Page 40 of ’Til You Break

I nod and hurry across the parking lot, heading straight for the pet food aisle. I grab four different flavors of wet food. I don’t think the kitten will be too picky, but it’s always good to be prepared.

As I leave Lovemore’s, I hear a strange sound coming from the alley. Loud bangs. Male grunting.

My cheeks grow warm at how much it sounds like Vik when he was...

Oh God.

I still can’t believe it happened.

Against my better judgment, I tiptoe towards the back of the building. It’s not the smartest decision, especially with the cab driver waiting, but following my curiosity has worked out surprisingly well today.

Besides, what’s the worst that could happen?

It sounds more like two people about to start screwing than anything else. Could make for a funny conversation with Vik later.

Better yet...

If I’m lucky, it might even spur him on again.

I jump as a row of trash cans crashes to the ground before I get a chance to see what’s happening. My curiosity is instantly replaced by terror. The sounds I’d mistaken for pleasure are actually someone grunting and choking.

Run. A voice in the back of my mind screams at me.

But I’m frozen. My back is pressed against the wall, only inches from whatever is happening around the corner.

Then I do the stupidest thing imaginable. I peek around it. Some foolish part of me genuinely believes I can help. At the very least, I’ll be able to give the police a better description if I can see what’s happening.

They’re much closer than I expected. Only a few feet away. Two men. The attacker is dressed in black. The other, wearing jeans and a white t-shirt, is suffocating in his grip.

“Rest easy, brother. Your sacrifice is not in vain,” the attacker says.

His voice is husky and gruff, muffled by the mask covering his face. The other man tries to answer but can’t force out a single word. He sputters and gasps, clawing desperately at his attacker’s arms.

All in vain.

Moments later, his body goes limp and crumples to the ground among the discarded trash.

I jerk back behind the wall and clamp both hands over my mouth to stop myself from screaming.

Then I force myself back towards the store.

If I can get far enough away without him hearing me, I’ll run.

The police need to know what I’ve just seen. I walk cautiously with the idea of sprinting once I’m out of the attacker’s earshot.

Fate, it seems, has other plans.

I only make it four steps before an enormous hand crushes my shoulder. It clamps down, dragging me back the way I came as the bag of cat food slips from my fingers. A second hand covers my mouth, smothering my screams against a thick leather glove.

I kick wildly, desperate to catch someone’s attention, but it’s no use. Other than the cabbie, the parking lot is empty.

A freezing chill races through my body until my bones ache. Fear grips my chest so tightly I can barely breathe. This is it. Vik was right. I shouldn’t have stuck my nose where it didn’t belong, no matter how well-intentioned I thought I was.

Now I’m going to pay the ultimate price.

I’m going to die tonight.

Just like so many times before, I find myself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Crossing the street when I should’ve been home. Sneaking pain medication to a man who no longer wanted to live in agony. Every terrible decision I’ve ever made has finally caught up with me. I have wasted my life because I couldn’t resist my own naïve curiosity.