I Unintentionally Became Her Kitten

Chapter 108: The Silence and After

Alex and I sat in the back seat of the Hon-Yoda. Tye didn’t say anything. I didn’t have words and Alex wouldn’t dare make any sound. They were making a point to be very still.

My hands were curled on top of my apron. I refused to break down more, but I couldn’t forget the moment I crossed the line. I didn’t know why the gun didn’t fire or why the magazine fell out, but I hadn’t wanted it to. I had wanted the bullet to fire, and to hit Sergei somewhere deadly. It didn’t feel good under my skin, no matter how much hate I held for that man.

Tye drove. The car gently swayed here and there.

I wondered if I'd even have a job at all when we got back. Being jobless was better than Alex or anyone else dying but still.

I felt sick.

The turn signal clicked on and off as Tye coasted to a stop at a light. Everyone around us was just having a normal day, and inside the car things sounded and looked normal. But I still felt the wrench in my gut.

Tye pulled to a stop outside that same trailer we’d been in after the Escapade crash.

I went to get out but found the door locked and couldn't figure out how to unlock it.

Tye opened the door for me from the outside, only adding to my confusion but I didn't ask questions, simply stepped out and waited for Alex even as Tye was watching over us carefully.

And then he herded us inside.

I sat on the couch, feeling the weight sink when Alex anxiously mimicked me.

Then we waited. A clock ticked loudly on another room. Tye sent messages on his phone, the device gently buzzing in response to every tap he made.

I swallowed, my throat tight.

And then Tye sighed. It was a loud sound in the silence and finally he looked at me.

“The magazine,” he asked me.

I blinked, confused for a long moment before I dug my hand into my pocket to give it to him, and then the loose bullets.

At his expectant gaze I leaned forward to free the gun from behind me and handed that over to him as well.

He examined it, opened the top chamber or something like I'd seen Alisha do before putting it back together with practiced ease.

Then he showed it to me, pointing at the switch I pressed earlier.

“Did you think this was the safety?” he asked.

I nodded.

His finger moved from the switch to the trigger and gently ran his fingernail against a looser piece there. “The safety’s in the trigger guard,” he explained. “This,” he gestured back to that switch. “Is the magazine release.”

I nodded again, understanding at least that I understood little about guns. “It didn’t fire,” I explained softly. “I thought the trigger was stuck or something,”

He took a deep breath. “I made sure yours had a firm trigger pull…. Since you don’t really know how to use one of these,” he explained. “That’s my fault.”

I shook my head. “No. It’s okay.” It meant I hadn’t just killed someone. That was probably his point. If I was going to be forced to shoot someone, I'd have to be persistent about it.

He handed the weapons back to me. “We’ll get you training,” he said simply and then sat down at the table across the room. He was looking at his phone but I sensed his focus keeping a finger on Alex.

And Alex simply sat there, shrunk into themselves. They were probably aware Tye knew how to kill them if the situation demanded. But they didn't know what situation would demand that kind of action. So they stayed frozen next to me.

I stopped trembling at one point and instead started to shiver. The adrenaline was wearing off, leaving me cold and drained. The images still echoed: the feeling of the gun in my hands, the weight dropping when the magazine fell and the trigger refused to budge. The fear on Sergei’s face when he realized I intended to shoot him. 

There was another sound of gravel crunching under tires outside and I instinctively tensed. Alex kept their head down.

I felt more relief than I should’ve at the sound of heels clacking against the concrete steps and when the front door opened, Alisha was there. She was scowling, but immediately softened when she saw me.

I stood, letting her pull me into a hug.

“You okay, Kitten?” she asked softly.

I nodded, but immediately buried my face into her chest to hide the tears. She soothed my hair back.

“It’s okay. You’re safe,” she murmured.

I didn’t cry fully, but her soothing made more come out. I didn’t know what I could say in front of Alex, or her guard that I didn’t really know well, but I wanted to fully break down.

When I picked my head up again and wiped the tears away with my hand, she hesitated before turning to Tye.

“Sergei?” she asked.

“In the trunk,” he informed. “Breathing still.” His phone clunked against the table surface when he dropped it.

Alisha nodded tersely, then her attention finally fell on Alex, who stared intensely down at their feet. 

“Do you understand your position here?” she asked coldly.

They nodded. “I’ve seen too much,” they mumbled.

I saw Alisha pull in a deep breath. “As long as you understand the stakes. You will speak of this to no one. Not your friends. Not your family. Not even your therapist. If you need to vent you do so with someone that’s in this room right now. Is this clear?”

Alex nodded again.

“Alisha,” I put in softly.

She turned that sharp gaze at me.

“They didn’t want this. It’s not their fault.” I desperately wanted to simply erase this event from Alex’s life. They never should have been involved at all and getting threatened by Alisha now felt like the knife was twisting deeper into my gut.

Her gaze only harshened, the fine muscles around her eyes tensing just enough to show the shift. “It is what it is,” she said sternly and turned her focus back to Alex. “As long as you understand your position here, there’s no reason you need to be involved.”

Then she turned to Tye. “Bring them home,” she ordered, and typed something in on her phone.

Tye stood. I saw him and Alisha make an intense eye contact and she nodded.

Tye then vanished out the front door for a moment and came back with Sergei’s limp form over his shoulder. He dropped the dead weight into one of the table chairs and steadied it so Sergei didn’t just flop down onto the floor.

I saw Alisha’s expression twitch in distaste, but she said nothing as Tye then made a head gesture to Alex and led them outside with an air of authority.

I watched the door shut behind them, leaving just Alisha, her body guard, me, and Sergei’s limp form. My stomach twisted up. I had a feeling I knew what was coming next.

At least Alex wouldn’t have to witness that.