3. Scary Vans and Unnecessary Hits

3. Scary Vans and Unnecessary Hits

White vans.

In the society I lived in, they were not a good thing to spot. They were like the black cats of the twentieth century.

My eyes narrowed at the sight of the van, again, driving past my house and I leaned back, hoping to catch a glimpse of the face that was hiding behind those tinted windows.

Of course, I had no such luck.

"Sav," Brooke sighed, looking bored, as she flipped through the channels on my television. "It's probably just some construction guy that's working on your street."

My eye twitched. "That drove by six times in the last hour?"

Her lips pressed together and it was clear she was trying to keep from smiling at my appearance. Which I didn't blame her for, my hands were tightly clenched into two fists, my narrowed eyes flickering frequently to the window.

"Take a chill pill. Or you know what?" A devilish smile appeared on her face. "Call Jace - he's a cop and I’m sure he could take care of your worries."

To my disgust, Brooke had been suspiciously excited when she had heard who I had ran into at the diner; to my discontent i had been unable to stray her from the idea that Jace and I had some sort of 'thing' going on.

At the mention of the cop, my face crinkled up and I quickly settled myself on the couch next to her. "I think I’ll just take my chances with my stalker, instead."

She patted my thigh. "See? Everything is going to be fine."

"Doesn't make me feel any better." I muttered, raising my hand to brush a clump of hair from my eyes.

My mind had already made up. That van did not have some innocent construction worker, exhausted from a hard day of work. No, in that van was demon, a stalker demon, intent on sneaking into my house to torture me.

I wasn't just worrying about the van, either. I was feeling paranoid, as a whole. I was convinced that someone was following. I could feel eyes on me as I worked, as I walked home, hell, even when I was about to sleep. The feeling was uncomfortable and I hated that I felt like I was going crazy.

Maybe, you are.

My face morphed into a frown and I straightened. "You know what? I'm bored." No way was I going to let myself go mental by worrying about something completely out of my hands.

"Huh." Brooke didn't make a move, her eyes still trained on the screen.

"Brooke." I poked her arm. "Brooke." I whined, when she made no movement.

Finally, she had had enough of my poking and sat herself up. "Stop. If you're so bored, go get me some coffee."

I pondered her command, before my shoulders lifted. "Fine. I'll go pick up a couple DVD's too!" Excited with the idea of a movie night, I jumped up. "Anything else you want?"

"Popcorn." She nodded. "And some chocolate."

Grabbing my wallet and keys. "I'll be back soon."

"Savannah? Is that you?" A polite tap on my shoulder had me turning around from my spot in the line at the coffee shop, glancing behind me at the male voice who had spoken. My stomach dropped when i recognized the familiar face.

"Michael, hi." I greeted slowly, my stomach still twisting unfortunately. "Hi." I repeated lamely, my face beginning to heat up and I cursed my damned cheeks.

Michael chuckled lowely, he eyes scanning my face. "Wow, it's been awhile. How are you?" His green eyes twinkled and I hated how they still gave me little butterflies.

It was easy to see how I was once so invested in him, those many months ago, but I refused to focus on those feelings. Once I had caught him in bed with another woman that one fateful night, it was decided. I wouldn't let him give me that heartbreak I felt.

Playing with my braid, my eyes flickered anxiously to how many people were left in the line, my need to flee beginning to grow. "Good, things are good." I nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "What about you?"

"Great, as well." He hesitated, his head tilting. "You want to sit down once we get our drinks? Catch up?"

I froze, my mind whirling as I pondered what to do. "Okay." My words were spoken carefully and from the glint in his eyes, I knew he had realized that.

The loudness of the coffee shop did nothing to decrease the silence that consumed the table we were seated at. I stared down at the lid on my coffee cup, my finger circling the rim. I could feel him studying me, assessing me. I could remember him doing that while we were dating, before he broke my heart.

Micheal cleared his throat, loosening the tie on his shirt. The sound caused me to jump and my eyes flickered to his, as he opened his mouth to speak. "So, what have you been up to?"

I took a sip of my beverage as I slowly pondered how to answer. Though he never outright said it, it had always been obvious to me that the man sitting across from me did not support what I dreamed to do. "Working towards working at a gallery. You know what I hope to do one day." I explained.

He nodded, the corner of his mouth lifting. On Jace, the move had been sexy, but on Michael it fell towards cocky. "Still working towards that dream?

My lips pressed together and I felt my stomach lurch. "Of course. That's my plan, you know that." I shot back, feeling more uncomfortable. "What have you been up to?"

Michael shrugged. "I've been interning at my dad's firm. That's where I just came from actually." He boasted "It's been a long day."

Shifting in my chair, I nodded. "Right, you always wanted to do that." I mused and he nodded.

There was an awkward pause, which caused me to mentally wince. Once upon a time, Michael and I had been able to have conversation. Endless amounts of  stupid things that would go and on. Now, it felt like there was barely anything to say. My gaze drifted away from his prying one.

"Seeing anyone?" He questioned, bringing his cup to his lips.

I hesitated, the lie falling from my lips before I could stop it. "Of course." I nodded. "He's great."

"Really?" He seem shocked and he leaned back in his chair. "Do I know the lucky guy?"

My eyes widened and I forced a smile, feelings my panic begin to rise. I sucked at lying. "Probably not." I forced out. "Big world out there." I let out a lame chuckle, before quickly continuing. "What about you?"

"Not anyone at the moment." Michael answered slowly, his eyes still locked onto my face. "What's his name?"

I swear, I didn't mean for it to happen. The word vomit that happens when I'm nervous can't be contained, so I spat out the first thing that came to my mind.

"Jace."

I froze, pasting another smile on my face. "His name is Jace." I repeated, bobbing my head up and down.

"Jace? Like Jace Kingston?" His eyes bugged out of his head and I swear I stopped breathing. "That the guy? I didn't know he was seeing anyone."

"You know him?" I choked out.

His head tilted, his eyes narrowed into the coldest look I had ever seen before. "Not closely, no. More like I've heard of him. Should you really be around a guy like that?"

"What do you mean?"

My question had him freezing before he let out a laugh. "Ah, so you don't know."

"Know what?" My stare was boring into him. "What do I not know?"

"Not my business to tell. Sorry, Babe." His words fell short when my attention was caught.

I was convinced the world hated me.

Jace. Again.

And it wasn't just his dashing good looks that caught my attention either.

He was leaning into the passenger window of a BMW, his head only half visible from where I was seated. His body was tensed, his hands curled into fists, as he looked to be angrily arguing with whoever was the driver of the car.

I felt my curiosity peak, though I was reluctantly jerked from the image of him by a smirking  Michael. "Well, there he is, should we go say hi?"

"That won't be needed. He looks busy." My words sounded strangled as I glanced back over at Jace. Feeling the need to get away, I stood up. "I need to get another coffee for a friend. It was nice catching up."

"Nice seeing you." Michael nodded, his eyes flickering back over to where Jace was standing.

The man at the counter watched as I approached, a calculating look on his face. I quickly tossed my cup in the garbage, moving to stand before the register. "Can I get another coffee, please?" I forced out, my hand fumbling for a couple of bucks.

He nodded, punching something into the cash-register.

"I saw you staring-" He jerked his thumb to where Jace had once been, but had disappeared. "You know him?"

"I wouldn't say that I know him, per say. But, we have talked before." My muscles had tensed. "How do you know him?"

Something was wrong, something didn't feel right.

"Oh, we go way back." The hairs on my arms stood straight up and I froze at the sight of the smile he gave me. "Way back."

"That's nice." My voice was too high pitched, my nerves wired too tight.

Because that feeling was back and I knew I wasn't just being paranoid.

I was being watched.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The streetlamps were few and far between. The sun had already set, the eerie darkness had surfaced.

There was a bad feeling in the air.

Shaking it off, I sighed. My car had broken down this morning. The old Volkswagen I had since I was seventeen, finally gave out, stranding me at my house and making me an hour late to work. Something I was very nearly fired for.

Pausing under another streetlight, I squinted into the distance. I hated the dark - the unknown of it. At this moment, I was especially loathing it.

I was stupid. I knew that much. Who would walk home at this time of night? But, I wasn't close enough to anyone at work to bother asking.

It had been two nights since the one with Jace and Cameron. Two relatively normal nights. I hadn't had an encounter with either of the boys, though I knew it was not long before one would happen. It was almost promised that it would.

Don't get me wrong. I didn't like Jace. In fact, I loathed him. He was egotistical, cocky, and thoroughly enjoyed bossing people around. The only reason why I didn't lose patience and sock him in that perfect nose of his, was because he was a cop - and I had zero desire to spend a few nights in jail.

Which, he would very smugly make happen.

The flash of headlights caused me to jump and I mentally reprimanded myself. I was only a mere two minutes away from home and I had walked this path many times. There wasn't any reason why I should be alarmed or worried for my safety. But, as the van drew closer, the feeling to run grew stronger, until I had to physically stop myself from making my legs move faster.

I heard the van slow down and I paused, fear striking up in me, as I turned hesitantly around.

It all happened very quickly.

Before I could really what was going on, someone had yanked open the door to the van and lunged out. I let out a gasp, tripping as I turned to make my get away. It wasn't surprising when I fell.

I knew it was too late, before I hit the floor.

Cursing my clumsiness, I struggled to right myself.

Fear had made itself prominent in me, making my movements to get up sloppy. It proved to be useless as soon as the man clobbered me with his fist. His punch hit my gut, making me gasp out at the excruciating pain that erupted from my abdomen. His strength and power had been proved through the hit and as I fell back to the ground, I knew I didn't have a hope.

"S-stop, please!" I begged as his foot round back, speeding up to connect with the back of my head. The kick briefly made my eyes rolls back in my head, as I let out a pained moan. He wasn't done yet. Through squinted eyes, I choked when I watched him pull out the knife.

The tears had overflowed, wetting my cheeks as the pain washed over me once more. I rolled over onto my abdomen, groaning as my head whirled and my stomach twisted. Clawing the dirt path beneath my hands, I desperately moved to get away.

Again, I was too late.

The man bent down, his cold, black eyes meeting mine. He grabbed my ankle, yanking till i was lying on my back, my head cracking against the floor.

The hood that covered the majority of his head, fell back enough for me to catch a glimpse of eyes and the hate that occupied them had me freezing in terror. Then he laughed, the sound cold and mocking, before he grabbed my arm, twisting it so the inside of my wrist faced him. He smirked, bringing the knife down.

I screamed as he began carving something onto the surface of my skin. The pain was fierce and biting and I felt myself grow dizzy with the intensity of it. I brought my legs up to kick him, but he let out a growl, piercing my skin deeper. I felt another person step closer and hold heavily down on me, pressing tightly against my aching ribs. I was stuck, and I knew it. My head was throbbing and something was running down the back of my neck. I could taste blood in my mouth - a very uncomfortable feeling.

He dropped my wrist once he was done. In reality the whole attack had lasted only a mere couple of minutes, though it felt like it had taken a lifetime. He stood up, reaching down to plow his fist in my eye. My face fell to the side, the cold dirt almost soothing against my skin.

"That'll teach them." He hissed, laughing bitterly. "You tell them exactly what happened, okay, Missy?" He let his fingernail drag down the side of my face and I let out another groan filled with agony.

"Who? Why did you do this?" I moaned, feeling my stomach gurgle sickeningly, as he stood up.

He let out a laugh. "You'll get your answers." With one last painful blow to my body, he turned away, leaving me on the ground, bloody, bruised and pained.

It was quiet.

I could barely breathe. My breaths were short and shallow, coming out at a quick rate. My tears had begun to dribble out, quietly. I couldn't move. I was paralyzed with fear that the men would come back. I was fearful that I would die out here; alone and where no one could hear me. Forcing  myself to move, I shifted only enough to grapple for my phone in my pocket, though I froze, my eyes widening at the amount of blood that had soaked into the dirt. It was clear I was losing blood, a lot of it, and fast. Avoiding glancing at my arm, I briefly shut my eyes when the world span fast, willing myself to do what I needed to do.

I couldn't think straight, my thoughts hazy.

And then my phone rang.

The noise had me blinking, my movements slow as i struggled to force myself to look at who was calling me. It seemed like such a normal thing to do when suddenly my life had been turned upside down.

Jace

My confusion increased as I stared at the name.

Answer the phone.

With shaking hands, I pressed the phone to my ear.

"Savannah! Where the fuck are you?" His voice assaulted my ears and I shut my eyes.

I let out a sob, the sound of it ringing through the phone and I heard him let out a loud curse.

"J-Jace. Oh my God."

Another curse.

"There is so much blood." I whispered, in a daze at the sight of the blood dripping onto the earth beneath me.

"What do you mean, Savannah?" I could hear speaking in the background, but I paid no attention to it. "Savannah? Answer me!"

My breathing had increased. "I-I don't know what to do." I cried, wiping at the tears. "Oh my god, Jace. It hurts, so bad."

"Tell me, Savannah," He hissed. "Tell me what happened? Are you okay? We're on our way. They told me where they left you, hold on, okay?" I could hear the urgent note in his voice.

"I - someone hurt me. Really b-bad, when I was walking home." I struggled to look down the street.

No cars.

"I know Savannah." The tension in his voice was clear to me, even in my hazy state. "Fuck, I'm so sorry."

"I need help." I half-moaned, clutching a hand to my head as another round of throbbing began.

"We're on our way, Savannah. Stay awake. Can you tell me what happened? We're almost there?" I heard him mutter urgently in the background.

"...carved me." I whispered, my eyes blurring as I finally stared at my arm. "He carved me. Branded me."

There was a strained silence, before Jace spoke again. His voice was oddly quiet, but there was a new edge to it, making him sound more threatening. "What?"

"Yes." I murmured, squinting down at the cuts.

"What-"He took a breath, "What did this man carve?"

"Too much b-blood." I mumbled, my head rolling back. "I don't know."

"We're almost there. Hold on."

"Uh huh." I moaned.

I didn't hear anything else, dropping my phone, numbly. I could barely breathe again, and my hands gripped at the dirt, my nails scraping into the packed soil, as my mouth drew in shallow breaths. I really did hope they would arrive here soon, or I was worried I might pass out if they didn't.

I heard the purr of an engine as it accelerated and I tensed, my eyes flashing to face the noise.

I slumped when I realized it was not a van, but an SUV.

The car slammed to a stop beside me, the door already opening, before it could. I slumped with relief when Jace appeared, running a hand through his hair when he saw me.

Even in my shocked state, it didn’t pass me by just how good looking he was.

He was by my side, leaning in front of me. "Aw f*ck." He growled, his eyes scanning over my throbbing head and body.

Jace continued to release a stream of swearwords. Cameron appeared, his eyes widening at my appearance. '"What happened?" He urged as he too, knelt down.

I blinked, staring at the two men in front of me. I shook my head briefly, my eyes narrowing slightly as I forced myself to remember the past events. I shuddered slightly and Jace's grip tightened on my arms.

He glanced down, his gaze focusing on my arm. Blood coursed down it, dripping into the floor.

"Cameron," He hissed, nodding towards the cuts. "Cameron."

Cameron sucked in a breath when his gaze focused to where Jace was pointing. "It was-"

"Yes." Jace's voice was husky with anger. "Are you hurt anywhere else?" He questioned and I nodded, trying to keep myself from breaking down.

"The back of my head." I explained, before I winced. I cleared my throat. "And my ribs, as well."

"...a warning?" Cameron had muttered, his head barely nodding.

Jace's hand moved smoothly around my head, prodding gently at the back of it. I sucked in a breath and at the sound of it, he was quick to apologize.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. "But, I think your head is bleeding." He hesitated. "At this point, I think it’s best if we take you somewhere safe." He chanced a glance at Cameron.

"Are you going to explain what's happening?" I pushed and he hesitated. "You deserve answers, but-"

"Tell me." I whispered, my eyes narrowing and he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I will, but for now...."

I understood and he seemed to get that.

He gripped my arm, pulling me up quickly, steadily. "Let’s go."

I resisted, weakly. "Go where?"

He shook his head, informing me that he was not going to tell me. I didn't protest, knowing that I had no energy to do so.

"Drive." He nodded his head toward to Cameron, who was standing with a stony expression on his face.

Cameron nodded immediately, throwing me a forced smile before getting into the driver’s seat.

Jace slid into the back with me, yanking a hoodie from the seat and pressing it against my arm. I pulled away, moaning in pain, but he forced it back on. "It has to happen." He explained, not bothering to glance at me.

I bit my lip against the pain, but submitted, knowing that Jace wouldn't let me win this argument. I was hit with sleepiness and I leaned closer onto Jace. He was comfortable, surprisingly, since his chest was so muscular.

He saw my eyes shutting and nudged me gently. "Do not sleep." He commanded, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You could have a concussion."

"I'm tired," I grumbled, grumpily.

I felt safe and content and relaxed. I may have been delusional, but I knew Jace would keep me safe.

Cameron let out a sigh, flicking on the radio. Music poured out of the speakers, loudly. I frowned, my eyes shooting open at the sound of the obnoxious rapping.

Jace chuckled and I scowled. "Turn it off." I slurred, my voice drooping with sleep. He shook his head, though. "Nope."

I let out a growl half-heartedly. He chuckled at the sound of it. "We will be there ten minutes."

The time passed, tiredly. With the noise pounding my head and the constant throb of pain, I was having a hard time not breaking down. Though, leaning against Jace in his warm, safe, painfully sculpted arms, it was hard to say it wasn't the worst feeling ever.

In fact, in that moment I decided it was the best feeling.

The pain was making me delirious.

I giggled at the thought of it and Jace's eyebrows cocked, a curious gleam forming in his eyes. "Hmm?"

I shook my head, my laughter beginning to grow louder. It was official, I was going nuts.

"I think she's in shock." Cameron insisted and Jace laughed, the sound making me chuckle harder.

"The pain is getting to her." He shook his head.

Was it ridiculous how much I found him attractive? I loathed him - or I did.

Heck, I was even attracted to the feeling that washed over me, sitting next to him.

My head must have been hit, a lot harder than I had expected.

"What's so funny?" He questioned and I shook my head, tears beginning to leak down my cheeks. "You." I poked his chest.

"And what's so funny about me?"

"Your face." I burst out, my shoulders shaking with laughter. And it was true, I was practically having a mental breakdown because he was so damn attractive.

He actually looked slightly offended, causing me to snigger.

Jace rolled his eyes, "You do not amuse me."

I let out a snort and shook my head. "Keep telling yourself that, bud."

Cameron shook his head, "Even when you're wounded, you still manage to astound me." He murmured.

"Well, how about we switch places and see how she 'astounds' you then." Jace muttered and I tittered again.

Cameron laughed out loud. "I think she may be going into hysterics. I call slapping her!"

"Isn’t going to happen, man." I was just about to thank Jace for sticking up for me, when he continued. "I think I deserve the chance to slap her the most."

"Hey!" I protested weakly, moving to stare up at his gorgeous face. "You're a real asshole, you know that?"

He shrugged, not looking bothered by my words. "It's the truth. I think I deserve the chance to get even with you."

"What did I do to you!?" I cried out, my eyes widening.

He sighed pinching the bridge of his nose. Shutting his eyes, he spoke, "Don't do that."

"Do what?" I asked, wincing as a bump in the road jarred my battered stomach.

"Look at me like that - with that goddamn, puppy dog, look."

My eyebrows cocked in surprise, before I smirked, smugly. "Does my puppy dog eyes get to you?"

The pain had been minimized to a dull throb, call it adrenaline or Jace distracting me, I didn't care. Whatever it was though, it was working effectively.

He rolled his eyes, "I think they will affect everyone - especially after tonight."

At the reminder of tonight, I stiffened, the fear making my chest tight. "It's okay." He murmured, "You're safe."

"Are we going to the police station?" I sniffled and he froze. "Uh - no."

I didn't say anything, shocked that a police man wasn't going to report such a crime.

He seemed to understand what I was thinking and raked a hand frustratingly though his hair. "I - we will explain everything later. I suppose you just have to trust us."

"Trust you." My voice sounded high pitched with worry. "You've given me nothing to trust you with!" I exclaimed and he sighed. "I guess you just have to."

My breathing had increased, so I attempted to cool it. His grip tightened, reassuringly, against me.

"Okay," I finally spoke, my voice a weak whisper. "Okay."

I had just been attacked, by men who seemed rabid with revenge and yet, seeing the pinched look on Jace's face I couldn't force myself to questions him. Even when I was practically shaking with fear.

The rest of the ride was taken in silence - the only sound was my heavy breathing and the slight whimpers that they caused me as they jarred my injured ribs.

I heard the car turn onto something - and from the crunch of the ground underneath the wheels, I assumed a gravel drive. I squinted out the windows into the dark night, unable to catch a glimpse of anything.

"We're almost there," Jace muttered, and I knew he was trying to comfort me with that thought.

I sighed, shutting my eyes briefly. When they opened, I was shocked. A mansion - the only way the large building could be explained - had appeared out of the thick trees. It was tall, Spanish styled and glamorous.

Cameron steered the car quickly in front of the door, slamming on the brakes and throwing the car in park. "C'mon."

Jace slid out, my body still wrapped tightly in his arms.

I was carried to the tall oak doors. The two shoved them open, walking in. "Ash!" Jace shouted, his voice echoing throughout the house. "Ash! Get your ass down here."

"We got a problem!" Cameron shouted after Jace, disappearing into a room, where Jace promptly followed.

I was laid on a crisp leather couch.

"What the hell happened?" I recognized the outraged voice quickly - Xavier.

"It was-"

"Shut the fuck up." Jace growled out, his eyes flickering to mine briefly. "Where the hell is Ash?" He demanded.

"Right here." Ash walked calmly into the room, his face tightening when he saw me. "Was it-" His voice was cool.

Before he could get the rest of the question out, Jace gritted out a "Yes."

The door was pushed open again, more guys filing in.

I moaned when Ash started wiping down my arm. "Sorry. It has to be cleaned." Ash apologized, a grimace on his face.

A guy leaned down over me, "Well, they kicked your ass." He stated bluntly.

Another slapped him on the back of his head.

"No, really?" I bit out, my words slurring. "That wasn't obvious at all."

"You're an idiot." Xavier scoffed at the guy. "Savannah, meet Riley." He motioned to the guy still leaning over me. "And his twin Cash."

"Hello." I greeted, wincing when Ash shifted my head, muttering curses as he appraised the back of it.

"Thank goodness we aren't identical." Riley muttered, glancing over Cash.

"Cash-" Jace spoke up. "I want Lake and Ben on the streets- you run into any of his guys, contain them any way you can."

"What?" I gasped, my eyes wide as I stared at the men in front of me. Contain? "Are you some kind of gang? The mafia? You can't just capture and kidnap people!"

"Yes." Jace stated, calmly, as he crossed his arms. His expression was one of boredom and I had a sudden urge to slap it off. Ash wiped at my arm and I let out another groan of pain.

"Yes to what?" I hissed sourly and he rolled his eyes. "Yes, technically we are a gang."

I bit my lip, before I started laughing. Their eyes widened in disbelief, as I laughed breathlessly, wincing in pain at my stomach. "Right - bunch of cops in a gang."

Jace rolled his eyes. "Savannah, don't be an idiot. We technically are cops. We have people who got us in. No one wants to believe a bunch of cops are actually in a gang."

"This is not happening. You all can't be crooked cops!" I gasped, attempting to sit up. I wanted - no, I had to get away.

"No! Hold still!” Ash exclaimed.

"Yes, it is happening." Jace insisted leaning forward.

"Jace," Cameron cautioned, but that didn't stop Jace.

"And, you were attacked by Ricardo's men, who were on our territory."

"Ricardo?" I whispered, suddenly feeling sick.

"The guy who wants to kill us all." He stated, calmly. "And now, technically, you. Consider that-" Jace motioned to the carving on my arm, which I finally understood, "...a warning. From Ricardo's men to us and you."

Who said Washington was ever boring?

If anything, I had too much excitement for one night.

I think that was around the time I passed out.