Taken

Chapter 4

Human? Human? Who the hell referred to someone else as a human? The more I thought about the honey-eyed man and his hostile words, the stranger he seemed.

Then again, it was also strange how hard it was to keep him out of my thoughts, especially at a moment like this.

"It's all there, Jeff. We're not shorting you," I sighed. I was tired. It had been a long day and I just wanted it to end.

"I'll see that for myself," he answered with another drag of the cigarette that rested between his lips while his hands were occupied with dumping out dime bags of red onto a small digital scale.

Of course, it would be too merciful of life to allow my last delivery of the day to go smoothly. I should have known the moment I saw Jeff's name scrawled out in dads chicken scratch writing. Not that mine was much better. I just wanted to go home, take a lukewarm shower to wash away this day, and crawl into bed. Maybe eat one of the bars I had stashed for Ash-

I jumped at the sound of a hard thump as Jeff slammed his fist down onto the coffee table, causing the contents on it to rattle and some of the drug to spill off the scale.

"I knew it! You stupid bitch, you thought you could rip me off?" He demanded as he rose off his old sagging couch with a finger pointed at me. It shook with rage. The same rage that twisted his features.

My heart hammered against the inside of my chest. "What are you talking about?" I asked, trying to keep my voice level as I reached into my pocket for stabby. I had a feeling she was about to come in handy.

"You thought I wouldn't notice how the bags have been lacking? You thought you could take a little out of each one and short me a gram without me noticing?"

"All I do is deliver the goods and collect what's owed. If you have a problem, take it up with my dad."

"Oh, I have a problem." More problems than he was willing to admit to.

"Take it up with him," I repeated through clenched teeth. The scratched edges of the folded blade's handle dug into my sweating palm.

"Or," he said, dragging the word out as he rounded the table toward where I stood waiting to get paid. "I could get the rest of my money's worth out of his daughter. If you play nice and make me happy, you might even get me to forget all the other times you've stiffed me."

"That's not how this works." I took a step back, wanting to make a run for the door but knew if I didn't collect the money for the product he had dumped out, I was the one who would pay. "Take it up with him."

I went to take another step back, but he was faster. Lunging forward, he grabbed me by the arm before I could jerk it away from him.

"Come here you little whore. I'm sure deliveries aren't all he sends you out on. What's one more client added to the list?"

"Let go of me!" I spit out through my teeth as I tried to twist my arm free.

Tightening his grip, he swung me around and threw me onto the couch. My head cracked against the wooden armrest, leaving me dazed and unable to escape his crushing weight as he dropped on top of me. Clenching my eyes shut, i tried to block out the spinning room and the groping hands that roamed my body. I pushed and shoved but could barely move my arms with them pinned between us. I couldn't even pull them free to reach for my weapon.

"You're going to have to do better than that," Jeff chuckled into my ear. His rancid breath mingled with the scent of his body odor to make my stomach turn.

I knew I did. That's why I used all the strength I could muster to jerk my knee up between his legs. I felt the impact it made reverberate through my leg.