Killer Crown

"Shh. Don"t move."

Ricky"s face hovered over mine.

I try to sit up but he pushes me back down. But then I hear it. Footsteps echoing throughout the empty house.

"Oh Ricardo,"

A woman calls out to him on a sing-like tone. I know this voice. I"ve definitely heard it before.

"My dear sister Lucy finally let me out of that awful place, now I want to show you what"s it"s like down there."

I look up at him. His brows are dripping with sweat. He shakes his head, making sure I don"t speak.

"Just follow me."

He slowly removes his hand from over my mouth and grabs his gun out of the side drawer.

He waves for me to hide in the closet. Normally i"d refuse and stay by his side, but the look on his face says otherwise.

"Whatever you hear, you stay in the closet. I swear i"ll be back."

"O-ok."

He closes the door and memories from my past flood back into my brain.

The cellar I was in for weeks, the darkness I let consume my heart. It was all coming back.

My thoughts are interrupted by screaming. Screams of horror and pain, screams I know all to d.a.m.n well.

"I have to go see..."

I try to grab hold of the door handle, but my my hand is shaking to badly.

*Pow Pow Pow!*

Gun smoke lingers in the air.

"It"s too d.a.m.n quiet."

I say to myself.

"Someone"s in front of the door. I can feel it."

I search through the closet for something, anything that I could use as a weapon. No such luck.

"Hand to hand combat I guess."

The closet door jiggles and then swings open.

Ricky is covered in blood. I notice that his hands are shaking just as bad as mine. He drops to his knees and buries his face in his hands.

I drop down with him and pull him into my chest. His sobbing breaks my heart. I feel as if every tear that leaves his beautiful hazel eyes is a pice of me i"ll never get back.

"I-I had no choice Kaz..."

His voice quivers and his eyes are red,

"Shh, it"s alright Ricky. You did what you had to."

He hides his face in my shirt, wetting it with his salty tears.

I stroke his hair and hold him close to me.

What kind of hold did that woman have on him?

***

"How"s he doing?"

Carlos hands me a drink.

"Not good. He won"t leave the bed and i"ve never seen him like this before."

"Yeah, but i"ve handled everything already. So no need for him to worry about that, right?"

"Mhm. I"m gonna go check on him."

I open the door and a chill runs though me. The room is pitch black but I can see the faint outline of a bed.

I close the door and sit on the far side of the bed,

"Hey Ricky,"

"..."

No response. I know he"s awake he just doesn"t wanna talk.

"Ricky , it"s been days now and everyone is worried about you. I"m worried about you."

He slowly sits up. He has stubble on his face and messy hair.

"I killed her Kaz...how do I live with myself knowing that I killed her?"

He sounds so broken and hurt.

"I"ve been killing since I was 3 and even then i"ve never done this,"

I stand up and turn on the light so he can see how p.i.s.sed I am.

"It"s honestly kinda selfish that you think you"re the only person who"s going though s.h.i.t."

"I-I didn"t think of it like that."

"Yeah, I know!"

My anger turns into sadness, and then relief.

"d.a.m.nit Ricky, you"re such an a.s.shole."

Hot tears spill from my eyes.

"I"m sorry Kaz,"

He walks over to me and takes both my hands in his,

"I have been selfish and inconsiderate."

I sniffle,

"I hate seeing you like this, Ricky. It breaks my heart to see you on so much pain."

"It"s not that i"m in pain babe, it"s that I murdered the woman who made me who I am today; don"t get me wrong, she definitely deserved it, but..."

He drops my hands and looks away,

"She took me from my home, made me work as a drug mule for her uncle, but worse of all, she loved me."

He sits down on the floor,

"Then she cheated. I told her uncle what happened and he pitied me. He told me that she was untamable and that it was my own fault."

His eyes look gla.s.sy as he reminisces,

"Since then i"ve been his right hand."

I join him down on the floor,

"Por favor no llores bebé, déjame ayudarte."

(Please don"t cry baby let me help you)

I hold him close on pull him off the floor.

He hides his face in my chest. His breathing is shaky and he"s still crying.

I stoke his hair and hold him closely to my heart.

"¿Oyes eso?"

(Do you hear that?)

He sniffles and looks at me with a wet face,

"Qué?"

I tap my chest,

"Mi corazón solo late por ti."

(My heart only beats for you.)

I wipe his face softly and sit him on the bed, then I sit on his lap facing him.

"Cada lágrima que deja esos hermosos ojos la rompe."

(Every tear that leaves those beautiful eyes breaks it)

He pulls me close,

"Well we wouldn"t want that, now would we?"

I throw my arms around him and kiss on his neck,

"No, pero creo que sé cómo hacerte sentir mucho mejor."

(No, but I think I know how to make you feel so much better)

My tone is low and seductive.

"Kaz,"

He pulls up my shirt and runs his cold hands down my back, sending chills though my body.

"You know what I wanna do to you when you talk like that?"

I breathe a little harder,

"N-no. Tell me."

He picks me up and lays me on the bed with his strong hand resting on my back.

"I can show you better that I can tell you babe."

"Why can"t I get enough of this man?!"