Page 31 of Girl Like Me

“Nice car...girl this is a 1970 Dodge Challenger. She isn’t just nice, she’s a beauty.”

She also looks expensive and for a guy who lives on the wrong side of the tracks he didn’t just save up his money from his day job.

“She is beautiful, but also looks like she cost a pretty penny.”

Echo laughs, “Girl, are you saying I can’t afford a car like this?”

“What I’m saying is you live in an area that has seen better days and I'm guessing dealing is your day job.”

“I’ll have you know that I’m an entrepreneur.”

I laugh as Echo peels out of the driveway, dust and gravel spraying everywhere, rap music blaring from the stereo.

We listen to his rap music as we drive, it drowns out the silence as we get closer to his side of town. He pulls into a parking lot beside a bowling alley and hands me a bandana. I take it from him with a confused look on my face.

“It’s a blind fold Princess, even you don’t get special treatment.”

“And you do? He is my uncle.”

“Your new boyfriend lives with cops, you don’t have your memories back and once you do, you will know how to find him, so until then we have to wear blind folds.” Echo gets out of the car and comes around to my side, opens my door and offers me his hand.

I take it and he helps me out of the car. “Once we have the blind folds on, a van will pull up beside us and two big gorilla men will throw us inside and usually not so nicely either. I may have fucked one of their daughters and they aren’t too happy with me.” I snort at his brassiness.

Echo takes the bandana from me and helps me tie it up, making sure it’s extra tight. I’m left in darkness wondering why we have to go to all this effort.

“Take my hand B, I’ll be right here.”

Echo seems so sweet and I wonder why old me didn’t pursue him more. Was it because of his social status or did I really actually like being with Sebastian? I link my fingers with his and he pulls me in closer to his body as the sound of a car approaching has my adrenaline pumping.

Within seconds a van door opens and large hands drag me towards it as Echo curses. I want to rip the blindfold off but while Echo still has a hold of my hand I just go along with what’s happening.

My knees bang against something hard and I let out a hiss of pain. Hands wrap around my armpits and I’m lifted, stumbling when the ape lets go of me. When the door slams an engine starts and the van moves forward causing me to fall into Echo. He helps stabilize me and lifts my blindfold.

I blink a few times to adjust to the light, while we both sit and not slide around. Whoever is driving makes no effort to drive carefully. I look at Echo and his eye has some red swelling. I reach out to touch it but he flinches.

“I guess he’s still pissed at me.” He shrugs. “Let me see your shins. That fucker just let you walk straight into the van with no warning.”

Echo sits in front of me and pushes up my leggings. Red angry marks mare my skin and will surely leave bruises tomorrow. His grip on the back of my legs tightens and he closes his eyes.

“I hope these boys of yours can protect you,” he says, opening his eyes to look at me.

“I don’t want them to have to, they don’t need that in their lives.”

“I don’t think they have a choice, he already knows who they are.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Echo opens his mouth to say something when the van abruptly stops and he jumps to his feet. “We’re here.”

Echo opens the van door just as the two massive men watch him jump out. He claps one on the shoulder. “Thanks for the lift.” The guy scowls at him but they dismiss him just as quickly and walk away.

I follow him from the van and take in my surroundings. It looks like we’re in some kind of underground parking. Echo takes my hand and we walk to the lift where he presses the button and the doors slide open instantly. He keeps his tattooed fingers linked through mine and the gesture offers me some comfort, like we’ve done this so many times before.

When the lift dings and the doors open a memory flash hits me.

“Why is she here?”

“Because she’s my niece and she’ll be running all of this alongside us one day. Everyone needs to know who she is.”

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