by Kara Hart
“We had an order to make sure those two get killed!” The first man said. “FIND THEM!”
Meanwhile, we slipped outside, undetected. Three SUV’s sat parked in the lot outside and Adam ran up to each door. “How will we start it?” I asked, frantically looking behind me to make sure no one had followed us.
“I’m praying one of these has the keys in it. If not, we’re going to have to stay and fight.” Adam ran over to the first car and opened the door. No keys. The second car: no keys. Finally, when he reached the first car, he saw that the keys were dangling in the ignition. “Pop the other cars’ tires!” Adam yelled.
I ran over to the other cars and took the knife, popping the front tires. “Good to go!” I called out. Adam waved me over.
“Let’s get the fuck out of here.” He said, turning on the engine. Within seconds, the men were running outside of the building, as several small explosions went off inside.
We took off. “There they are!” They screamed. “FIRE!” They took out their guns and began shooting at us. Bullets shot through the back window, hitting the seats and narrowly missing our bodies.
“Get down!” Adam yelled, driving erratically. We were getting mowed down. It wasn’t over yet. Adam weaved left and right. If we just kept going, we might be okay…
“Chase them and kill them!” The men got into their cars and took off behind us. Only, they couldn’t keep up once their tires had gone completely flat.
We couldn’t help but cheer. Adam wrapped his free hand around my body, kissing me passionately. I turned around to look – the whole horizon looked as if it were on fire. And rising from the flames were three motorcycles, headed in our direction.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Would all be lost? No. We wouldn’t let that happen. We couldn’t. Not after all the shit we had been through. “Take the wheel!” Adam screamed. I reached over and steered the car straight. Adam’s tough body curled outside the window. He took his automatic rifle and aimed at the front motorcycle.
The guy was gaining speed. Bullets were whizzing by Adam’s head. I wanted him so bad right now. I needed him. If we got through this, there was no telling what I’d let him to do me. “Adam! Be careful!” I called out.
“I always am, aren’t I?” He muttered. When the biker was in his scope, he fired. The bullet cut the desert wind in half. It was a straight shot, aimed right at the guy’s heart. BANG! Before the sound even went off, the guy was on the ground, covered in dust. “Got him!” Adam yelled, smiling.
“Two more! You got this.” I said, still steering the car. I had put one foot on the pedal and I prayed to God that I wouldn’t slip. One false move and this SUV would flip in an instant. The speedometer read 60, but it was slowly climbing. There wasn’t much time.
“Alright you son of a bitch, let’s see what you got.” Both men were aiming at each other. The biker was gaining speed, hot on our trail. He fired first and I watched as the bullet whizzed against Adam’s cheek.
“NO!” I screamed. Luckily, he was unharmed. It had just grazed the skin. Adam shot the gun and looked entirely pleased when the man fell in front of his bike, landing on top of a small cactus. “Bulls eye…” He whispered.
We weren’t free yet, though. There was still one more rider. “Concentrate, Adam…” I whispered. “If you shoot him, I’ll give you a night to remember…” I kissed his bulging bicep and watched him concentrate.
He took a deep breath and as he inhaled, he fired. It hit the steering wheel. “What the fuck?” He asked. The biker kept riding, unaffected and ready for blood. He was close now, about to reach our window. He aimed his gun at Adam and fired. Adam ducked in the window and grabbed the wheel. “Move!” He shouted.
He turned the car left, hitting the man in an attempt to knock him off his bike. From what I could see, the man was not giving up without a fight. “Come on, you bastard!” Adam said, hitting him again. After three hits, the guy fell against the vehicle. I watched as his face ricocheted off the glass of the window.
“We got him!” I screamed, hugging Adam.
“Shit, that was close! Thought the right side of my face was going to get blown right off!” He smiled. “Now… what were you saying about giving me some quality alone time?” He grabbed my hand and placed it on his lap, winking.
“Adam, I can’t believe we survived all of this. Let’s get to a safe spot and rent a motel room for a couple of days. I need to feel like we’re secure for a little while.” I was happy we escaped Brianna, but the night had worn on me. I was ready to sleep for days.
“Me too, Rose. My own father…how could he do this to me?” Adam shook his head, exhausted by the thought. I had almost forgot. Bruce was behind everything. That was the biggest surprise of all. Even Adam hadn’t a clue.
“I’m so sorry, Adam… If there’s anything I can do, I’ll do it. I’m always here for you.” I said, trying my best to console him. I kissed his cheek and sat back in my seat.
“I know you are. You’re the one thing in my life that won’t let me down. I know I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but I’m done now. I’m willing to be the man you need me to be, Rose.”
“Adam…” My voice trailed off. Something caught my eye as I looked to the side. Something human like… “ADAM!” I screamed. It was the biker. He must have held onto the car as he fell off his bike. His gun was aimed right at Adam and a sinister grin formed across his face. As the moon shined down on him, I realized it was the man who had drove us earlier, the man who had a scar across his throat.
“Goodbye, you two.” He smiled. Adam put his hands up, in reaction to seeing him. The SUV wobbled. Behind us were more lights.
“Oh, Adam. I’m sorry for everything. I’ll love you throughout time.” This was going to be the last moments I spent with him. I held on for dear life.
The man’s gun went off, hitting the windshield in front of me. Adam had his hands around the man’s throat. He pulled him inside and wrestled him into the back. I went to grab the steering wheel, but right as my hand touched the leather, the front of the SUV smashed into a small boulder. Suddenly, everything went flying in slow motion. The lights behind us got closer and closer. This was it. The end of our story.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
No. It couldn’t be. I wouldn’t let it happen. I had to fight.
The SUV was in mid air, flipping quick enough for me to barely even notice. It smashed into the side of the rock, hit the ground, and rolled a few more yards. The sound of broken glass and a sizzling engine was all that could be heard, among the short groans from Adam and the biker.
“ADAM!” I screamed, only I couldn’t hear my voice. There was a sharp ringing that pierced my eardrums. I looked to my side and smashed my fist against the window. It smashed after three blows and I crawled out carefully. Inside there was movement. I saw Adam crawl out his side, bloodied and bruised. His arm looked like it was in real bad shape, and from what I could gather, the biker was still very much alive.
The both crawled out of the car. Pieces of glass were embedded in their flesh. They were fighting slowly, affected by the weight of the crash. “Die, you son of a bitch.” Adam muttered. “Leave me and my girl alone!” His hands were around the man’s throat.
The lights behind us dimmed and I saw a figure get out of the car. “Hurry!” I screamed, walking slowly towards the men. Somehow, I had managed to come out of the crash unscathed.
The dark figure was getting closer and closer. Finally, I saw the man go into a sprint. “No…” I whispered. “It’s Jorge!” Adam turned to look, and immediately he was thrown off of the biker. The biker pulled out a large blade and wound his arm back to strike. In his other hand he aimed the gun at Jorge.
BANG! BANG!
Two shots echoed. One from Jorge and the other from the biker. The biker dropped the blade and fell over in the dirt. He was dead. Adam took one look at Jorge and went for the gun. Jorge laughed and sent two shots next to Adam’s body. They hit the dirt as a warning. “Stay
where you are.” Jorge said.
Adam fell against the dirt, breathing erratically. “You…” He moaned. “My father… it was all a fucking lie!”
“It always is, partner.” He said, getting nearer to Adam.
“Don’t you ever call me partner.” He said. “All that ended a long time ago.”
“Everything is ending. Don’t you see?” Jorge stood above Adam, aiming his gun at his head. Behind us was a huge plume of smoke, and below it was the faint outline of flames. The desert was on fire. We thought we could just leave it behind and be done with it. But as I was noticing, demons catch up to you. They beg for one last showdown.
“Well, Jorge. Looking down the barrel of your gun, I can see. It don’t mean you have to pull that trigger.” He said. “Let us go. For old times’ sake.”
Jorge laughed. “Got a cigarette?” He suddenly asked.
“You don’t fucking smoke.” Adam said.
“On a night like this? Hell, why not?” He smiled, stumbling slightly as if he were drunk. He eventually, wound up sitting on the dirt, gun shaking in front of him.
“Sure. Guess we can share one last cigarette.” Adam pulled out two cigarettes, throwing one at Jorge. They lit them up, eyeing each other cautiously.
Tears started streaming down Jorge’s face. Something wasn’t quite right about all of this. “Ah shit. Where did it all go wrong, homie? We used to be brothers. We used to run this fucking place. What happened to us?”
Adam took a long drag and thought about this for a while. He picked out pieces of glass from his arms and chest. The pain didn’t seem to faze him. “We saw things, Jorge. Friends died. I grew up. I had to get out. This life wasn’t me anymore.”
“You took an oath, homes.” Jorge said, bitterly.
“An oath ain’t shit in this business and you know it more than I do.”
Jorge threw his gun into the desert. “Yeah. I know it.” Adam reached for his gun, but all Jorge did was burst out into laughter. “None of this matters anymore, Adam man. “Just wanted to say goodbye.” He took off his jacket and suddenly I saw what he was hiding: A massive bullet hole, right in his gut.
“Jorge…” Adam whispered. I realized in this moment just how close these two were. Despite all the violence and feuding, they still had a common bond that could not die.
“Nah, man. Don’t. There’s no saving me. If I had caught you back in Oregon, I probably would have slit your throat.” Jorge fell forward and spit out a good amount of blood.
“I guess so.” Adam inched forward and extended his hand. Jorge laughed and grabbed onto him, clasping down as hard as he could. “Good luck on your journey.” Adam said.
“Think there’s a heaven?” Jorge asked him.
Adam hesitated for a moment. He was watching his old friend, dying. “I believe there’s something monumental waiting on the other side.”
“I’m sorry, Adam. I’m sorry for everything.” He was crying lightly as he fell backward. “Make a life with Rose. Be with her forever and treat her like a fucking queen. I’ll see you in the next life.” He smiled and handed him a piece of paper.
“What is this?” Adam asked.
But Jorge was already falling away from the earth. He closed his eyes. His breathing was faint. And in a brief moment of clarity, he took one deep breath and something in him had changed. He had left his body.
Adam fell against the dirt, tears in his eyes. “Rose. It’s over. It’s finally over.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
“It’s really over?” I asked him, falling into his arms.
“It’s really over.” He said. There were no more enemies left. We had won…
“What are we going to do now?” I asked him.
He picked my body up and placed me on my feet. “Let’s get out of this barren desert. I’m taking you home.” He said.
“You can’t be serious, Adam. Home? They’ll throw you in prison.” Though I was adverse to his plans, I had a deep desire to see my family again. Back when I met Adam, I thought it was wise to leave home. On some levels it was. But I was just a kid back then. I didn’t know the real world.
“I’m serious. They won’t know a thing. You’re gonna’ tell them you ran away. You wrote that letter. But this kind gentleman, me, took you home. You see, I saw you on the television, but I didn’t want to make a fuss with the reporters or anything. I just wanted to get you back home safely.”
I laughed and squeezed his hand. “Promise it’ll work? Promise everything will be back to normal?”
“I promise, baby. I’ll never lie to you. And as soon as things get settled, I’m gonna’ marry you.”
I wrapped my arms around him. He picked me up and carried me close to his chest. We walked toward Jorge’s vehicle. “Oh, Adam. I love you so much.” He kissed me warmly. The smell of fire, ash, and dirt filled my nostrils, but everything seemed sweeter now that he was fully mine. “I guess we can both work at my dad’s shop for money. I’m sorry we never got the cash we hoped for.”
Adam reached in his pocket. He pulled out the piece of paper Jorge gave him as he was dying. “Don’t jump to conclusions, missy. This here is a map to a large sum of money. Jorge was smart. He knew people would be after his shit. So he buried it nearby. That’s first on our schedule.” He smiled.
“Adam, how much are we talking here?”
“About a couple million.” He laughed loudly, pounding excitedly against the car. “I guess he had been saving his earnings for years. This was gonna’ be his retirement fund.” He set me in the vehicle and started the engine. We drove off in a hurry.
“Poor guy…” I whispered. Although he had turned on us long ago, I remembered fondly the night I met him. He was the first introduction into this mad world of loyalty, freedom, and family. And now he was gone. I promised myself I would use our money, only for Adam and I’s love. Nothing more, nothing less.
“He betrayed us. But I’ll miss him too.” Adam said.
We kept driving in the same direction for what seemed like about an hour. “Are we almost there?” I asked, impatiently.
“We’re here.” He said, parking the car. We got out and walked towards a set of rocks that were shaped in a spiral formation. The sun peeked its head out from the horizon and I squinted to adjust my eyes.
“I’ll help you dig.” I said. “Your arm looks kind of messed up from the crash…”
“Thanks.” He looked at his arm. It was covered in cuts and bruises. It was possible it was broken. If it was, Adam wouldn’t be the one to admit it. “I guess it is kinda’ messed up.” He smiled.
We dug and threw the dirt behind us. This was it. This was the fortune we had been fighting for. Adam gave one last shovel and a metal thud rang out. “There it is!” I yelled, dropping to my knees. I began digging with my hands.
With enough strength and willpower, we eventually pulled the multiple oil cans out from the ground. They must’ve weighed a couple hundred pounds each. Adam quickly opened the tops to make sure everything was in order. Sure enough, there was green money, solid gold bricks, jewels, pesos, and pretty much any other currency you could think of. Adam tossed the drugs that were in there and packed everything into the car.
I sat wide-eyed and excited. “I can’t believe he hid this here the whole time.” I said, feeling the smooth paper in my hands. “I wish I could thank him for this.”
“Be careful what you wish for, kid.” Adam breathed. We got in the car and headed in the direction of home.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Mr. and Mrs. Fischer? Are you the parents of Rose?
The words echoed in front of me and I stepped forward to see my parents. There was a moment of true shock as they scrambled to figure out how this was possible. The odd thing was, it looked as if they had aged ten years since the day of my disappearance. I ran into their arms and felt the familiar kisses on the top of my head, that familiar hug, and the tears they shared with me. A few months ago, I couldn’t fathom being back home. Now, I
was embracing the idea wholeheartedly.
“I found her wandering the streets of Yuma.” Adam said. He was wearing a nice suit and tie, straight from Armani. It was a little gift I gave him for loving me so well. I thought he looked good in leather. Boy did I think he looked great in rich Italian fibers.
My dad knelt down. “Oh, Rose. What trouble have you gotten into? Where’s this Jax character? I’ll kill him! I swear I’ll rip his head off!”
“I, uh, saw this girl on the news not too long ago. I thought to myself, ‘she looks like that girl!’ So I had to stop and see for myself. Sure enough, it was her alright. She said she didn’t even remember leaving home.” Adam shrugged.
“Is this true, Rose?” My mom asked me, sobbing against my father.
“I remember bits and pieces now.” I said. “Every so often, a new memory comes back to me. I mainly remember escaping. I was tied up in some house. The man accidently left a knife on the table in front of me before he left to get us food. I reached and I reached until I could just barely touch the knife. It took a good deal of effort, but I eventually cut myself free.” My eyes began to water. It wasn’t hard faking it. I just thought of all that we went through to get here. Jorge, Brianna, Bruce… it all weighed on my heavily. “I’m so sorry, mom!” I cried, wrapping my arms around her.
“Well, I’ll leave you to it.” Adam said.
I immediately turned around. “NO! You can’t just leave. Not after you saved me like that…” I said.
“Yes, you should have dinner with us tonight.” My dad said to Adam. “We’d…well, we’d be honored.” My mom agreed with him.
“Well that’s mighty kind of you three. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I saved your daughter. She did that herself. But I never deny a good dinner.” My parents laughed and pulled him through the door.
