C9 9

- I do not know what to do- My eyes dart everywhere in a panic- How can I help you?

-I know I don't deserve it, believe me. But I need it. You just have to watch those guys realize I'm in danger.

I see through the stairwell as they begin to spread through the house and that's when I appreciate that it is as huge as it is. They are registering it.

- Are you hiding now, Azael? -the same man shouts again.

Azael runs his hands through his hair and looks at me anguished.

He deserves it ... Let them catch him- my conscience tells me but ...

-That I have to do? -I speak gulping.

Why am I such a good person? fuck

Sure you deserve this. Apart from causing the death of the person I loved the most, the only thing he has done since I met him is get me in trouble and make fun of me. But despite that, I don't want him killed. I do not know what trouble he is involved in and surely he also deserves what happens to him, but my intention is not to see him dead but in jail.

-I know there is no one in your house. I just need you to take me there, right now I can't go to mine. - I don't even bother to ask him how he knows that, but I nod my head.

We both watch as one of the men begins to climb the stairs, so he takes my hand, making me feel three times more nervous than I am and dragging me at full speed down the hall until we turn the corner of it.

-How do you plan to get out of here? - I ask overwhelmed. There is no way out.

He opens the window in front of us and looks down. Then he sits on the edge, dropping his legs at the other end.

-You have to jump. he - he says looking down - is not very high, hopefully, I'll land on my feet.

With that said, he pushes himself off and I gasp to avoid attracting anyone's attention, but when I look out, he's standing on the grass. I try to imitate him and sit on the edge of the window, just like him, but when I look down, I feel like I'm going to throw up. And all my vomit will fall on him.

Well, it's not a bad idea either.

-Jump!- he exclaims as low as possible.

I shake my head. I can't do it, I think I'm going to pass out.

I feel like the man's footsteps are getting closer and closer and there are fewer and fewer doors of Jay's house to open and check.

-Trust me. -He says looking at me.

I think that this is not how you win someone's trust, Azael Grimm.

I hear the footsteps of the man right almost behind me ... It's now or never.

I close my eyes and push myself, letting myself fall into the void. I have to cover my mouth and suppress a cry so they won't hear me. My body falls into the void and I feel like I'm going to crash into the ground when Azael's arms surround me, preventing gravity from mashing me. Then, I open my eyes and see his face right in front of mine. He smells like mint and tobacco.

-Nice underwear- he says before setting me down, making me blush.

I have not even processed everything that just happened when I feel that it drags me to the wall of the house and we both stick to it. He gestures for me to be silent, placing his index finger on my lips, making me feel an electric current and with one hand pointing upward. He watches first, as I keep looking into his eyes.

I feel a tingling on my lips that I would like to erase.

Once I turn my head up, I can see the man in the hallway leaning out the window, but he can't see us from his angle since we're glued to the wall. When he disappears, we both separate and start running down the street, towards my house.

-We need a vehicle- he says, looking at the street full of parked cars.

-But, they're all locked- I say in case he was considering stealing one. His motorcycle is parked nearby, but on a street parallel to it, which means that the men with the guns could see us if we crossed the house.

-Scott- he murmurs, pulling out the phone from him and dialing a number. Then he places it on his ear.

A black sports car drives slowly down the road and before he can see us, Azael drags us behind a hedge. There is a strong smell of urine and I see two or three empty bottles of alcohol among the branches.

My pretty pink dress is getting muddy, which is making my mood worse.

-Scott, I need you to come to find us.

-Hey man. I miss you now.- I hear a guy draw words on the other line. I don't know who he is, but it's clear that he's drunk.

-Scott, I need you to bring your car here, the West Coast is coming for me.

He tried to get all the information I can, but I don't know if I will be able to retain it. I wipe my sweaty hands against the fabric of my dress.

-Yes ... yes man now I'm going.

-Do you know what I asked you? -Azael insists again.- I begin to count the piercings in his ear, they are all small silver balls. There is one that crosses the upper part of it. Nothing is heard on the other phone line.- Now I'll give you a location, yes?

-Location, yes- Scott says before Azael hangs up.

-Who was?- I ask, peering through the hedges. He gently takes my arm and leads me back toward the hedge as he sends a message, and then he leans out.

-My best friend- he murmurs. I can't help but think of Jason, who's still inside that house. Will that be OK? - I think it will take him a long time to come.

The screen of his mobile lights up and a message from this Scott appears, there are two emoticons, the first is a hand with the thumb raised and the second a rainbow. Azael snorts.

-Fuck Scott.

Approximately thirty minutes later, in which we barely share words and I am forced to sit on the grass smelling of dog piss, a slightly wrecked second-hand car parks on the sidewalk, and a boy in sunglasses, a T-shirt gets out Hawaiian and several brown curls that fall down her forehead.

-What's up friends? - he asks, raising his hands and dragging the S's. We come out of our hiding place and the first thing Azael does is cover his mouth.

This one, he takes off his sunglasses with difficulty and looks me up and down.

-You're fucking good- he says staggering and running his green eyes over me. I don't know how the hell he got here.

- Get in the car- Azael tells me.

I obey and go around Scott's gray car to get into the passenger seat. Once he leaves his best friend lying in the back seats, he climbs in and starts the engine.

I am giving him all the possible directions to get to my house without having to pass in front of Jay's house when we run into the same sports car that about an hour ago was guarding the streets of Middleton. The man driving it draws a smile, just after looking at Azael.

-Bitch shit. Azael murmurs, braking hard. It doesn't take long for the driver of the other vehicle to draw a gun and take aim at us, but Azael is quicker and accelerates, causing the other vehicle to have to make a 180 degree turn to follow us.

Altered with the car in one night: 2

A gunshot echoes against the asphalt and I make a sound of surprise. In that, Azael turns without any smoothness in a corner, causing the tires of the old car to squeak on the road leaving a mark, and that my head ends up in his lap, right at the height of his...

Oh, God.

A bullet goes through the glass, breaking it into thousands of crystals and going through the head of my seat. I would have died if I wasn't in the position I'm in.

-You better stay there.- Azael says reading my thoughts.

Then he does the same thing again at the next corner, I hold onto his legs with all my might, probably leaving his nails marked.

- Don't make so much noise ...- Scott complains lying in the back seat. I think he does not know what is happening.- I try to sleep.

Azael depresses the accelerator more fully, to gain more advantage and turns in a parallel street, trying to mislead the other car.

-We can't go to your house, if I park there, then they'll know where we are. -He explains doing more maneuvers.

-And what do we do? - she asked, scared. Another shot rang out against the sidewalk again, but this time it came from further away. He closes his eyes and flinches.

I've gotten myself into this shit ... I'm stupid.

-We need another vehicle, driven by someone else.

Deep breath. Gigi keeps my cell phone in her jacket, I can't call anyone.

-Give me your cell.

-In the pocket. he says without taking his eyes off the road, turning again. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. I thank God that he doesn't have a password and I start looking through his contacts for Gigi.

-Don't you have Gigi added?- she asked, surprised.

-She Looks for her like "Queen G" or something.

She gave him an incredulous look. He doesn't look at me, but he must have noticed.

- She put it on. -She defends herself.

I dial her number and wait for her to answer.

-Azael you won't believe ...!

-I'm Lailah- she interrupted- We don't have time, I need you to pick us up with Mark's truck.

-Where?- she asks, swallowing, she knows we don't have time for other kinds of questions. I look at Azael waiting for an answer.

-At Middleton Hospital- he murmurs.

-At Middleton Hospital- I say to Gigi.

- Okay, we'll be there in five minutes- Said he hangs up and I lick my lips uncomfortably.

-Fuck.- I see Azael muttering.- Now you can ... move away.

I get up a little and see that the car is no longer following us, but it must not be going very far, so I return to my normal position somewhat uncomfortable because of what just happened.

- You didn't look like doing this on your first dates, Lailah Gozt- Azael says, looking away from him momentarily from the road.

I shake my head. I can hardly think of an answer when I have almost nearly died.

-This is the plan. -Azael speaks again.- We left Scott's car at the door of the hospital so they think that they have hurt us and that we have entered. But Gigi and her boyfriend pick us up and take us to your place and Scott to his. There is no car parked in your house that tells me and they will not suspect Mark because we will hide in the seats behind his truck.

I process everything.

-It is a good plan.

When we get to the hospital, we see the red truck parked outside the door, so we leave Scott's car wrongly parked on the sidewalk and head out. I go in first and roll into a ball on the floor of the truck, followed by Azael who is carrying Scott on his arm.

Mark starts without saying a word and once he turns the street, we see how the black sports car parks at the hospital door behind the old gray car.

The plan has worked.

We go to my house without anyone saying anything and when we arrive, I decide to be the one to speak.

- Thank you very much for bringing us- I say touching Mark's shoulder- I hope it wasn't too much trouble.

- Easy- he says with a smile. Then I kiss Gigi goodbye on the cheek and get out of the truck, where Azael awaits me with Scott on his arm.

- It's not light, you know- he says to hurry me up. I roll my eyes and open my front door, turning on the lights.

-Leave it on the couch.- I say locking it.

Scott fidgets a bit and says incoherent words, but then he starts snoring like a baby.

Wait, do babies snore?

- I think you owe me several explanations- I say to Azael crossing my arms.

- You could use them against me at the trial- he says, getting dangerously close to me. Something seductive vibrates in the air. I take a step back- It's not very safe ... - I don't even know what he means.

-How about this: either you tell me, or you and Scott leave my house where they came from. He commented with his hands resting on my hips and a smile on his face. Scott's snoring echoed through the room.

He raises his hands in surrender.

-Let's say I owe some things to those guys. Unfinished business .... You know.

-What things?

-They are ... misunderstandings of the past.

-Explain yourself- he demanded, crossing my arms.

- I've already counted enough- he says, putting both hands in his jeans pockets. I think I already know where the shots go, never better, so I prefer not to continue insisting.

-OK it's good. You will sleep in the guest room. I say heading for the stairs. He follows me .- Upload your first, I have had enough experiences with the exhibitions today.

-As if I don't know what you're wearing underneath- he says before walking past me. The color rises to my cheeks but I appreciate that I have my back so that I do not see myself blushing.

-Goodnight- I say ironically, opening the bedroom door for him. He enters without saying anything observing her, then looking at me. How can there be so much darkness and evil in a single look and at the same time transmit so many things?

I feel a lump in my throat. I blink several times and go. I hear him close the door as I go into my room and sigh.

I lean against the door. God, what am I doing?

And worst of all, what would Alison think of me if she knew I had her killer sleeping in the room next to her?