𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒 (𝟏𝟖+)

9. VEGAS GROWN

After Denver and I had our sexual experience on the couch we'd both taken a shower but did so separately. I'd toweled off, blow dried my hair, and gotten myself ready. I was rocking my bad-bitch smoky dark make-up ready to take out the assholes who'd taken my sister. I'm about to fuck some people up and look good while doing it.

The upside of looking like a little submissive sex-kitten is people actually think I am one. I'm  far from a little kitten. I'm a lioness and these motherfuckers are about to hear me roar. I grab my gun out of my bag and begin checking it to make sure everything is in proper working order when there's a knock at my door.

"Come in." I'd said in a curt tone.

"See I knocked." Luke comes in but the minute he sees me handling my gun his face pales. "What are you doing?"

"I'm getting ready to go to Stew's place and get some fucking answers." I lift up my dress and put my gun in the holster. "Like you said last night, I'm a vicious, malicious bitch if there ever was one."

He shakes his head as he comes over to me saying, "You haven't gone by that name in a long time. I don't want you going by it again." I start taking my knives out, studying their sharp, fine blades. As much as I hate to admit it, I'd missed feeling the weight of the deadly weapon in my hand. "Please, I'll get her back. I'll offer whatever amount of money to get her back."

"What you're not understanding is that no matter what you do, no matter how much money you give them, it won't be enough." These people only want one thing; yours truly.

"Money is money. Everyone wants money." And in Luke's line of work and growing up as Luke I'm sure that statement was true.

Luke didn't grow up with a single parent who was a show girl with substance abuse issues. Someone who was involved with bad people and raised among those same people. No, Luke's mother and father are still together, probably off on a yacht somewhere drinking mojitos in the sun. My mother, on the other hand, was who the fuck knows where and my father was basically just a sperm donor.

When I had gotten older I'd wanted to meet him and from the bare minimum of what my mother had told me I'd tried to find him. I'd given the information to Luke and he'd hired a private investigator. I had the name and the place where he was from but I'd never get to meet him. Apparently, he died shortly after Marina and I were born from a drug overdose. No surprise there considering my mother's substance abuse issues.

"Seriously, Mal, don't do this. You're not this person anymore." Luke's voice is pleading, "let me help you." There's no helping me, especially from Luke. If he truly knew the entirety of the story I'm sure he wouldn't want to.

"They want me, Luke, me, not money." His features turn into one of complete horror. "They took her because they thought she was me. They thought I'd come back to Vegas." It's not really a they so much as it is a specific he. He thought I came back to Vegas. A very dangerous he which is why they grabbed Marina.

"I thought Marina lived in Oregon with her boyfriend?"

"Yeah, that's what I thought too. Maybe something happened between them and that's why she came home. I have no idea, Luke."

"Let me at least put some feelers out before you just jump right back into it. Like I said, you're not this-"

I cut him off with, "Luke, you don't know exactly who I am anymore. It's been five years since we've seen each other. It's been five years of me avoiding you and staying out of your life because these same people told me they'd fucking kill you." I hold up the knife, balancing it on fingers, "I was born for this. I was raised in this lifestyle. I know you weren't, but I was."