So sorry it took me so long to update! When I finally got this chapter done my pc freaked out and I couldn't use it for a long time. Thank you so much for the lovely comments. I also want to thank the bands: Theory of a Deadman, Three Days Grace and Hinder, whose songs helped me A LOT while I was trying to find my will to write back! *claps handsforthem*
Anyway, no more talking… I hope you enjoy this! Please let me know!
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Chapter 14. No Sacrifice
"I get you're mad Hottie, but don't you think that was a bit too much?" Joe stared ahead while driving.
Julie coked her head sideways and sighed. "Stop defending him Joe."
"I'm not defending him. Okay, he did something that got you pissed, but so what? You mess up too!"
"Yeah, but I don't order my guys around to beat the shit out on some friend of his."
Joe gave a small laugh. "That doctor is not just a friend Julie. Admit it."
"He is to me." She shrugged. "Even if there were something more between us, don't you think he should have come to me first and ask what's going on?"
Joe made a face like what she was saying was an absurd. "No."
Julie simply shook her head. "You're just the same."
The car finally came to a stop. Julie couldn't wait to get out of that suffocating mix of tobacco and some other strange smells. She opened the door and had already put a leg out when Joe grabbed her arm. Julie glared at him, what made him to lose her arm quickly.
"Just get over it Julie. He's done his best to keep it cool between you two." Joe pleaded.
"Sure. Pointing a gun at me was the right way to do it." She answered emotionless and got out of the car before he had a chance to say anything else. Julie closed the car's door and quickly walked into the coffee shop, while Joe drove back to his brother's apartment, going through lines in his mind to calm his brother down. He knew none of them would work.
Ally was the first to notice Julie's presence, her wide eyes made it clear. A lonely costumer gasped after noticing her too. Julie ignored them all, lowered her head and sneaked upstairs to her apartment, not bothering to close the door because she could hear Ally's footsteps behind her.
The door was closed just as Julie threw herself on her couch, wincing in pain as she did.
Ally crossed her arms in front of her chest and glared down at an almost passed out Julie. "What happened?" She demanded.
"Not right now Ally." Julie moaned.
"You're all fucked up Julie! Where were you?"
"Ally, please leave. I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me."
"What did Billy Darley did to you?" She pressed.
"Nothing!" Julie yelled while sitting up. The movement was so quick and aggressive that made her dizzy. Julie took a deep breath. "Please leave."
Ally nodded despite her will to shake the truth out of Julie, and headed back downstairs. Her friend was going down hill. Julie got up and looked for some pain killers.
…
"How is she?" Billy asked as soon as Joe set a foot in his apartment.
"Just the same. She's really pissed Billy."
"I fucking know that. Damn it!" He punched down the couch. Joe sat on the chair and looked at his big brother. He had seen him pissed beyond countable times, but this was different. Billy was hurt.
"She'll need some time, but she'll get over it." Joe tried to comfort him.
Billy shook his head and snorted. A heavy and ironic sound came through his nose. "I really thought I was gonna lose it, Joe. By a moment I really thought I was going to put a bullet in her head. I got so fucking blind that I didn't see how scared she was…" Billy looked up at Joe, meeting his gaze but not really seeing it. "And you know what the worst of it all is? It is my fault. She was that damn scared because of me. I pointed a gun to her while I was supposed to keep it away from her. She was dragged around because of me." Billy frowned, like dealing with some internal debate. "And for what? I just sent her away."
Joe was speechless due his brother's open dialogue. He was expecting a lot of coursing and maybe some plate flying around, but surely not this. He cleaned his throat to remember his brother of his presence. That seemed to wake Billy up and he frowned again.
"Go do whatever Joe." He finally said. "I don't wanna hear a word today."
Joe obeyed and left his brother to think over his messed up life.
…
When Julie became conscious again she wasn't sure if she had taken a pain killer or a pain inducer. Her injuries hurt worse and she felt the dry tears on her cheeks, which only made her to feel a lot crappier. She groaned in despair. What happened to her nice quiet life?
"Where does it hurt?" A deep voice asked. Her heart skipped a beat and by a second, a horrible second, she thought he had come back for her. The drugs must have made her delusional. It was Mark who stood before her.
"What are you doing here?"
"Ally called. She said you were all messed up… I see she didn't overreact." A mix of disappointment and concern touched his eyes.
"Great. Did I turn into a freak show or something? It seems like everyone wants to gasp at my new injuries."
Mark ignored her attempt of irony. "How did you get 'em?"
"I fell downstairs." She answered with no delay.
"Yeah, that might have worked if I weren't a doctor, Julie. You were dragged on your knees."
She sighed. He caught her. "Maybe someone… did try to put new holes on my jeans."
"And what else this person did to you?"
"Hypothetically speaking?"
"Of course."
"Well, maybe I've entered in a competition… who can stay longer under water without breathing."
Mark's eyebrows were on the top of his forehead as his eyes bulged out. "They drowned you?!"
"We were speaking out of the record here."
"Knock it off Julie. Who did this to you? Was it that gang member?"
"No… He…saved", she struggled with the world, "me from the worst."
"Like what?"
"Like flying pieces of Julie's brain."
"Where were you?"
"I don't know… Mark please, I don't wanna talk about this. I'm in so much pain right now."
"Are you having problems breathing?"
She took a deep intake of air. It burned. "A little, yes."
"He should have taken you to the hospital."
"It wasn't necessary. I just need to rest."
"How bad does your head hurt?"
"Really bad, why?"
Mark pointed at the cushion her head was on, and it had a nice red spot. "Oh."
Mark took a deep breath and walked over to where she was laid. He took her in his strong arms and carried her into the bathroom. He put her down and ordered her to strip her clothes off. Julie glared at him.
"I need to see your other injuries."
"I'm not gonna get naked in front of you." She said stubbornly.
"Please Julie, we're both grown ups and there's nothing there I haven't seen yet."
"Uh, so you have seen a lot of naked women Marky?" Julie laughed softly.
"I'm a doctor." He pointed out.
"Not for fun?"
"Take it off, Julie."
"Why are you avoiding the question?"
"I don't know… of course I have seen naked girls for fun. But right now I'm here as a doctor. Now go on."
Julie sighed and took off Billy's black boxers and t-shirt. She was wearing nothing else. She had a nasty bruise that started on her ribs and all the way down to the beginning of her tight. It was gruesome.
Mark instructed her to take a shower without brushing the injuries and the left to get bandages. After she was cleaned up, Mark bandaged Julie almost from head to toe and laid her down on her bed.
"I'm going to spend a month at my grandma's ranch… Come with me." He said after a moment while her eyes were closed.
She shook her head sadly. "I can't."
"Yes you can. But you don't want to. And I wanna know why."
His tone was so determinate that it left her speechless for a moment. "I'm afraid of coming back afterwards and face all the shit I've left behind."
"You don't need to face anything Julie. Just leave it alone."
"And run away?"
"No. And start over."
…
Her phone rang for the fifth consecutive time. When she finally turned it off, a bell rang and she walked over to the intercom.
"Who's this?"
"Hey. Open up." A deep, husky voice said. His voice.
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to see how you're doing."
"I'm terrific! Thank you for your concern, you can leave now."
"I'm not gonna leave Julie. You can turn your cell off, you can not open your door… but I'll be here."
A chill went down her spine. It felt so much like threat. Julie took a deep breath.
"Meet me tomorrow at the Four Roses at five."
"The Four Roses?" He asked skeptically.
"Yes. We'll talk there."
"Fine. I'll meet you there… Julie?"
"What?"
"I want to see you. Let me come up."
"Tomorrow." She answered dryly, and even though she couldn't see it, he nodded.
"Tomorrow." He echoed.
Julie listened until when she heard the sound of his car being driven away. Then she reached for her cell phone and turned it back on.
"Hey, you ok?"
"Yes. I want to leave with you. First thing in the morning."
No I don't need a reason to be breathin
Just here doin what I can
No I don't want a family who would damn me
and resent everything I am
I don't need to prove to all the ones who
Feel that I need to fit in
No I won't ever tell you that I failed you
I'd rather start life over again
No I'm sorry to say
There'll be no sacrifice today
No I can see it clearly
Why you feel me
Why you got to bring me down
No I don't want to fight you
Just to spite you
But I'm not afraid to take you out
No I'm sorry to say
There'll be no sacrifice today
Everybody expects me to break
but I'll never break down again
Everybody expects me to give up
but you'll never see me givin in
Everybody wants me to lose
but I'll never lose who I am
No I'm sorry to say
There'll be no sacrifice today
Sacrifice - Theory of a Deadman
…
"Are you done?" Mark asked while he grabbed her last bag with a smile. He was happy because she was going with him and mainly because he was getting her away from the thug. He'd show her what a nice, quiet life she could have beside him.
"Yeah. Seriously, I'm feeling better. You don't need to carry it all."
"It's no problem. Have you said goodbye to the girls down there?"
"Yes… I'll have no problem with my boss either, since I haven't taken my days off yet."
"Great. You'll enjoy it. I promise." His baby blues burned with sincerity. "Are you ready to start over?"
"I am" Julie smiled before locking up her apartment door and making it downstairs to finish loading the car.
…
5:32pm.
His watch seemed to weight a hundred pounds on his wrist. She wasn't coming. She never planned to, and he should have known it.
After the fourth Black Label shot he decided to go after her once again. He told her he wasn't leaving. He wasn't happy by being dished, but his will to see her was stronger. Maybe the guilt also suppressed the anger.
Billy still couldn't wrap his mind around the whole thing. How could this woman have such an effect on him? That wasn't right. That's not how it was supposed to be, yet that's how it is. By the moment he turned the engine on he decided that it didn't matter. He wanted to be with her, he wanted her to seek for his arms. No matter how stupid it seemed. Julie was his girl.
He didn't bother calling or ringing the bell. He just broke into her apartment. And he wasn't expecting to find what he did in there. Emptiness. Silence. Nothing.
He wandered around and realized there was a bunch of missing stuff. He walked over to her bathroom. All her daily-using things were gone. He went to her dresser and found it low stocked- not how it should be.
Billy crossed his strong arms in front of his chest to keep them from destroying it all, or maybe to hold himself together.
She was gone.
He let his human emotions take on him for a moment. Then it was over. He had business to do.
He parked his black Mustang in front of a much abused trailer. That's not how he usually dealt things. Normally at least two guys would have come with him, but not today. Billy went up the four-step wooden stair and simply kicked the door, which opened with no problem.
A man was laid on the disgusting looking couch, bear in one hand and remote in the other. His big tummy was exposed for he only wore white boxers, green socks and a dark brown bathrobe. He lost total interest on the TV show that was on when his brain processed what Billy's presence meant. The middle-aged man made an attempt to get up, but the clicking of Billy's gun made him stop dead on his tracks.
"I…I know I have a debt." The man stated the obvious.
"I want the fucking money. Now." Billy answered with a dark voice.
"Wouldn't you like to sit down…? And maybe watch a game?" He asked with a faint smile trying to calm the beast in front of him. He should have said nothing. Billy moved forward with a clenched fist and a deadly look in his eyes.
When he got back to the car Billy put all the money he had found inside the man's trailer in his back pocket, grabbed a cloth and cleaned his bloodied hand before moving to the next meeting.
The car finally came to a stop in front of a good looking house. It was rich neighborhood, if only half of the people who lived there knew where all the money came from… He had to be more careful with this one. Billy put on a black pair of gloves and looked around, it was already dark and there was only one car in the garage, a BMW. Perfect, the bastard was alone.
The underpaid security guard didn't see the Mustang being parked on the back of the house. He was eating chips when Billy climbed the wall and landed on the well-cared grass. The guard didn't hear when he broke the back window so he could come in. He didn't listen to his boss' son gasp. Let alone listen to Billy's curse when he took in the resemblance between this rich-ass punk and the doctor he hated the most. He didn't listen to the muffled painful screams as the guy paid for what he had not done: taken Billy Darley's girl away from him. The security guard did listen to the gun fire, but it was far too late.
Now that your gone its easy to see,
But so hard to believe
By the way, you left without saying good bye to me
Now that your gone away all I can think about is you and me, you and me
Its not like before you've left nothing here it's all disappeared
It hurts me to see that we've been a lie
Would it have hurt you to try?
Its sad to say that this pain is killing me inside,
But its sad to say that this pain is keeping me alive
Twisting and turning it rips through my heart
Its been tearing me apart
By The Way – Theory of a Deadman