Boss | Book 1| Complete

~1~

Calliope

I really fucked up this time.

I'd made my fair share of stupid decisions, but this one took the cake.

As I ran through the dark streets of Chicago with a bag full of contraband strapped to my back, my assailants quickly diminished the distance between us. There were three of them. All tall, beefy men with ugly scars and even uglier faces.

Robbing them had seemed like a good idea at the time. They'd been loading up dozens of bags filled with what I could only assume was cash into their black SUVs. I didn't think they'd miss this one so bad. I was in too deep to back out now. In fact, I was pretty certain if I surrendered, I was as good as dead.

"You're dead, bitch!"

Yep. That just about summed up my situation. I kept pushing, forcing my legs to keep pace.

I hadn't always been this way. I was actually pretty smart and would have been successful if I hadn't had to escape my old life and go into hiding. A string of reckless decisions ensued thereafter, and before I knew it, I was a petty thief, stooping lower than I ever had to ensure my own survival.

Starvation did that. All morals went out the window when you hadn't eaten for three days. Hence the reason I ran for my life now.

There was no shortage of crime in The Chi. You name it, we had it: bank robbers, bookies, drug dealers, gang bangers, and mobsters. I'm not sure what drew me to this place but seeing as I had run out of money in my travels, I had no choice but to lay low and make do.

These city streets had been my home for the past year. It was surprisingly difficult to get a job that didn't involve selling work for some crime lord or whoring myself off on the corner. It only made matters worse that I couldn't use my real name without risking being found.

There was no fucking way I was ever going back. Not alive, at least.

My heart was pounding out of my chest and my lungs were literally on fire. The harsh cold pressed down on me like a heavy weight, sucking what little heat my body provided in the tattered old jacket I wore. My long hair was pulled back into a ponytail and my baseball cap was low over my face - the visor obscuring my features from prying eyes.

One man addressed another. "Just shoot the bitch already."

My mouth went dry and a fresh dose of adrenaline was deposited into my bloodstream. I doubled my speed, feeling my instincts kick in harder than ever.

"Pretty little thing like her? I prefer them at full strength - it's more satisfying when they fight back."

Now I just felt sick.

"You hear that, bitch? When we get our hands on you, we're gonna take turns fucking that tight little ass."

Bile rose in my throat at the very thought. Violent images flashed across my mind - memories I'd thought I'd suppressed a long time ago.

"And when we're finished, I'm gonna put a bullet between your eyes," another man barked. All three burst into laughter.

A wave of fury crashed through me and before I knew it, I reached for my switchblade and swung around to face them.

"Sure you wanna do that?" I spat, ignoring the voice in my head that told me to haul ass and get the heck out of there before these assholes made good on their promises. "It might not be so enjoyable when I sever your tiny dicks from your bodies."

They slid to a halt, the largest of the three flashing me a sinister smile. The street lights flickered above them, illuminating half their faces as the tall buildings cast shadows over the rest. My fist tightened around the hilt of my blade and I swallowed the sticky lump that had formed in my throat.