THE ROAD IS LONG
Sorry that this chapter has been so long it coming. Writer's block and dissertation deadlines have been getting to me and I'm still not truly happy with the outcome of this chapter. In the end I just had to sit down and write it to get it out of the way so that the story could move on, but any ideas on how I could improve it would be great. I might come back and re-write it when I have more inclination. Thankies for waiting so patiently! I won't leave it so long to update next time! Thanks for all your lovely comments and without further ado here is my abysmal attempt at chapter 7. Happy reading! Gem Xxx Chapter 7: Coyote Bares his Teeth. They were late! A full 45 minutes late to be exact! No phone call to apologise or to even say when they were likely to show their sorry asses! "I think we can cross the De Vaughn's off the prospective buyers list!" Vince growled aloud as he paced the office floor. He'd worn his smartest dress-shirt and the cleanest pair of jeans that he owned in accordance to Leon's pleadings that he make an effort at least, so as not to scare the viewers away. He'd even cleaned away the tools and demoted his beloved car, a navy blue Honda Civic, to the curb outside instead of in pride of place in the middle of the garage floor. The key to getting a sale is to let the buyers 'visualise' their own business within the space! Leon had said before demanding the he parked his 'baby' outside. Vince had retorted that if they could imagine anything other than a garage within the four walls of Toretto's then they were either smoking something or just plain, fucking loony. Vince huffed and glared at the clock for the tenth time in as many minutes and halted his nervous striding to rub a hand over his stubby jaw. He'd even fucking shaved for Christ's sake! And they hadn't even turned up! "This is bullshit!" he fumed and stormed towards the desk where he had left his mobile. His hand made to snatch it up but stopped halfway down when it blared out its ring tone. His hand wavered slightly before he thumbed the answer button and pressed it to his ear. "S'up, this is V?" he queried waiting for the reply. Silence. "Hello?" Vince felt his eyebrows draw together into a concerned frown as the silence continued. Someone had to be fucking with him. "Listen, Shit for brains, if this is some kinda joke-" Then he heard it. A gasp. A wheeze. Spluttering. "Dude, whoever you are, say something!" The spluttering turned into coughing and then a familiar voice spoke low and hoarse as if he had been yelling at the top of his lungs. "Vince…they torched the shop…" "Leon!" Vince was moving, racing towards his car before he had even spoken his friend' name. "Leon, this ain't funny, Dawg!" "They burnt down the shop!" Leon repeated almost as if he hadn't heard Vince's comment. "They're gonna come for the garage next. Get out!" Vince was in his car by that time, tyres squealing against the tarmac and his mobile pressed to his ear by his shoulder as he kicked his clutch and shifted up a gear. "Leon, stay on the phone man! Don't you hang up on me! Don't you fucking dare hang up on me!" Silence again. "Leon?" his cry was desperate, terrified that Leon had come to some harm. He sped down the roads with little heed to the red lights that he ran through and the countless times that he almost caused a fatal accident. All that mattered was getting to the shop and getting Leon out of there. Vince had a pretty good idea who 'they' were and if his hunch was correct Leon wasn't safe. Neither of them were! "I'm still here, V." Leon replied sounding tired and pained. "Where are you!" Vince barked. "Are you at the shop?" he was almost there and could see the billowing, angry, black clouds in the otherwise clear blue sky. "I'm around the-" Leon was cut off by a second voice that gave a cruel laugh and then a high pitched squeal hurled its way down the line causing Vince to flinch and toss his own phone away from his aching eardrum and onto the passenger seat with a howl of rage and pain. There went Leon's mobile and Vince was running out of time before the very same thing happened to Leon himself. "Hold on for me, Dawg! Coyote's got your back!" -00000- He was going to die. He knew it. The way that the tall, thickset man stood before him and grinned was proof enough of his murderous intent. Leon tried to drag himself further away from the bruiser's reach but his chest was suddenly wracked by coughs caused by the dense smoke that swelled about them. "Where d'ya think you're goin'?" he growled in amusement as Leon again tried to crawl away from his coming doom. "The Boss has ordered you put out of commission, if you catch my meanin' and I'm more than happy to oblige him!" His brain was so starved of oxygen that he didn't feel the first few kicks that the larger man rained down onto his ribs, but after that the pain caught up to his sluggish mind and fiery agony lanced through his chest and stomach. It didn't stop there. The blows kept coming until Leon was almost begging for unconsciousness to come and claim his aching mind. And instead of keeping simply to his battered torso the kicks started falling harder on his head and shoulders as the man worked up his confidence and began to enjoy himself. 'Oh God!' Leon thought as his vision tinted with blackness and he felt his consciousness failing. 'I'm going to die…' -00000- Vince slammed on the breaks and his car jolted to a stop. Dirty smoke scudded across his windscreen and he held his shirt sleeve to his mouth before daring to venture outside. Leon wasn't anywhere to be seen at the front of the shop which meant that he'd used the fire escape and was in the alleyway that ran at the back of the property that was due to be sold next week. He tore around the side of the building already feeling his lungs balking at the amount of smoke that he was breathing in and saw them. Leon sprawled across the filthy ground taking the beating of his life and the well muscled, smartly dressed man that was dishing out the punishment. Vince glanced wildly around for some form of weapon, settling finally upon a broken chair leg that Dom had thrown out into the alleyway before he had left for Mexico. "Hey, fucker!" he bellowed and the hefty man stopped his pounding to turn and stare at Vince. "Yeah, you!" Vince felt his legs striding, carrying him out towards the man who was a good foot taller than him and a good few stone heavier, but he didn't care. Adrenaline coursed through his veins making the blood beat out a rushing rhythm in his ears. He was so far taken with the rage that he didn't even hear, couldn't understand what the thug was saying to him. He simply saw a target, his prey, his victim! He snarled a warning to the man, not even understanding the profanities that poured from his own lips, only ceasing them when he grit his teeth and waited for the first move from his opponent. Vince narrowed his dark blue eyes as the man turned fully to regard him and forgot about Leon, instead focusing all his attention on his new challenge. He started towards Vince, smiling arrogantly and talking again, laughing but Vince didn't care. Before the man knew what had hit him, Vince had fisted the chair leg in both of his hands and swung as if his life depended upon it. The sickening thud of wood against skull resound through the alley and the man's hateful grey eyes glazed over slightly, but Vince still couldn't hear anything above the thundering in his ear. He simply drew his makeshift bat back and swung again…and again…and again… -00000- After the madness in him had subsided, Vince hurried towards the limp body of Leon and fell trembling to his knees beside him. "Leon! Leon! Don't you fucking die on me! Don't you even think about headin' for those pearly gates!" he shook the unconscious man's shoulder, stirring him slightly. Leon looked blearily up at him. He looked like he had the mother of all hangovers and had gone ten rounds in the boxing ring. Vince sat back on his heels with relief at the sight of Leon semi-awake and let out a howling laugh brought on by the last remains of adrenaline pumping in his heart. "I don't see what's so funny, jackass!" Leon growled but as his sentence turned into a cough Vince sobered and stood. "C'mon, Dawg! We gotta get outta here!" he reached down and hooked his arms under Leon's armpits, half-helping, half-dragging him to his unsteady feet. "The Tran's are out to get us and I don't think this is where they're gonna call it quits." He slung Leon's arm about his shoulders and curled his own about his tender waist eliciting a painful cry from his battered friend. It was then, at that precise moment when the cries of Leon assaulted his ears that Vince made up his mind. His mouth formed a grim, determined line as he set Leon as comfortably as possible into the back seat of his Honda Civic. "You up for a little road trip, Lee?" he queried with humourless grin. Leon gave him a confused glance but didn't have the energy to comment, he just lay back across the back seat marvelling at the fact that he was still alive. "We're goin' to Mexico, Dawg." Vince illuminated before shutting the back passenger door and throwing himself into the driver's seat. -00000- Argh! I'm sorry that this chapter is so bad! I will go back and re-do it when I get rid of this stupid writer's block! Hopefully I can shake it long enough to pen a decent chapter 8. Any comments of suggestions about this chapter or how to get rid of writer's block would be very, very, very welcome!
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