Misfits - Chapter 21 (Patreon)

I sit at the bar, my nerves killing me. Cal said he couldn’t do this anymore. Did he mean us? Was he tired of me already? Was he done? I feel a sick tightening in my gut. I’d given him everything, and now he’s ready to leave me. And never look back. I should’ve just listened. Why did I have to be so impatient all the time? Why couldn’t I just trust him?

I hear the door to the garage opening, and a few minutes later Cal walks in, he’s wearing his usual black. And I notice a beautiful black dress in his hands. He’s looking down when he walks into the living room, not paying attention to his surroundings. After a moment he looks up and sees me sitting on the barstool. My heart flutters in my chest as those Amber irises rest on me.

“Hello princess.” His voice is flat. The usual excitement that resides is nowhere to be heard. He sets the dress on the couch, walking over to me. His long stride lets him reach me in no time. Even though the stool is kind of high, I still have to crane my neck to look Cal in the eyes.

“Come here. I want to talk to you.” I follow his lead, unsure of what to do or say to him. He sits me down and sits down next to me, grabbing my hand in his and rubbing his thumb back and forth lightly across my palm. His eyes travel up, meeting mine.

He looks unsure. Studies me as if reading me. It takes forever he finally opens his mouth and speaks.

“I love you.” My breathing catches in my throat, and my heart is beating a mile a minute.

“I do. You make me feel different. You make me be different. I’ve never felt about any person in my life the way I feel about you.” He reaches out, cupping my face in his hand.

“Rue, this feeling I have towards you. I can’t describe it. But I know it has to be love. I want to put you before any decision I make. I want to protect you always and let you know that you were safe with me. I want you to trust me fully.” My eyes grow wide with each passing word he speaks could he be serious? Just a moment ago I was freaking out because I thought he was going to throw me out, but he did the exact opposite.

“Cal...” I trail off not knowing what to say.

“Rue... before I do what I’m about to do, I need to know... do you love me back?”

I stare at him with wide eyes. He looks so vulnerable right now. Like everything he believed in rode on how I responded to him.

“Yes,” I whisper. His eyes brighten, but he hides it quickly and gives me a serious look.

“Don’t say it unless you mean it,” he says. His eyes bore to the core of my soul and I can’t break his gaze.

“I do,” I say. He cups my chin holding my head in place.

“You have to mean it, Rue. I don’t think I’ll be able to let you go. Not even if you want me to,” he whispers.

“Promise me, no matter what. You will never see me as the bad guy... Promise.”

“Cal, you’re scaring me,” I say. His words were so serious and he was making me nervous. Why would I ever see him as a villain? How could I ever see him as anyone other than who he was? He was everything to me. He was my savior and my lover wrapped up in one package. He was perfect in every way to me. How could I possibly see him as the bad guy? And the answer to that question is what terrifies me the most.

“Promise me, princess. I can’t lose you. I don’t want to.”

You won’t Cal. I can never see you as anything other than who you are.” I give him a reassuring smile reaching out and pressing my palm flat against his face his jaw. His skin was so soft and smooth against my palm. After a moment a smile cracks his face, but it’s a sad smile. He reaches up, grabbing my hand from his cheek and placing a soft kiss on my Palm.

“I wish you meant that.”

* * * * *

This wasn’t what I expected. I thought Cal was going to take me to a nice restaurant, but he takes me somewhere that’s the complete opposite. He takes me to a club. The loud pulsating music is vibrating through my body, causing my ears to ring. The bright lights are shining in the flashing different colors, and when I look around there are women half-naked and basically humping each other on the dance floor in the most vulgar way I have ever seen.

Cal places his hand on the small of my back. The dress he had given me was modest compared to what these people were wearing. I look up at him in confusion, but he’s looking around the club searching for someone. He turns to me, leaning close to my ear, and even though the music is loud, I can hear his voice clear as day.

“Stay close to me, and do exactly as I say.” He leads me to the rear of the club towards some stairs. After we climb the stairs he knocks lightly on the door. A man opens it, looking at us in irritation, but when he sees Cal, his face immediately changes and he opens the door.

Cal steps in, rubbing my back in a comforting circle as we enter the room. He was making me very nervous. Cal was the type of person that studies people and knew their habits. And he was deliberately doing things to calm me down which only let me know that something was about to happen that was out of the ordinary for me.

The room is a lounge area that overlooks the entire Club. It was nice, with gold and purple lighting in it. There are men in here. 7 to be exact. All wearing expensive suits and with guns in their pockets. Some men were sharpening knives, some men were cleaning guns and it only made me more nervous. I can’t help but wonder what exactly Cal was involved in because he was walking next to me as if none of this bothered him not even in the slightest.

“Cal,” I whisper in fear. His hand slides from my back down my arm and into my hand where he clasps it gently, leading me to the nearest couch as all eyes follow us across the room.

“King!” The man behind a desk smiles a big smile as he downs another shot. He was a middle-aged man with dark hair that was slicked back. He was obviously the leader here because he was the only person willing to look Cal in the face. The rest of them paid attention to his hands as if waiting for something.

“To what do we owe the pleasure?” he asks.

There’s a smile on his face, but I can see the nervousness in his eyes. Cal shrugs next to me, and for the first time tonight, I noticed his demeanor. He was confident of course. And cold. His body radiated a sinister aura that made me want to shiver. Cal sits me down on the farthest couch away from the men, and I take notice of them. While some of them stare in confusion, others are staring at me in lust. Cal notices immediately as he opens his mouth to speak to them not even turning as he plays with my hair

“If you want to keep your eyes I suggest you stop staring at her,” he hisses. Immediately they all look away. Cal has a glint of excitement in his eyes as he leans into me and gives me a smile pushing my curls out of my face and lightly tapping me on the tip of the nose. Then he turns away from me throwing his hands out.

“I just wanted to take my girl out tonight,” Cal says as he begins walking toward the man behind the desk.

“That’s your girl? She’s beautiful I can see why you-” Cal slams his hands on the front of the man’s desk

“Flattery will get you nowhere with me, Toby. “ I tense at the sudden chill in the air. I see some men grabbing hold of their guns looking at Cal in fear and focus.

“Now. When’s the last time you guys had a decent shipment to Vitale,” he asks.

Vitale?

I was so confused at the moment, and I wanted to ask so many questions, but I knew that he wouldn’t answer them. He told me to do exactly as he said. And judging from the tension in the room it would be wise to listen to him.

Toby’s eyes widen slightly and he gives a nervous laugh.

“Look, the business has been a little slow all, right? We just need a little mor-”

“Time?” Cal finishes. Toby swallows nervously and nods his head slowly. Cal pulls the switchblade out of his pocket, the blade glinting in the light. He stares at it in mesmerization. The men around the room are slowly moving, pulling out weapons, and I can only sit Frozen in my spot on the couch

“Vitale isn’t real big on time, Toby.” Cal looks at Toby with a Sinister glint in his eye.

“Cal!” I scream in shock when one of the men jumps up pressing his gun against Cal’s skull. Cal moves quickly though, using the man’s weight against him and as he stumbles forward Cal grabs his arm, twisting it and breaking it. The loud snap fills the room as do the cries of agony, and I watch in horror as Callum becomes someone that I completely don’t know.

The men around him spring into action, the sounds of guns echoing throughout the room. All the men began shooting at Cal but somehow he dodges, and goes to work, attacking the nearest man, using his body as a shield. Cal grabs the nearest shot glass shoving it into the man’s skull and throwing his body into the others, taking out three of them in a matter of seconds.

While they were scrambling to get up, Cal throws open his tux jacket, revealing a holster. But there isn’t a gun in it. There are pieces of the gun in it. Cal pulls the pieces out quickly putting the gun together, and a loud gasp escapes my lips as I realize what he’s putting together. A large automatic gun. His eyes are cold and distant and never leave his victims.

He cocks the gun, and begins shooting. I stare with wide eyes and in horror as he shoots down the remaining men in cold blood. And if that weren’t enough there’s a small smile on his lips.

Suddenly, he tilts his head and turns to face Toby, yanking the blade out of the desk stabbing it through Toby’s hand, and nailing it to the desk. Toby cries out in agony and Cal drops the gun, reaching into his pocket and pulling something out. My stomach drops. A mini-mason jar with the label on it. My mind flashes to the jar I found that was in the shed with the name Robert on it, except there’s a new name on this one.

Toby

Cal pushes his fingers through his hair and walks around the table slowly, and Toby is trying hysterically to pull the knife out of his palm but is failing miserably.

“Please... please!” he screams. Cal stands over him with a deranged look on his face.

“I’m sorry! We’ll get him the money.. we will!” Cal laughs.

“Too late. Vitale sends his regards.” Cal snatches the blade out of Toby’s hand and jerks his head back just as he runs the blade across his throat. Blood spills and Cal calmly takes the Mason jar letting it fill with Toby’s blood, and closes the lid.

Silence envelops us.

I feel sick, from all the blood and gore I just witnessed. I hunch over, vomiting everything out on the floor. I feel a warm hand on my back and holding my hair back when I look up, Cal is watching me with a worried gaze.

I jerk away from him, scurrying as far as I can as fast as I can. I don’t know him. This wasn’t my Cal. This wasn’t the man I fell in love with. Who the fuck was this murderer? Oh, god. He’s a murderer. Hurt flashes across his face as he studies me, then he covers it up.

“Princess...” He whispers. He looks like him, and he sounds like Cal. But he can’t be Cal. Cal was kind and gentle and he loved me. This man just killed people. He looked like Cal. He talks like Cal. But he wasn’t my Cal. I feel the cool air against my cheeks and realize that I’m crying, my mouth agape as I stare at the stranger in front of me.

“Consider it handled.”

Every time he would be on the phone, he would say that before he hung up. Right before he went to a job. How many times have I heard him say that?

“So... this... is work...? “ I whisper. I look at Callum. He’s watching me with an unreadable expression. He slowly nods his head.

“Oh God,” I whisper. I run my fingers through my hair and try to figure things out. Trying to set things right. But I can’t.

“Prin-”

“Don’t call me that!” I scream jumping up from the couch.

“Don’t ever call me that! I’m not your princess.! You’re not my Cal! I don’t know who you are!” Hurt flashes across his features and this time he doesn't bother to hide it. I feel terrible guilt stabbing in my gut, but my feelings don’t change who he is. A murderer. And not just any murder he had to be some kind of psychopath. He kept the blood of a man he just killed for Pete’s sake.

I can’t stand to look at him anymore I turn away heading for the door. I just need to get away from him. Far away. I feel his hand around my arm, jerking me back into him, and I immediately begin to struggle.

“No!” I scream trying to squirm out of his grasp but he holds me tightly. I jerk my limbs, trying to get his hands off of me, but he’s not having it.

“Rue, stop!” He growls. I don’t listen though. In all my crazy jerking, I manage to rip my arms from his grasp and lose my balance. I stumbled right over a lifeless body and with wide eyes fall into a puddle of blood. The blood splatters around me from the force of my weight, and I become covered in it.

I look at my arms and legs, and I open my mouth, letting out a blood-curdling scream. Cal’s in front of me in an instant trying to pull me up, but seeing his face is enough to send my heart into overdrive. I feel like I’m having a panic attack. My heart is beating painfully fast and I’m covered in a cold sweat just as I become light-headed and unable to breathe. Cal is trying to speak to me but I can’t hear the loud ringing in my ears. The shock and terror are too much for my body because darkness comes over me.

* * * * *

Callum

“Don’t say it if you don’t mean it”

That was my motto. I’d been disappointed too many times in my life by false promises. By people telling me things, they didn’t mean in the slightest. She promised me. I take another drag of my cigarette trying to calm my nerves as I take in Rue’s unconscious form. I gave her a sedative. It wasn’t something that I wanted to do, but it had to be done. She was sending her body in a state of shock with all that panicking she was doing.

No. I fucking did that. It was my fault. Why don’t I ever think? Why would I take her to that job of all the hits I have and make her watch that? I knew she couldn’t handle it. After I caught her snooping on my camera, I just wanted her to trust me unconditionally. And love me. Like she said she did. I wanted her to accept everything about me and not have to sneak around and not have to worry about her finding things. I wanted her in every part of my life.

The fear in her eyes as she looked at me is something that will haunt me forever. She was scared. Of me. Even after she promised. She promised she would never look at me like the villain. I throw the cigarette down on the polished wood, stomping it out. Usually, I don’t smoke in the house, but this was stressing me out like crazy. And I didn’t want to leave her for a second.

I walk over to the bed, sitting next to her and unconscious form. Her hair was falling in her face so all that was visible was her pouty lip. I'm a Fucking idiot. I ruined everything. All the trust I had built with her, shattered in an instant. Because I was stupid... Careless.

“What am I going to do with you,” I murmur. I run my fingers lightly across her cheeks. This will probably be the only time I would ever get to touch her for a long time. Because once she awoke, this side of me terrified her. My worst nightmare realized.

There was no telling how she would act towards me or around me when she woke up. Now that she’d seen this side of me that I kept hidden from her all this time. Besides, it was a part of me that I could never change. I’m almost positive that she won’t accept it and she’ll want to leave. But like I told her earlier I won’t let her go. Ever. I love her. And I will never let that go.