Chapter 44

Chapter 44
ELENA'S POV

PANIC.

I tried to breathe, to not think with my pounding heart, but with my brain. It was hard. So hard!

My eyes fell on my hand, stained with blood. A murderer’s blood. But doesn't that also make me a murderer?

A huge lump formed in my throat, so huge that it was somewhat impossible to breathe. I rose to my feet, my legs wobbly underneath me.

Breathe, Elena. Breathe!

“Martinez," the voice called again, for like the millionth time. “Where the fuck are you, man?"

I could hear the raise in his voice, the subtle impatience. I swallowed, taking a step back.

“That's it. We're coming outside right now." Another voice said.

I thought they would end the call at that point, so I could at least hide the body and hurry out before anyone saw me, but they didn't. The next words I heard them say made my heart sink.

“Wait a minute," the same voice from earlier drawled. "Isn't that the chic he went out to meet?"

My heart dropped into the deepest pit ever. I imagined the look on their faces, they were probably exchanging glances, wondering what was going on.

I expected another outburst, but instead, a click echoed in the dark, and the line went dead.

I panicked.

“What have I done?" I muttered under my breath. But that wasn't the real question. That wasn't what I was supposed to be asking myself at that moment.

What have I done? I killed him. I stabbed my brother's murderer to death.

At that point, I didn't care if it was right or wrong. I didn't care if I had acted too rashly, or if my late brother would be proud of me. Maybe I'd care later, but the most important thing at that moment was how to get the hell out of there.

I couldn't call an Uber, because it'd take forever to arrive. And I couldn't go out to the streets to get a taxi either—I was bathed in blood. But I had to leave. I had to go far away from these surroundings, lest I get caught.

A shudder ran through my spine. Imagine getting caught, damn! That'd probably be my end.

The silence of the night was broken by a loud clutter of cans and metals. I jumped, fright crawling into every corner of my skin. My heart was pounding in my chest like an out-of-control jackhammer.

It took over a minute for me to pull myself together. My mind was a mess, I couldn't think straight. No, I couldn't think at all.

What happened?

I had it all planned out. I could swear that about an hour ago, I was sure of what I wanted to do, how I wanted to do it, why I wanted to do it, and what happened next after I had actually done it.

But now? Now, I had no idea of any of them. It was driving me crazy, I had stayed in one spot for how long without moving.

And that was so fucking risky.

“Think, Elena. Think!" I chided, finally willing myself to move.

Hide the body, and run. That should work, right?

Right?

I ignored the heavy weight on my chest and the disgust that crept up on me after seeing the blood on my hands. I had already done this, there was no going back.

There was a lot of blood, too much. Yes, it was the blood of my brother's killer. I had finally avenged him. And yes, it was supposed to make me feel good.

It didn't.

I felt miserable—dirty, and cruel. When I stared at his lifeless body, the guilt overwhelmed me like never before.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to take time back to the last 30 minutes. I would have thought it through all over again. I shouldn't have done this, not this way. Not so soon.

I wasn't ready for this.

My eyes tickled with tears, but I refused to let it fall. Don't be a coward, Elena.

“You're not a coward," I repeated the words over and over again—like a mantra of some sort—as I held his already cold hands, and pulled.

My effort seemed very minimal, as he barely moved. I tried again, my teeth grinding against each other, as I pulled with all my strength.

The body moved along with me, leaving behind a trail of blood—red, dark blood.

Focus, Elena! Focus.

I pulled again, hoping to cover a distance. I did. I was doing it!

Just when I was beginning to praise myself for a job well done, I heard voices. My heart stopped, my eyes widening like they would pop out of their sockets.

“Where the fuck is he?" I immediately recognized this voice as that of the man from earlier.

Footsteps followed afterwards, not of one person, nor two. Nor three!

I panicked all over again. Without thinking, I let go of the hands I was holding, and they fell limply to the ground, letting out a soft this. However, with the silence of the night, I am sure they had heard it.

With my trembling hands, I took a step back. I was hyperventilating already, trying so hard to keep it in.

The gods must have been against me tonight. I barely took another step backward, when I crashed roughly into something. It was a trash can, and it landed loudly on the concrete ground, its contents spilling everywhere.

I wasn't worried about that, I was worried about the sound it had made. The footsteps stopped, but my heart didn't.

“Where did that sound come from?"

“I think it was over there."

“Let's go check it."

I was frozen into place. I tried to move, but that singular act seemed extremely difficult for me to carry out at that point in time.

Run, Elena.

The footsteps were closing in, alongside the loud breathing of grumpy men.

Run, Elena.

I did. The adrenaline rushed through me, and I turned and ran. It was too late, however. They had already seen me.

My legs felt heavy beneath me—like they weren't mine—but I didn't stop running.

“What the fuck? Martinez!" A loud voice echoed through the night.

I knew I didn't need to be told. They had seen him, they had seen what I had done.

“Get her!" He thundered.

I ran. I couldn't let them catch me, I had to run. The dark alley was getting to an end, I could see the street lights illuminating the path.

I dared to look back, and I immediately regretted it. They were all coming after me, the whole squad. I was being chased by five men.

What the fuck? None of them cared to stay to check on Martinez? Why were they all after me?

I almost tripped, but luck was still on my side, I guess. This can't be happening, not today. I can't get caught.

As I reached the streets, a sleek black car pulled up in front of me. I stopped right in time to avoid walking right into it.

My heart was pounding in my chest, but when the window rolled down and I saw the face of the driver, I released a breath of relief that I didn't even know I was holding.

“Conner," I exhaled, my gratitude overflowing.

“Get in." He commanded.

I didn't waste any extra seconds. I crossed to the other side, sliding into the car without hesitation. Just as the car zoomed off, I caught sight of the 5 men.

They skidded to a stop, their expressions murderous as they watched the car drive off.

My hand found my chest, gripping the fabric around me as I struggled to breathe. Conner kept looking from me to the road, concern etched in his features.

“Are you okay?" He asked. When I didn't respond, he continued, “Breathe, Elena. Please, breathe."

It felt like forever before I finally got myself together, and this was when I was totally convinced that I was out of danger. I leaned into the chair fully, the tear I had been restricting all along finally falling off.

“Elena," Conner called. “Are you okay?"

I nodded, my lips too heavy to move them. I kept my eyes on the road, trying to ignore the different images flashing in my head.

Conner let out a relieved sigh, and I saw his grip on the steering wheel relax.

“Elena," he called. “What the hell did you do? Why were those men after you? What is it you're not telling me?" He questioned all at once.

I swallowed memories of how I had stabbed him over and over again rushing into my mind. I shut my eyes, goosebumps creeping up on me.

“I… I killed him.” The words fell out of my lips in a broken whisper.

" You did what?” Conner thundered in the car. I flinched. “Elena, what the fuck? What the fuck?"

My legs began trembling all over again. “I saw my brother's pendant with him, and I lost it. I had to, I had to take my revenge." I muttered, almost to myself.

"Elena,” Conner turned to me, his stare made me want to melt. And so did the time in his voice. "Do you realize what you've done? Fuck it! Do you realize the grave danger you've put yourself in? You… you killed someone. Why didn't you tell me this is what you had planned? Why?” His voice was raised like I was being scolded.

“I thought I could do it on my own. I thought…”

"Well, there you go. You ended up putting both of us in a huge mess. Why the fuck would you do something like that? Elena, why?”

My head was lowered. I dared to raise it, to look at him, but as my eyes fell on the road, a scream escaped my lips.

"Conner, look out!"