Chapter Four

         LUCY HAD MET ANNIE WHEN SHE THIRTEEN AND ANNIE WAS TWELVE. The brunette was a year above Annie in school and her older sister Beth had offered her a ride home when her mother didn't show to pick her up from school. They didn't live that far away from each other, but they had never spoken until then. Her brothers were only fourteen and sixteen at the time and neither of them could drive.

Beth had found Lucy crying that same evening on her front porch. Her mother was passed out drunk and her brothers were with friends, Lucy had nowhere to go. They had been close ever since. They went through lots of issues together, but this felt different. Lucy didn't know if they were going to be able to fix it this time.

"I got thirty-seven dollars from an old shoe box." said Lucy as she entered Beth's house two days after the gang had shown up. "I had to sell my diamond neckless and my silver cutlery for three hundred and fifty-seven dollars."

"I got eighteen in tips and had to sell Stan's favourite set of cuff links for two hundred and fifty dollars." Ruby entered the home after Lucy, they had arrived at the same time. "Sara is playing her first soccer game in a t-shirt instead of a team uniform."

Beth gave Ruby a sympathetic glance and closed her eyes in frustration. Sara's new medication had worked so far, and she was excited to start a sport she really enjoyed. The children didn't deserve this.

"Which gives us a grand total of seven hundred and thirty-seven dollars." Lucy said as she sat down on one of the bar stools in the kitchen. "Which means we now owe fifty-nine thousand two hundred and sixty-three dollars to the violent street gang."

"Did you just calculate that in your head?" Annie raised a brow, impressed.

"Yes," Lucy nodded with a slight shrug. "please tell me you did better?"

Beth shared a grimace with her sister, chewing on her bottom lip as she made lunch for her kids. Ruby was confused as she and the brunette kept their gaze on the sisters.

"What's going on?" Ruby panicked.

"There's been a development." Beth began, setting the knife down on the kitchen counter.

"What kind of development?" Lucy pressed, furrowing her brows.

The four of them stood in Beth's tree house a moment later. Lucy tilted her head to the side, eyes wide as she stared at the scene before her. Annie was picking at her nails, worriedly and Beth stood as a statue beside them. The eldest of them kept glancing at her friends, waiting for someone to speak up. To say literally anything.

"What am I looking at right now?" cried Ruby. "What am I even looking at right now?"

The store manager of Fine n' Frugal was tied up, trashing around against his restraints. It was Annie's boss and he had been there the day the store was robbed. He was gagged and had dried blood on his forehead. The man looked toward them with pleading eyes as sweat covered his brows, screams muffled by his gag.

Lucy let out a long breath. "What the fuck?"

"He knows about the store!" defended Annie as Beth led them back into the house. The door slammed shut behind Lucy as they re-entered the kitchen in a hurry.

"He was going to the cops!" added Beth.

"Does he know about the gang, too?" asked Ruby.

"Hell, no." said Annie immediately as she sat down at the table. "That's way above his pay grade. He's like, the definition of middle management. Oh, and he tried to rape me."

"He did what?" demanded Lucy, her eyes widening at the revelation. "When was this? Are you okay?"

"That is absolutely true." nodded Beth, having witnessed the assault first-hand.

"He's a dick and a rapist." said Annie. "It was self-defence."

"How is hog-tying a man, climbing him twelve feet above the earth and hiding him in a tree house self-defence?" questioned Ruby, narrowing her eyes. It wasn't as if she didn't agree with the approach, but if this got out than they would have another charge on their heads.

There was a silence. "Okay, you know what? You weren't there."

"We are feeding him." Beth stated.

"You still have someone kidnapped." said Lucy, crossing her arms over her chest. "Not that I don't agree with hurting him because he absolutely deserves getting his dick cut off, but this is going to get us into even more trouble."

"What else were we supposed to do?" Annie demanded. "If he goes to the cops, we're screwed."

"No! We're screwed because of the gang that is going to kill us if we don't get them their money." Ruby argued, pacing back and forth through the kitchen.

"She's right." Beth agreed as she leaned forwards on the counter. "First things first."

"Well, I make nine dollars an hour, so just give me a couple decades." Annie threw up her arms in frustration. "There's no way we can get that money in time."

"Okay, who do we know?" asked Beth.

"To rob?" Annie perked up, suddenly interested.

"To ask for money, Annie." Lucy snapped as she looked at the younger woman beside her.

"Someone rich who cared if I was dead?" shrugged Annie as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I mean, I wish."

Lucy shared a look with the other two woman before turning to the blonde. Annie raised a brow as she looked at them, confused. Her ex, Greg was a wealthy man and he wasn't a bad person so he probably would loan her the money if she really needed it.

"What? Who? ... no."

"What do you mean, 'No'?" Ruby glowered.

"I mean, no. No, no, no." Annie turned away from them.

"Annie, this is life or death." Beth argued.

"I choose death." she shook her head. "Give me death!"

✧✧✧✧✧

         "THANK YOU FOR MAKING ME COMPLETELY HUMILIATE MYSELF FOR NO REASON."

Lucy glanced up from her half forgotten soda to see Annie stomp towards her and her friends in a hurry. The young woman had a glare on her face as she took a seat beside the brunette. Ruby raised a brow as she leaned on the counter in front of them. Annie grabbed a fry from the plate beside Lucy and grimaced.

"These are cold."

"They're not mine."

Annie gagged and spat the fry out back onto the plate, spitting until the remnants were out of her mouth. Beth let out an annoyed sigh and pulled a disgusted face at her sister.

"What do we do now?" asked Annie, resting her head on the palm of her hand as she turned to the rest of them.

They were pretty much out of options. They sold most of their valuables and it was no where near enough. They hadn't even gotten a grand with what they sold so far and there wasn't much time left until they had to pay what they owed.

"I have no idea." Ruby said with a sigh.

Something caught Ruby's eye behind them and her eyes widened. The woman froze and tightened her hands around the counter. Lucy furrowed her brows and asked, "What is it?"

"Stay here." Ruby shook her head and stepped around the counter.

The brunette followed her friend with her eyes and turned her seat to watch her approach them. Lucy blinked and felt her heart palpate beneath her chest seeing them their so casually. It was him, the one with the eagle tattoo and his two men. She could hear the sisters mutter to each other but her eyes stayed on the side of his face.

They looked so out of place dressed in all black within the small cafe. It was empty apart from the elderly couple a few booths down and it was quiet enough that she could hear their conversation. 

Ruby stopped before their booth, shoulders tense and she didn't dare take her eyes off of them as they looked over the menu with disinterest. 

"I got a question for you." he said, not taking his eyes off the paper in his hands. "The Two, Two, and Two meal deal ... How much is that?"

"Seven-ninety-five."

"Yeah, see, but if I order two hot cakes, two sausages and two eggs a la carte, it's cheaper." he glanced up at her then, a single brow raised. 

Ruby blinked and said, "You get a garnish."

"Like parsley or somethin'?" he chuckled and his friends laughed with him. He smiled, teeth and all but there was something ominous about it and all Lucy could do was watch.

"It's an orange slice." Ruby muttered.

"You tell the owner that ain't right?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. "Cheating people like that?"

Ruby stiffened, having spotted the gun on the seat beside him and she started to ramble. "We're going to get you your money. All of it. I swear."

"Now would be great." he nodded, resting his head in the palm of his hand as he looked up at her.

"We need more time to get it."

He ran his tongue over his teeth, lips lifting up slightly as he gave her a nod. Ruby breathed out in relief and the brunette still sitting at the bar held her breath when his eyes met hers. He seemed amused and his eyes dipped down for a moment before they focused back on Ruby.

"I'll come by tomorrow." he said, sharing a look with his friends. "One o'clock good for you? Your friends house. You can subtract the coffee."

He slid out of the booth, tucking his gun away as he made his way toward the exit of the cafe. He grinned as he passed Annie and Beth but it seemed to intensify when he was beside Lucy. The woman kept her face neutral but she couldn't help but swallow away her fear. He hummed at that, seemingly pleased as he and his friends disappeared from their sights and into the humid air outside. 

"What are we going to do?" panicked Beth but it went on deaf ears as Lucy stared at the spot he had stood mere seconds ago.

thanks for the votes so far!!!! currently working on planning out the next few chapters and giving form to the rest of the story.