I looked around for my new dog as Niall picked up the pace, pursing my lips and trying to whistle for him. A faint noise came from my lips and I tried to make it again, but failed.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Niall hissed.
“Whistling for my dog,” I said simply, continuing to blow air between my lips. The sound wasn’t much, but it was as good as any whistle I’d ever heard.
“You can’t even whistle,” Niall tutted. “And what fuckin’ dog? Are those drugs making you see things?” He seemed concerned, pulling on my hair as he made me look up at him and examined my eyes. His fingers carved along the side of my face like he was checking all the bits and pieces that made it up were still there, and I couldn’t help but enjoy the attention as his concern fell over me. No one had ever been all that concerned about me. Not any time recently.
“I can whistle perfectly. Look.” I blew air between my lips once more.
“If you could whistle, do ya think I’d let ya keep whistling while the cops are on our tails, love?” He shook his head at me.
The sound of paws padded through the trees to my left and I whipped my head around, spotting the dog as he arrived, baring his teeth at the band of men around me.
“Told you,” I muttered to Niall. “That’s my dog.”
“Well shit,” he exhaled. “That ain’t your dog. That’s my fuckin’ dog.”
“What?” I balked.
“That’s Brutus.” He pointed at him and I looked to Niall in confusion. He’d mentioned that he had a dog called Brutus before, but what were the chances I’d bump into him out here in the woods chained up outside some dodgy dude’s house?
“Really?” I breathed, realising that fate must have truly been on our sides to have brought that together so perfectly. The stars had aligned, called our names and we’d said yes please Mrs Fate – because only a crazy person would ever deny the stars and risk their wrath. They were vengeful, spiteful creatures who would always get their revenge for such a snub after all. No one could win against them, anyone who tried would perish and rot and say bye-bye to all the good things they’d ever held dear.
“Liar,” Jack growled and Niall bristled.
“Let’s just get the fuck out of here,” Mateo pressed and my gaze lingered on him, his new look every shade of hot. I wanted to see him in the light, drink in the lines of his newly emerged jaw and cheekbones, run my fingers up the shaved sides of his hair and bury them in the longer, messily perfect dark strands on top.
I’d missed him, really, truly, deep down to the bottom of my empty little heart missed him. And I hated to admit it – so I wouldn’t ever – but I’d missed Niall too. I’d pined for them both in that horrible cell where the drugs had made my mind sleep and my nightmares sharpen. And they’d actually come for me, Hellfire and my Dead Man. They’d shown up to pull me out of that place, Niall had said so himself. This was a rescue mission. But I still couldn’t forget the look of anger in Niall’s eyes when he’d kicked me out of his house, the rejection I’d felt carving out my heart and throwing it against the wall so it splattered everywhere. Why had he come for me if he wanted me gone? I could have been permanently gone if he’d wanted me to be. But he was here, ensuring I was the opposite of gone to him. I was non-gone.
We picked up our pace through the trees, Niall seeming to know some route towards wherever we were going, or maybe just following his instincts. Brutus ran along behind us, occasionally snapping at Mateo and Jack’s heels in a fun little game I quietly nicknamed snappy snaps.
Mateo cursed the dog, looking more than a little unsure of the game but I’d teach him the rules later – you could lose a finger if you didn’t play it right after all.
Eventually, we reached a dirt track where a rusted old truck was parked up and my heart swelled as Niall kicked the door handle off to break into it. He quickly hotwired it and we all piled inside while Brutus leapt into the truck bed with such confidence that I had to wonder if this truck had belonged to the dickmunch who’d beaten him.
Niall found some rope in the glove compartment and dove onto Jack like a ninja from the shadows, tying his wrists and ankles together while I pouted the whole time. Angry Jack didn’t fight him, but he had a scheming look on his face which said his fight wasn’t done here. But I guessed he was happy to take the free ride away from the cops.
“He’s not your prisoner, Niall,” I growled, jabbing him hard in the ribs as Mateo drew me into his lap.
“Yer all my fucking prisoners,” Niall insisted.
I opened my mouth to refute that but Mateo captured my cheek, forcing me to look at him and I fell into the depths of my Dead Man’s gaze. There was so much evil in him, I could feel it painting my soul a deeper shade of black and my pulse picked up to a thunder.
“Hello, chica loca,” he said in a rumbling tone that made my bones quake.
“Hello, Dead Man. You look pretty,” I said with a shy smile and he frowned like he didn’t know what to do with those words. So I carved my fingers over my lips, capturing the essence of them and slipped them into his pocket for Ron （first name Later）。
Mateo’s gaze intensified, sliding to Niall as a sneer twisted his features. I didn’t see his next move coming as his hand shot out, snapping the windscreen wiper lever off and wheeling the jagged end of it towards Niall’s throat. I screamed, shoving Niall aside before it could impale him and the lever sliced into the headrest instead. Niall roared in anger, shoving a hand in his pocket as Mateo yanked the lever free and I tried to keep myself between them as he swung for Niall again.
Niall ripped me off of Mateo’s lap into his own and his thumb came down on a remote in his grip. Mateo dropped the lever before his strike could land and he growled in rage, slumping back in his seat as he spasmed under the power of a shock from the collar he was wearing. His eyes rolled back into his head as Niall bared his teeth and kept his thumb on the button far longer than I liked. The zappies were great for fun times, but they could set Mateo’s heart on fire if Niall wasn’t careful. And it didn’t look like he was being careful at all.
“That’s enough!” I demanded, turning in Niall’s lap and cracking his head back against the window.
He grinned at me like he enjoyed that, and I did it again harder and harder until his thumb slid off that button.
“Have ya learned your lesson yet, el burro?” Niall asked as I clambered off his lap onto my Dead Man’s once more, cupping his cheeks as he fought to keep consciousness. “I’m the governor of yer fate, so sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.”
Niall settled himself in the driver’s seat and I nuzzled Mateo’s stubble to see how it felt against my cheek. He turned into the touch as if he’d expected something else and my lips caught on the corner of his, making my heart hitchhike right on up into my throat. My fingers explored his chest and I glanced at Niall as I bit down on my lip, heat pooling through my chest as he gave me a dark and hungry look which said he wasn’t quite decided on what to make of my little crush on Mateo.
“Let’s get the fuck outa here,” Niall said, taking off down the dirt road.