Barrel

18

BARREL

Barrel's stomach sank, and he watched the car get closer to them. With no place to hide along the road, he rubbed his eyes, ready for their string of bad luck to stop. He didn't want a repeat of before.

Barrel didn't want to fight again. He would if he had to, but something had changed since the last fight, which he’d almost been craving. Now, after being with Eva, he was starting to see there was more to life than just existing for revenge.

And hopefully, Sergie was already dead. He had executed the one plan he'd thought about every day, and now, with this adorable teacher, he found that he wanted to ease back into life … real life, like before the loss of his sister and niece.

Barrel had killed many people, and at the time, it had felt justified. Even now, he felt no guilt over protecting Eva, but he was starting to feel that maybe he should look for other options … maybe something that wouldn't have them followed and shot.

"Barrel," Eva spoke up in a worried tone, "what do we do?"

He watched her eyes bounce from him toward the approaching vehicle. He didn't have a choice. He straightened his back and gave her a strong smile. "We survive."

The car came to a stop, and Barrel pulled a deep breath in. The car had tinted windows, and after a moment, the window rolled down.

"Barrel! Hey, man! Do you need a ride?"

Barrel's shoulders relaxed as he recognized that deep-set southern tone. He looked up, taking in a friend's face. Tyres was an old pal of his that went way back. They hadn't seen each other in a while. Barrel laughed, shaking his head. His heart quickened with excitement. Maybe their luck was starting to change.

"You have no idea." Barrel said, giving Eva a chuckle. "This is a buddy of mine. We used to work together years ago, and we lived together for probably five years as roommates."

"Come on." Tyres waved a hand toward the car. "It's hot as f**k outside, and I don't want to have this entire chat watching you sweat your balls off, man. You look like shit."

Eva laughed now. "He smells like it too."

"Hey!" Barrel glared at her, giving her a guiding hand as they walked around the car. He helped Eva into the back, wanting to allow her to catch some sleep if she could. He tossed his bag in with her before climbing into the front with Tyres.

"Not that I don't appreciate you showing up, but how the hell did you even know I was here?"

Tyres chuckled, pulling the car forward, "I heard from a little bird that you were in town, and they happened to mention that you could use a hand. I honestly wasn't expecting to run into you like this. I would much prefer to catch up over beers than see you walking like a homeless person on the streets."

Barrel rolled his eyes, looking back at Eva. She looked tired, and he watched her eyes grow heavy. "Eva, take a nap while you can."

He expected her to fight him, but she gave him a soft smile before she looked outside the window. He knew she would rest for a bit.

"Seriously, though." Tyres looked at him. "How deep are you in trouble this time?"

Barrel rubbed his neck, wishing he could say he'd fixed up his life. He didn't want to say he was in the same s**t hole as he was years ago.

"I'm just taking her home," he admitted. "That's it. Then, hopefully, changing things after that." He gave Tyres a solid look, and he looked away.

Tyres held a blank expression before he nodded his head. "I hope it's for the best, man. You deserve it."

Barrel didn't believe that. If his friend knew how much blood was on his hands, he might disagree. If he knew the kind of s**t he did for a living, he wouldn't stay as calm as he was. Tyres and he went back, but that didn't mean they were close.

"Thanks," he said, looking outside the window. "How's the family?"

Barrel allowed Tyres to talk nonstop about his life. He enjoyed it. He liked hearing his friend had his s**t together and gotten what he had wanted. He tried to suck down his envy, wishing he was talking about how his daughter was starting dance classes or how his son was just joining track.

The time seemed to click by, and they grew farther out in the middle of nowhere. Barrel watched the road, keeping his eyes out for anything new. He didn't need another ambush.

"Who's the girl?" Tyres asked, looking back at Eva, who was still asleep.

"Just someone," he said, not wanting to admit how he had found her.

Tyres gave him a glare and was about to say something when the car slammed forward. The sound of metal on metal pierced the air, and Eva jerked awake.

"f**k!" Tyres yelled, glancing over his shoulder. An oversized truck with black-tinted windows slammed them from behind. Barrel frowned, angry.

"Hit the gas," Barrel barked, and Tyres did. The car flew forward, but the truck came alongside them. The truck veered over, slamming into the car again. Eva screamed in the back as the car aimed for the median.

The car hit the ditch and swerved. Barrel held onto his seat, and Tyres quickly corrected it, pulling them back onto the road. He sped up, zooming past the truck. Eva leaned forward, her hands clutching at the console. "What do we do?"

Barrel looked at Tyres, and Tyres looked at him. He swallowed, pulling his eyes back up to the mirror.

"Barrel, open the bag I have in the back."

Barrel looked at Eva, and Eva looked around the backseat. Her eyes fell on a black duffel bag, and she grabbed it. She passed it to Barrel, and he was shocked at how heavy it was.

"The f**k are you keeping in this?" he asked, unzipping it. His eyes widened, taking in what Tyres had. "Holy shit."

Eva's eyes grew wide as she looked into the bag. Barrel looked at Tyres, slightly concerned. What would he need these for?

"Where on earth did you get these?"

Tyres chuckled, looking at the mirror. He picked up speed once more, going over a hundred as the truck started to grow closer again. "Don't ask questions," he said, holding a serious tone. "Just use them."