𝐿𝑜𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐾𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑛.✔️

#15

Essence

I couldn't wait to get home when suddenly, a voice interrupted me from walking to my car. I turned my head to see a guy with tattoos everywhere—his face, neck, and arms covered with black inc. Despite the cloudy weather, he wore sunglasses, which seemed odd to me.

Tall and dressed in all black, he smiled, revealing his teeth that surprisingly were straight and pearly. His gaze made me immediately uncomfortable, he licked his lips while playing with his straight dirty blonde hair. Why did he look familiar?

"Hello?" I asked hesitantly, taking a step back. He noticed and chuckled, closing the distance.

"You're a pretty little thing, aren't you?" I recognized the accent as French which made my mind spiral. What were the chances he was French?

"I'm not little," I retorted, standing by my car with my hand on the handle. As he continued to approach me, a booming voice interrupted him the moment he opened his mouth"

"What's your name beautif-"

"Vain!" looking over at East on he walks over followed by the others, all sporting deadly glares.

Did they know each other? How?

The mystery man smiled, seemingly amused. "Just here to see my boys," he said, eyeing them and then me. "And ran into this beauty."

"You okay, Essence?" Jacob asked, concern evident. I nodded, about to answer when the stranger cut in, narrowing his eyes.

"Essence?" he says almost as a statement. Turning around towards the men he previously stood with, they all send each other curious glances.

"What's your last name?" he demanded, taking a step forward. I shutter at his tone change.

"I suggest you leave," Zail interjected, putting a hand out to stop him from taking any further steps.

I took the opportunity to observe him, noticing something poking out of his belt. My heart raced—could it be a gun? I'd seen them before, but if they knew him, were they involved in something dangerous? Who would bring one to a school?

Zail whispered to the man, who looked increasingly agitated. Vain smirks at me while whispering something back and backing away, his eyes locked on mine until he left, promising, "Until next time."

"Fuck." Zail mutters.

Before Vain's car disappears his eyes scan my entire car pausing on my license plate for a few seconds. I turned to the boys. "How do you know each other?" I ask.

"Just a friend of a friend," Neil replied, but I remained skeptical.

I refused to get involved in whatever they were mixed up in. People like them always brought trouble.

I scoff opening my car and locking the door behind me. Neil knocks on the widow repeatedly until I roll it down with a sigh. "What?"

"Listen it's- it's complicated ok?" he says not being able to look me in the eyes.

"Right. I'm sure it is." I say rolling up the window and disregarding them all.

I can't get caught up in this again.

As the music blared from the speaker beside me I start considering finding a new job. My head pounds continuously to the same beat.

"Tired, Bambina?" Killian's voice startles me from my mind. I groan meeting his piercing gaze. "You really should sleep more." he sits down on a stool.

"I thought you didn't come here often," I remarked, exasperated by his sudden presence.

"Wouldn't you like to know," he teased, but his expression remained stoic. His black hair was pushed back allowing me to fully see his eyes.

He should always push his hair back.

Shrugging off my thoughts I get to the point "What do you want?" I asked, suddenly growing impatient.

"What if I just want to sit here?" he shrugs his shoulders. Scnrucnhing my face up in distaste I look around the entire unbusy room that had plenty of empty chairs and tables laid out.

"Out of all places?" I cross my arms. "You just want to annoy me."

"Because I get so much joy in your presence" he says sarcastically but his smile tells me otherwise. I raise a brow and take a step back my body suddenly heating up under his eyes.

"Killian." his eyes darken just slightly. "What do you want?" I ask again

He looks deep in though for a few seconds before he hums "Licorice," he replies, nodding towards a bucket behind me.

I begrudgingly fetched some of every colour and placed it in a baggy. The moment I place it down in front of him he passes me his card. As the black plastic lays in my hand I can't help but think about his much money he really had? Anybody with a card like this was surely well off. The moment the receipt starts to print he gets up without a word, leaving me puzzled.

"Hey?" I yell out through the music.

"Killian," I look around at everyone's eyes on me from yelling and laugh awkwardly. "Don't mind me." I pause realizing that I let him get even further now.

Curiosity led me to his apartment, where familiar voices emanated from the staircase a few feet away. I stare down at the card then back up the stairs before groaning. I strut up the stairs hesitantly following the voices to a half opened door.

Inside, I overheard talk of an auction and a shipment exchange, sending chills down my spine and my eyes to practically fall out of my head. I definitely shouldn't be here. "What do you mean they'll be late?" Killian says.

Before I could process, my phone rang, startling me. "Shit." In my panic, I bumped the door, revealing myself to everyone inside.

Their shocked faces mirrored my horror as I took in the guns and contraband strewn about the entire room. Lastly my eyes land on Killian's, he smirks clasping his hands together in front of him and looking behind me.

Before I could react, a cloth covered my face, and a voice whispered into my ears, "I'm sorry," it echoed as darkness enveloped me.