Possessive Vows

Chapter 1

The rain smelled of oil and metal as it fell over the city,slicking the cracked sidewalks,and dripping down the neon signs of corner shops that never seemed to close.

Lila Ross tightened the belt on her thin jacket and went out the diners back door, carrying a trash bag.

It was cold and wet outside,but Lila didn't mind.At least in the alley she wouldn't have to listen to all the chit chat inside.The his if the fryer,the clatter of plates,the slight odour of burnt grease,she could deal with all that. But the forced smiles at rude customers and the halfhearted flirting from the line cook?

That she could do without.

It was almost midnight. She dumped the trash into the dumpster, wiped her hands on her jeans, and leaned against the cold brick wall of the diner, letting herself have thirty seconds of stillness before she went back in to mop the floors.

Her brother, Jamie, would be waiting for her back at their apartment, probably asleep on the couch with the TV still on,she thought. She’d stopped by earlier to leave him some dinner money. Tomorrow he had school, and she had another double shift tomorrow, and in another two days time.

With all that playing in her mind,she shut her eyes against the sting in her chest. It didn’t matter. She’d get them through this.The sudden scrape of boots on gravel cut through her thoughts,her head snapped up.

At first, she thought it was just a drunk,stumbling through the alley, but then she saw two men. One was tall, dressed in black from head to toe, moving fast and the other was bigger, broader, and clutching something shiny in his hand,a gun.

Lila froze, her pulse hammering in her ears.They didn’t notice her at first, too focused on each other. The tall one in black darted behind a dumpster just as the bigger man fired. Sparks flew off the metal, and the noise echoed like thunder between the walls.Her heart was almost seized by fear. Another shot rang out, and the man in black stumbled, clutching his side. He fell hard, hitting the pavement with a sickening thud.The bigger man stalked forward, raising his gun again.

Lila didn’t think,she just moved.

“Hey!” she shouted, her voice cracking.

The gunman froze and immediately turned toward her, his eyes glinting under the streetlight. For a heartbeat, she thought he might shoot her too,but then she grabbed the nearest thing,an empty glass bottle from the trash pile and hurled it at him.

It smashed against the wall, shattering loudly.

“Run!” she screamed, not even sure who she was yelling at.

The gunman heard sirens wailing faintly from a distance,his eyes moved quickly towards the mouth of the alley,he glared at her,spit on the ground, cursed and backed away, and then ran.

Silence settled, broken only by the soft patter of rain.Her knees shook as she stepped toward the man on the ground.

“Hey,” she said, her voice softer now. “Hey,are you okay?”

Up close, he didn’t look okay. His black shirt was soaked in blood, his hand pressing against his ribs, but his dark, sharp eyes were open, staring at her.

“You…” he rasped, his voice was low and rough, like gravel. “You shouldn’t have done that.”

She ignored him and crouched, pressing her hands to the wound.

“Shut up,” she muttered. “You’re welcome.”

He actually huffed a short laugh,more of a scoff, really and then winced.

“We need to take you to a hospital,” she said.

“No hospital,” he snapped, gripping her wrist with surprising strength for someone bleeding out.

“Fine,” she shot back. “Then you’re stuck with me. Lucky you.”

For the first time, his lips twitched. Not quite a smile, but close.

“Name?” he demanded through gritted teeth.

She hesitated. “Lila.”

“Lila…” he repeated, as if tasting it. Then his eyes fluttered shut.

“Don’t you dare pass out on me,” she barked, shaking him. “Hey! Stay awake!”

Headlights swept the alley, and a sleek black car screeched to a stop close to them. Two men in dark suits jumped out, shouting something she couldn’t make out. Lila stumbled back as they lifted him and carried him to the car.

“Wait!” she said,in a high and sharp voice. “He needs help...he’s..he’s bleeding”

One of the men on suits turned and fixed her with a look that froze her in place. “We’ve got him. You can go home now.”

But as they loaded him into the car, the injured man turned his head toward her. His dark eyes met hers, and for a moment she thought she saw something there,something more than pain or anger and whatever it was,it made her heart skip for a bit.

Then he was gone, the car door slamming shut, tires squealing as it roared away into the rain.Lila stood there,breathless and soaked,still trying to get a hold of herself,the smell of blood thick in the air,her hands were still stained with blood. When she went back inside,went straight to the restroom,her hands were still shaking as she washed off the blood stain. Lila looked at herself in the mirror, wondering what just happened, everything went so fast,she could hear her heartbeat.

She took a deep breath,and told herself everything was fine,like a way of telling herself to be calm.

She went back inside to mop the floor,tried to act like nothing happened but couldn't shake the feeling off,it was almost noticeable,as people kept asking her if she was ok.

Lila was uncomfortable with the questions as she feared they might figure her out,so she hurriedly moped the floor and went out to catch her breath.

For a flickering moment the thought of her brother,Jamie crossed her mind,and she prayed he was safe and okay.