an Idea for it, but I'm going to leave it at in-progress for now. If you think I should continue let me know!