"Until I'm holding you…."
I tried to push myself away on the floor like a helpless baby; that's honestly what I felt like at the moment. His stare… oh, his possessive, greedy, dark stare. I had to shut my eyes again as his hand came down my way; he wanted to grab me, to touch me…
"I can make you submit to my will… I have the power to make you do anything I want. With that in mind, I can't help but wonder….. how long you'll resist me for? Hmmmm, Anastasia?" Oh, gross. Disgusting… The way he said my name just now; the way he savored it in his mouth. It made me want to never be called it by anyone ever again. I could never forget how it sounded when he said it; the way it slithered out of his thin lips. No… Don't call me that; don't ever call me that again. I'm not Anastasia; not anymore- not after this… after you.
"Carla…" Every cell, every fiber in my being began to physically ache as he started to wrap his strong arms around the upper half of my body. "Don't touch….!" But his eyes just then….. they were sincere… and sad. Still frightening and dangerous, but miserable. "Why am I not good enough, Carla? Why?" No! My eyes winced shut again. "What am I missing? What does Ray have that I lack? What should I do for you?" I never… I never experienced anything like that before- and most certainly not in a good way. Eric's eyes gently shut as well as he took a sniff of my hair from behind. "Why am I not enough? Even though, I…" No, stop talking; for the love of god, please stop talking. I'm begging you! "Even though I…" I don't want to know the depths of this lust.
"I love you so much, I could eat you whole, Carla."
Then, it started- it started with a bang. We both turned towards the door where a large series of raddles and thuds were coming from. Then the screaming… so much screaming- male screaming, like they were trying to escape from someone, or something. While my eyes grew even more in terror and the slightest confusion, Eric's lips curled into an annoyed frown. "Oh, what does he want?" He?! Who's "he"? How many men are there?!
More crashes and thuds. Eric didn't have enough time to get to me before the door was ripped off its hinges; I'm not joking, or exaggerating. It was physically torn off the wall. Only one person I knew could pull off that fleet…. My head spun right around to see a very familiar figure glowering in the door frame; he was huffing and had blood stained on his shirt. And I'd never been happier to see anyone in my life.
-"First my wife, and now my child!" One swift kick. Jerome and a bunch of other Dollars watched Ray continue to assault the man lying on the ground. "Where is he?! Tell me where that mother-fucker is!" James gave a little cough, some blood spattering from his lips. A vein visibly pulsed in Ray's head when the righthand lacky failed to answer.
"I've had enough. Jerome, get Odo; it's time to end this fucker," Ray shot at Jerome, who was witnessing the scene with his arms folded. "Sorry, sir; Odo took off." "What?!" The fire burned in Ray's glare. "He got a phone call and just ran out," Charles, Jason's father, explained. "A phone call?" This made Ray pause for a moment. Who would call Odo? He doesn't have any family and he never carries his personal phone.
"So what now, boss? What do we do with him?" Charles kicked at the dying man with his shoe. Ray glared daggers down him for a moment before turning to head out. "Someone take care of him; and make sure to get arid of the body. I want no trace left behind." "Yes, sir." "Come, Jerome. I haven't seen my daughter since she got home, and I've been away from her long enough."-
"Mr. Bodyguard!" My voice echoed all throughout the building. Eric simply frowned, though in the most irritated, menacing way. He didn't even look at me; Mr. Bodyguard's long stare was concreted onto Eric. Not moving his head whatsoever, he threw the whole door far down the hall, it smashing with a crash against what I assumed to be a wall. Oh man, if looks could obliterate….
"You have three seconds to get away from Anastasia! AND I'VE ALREADY STARTED COUNTING!" Unlike me, Mr. Bodyguard wasn't intimidated by Eric's terrifying aura at all; I wonder if they'd met before. Like an idiot, Eric didn't budge an inch, which was a really bad idea considering that Mr. Bodyguard just tore your door clean off its hinges. "I thought you were with Steele in the Eastside. It's nice to see you again, Odo," he said this without smiling.
Well, that was three seconds. Before I had time to realize what was happening, I was being pulled off the floor by the back of my shirt. With one swift move, I suddenly went flying across the room. And I wasn't tossed either- I was thrown. Mr. Bodyguard picked me up with one hand and threw me straight across the room away from the two. I landed against the back wall- hard. I don't think there were any broken bones, but I wouldn't be surprised if there was a hairline fracture or two. I'm sure he didn't mean to hurl me that hard but then, he still doesn't know his own strength. This clearly didn't make Eric happy.
"Hey, don't handle my little girl so roughly." "Shut up!" Mr. Bodyguard didn't hesitate to full-on charge at the mob lord; I was half-expecting Eric to die on impact alone. "Anastasia, run!" You don't have to tell me twice. It was a tad hard to stand up after crashing like that, but somehow, I managed to get to my feet. I had just made it to the door before another gigantic crash echoed from behind me. I was about to spin around when I was swept up into Mr. Bodyguard's arms. Sneaking a peak over his shoulder, I saw Eric laying on the floor with a trail of blood dripping down his mouth. I'm sure Mr. Bodyguard wanted to kill him but refrained, instead more focused on getting me the hell out of there. Eric's eyes locked onto mine as we exited; him wiping the blood off his mouth with the back of his hand. That would not be the last time we met.
Mr. Bodyguard didn't stop until we were safely outside. I knew the cops were on their way because you could hear sirens in the distance. Eric of course, made his escape before they arrived however; Jack was not so lucky. Mr. Bodyguard didn't set me down right away; I think he wasn't willing to until he knew that we were out of harm's way. But eventually, after a minute or two of no one following us, he carefully set me down onto my feet.
"You ok?" This was the first time I heard a bit of shakiness in Mr. Bodyguard's tone. I stared up at him with wide, grateful, astonished eyes. "You….. you came for me…. You really came…." He did; he came to my aid. If he hadn't shown up, I don't know what would have happened… What Eric would have done to me. "What are you talking about, stupid? Of course I came- it's you," Mr. Bodyguard turned in such a way as to face me.
My eyes grew bigger as I was struck with a sudden epiphany. What….. What am doing? What am I doing with my life? Memories unconsciously flooded my mind; I had no control over which ones came and went. Me getting tackled to the ground that night; Christian saving me. I see… My internship meeting with Christian. I see now. My appointment with the gynecologist, and watching the happy birds play. I've been wrong this whole time. "Well there's always a calm before the storm." I thought I had no choices regarding my future, when I actually have one. Coming home to find Mr. Bodyguard in my living room. I can't believe I didn't see it before… Christian and I getting into a fake relationship. But it's there; I can't deny that I see it now. The first time Paul hugged me. I don't have to do this. Me and Mr. Bodyguard going down to the Five-Way Catacomb. I don't have to be queen….. if someone else is willing to rule in my steed. Me sitting in the palace gardens in Florence, thinking about Christian. Someone I trust….. The last memory was of Mr. Bodyguard bringing me to the airport; I recalled the sensation of him grabbing hold of my forearm. "Don't die. It'd be a real inconvenience if you died, so don't." Yes, I found another decision for myself, and I'm going to make it- right now.
My eyes intensified onto Mr. Bodyguard's as I stood as straight as humanly possible. "Stay." "Huh?" "Stay with us and become a Dollar." He didn't say anything to this, sharpening his eyes onto mine. "I want to give it to you- everything. Be head of the Dollars in place of me; I want you to rule for me. I'm willing to give you it all; members, territory, property- all yours." "A-Anastasia…" He finally uttered. By the tone of his voice, I could tell he was considering it. I sweetened the deal with a smile- a true, heartfelt smile. "I know you'll do a good job, and I know you'd never hurt me or my family. Please consider it, Mr. Bodyguard," yes, I know I should have used his real name, but screw it! I like Mr. Bodyguard better than Odo.
He didn't even move right away; just stood there completely froze- I think this blindsided him. I waited for a second for him to react, and when he didn't, I figured he might want to think about this alone. Plus the police sirens were getting louder now. He visibly flinched as I turned to walk away. "Thank you for saving me. I'll be sure to tell my father and….."
Everyone halted when two hands suddenly grabbed hold of my shoulders. Without any control on my part, I felt myself being turned once again to face his direction. Mr. Bodyguard's eyes shown down upon me in the most genuine, most authentic way. After a few seconds of neither of us speaking, his hands moved up to cup both sides under my cheeks. His eyes shut and mine followed suit. His face leaned in and within a matter of seconds, I had my very first kiss- on the lips, that is. It wasn't romantic or lustful in the slightest; it felt much like Giordano kissing my forehead back in Florence. With both our eyes shut and him holding me there like that, he kissed me for a good solid minute. When he finally pulled back and we reopened our eyes, I saw him smile for the very first time- a kind, sincere, loyal smile.
"Dammit, guess you're my queen now."