Jamie Myers
There was something about driving in an all-black Ferrari that made me feel important. I couldn't quite place my finger on it, but the roar of the engine, the comfort of the leather seats, and that wonderful new-car scent made my heart beat rapidly in my chest; that, and because I was scared out of my mind.
I nibbled on my thumb and glanced at the rear view mirror every few seconds, ensuring that I wasn’t being followed. No amount of experience would ever let me get used to this life, but I didn't have time to sit and complain. Once I pulled onto a familiar rocky dirt road, I allowing myself to relax a little by releasing my tight grip on the steering wheel and proceeded down the road with caution. My gaze kept shifting toward the passenger seat where my phone was placed, silently hoping that I had arrived on time. The boss didn’t have any tolerance for tardiness.
I continued on the dirt road, keeping my eyes peeled for the designated meeting spot, a large warehouse. When it finally came into view, I brought the expensive car to a stop and stepped out, instantly greeting the cold midnight air. Clutching my black leather jacket tighter to my body and taking a shuddery breath, I moved with extra cautious steps. As I got closer to the warehouse, I caught sight of two large men wearing vacant facial expressions with their hands tied behind their backs. They didn't even budge when I approached them. “I’m here to see the boss,” I said, announcing my presence.
One of the men stepped forward and studied me with his intense, dark blue eyes. “Name?”
“Myers,” I responded, slightly intimidated. If I said one wrong thing, he wouldn't hesitate to pull out the hidden gun from his coat pocket and shoot me.
“Code?”
“Five-one-six-two,” I let the numbers fall off the tip of my tongue.
The man glanced over his shoulder at his partner, who nodded. He stepped aside to grant me access to the warehouse’s entrance. As soon as I breezed past the threshold, I was greeted by an eerie darkness followed by the sound of the metal door slamming shut behind me. As if on cue, the lights flicked on and illuminated the dank unfurnished room in a harsh white glow, and I instantly locked eyes with a tall, dark man dressed in a business suit.
His gaze lingered on me as he took a few steps closer, studying me with his cold, black eyes. “You're late,” he pointed out in a leveled, monotone voice.
I laughed lightly. “Yeah, well, it takes time to look this good.” His gaze hardened significantly, making me clear my throat and fix my posture. “Sorry, um, the GPS system is disabled, the license plates are covered, and it's in brand new condition.”
He seemed to relax, even in the slightest, at my words. “What brand?”
“A 2013 Ferrari, sir,” I answered firmly.
The corner of his lip twitched into a small smile. “Just when I was thinking about firing you, you turn around and surprise me. You're a very great asset to my team, Myers.”
“You were thinking of firing me?” I questioned.
He shrugged. “You made me think otherwise. I do hope that you know where your priorities lay.”
“Really need the money, so yeah.”
“Good.” He pulled out his wallet from his pocket and tugged out a few bills. He handed them to me, not once letting his smile fade. “There you go.”
I glanced at the money and sighed. I never made a habit out of asking the boss for extra money because it was a risk that I wasn’t willing to take, but I had already given Scar a notable amount of money over these past two days. “Think you can spot me an extra hundred? I gave mine to charity.”
My request succeeded in making the boss' smile fade away. “That's not my problem, Myers. You've earned nine hundred for today. You’ll get more when you bring me another car. As of now, however, your job is done and you can leave.”
Nodding, I shoved the money into my pocket and tipped my head in gratitude. Each and every time I had done this in the past, I felt guilty. I felt dirty. I felt sorry for the unfortunate owners of the cars that I chose to steal. But as I waited for the warehouse’s entrance to open again, I put all my thoughts to rest when I reassured myself that it would all be worth it in the end.
▪▪▪
I had to walk home. Without a stolen Ferrari to cruise around town with, I was forced to go by foot like most days. On any given occasion, I wouldn't have had a problem with walking home, but there was something exceptionally cold about tonight's weather. Winter was just around the corner, and I didn't want to be in this same situation when it started to snow. I needed to make something of myself, fast.
When I finally walked through the front door of what I was ashamed to call my house, I was met with complete and utter darkness. Even the kitchen light was off, and that always remained on just in case any of the other kids wanted a midnight snack. I padded my way through the main foyer and through the connecting hallway that led to all of our rooms. My room was at the end of that long hallway on the left, marked by a wooden door that always creaked even when it was touched in the slightest. I swung the door open and ran my hand along the wall to flick on the light, only to be greeted by Jillian’s figure sprawled across her bed.
“Jill, why are you just lying in the dark like that?” I asked her as I took off my jacket. “Where’s everyone else? Where’s Eugene?”
She didn't meet my gaze; instead, she stared blankly at the ceiling. “Eugene took the kids outside to dig.”
I shuffled over to my tiny bed that was only a few feet away from hers. “But not you?”
“I told him I was sick,” she replied in a dull voice. “I saved you some mac and cheese in the fridge. Shit taste like plastic, though.”
“God, I love plastic Mac and cheese,” I said, sarcasm dripping from my tongue, and then I collapsed onto my bed. I turned to face my sister so that I could tell her about the plan I concocted, but the words escaped my mouth when I noticed her blonde hair was more tousled than usual, and brown smudges stained her pale face. She looked weak—dead, almost. “Are you okay?”
“He hit me today, Jamie. He hit me.” Her cobalt eyes finally met mine and I could tell they were filled with terror and desperation. “I hate him, Jamie!”
I inched off my bed and scrambled to her side, reaching out to run a hand through her blonde locks. “I know, Jill. I know. We just have to hang on for a little bit longer, and then we can break out of here.”
Tears welled in the corners of her eyes as she sucked in a shaky breath. “How are we gonna do that, Jamie? We don’t have any money.”
“I don’t know.” There were certain things that I chose not to share with my twin, and my very illegal black-market job was one of them. There was no way of telling when would be the perfect time to escape this life, but for both of our sakes, I hoped it was soon. “But I promise I'm working on it, okay?”
She sniffled. “Okay.”
Pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear, I pulled her in closer and allowed her to bury her face into my shoulder, sobbing quietly. I patted her back in a soothing manner and whispered in her ear, “We'll get out of here, Jill. I promise.”
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