Chapter 5

Location: Foxy's Motel

May 13th

"Tre do I really need to know this." I said as I placed my hair into a low ponytail. We had been practicing boxing for over five hours, making a new record.

"Yes Athena, you're with me and the life I live requires this." He said returning back to his stance. "Now do the combo I taught you." He held up the pads a few inches from his face. Rolling my eyes, I went into the routine with a left hook and then ducked as he swung the right pad and come back up with the kick to ribs and using my elbow to stop the left pad from hitting me, and hit the left pad with my right fist and the right pad with my left fist.

"You have to move your feet, and make sure that your hands are always active." He said as I squirted some water in my mouth.

"Ok, now are we done?"

"No, I will be right back." He gave me a pointed look.

I smoothed my pony tail into place and tried to catch my breath before he came back, he would never let me catch my breath he said it shows weakness and lets your opponent know that you are vulnerable.

When I heard him coming back I quickly stood up straight and watched as he set up old cans of cola and beer on the patio. Frowning, "What are you doing?"

"Target practice." I noticed that he was carrying a gun, now I was not foreign to a gun hell I basically grew up around them and I knew them all too well.

"For you right?" My breathing started to speed up, the black pistol was starting to bring up memories that I tried to keep down for so long.

"No, for you." He proceeded to hand me the gun.

I shook my head venomously, I don't do guns, "You know I can't touch that thing."

Stepping closer to me he wrapped a hand around my neck and squeezed lightly, "You can and you will, no girlfriend of mine will be a bitch." Stepping behind me he guided my hands up and wrapped both of them around his and aimed the gun at the first can. "Now when you shoot make sure you look at what you hit." He tightened our grip on the gun. I was shaking, I couldn't help it this was a trigger for me, "And no shaking so take a deep breath and slowly pull the trigger."

Taking a breath, I slowly pulled the trigger and I heard a click, letting out a loud breath I said, "Did I do something wrong?"

"Perfect." He muttered, "Now again."

I checked the blinds for the third time, in the last five minutes. Over the past two weeks I had come up with a cycle, I would never stay at the same motel for more than a day. I always made sure that I never developed a schedule or routine.

Granted I got little to no sleep at night, but I knew that was going to pay off when I was on a one-way flight to anywhere.

I sat at the end of the bed with the gun securely in my hands, I wondered if they found his body yet, I wondered if they were able to...

"The phone."

I frowned and looked around the room, and in the corner, I saw me, but this me didn't seem the same she seemed...lifeless. Her cold eyes stared back at me and she said again, "The phone."

My eyes lit up in realization, his phone, they could track his phone. I ran over to the bag and grabbed the phone and slammed the phone on the ground, stomping on it until it was in pieces. Not feeling safe enough, I grabbed the pieces and flushed them down the toilet.

Falling on to the ground I placed my head between my legs, this shit was starting to get old maybe I should go to plan B and just kill myself and finally be satisfied with the sins I have committed through my life.

"Pathetic, how could you think you hit rock bottom when you've hit hell's floors before. You did what you had to do now pick yourself up off of this filthy floor and fight."

Getting up, I walked to the mirror and stared at myself, I looked a mess and don't think I didn't notice the bags that fit snugly under my eyes.

"The scissors."

I looked down at the rusty scissors and it was like they were a magnet and instead of fighting it I gave in and grabbed them.

"You know what you need to do."

She watched as I began cutting my hair, it took me a while to grow it to the length it was but I knew that I would be recognized easily by the people that saw me before if I didn't do it. The strands fell onto the counter of the sink and into the sink and a few minutes later, my once bra length hair was clipped to barely past my jaw. She was silent as I cleaned the mess up and she only spoke to say, "Now go to his other phone and find all the information you can to save your ass."

Walking over to the phone I pulled it out and saw that there was nothing there. Letting out a frustrated sigh she said, "The notes dumbass."

Doing as she said something jumped out but it made no sense, what was he doing going to Chino Hills for car parts but next to those car parts were numbers and words, it was like there was no sense between the two.

"Car parts, numbers and words..."

Addresses! These were the addresses to the car parts, but why would Tre have car parts on his phone it literally had no correlation, what did drugs have to do with car parts.

"Your hitman is here, do what you have to do to survive."

I grabbed my gun and grabbed the bags and threw them onto the top shelf in the closet,
"Now do you remember when you were a little girl and you would run from dad where would you hide?"

Running to the refrigerator I saw that it had the same removable shelves.

"You need to be quick he is almost here."

Quickly taking out the shelves I placed them into the one cabinet that the room came with and fit my body into the little space. I was still while I waited until I heard the click of the door opening, how in the hell had he found me before Bay did, it leads me to think that Bay was never looking for me and that it was probably my paranoid self. I heard his footsteps move throughout the motel, I could hear when he opened up the closet when he went into the bathroom, but my heart beat started to become rapid when I heard him come into the space that was called the kitchen.

"There times whether you prosper or you fail, and this one of those times, what are you going to do Athena?"

I took a breath and before he could even think to open the fridge I kicked it open hitting him in the shin, getting out quickly I kicked him in the side and when he went to collapsed I grabbed his gun, and pointed both at him.

"How did you find me!" I yelled kicking him in the throat as he tried to get up.

Hacking he said, "My sister owns the motel."

"Are you with Bay or Tre?"

"Tre?"

Stomping on him, I left my foot on his chest pressing the heel of my toe into the center of his chest, "Gunner damnit."

"Gunner he's the one." Face filled with dread he said, "Everyone knows what you did and everyone knows that Bay has a hit out for your head." Coughing a little he continued, "So if I am not the one who kills you then it damn sure will be Bay."

"Kill him."

For the first time, I hesitated at something she told me to do. I didn't want to do it, but I knew that it was the only way.

"Get killed or be killed, it's your decision Athena."

Placing my gun in my waistband I placed my hand on the butt of the gun and finger securely on the trigger and pulled it. My arms jiggled a little bit from the backfire and I sucked in a breath.

"Leave now, you have a two-minute window before someone comes in."

Gun in hand I grabbed the bag from the top shelf and ran outside to the car and threw my stuff in and drove off quickly, my foot pushed down on the gas as I put the motel in my rearview mirror. I knew it was going to be a long drive before I could even find another motel.

"This is only the beginning of your hell."

----

"You missed." Tre held up the can.

We had been out here since eight o'clock in the morning, and my head and arm hurt. My head because of the bullets that rang in my ears from the back to back shots and my arms because every time I missed he would tell me to hold my arms up in that same position for thirty minutes, and if I moved an inch the time would restart over again.

"Please, Tre." I begged tears brimming my eyes.

"Please Tre, what. What you're about to do right now is beg for mercy." Whispering in my ear he said, "I have seen the same look in your eyes a thousand times, and you know what I do every single time?" Shaking my head, he answered, "I kill them because mercy doesn't exist in this world."

"I won't miss." I finally said.

"Tuh." He said tapping my arm lightly, "When you shoot, you make your shot the first time."

Looking at the can I pulled the trigger and the can fell over, moving my aim to the next can and pulled the trigger, and I repeated it to the rest of the cans.

"Never miss again Athena."

I stared up at the ceiling reliving the memory, I didn't realize just how much he really affected me.

"Whether you know it or not he helped us."

I turned in the bed and she was lying down on her side facing me, "Yes he put us through hell but we wouldn't know half the shit that we knew if it wasn't for him."

I didn't say anything I just stared at her, I couldn't get over how cold her eyes were.

"My eyes are this cold because you just don't know how much we are really about to go through."

I reached out and touched her cheek to my surprise it was tangible, it was like she was really here, and I wanted to do nothing more than cry.

"Tears are made for bitches who have nothing to live for, and you have everything to leave for Athena, you will come to realize that tear ducts are like putting a bumper sticker on a Mercedes, not necessary."

I rolled over to my other side and she was there eye level to me, "Never let anyone see the struggle we're going through, as of today we're done playing victim, no more crying."

Nodding I stared at her blankly, feeling a soft kiss on my head I finally closed my eyes and went to sleep.

"Again." Tre yelled.

Making the hardest jab into the punching bag, I huffed as the impact caused it to move a few centimeters.

"Why are you half assing this?" I could tell he was slowly starting to get pissed.

Putting a hand to my forehead I wiped away sweat and said, "We have been doing this back to back for a year now, and I am just tired."

"If you don't beat that bag I will beat your ass, make your choice." He taunted pushing me.

"I can'-"

"You're so weak, maybe your father should have just turned that gun on you and saved the world time." He looked at me in disgust.

I narrowed my eyes at him, "What did you say?"

Standing next to the punching bag he said, "Your father should-"

I screamed and punched the bag that was only a few inches away from his face. Moving out the way he watched me beat the hell out of the bag. His face kept appearing in my head and then I found myself going into a blind rage.

After a while, Tre tugged me away from the bag and said, "That's exactly what I was looking for."

My eyes snapped open as I felt shaking and it was her, "You need to leave now!"

Shortly after I heard soft steps coming towards the door, gun already drawn I hopped quickly out of the bed and grabbed my bag.

"There is no way you are going through the front door, there's a window in the bathroom when you go in make sure you lock the door. He is by himself, so you have a better chance."

I ran into the bathroom and locked the door, looking around I quickly spotted the window, hopping on to the toilet stool I pushed the window open and threw the bag out first before hoisting myself out of the window. I made a small thud when I hit the ground and I ran quickly to the car that I purposefully parked in the back.

I pulled out quickly and got onto the road speeding away. It was too close this time and I knew I was starting to get careless. Why would I think it would be a good idea to take a nap, especially when I have probably the most powerful person in San Francisco putting a bounty on my head.

----

3:31 pm

7.25.2017

What ya'll want to talk about today???-A.A.