The Damned and the Dead

Chapter Twenty~ Five

"To heal a wound you need to stop touching it." ~UNKNOWN~

¡UNEDITED!
✞Anna✞

"Men like a woman with a big back porch," Lady informed me and slapped her own ass for emphasis. "It gives 'em somethin' to grab a hold of if you know what I mean." She sent me a wink then batted her fake eyelashes at Pickles who sat on a stool beside me.
Pickles gave her a sultry grin and I turned around in the stool not wanting to be around these people any longer. They were all so sexual and had no modesty. I'm not saying I'm a saint or lily white virgin, lord knows I'm not, but there's just some shit people shouldn't talk to others about.
"You're Phantom's daughter, right?" A woman with flaming red hair and cat-like green eyes appeared in front of me clad in a leather jacket and crop top that had her well endowed breasts spilling out clinging to the fabric for dear life.
"I'm what happened when the condom broke, so yeah," I said while eyeing the girl who obviously already had it out for me. She curled her lip up and took me in from head to toe before settling her feline eyes back to my dark ones.
"Did your momma send you to scratch what money you could get out of him?" She asked with fire gleaming in her eyes. The f*ck is this bitch's problem?
"Excuse me?" I asked harshly and slid off of the stool ready to advance towards her a step. Pickles' beefy arm stopped my advancing movement and he nudged me back behind him where I peered out to look at the hot-headed bitch.
"Daisy, get on outta here," Pickles said gruffly to the bitch.
"Come on Pickles," Daisy said with her feline eyes focused on me,"we're all thinking it. She's just here to scrape up what money she could get. She isn't one of us, just like with that Mexican bitch he knocked up. Why don't you go back to Mexico to your momma and leave Phantom alone, you money hungry--"
Daisy didn't get to finish whatever she was going to say because I had already shoved past Pickles and lunged for her despite my battered state. I dealt with plenty bitches in my young life and this one was no different...except she made the mistake of talking about my mother.
"Pinche puta, te voy a majar! [F*cking bitch, I am going to kill you]" I gritted out and went to jump on the bitch when Pickles just had to grab my shoulders and hold me back. I squirmed in his hold and leapt at her managing to take hold of some of her fiery locks dragging her near where I was locked in Pickles' arms.
Daisy screeched then screamed in pain when I yanked her hair bringing her face close enough for me to slam my other fist in her face while the other was bunched up in her hair. Whistles and cat calls were heard, but all I could focus on was my fist ramming into Daisy's dainty little nose.
"F*ck, somebody help me!" Pickles grunted when I reared back my leg to kick Daisy in the face and ended up hitting him in his groin. Two men rushed over and fought to untangle my fist from her hair that matched the color of the blood pouring from her nose and mouth. My arm was protesting in pain from the sudden use I was putting it through, yet I ignored it.
"GET THIS CRAZY BITCH OFF ME!" Daisy cried out and I felt Pickles tug me back only for Daisy to follow since my fist was still wrapped in her hair.
"Anna," Pickles said calmly,"Anna let go. Let go and end it."
"Puta," I hissed, but released my grip on her hair causing Daisy to crumple to the floor holding her bleeding face.
"She broke my nose," Daisy's whine was muffled from her hands covering her face and I felt slight satisfaction in knowing that I had done that to her face.
"YOU MEXICAN BITCH!" She shrieked and got to her feet dropping her bloody hands from her face to redeem herself and lunge at me.
"Chingate! [F*ck you]" I shot back and kicked at her when she lunged towards me with fury radiating from her feline eyes. The two men grabbed a hold of both of her arms while she screamed in frustration and started to flail and kick in my direction as an attempt to get free.
"MEXICAN WHORE!" She screamed and spat out blood in my direction that only fuelled my anger. No one spat at me. Ever. No one ever did it because they wouldn't live to do it again. Spitting on someone was the lowest and most cowardly thing anyone could do and I would never let anyone get away with doing that to me. Not even this hot headed biker bitch.
"BESA MI EL CULLO, PINCHE PUTA! [Kiss my ass, f*cking bitch]" I vented and felt my body growing hot from the amount of adrenaline and anger coursing through my body.
"Alright, that's it," Pickles said and began dragging me away while I continued to glare and kick at the bitch,"I'm putting you in timeout." That got my attention. I stopped kicking and looked up at Pickles who continued dragging me away from the scene. Timeout? I wasn't five.
"What?" I asked and saw Pickles open a door. Beautiful sunshine streamed in that I haven't been out in forever. Pickles led me outside and sunshine danced against my skin warming it. Air. Fresh air. God, how I miss it.
"You shouldn't have done what you did just as Daisy shouldn't have said what she said. She baited the hook and you took it. I just don't think she was expectin' you to lash out like that," Pickles said while he still carried me in his arms with the toe of my boots barely grazing the ground.
"She got what was coming to her," I mumbled and watched as he walked us over to a large garage looking thing where a lot of mechanical noise was coming from.
"Your daddy ain't gonna be happy when he hears what's happened. You could have hurt yourself," Pickles said pointedly as if he were scolding a child.
"I'm fine," I said dully and pushed the aching pain in my arm to the back of my mind. Pickles led us inside of the garage that was teeming with motorcycles, tools, and equipment. A few men were scattered about working on bikes, but something stood out from the rest--someone.
Holy mother of Jesus. There, working of my truck, with his shirt off and taunt muscles gleaming with sweat, was Dredd. His tattoos shifted underneath his ripped muscles as he rolled a tire over to my truck that no longer had a single dent in it. The windows were still busted, but it looked better than it had been in awhile. He did this. He fixed my truck, but why?
"I thought Phantom wanted you to keep an eye on her, why is she outside?" One of the men asked and I felt my stomach tighten when Dredd turned around at the man's words and locked eyes with my own. F*ck. His eyes narrowed and gave me a once over before flickering over to Pickles who still had his hold on me.
"I thought she should stretch her legs and everything was good until Daisy said a few words and little Anna blew her cap. I think it's your turn to babysit, Dredd. I believe she's taken a liking to you anyway," Pickles said and I felt heat flush my neck and face. Dredd cast his eyes back to me and set his lips in a disapproving line.
"Sit," Dredd nodded to a small stool beside my truck and I felt Pickles drop his arms from around me. I scowled at his order and Dredd straightened up seeming about to walk over when I fast walked over to the stool and sat down. Pickles chuckled and I turned to glare at the f*cker who set me up. Babysitter...Dredd...what could go wrong?
"Play nice now," Pickles chimed then walked out of the garage whistling as he went. I reluctantly looked back at Dredd whose eyes were focused on me...always looking down at me like I was some kind of f*cking alien. He looked away and bent down to fix the tire of my truck breaking the silent staring match we had been having.
"You don't need to do that," I said and Dredd ignored me while he continued to work on my truck. "I don't want you to do it." I added and finally got a response from him when he lifted up his head and his burning gaze met mine.
"Clear out," Dredd said to the other men while he held my gaze. The sound of tools dropping and footsteps receding could be heard as the men left the garage leaving Dredd and I alone. Dredd rose deathly slow from his crouching position and stalked towards me like a lion would to a gazelle, but I wasn't f*cking prey.
I rose from the stool and balled up my fist ready to give him some too if he asked for it. However, my confidence began to crack and crumble with every step Dredd took towards me. His eyes were what tore away at most of my confidence. Those hard, dark eyes that challenged, dared, and destroyed with just his hard gaze.
He stopped inches away from me engulfing my senses with his manly scent laced with leather and cologne. He looked down at me with his hard eyes and I fought not to sway under his gaze. This man made me feel small, insignificant, and worst of all...weak. No one has ever made me feel this way. No one has ever made me feel weak this way except him. I hated him for doing so. I hated him for making me feel these things.
"You're just a kid," he said. Oh boy, here we go again with the 'I'm just a f*cking kid' shit. His voice was low and dark making me feel even smaller...weaker. I hated that. I hated what he was making me feel.
"You're just a little girl who's got daddy issues and walks around thinking the world owes her everything. I'm not fixing your truck for you; I'm fixing it because your father wanted me too." Dredd clarified. That fact stung...a little. I don't know why, but it did. He knew where it hurt and damned if he didn't make sure I felt it.
"Well don't," I said using what confidence I had left,"and you don't have to babysit me."
"Maybe I should have let you jump. Maybe it would have helped the Phantom get you out of his head," Dredd said darkly. My fist that I had tightly balled flew towards his face only to be grasped in Dredd's larger one stopping it before it could reach his face. A shaky breath came past my lips when something flashed in his dark eyes.
"Don't touch me," I hissed,"let me go." I tugged my arm to get free and Dredd yanked me foreward sending me crashing against his hard, sweaty chest. My breathing quickened and I was almost certain that he could feel how hard and fast my heart was beating against my chest. His dark eyes searched mine for something. What it was I didn't know, but he wouldn't find it. There was nothing left of me. I was a dead girl walking. A damned soul that wondered around living for nothing but revenge. I was a shell...a f*cking ghost of the girl I used to be.
"You're just a f*cking kid," he muttered and his eyes dropped down to my parted lips. For some f*cked up reason, my tongue darted out of all times and dampened my suddenly dry lips. The action didn't go unnoticed by Dredd whose eyes darkened. His eyes slowly moved up to meet mine again holding my gaze with his.
"What are you doing?" He asked in a low, breathless voice. I wasn't doing shit. What the f*ck is he doing? He dropped my fist and stepped back leaving me feeling...lonely of all things, but I wasn't about to tell him that. He was disgusted by me. I mean I didn't give a shit what he thought about me, but he was a real d!ck. He thought of me as a spoiled, childish kid and that did get under my skin--only a little.
"Sit your ass down and keep your mouth shut," he pointed to the stool and I knew that gorilla Dredd was back. Hard. Blunt. Emotionless. Total d!ck. I moved to sit back on the stool and watched as Dredd turned around and walked back to my truck without a single glance in my direction.
I watched in silence for what felt like hours while he worked on my truck not even acknowledging my presence. He didn't so much as glance up or in my direction. D!ck. I took his blatant tactics of ignoring me as a challenge and felt a smirk tug on the corner of my lips. A shrill, ear splitting scream tore through my lips while I sat on the stool and I watched with satisfaction as Dredd dropped his wrench and lifted his head from the hood of my truck.
An urgent look brushed over his face and he straightened in an alert stance ready for danger. His eyes fell on me then narrowed dangerously when I flashed him my most pleasant and sweet smiles. He didn't look charmed at all.
"I thought I saw a spider," I explained and Dredd kept his dangerous glare on me.
"Mouth. Shut," Dredd stated and made a zipping motion with his hand against his mouth. He picked up his wrench then turned around to continue his silent brooding, however I swear that I heard a faint, very low chuckle rumble from his chest in silent laughter. Dredd, the hardass, had laughed. He had laughed and I couldn't hide the small smile that crept onto my lips from hearing this beast of a man chuckle. Something, something deep inside of me, told me that there was more to this walking stone of a man than what he let others see.

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