Devil On Both Shoulders [Calum Hood]

Chapter 4

I tried to dig my feet into the mud as Luke dragged me away, Calum was still in there, and although he kidnapped me he had saved me from the man at the store.

"Max, c'mon." Luke growled, pulling me away.

"What about Calum? We can't just leave him in there!" I yelled.

"What do you propose we do then?" He asked, and I realized that there was nothing that we could do but run, so I took off with him again.

Ashton and Michael were hot on our heels as we hurried off.

"Do you think he'll get arrested?" I questioned as we stopped outside of what seemed to be Luke's house.

"I don't know, honestly, I don't think the cops will survive. We take our security and defence very seriously." Luke answered, fumbling around with keys before plugging them into the door.

My face fell even further. The police who protect our town from people like Calum are going to die? I didn't think it was fair at all, but I had become a person like Calum and had to learn to accept it.

Luke stepped into the house along with Ashton and Michael, who weren't saying much. But Ashton spoke up, "there was a lot of police there."

"That building is ten stories of skilled killers, they don't stand a shit." Michael smirked back at him, flopping down onto the ragged couch with Ashton. This place looks worn down and absolutely threadbare, in no condition to house a even stick insect, never mind humans.

Luke notices me staring around the house in concern. "This is what happened the last time the police broke in." He sighs, running his finger across the shabby couch.

"Why? What did you do?" I ask, I've always been intrigued with the subject of crime, when it popped up in a conversation I pounced on it like a lion, even if I wasn't included in said discussion. Which is why I didn't have many friends.

"I attacked a man who hurt my girlfriend." Luke whispers, his soft eyes focused on his finger, gently tracing circles around his tattered sofa.

"Is she ok?" I instantly regret the question when I hear the answer.

"She's dead." He looks up at my, tears rolling down his solemn face. "He killed her, Max."

Michael and Ashton are sat silently, awkwardly picking at their nails.

I don't really know what to say.

"What happened to him?"

"I - um, killed him." Luke mumbles, I actually don't blame him, if someone killed someone I loved then I'd have a good right to kill them.

"So you've killed someone, and you're at the bottom of that building?"

"Says something, doesn't it?" He squints his eyes.

"Well - didn't you explain to the police that he killed your girlfriend?"

"You think I didn't try? They don't fucking listen." Anger builds up inside Luke, two days ago I would've felt happy about a criminal's expense, but sometimes you don't always know the real story.

"Then I'll tell them." I said, walking out of the house. Luke caught up with me and curled his fingers around my arm.

"No you won't." I hated how he was so stubborn, surely he must've wanted justice for what that man did. "He's dead, there's no point." He growled. I realized he was right, again, but it still seemed unfair that we couldn't do anything about it.

I retreated back inside and decided to talk to Michael and Ashton. "So why are you two wanted?" I asked them, Ashton perked his head up first.

"My grandmother got scammed into trading her bracelet at a jewellery store for a knockoff. I barged in, punched the man in the face and took it back." He said.

These guys weren't criminals, they were people who had merely dealt with their situations with more violence then other people would've. But that by no means made them bad guys, (apart from their drug use) if anything it's the police. I understood that they could be lying but if they weren't then I also understood why they were at the bottom of that building. They didn't commit crimes unprovoked like the rest of the people in there.

I turned to Michael. "Same as Luke but it was my brother."

Their stories had rendered me speechless, luckily the silence didn't last long when I found something else to ask.

"Do you know what crimes Calum has commit?"

Luke's pink lips turned up into a smirk, "name a crime, and he's done it."

"Stealing?" I decided to leave the worst ones until last.

"Yep."

"Drugs?"

"Yep."

"Assault?"

"Yep."

"Murder?"

Luke sighed, "yep."

My heart stopped. "Rape?"

He paused to, then shook his head. "No, never."

I'd never been so relieved in my life, not only did I now know that Calum hadn't tried anything on my sister (as far as Luke knew) but that he wouldn't try anything on me. Yet.

"Shouldn't you know this stuff? You are his girlfriend." Michael turned around.

I sighed, "I'm not his girlfriend." I admitted, staring him dead in the eye. "Calum kidnapped my sister so I traded in my freedom for hers." My voice was hoarse, and if tears could build up in your throat, that's what mine were doing.

None of them said anything, Luke just bit his lip and squinted his eyes, while Ashton and Michael just pursed their lips.

"Do," Luke said. "Do you wanna cry?" Obviously noticing my sensitivity on the subject.

"If it's not too much trouble." I nodded, walking into Luke. He seemed surprised when I did this, because it took him a while to wrap his arms around me and drop onto the couch.

Luke's comfort was better than I'd expected. He traced circles on my back with his palm while his other hand brushed the dark hair out of my face.

That's when the tears came.

I didn't know how long I would be captivated by Calum, forced into doing crime. I could be trapped for the rest of my life. I cringed at how weak I sounded, I was stronger than that, but for now I was fragile, my heart crafted from glass and with every breath added a new crack and got closer to smashing altogether.

I gripped his shirt and he pulled me closer.

"Shh, baby it's okay." Luke cooed into my ear. I heard footsteps pad upstairs and I knew it was Michael and Ashton scurrying off, probably feeling awkward and uncomfortable with how this was playing out.

"How can you even say that?" I cried, tearing my head away from his chest. "I'll live a life of crime, if I even own my life anymore. I'll never see my family again and Luke..." I choked. "I don't know."

"Listen. I'm going to get you out of this, I promise. But first, you need to promise me something." He said, I nodded for him to continue.

"Promise me not to do anything drastic anything you're gonna regret, okay? Please." He whispered, his sincere gaze seeping through mine.

"Yeah, um. Yeah, I promise." I mumbled, Luke tried for a small smile but the pain outweighed the happiness, if there even was any happiness.

The door flung open, and Calum's wild eyes barged in. The both of us immediately stood up to try and erase any traces of what just happened. My back was pressed against Luke's chest, his firm grip on my wrist keeping me there, and his heart racing one hundred miles a second.

I stood in the middle of the two boys, as I'd looked back at Luke and saw fury burning up in his eyes.

"Hey, we going? We've got some shopping to do." Calum said breathily. Luke growled under his breath and stepped forward to supposedly hurt him, but the hand I'd placed on his chest restricted him

"Luke it's okay." I whispered. "Let's go." I said to Calum.