❝ the eye of blood ❞

          "You cost me five fucking grand!" He yelled, angrily swiping a lamp off of his desk.

Cataleya flinched at his volume, knowing that pain usually followed this loud rage.

"All you had to do was beat him... All you had to do, you stupid little-"

His arm swung back before harshly colliding with her cheek, sending her head to one side. She clutched her face, the burning pain from the blow radiating.

Cataleya stood in front of him, bloodied and speechless.

"Well? Do you have anything to say for yourself," he grit his teeth, hot breath invading her space from his proximity, "before I make it so you're unable to speak?"

"I-I'm sorry. He would've killed me if I didn't stop. I think some of my ribs are broke, I didn't-"

He let out a deep, angry bellow as he threw more things around his office.

"He wouldn't have killed you. But now, I just might."

A deep chill ran through Cataleya's body as she was shoved to the ground, too weak from the fights to defend herself. With each passing second, her pulse quickened, the beating like a bass drum in her ear.

"No, please!" She cowered, curling into herself for any kind of protection from what was coming. 

He wound his leg back preparing to kick.

Cataleya jolted awake, tears pooling as she clutched her ribs.

Her breaths came heavy, panic rising in her throat like bile.

The brothers were too busy arguing, not noticing she'd woken up. She shook the nightmare from her head, the pain from his kick still seared into her memory.

"-And every job has its necessary casualties."

"No, Richard," Seth retorted, "there was nothing necessary about what happened back there. There was nothing necessary about what happened in Abilene, ei-"

"Hey," Cataleya breathed, the cold sweat still causing her clothes to cling to her, "what's going on?"

She reached to the back of her head, wincing as she touched the area where she'd received the blow from Richie's gun.

Seth turned to Richard. "We'll finish this later."

Richie rolled his eyes, taking a swig from the bottle he held in his hand.

"Look who's up." Seth looked at Cataleya through the rearview mirror.

Richie turned in his seat to look back at her. She wiped small beads of sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. She quickly wiped away a tear, hoping it wasn't noticeable.

He noticed.

"Are you alright?" Richie asked, concern lacing his voice.

She scowled. "Not really. You pistol-whipped me, dick."

A pained expression crossed his face as he noticed her put up a wall. Whatever vulnerability had begun to show, she quickly covered.

Seth chuckled.

"We're sorry about that, sweetheart. Next time, maybe don't pull a gun on me?" Seth raised an eyebrow, his reflection staring at her.

She glared back, rolling her eyes before leaning back into the seat. "Whatever..."

"Speaking of, care to explain why you had a gun with you in the first place?"

Cataleya looked up into the mirror to meet Seth's eyes. "First off, it's Texas. Who doesn't have a gun."

He glanced up from the road again, waiting for her to continue. "And?"

"I," she hesitated, "was gonna rob the place."

Richie turned to look at her, eyebrows raised and an amused smirk on his face as his brother started laughing.

"Right," Seth began, "makes total sense..."

She rolled her eyes again, turning away from the ridiculing brothers. She stared out the window, the empty desert whipping by before the realization hit her.

"What am I doing here?"

"Well, ain't that a question we'd all like to know the answer to." Seth sarcastically replied.

"Very funny, jackass, I meant why'd you kidnap me? How am I gonna help you in any way, shape, or form, hm?"

She leaned forward in between the front seats, turning her head towards Seth.

"Ok, one," he glanced down at her before returning to watch the road, "maybe relax on the name-calling. And two, Richard here was the one who wanted you. I was gonna leave you outside."

She scoffed, squinting at him as she did so. "One," she mocked, "you literally kidnapped me. That makes you a jackass. And two, nice. How gentlemanly of you."

She shook her head, turning to Richie. "Now, I'm gonna ask again. Why am I here?"

Seth and Richie shared a look before Richie looked back to her face.

"I don't know yet." He deadpanned.

Her eyebrows furrowed deeper, disbelief overtaking her features. "You... don't know yet. That's great. That's real great."

She leaned back again, watching as the brothers resumed their previous argument. Cataleya looked to the locks, noticing she could probably pull them up. As she reached for it, the sound of ripping duct tape caught her attention.

She watched as Richie wrapped his hand, noticing a gaping hole through the palm. She grimaced before returning to her original task.

Cataleya struggled with the lock, the small mechanism not budging in her grip.

"Child-lock's on, sweetheart," Seth smirked through his reflection.

She smiled contemptuously back at him. "How cute."

Cataleya crossed her arms again, huffing as she brought her legs up and crossed them in front of her.

"Were you seriously gonna try and jump out?" Seth questioned, amusement in his tone.

"Tuck and roll..." She mumbled to herself.

Seth chuckled, shaking his head as he admired her through the mirror.

She intrigued him. As stressful as the situation was, she didn't seem the slightest bit afraid. His ex-wife came to mind then, the only other woman he'd known to be this headstrong and blunt. And he noticed that although they didn't resemble each other, this girl was quite beautiful.

"I don't think we ever got your name," Richie spoke, interrupting Seth's thoughts.

"That's probably because someone knocked me out before anyone could ask."

She'd decided to withhold the information until Richie's penetrating gaze never wavered from her face, practically forcing her to give a reply.

She flicked her eyes to the window before returning them to his. "Cataleya. Cataleya Drake."

"Cataleya," Rickie repeated slowly, a small smile gracing his face. "Like the flower? That's pretty."

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, his attention still making her somewhat uncomfortable. Again she felt like he was acutely studying her, feeling small under his look.

"Yeah, like the flower. And thanks," Cataleya replied. She could still feel his eyes on her as she pulled her legs to her chest, wanting to shrink into the seat behind her and disappear. Cataleya had been in many messes before and she trusted herself enough to get out of most of them. But these two particular messes in the seats in front of her may just be the trickiest ones of them all.

Her eyes trailed the tawny hills passing by that blended into the warm-hued Texas sky, dead plants seemingly invisible against the sand. That mixed with the hum of the car along the road and wanting to avoid any more conversation with the brothers was enough to lull her to sleep.

° ° °

"Come to me."

The feminine voice from before echoed in her head again. Cataleya quietly whimpered, feeling as if she was coming out of another dream.

Richie's voice stirred her further, sounding detached and cold as he spoke.

"-Something bad and you and the rest are just a bunch of sheep sleepwalking to the slaughter."

Her eyes remained closed as she let out a shaky breath, the phrase sending a chill through her. This is what she'd felt back at the store, this unsettling pit in her stomach. She felt something was wrong. Not so much with him, but a feeling that she was walking into something she couldn't turn back from.

Her instincts had always been hypersensitive, this time proving no different. She had a feeling there was something coming, and at this rate, they were driving at it head on.

A softened blow to her back snapped her eyes open. "What the hell?"

Seth turned around in his seat at the noise.

"Aw, shit.."

"What, you hear it too?" Richie asked.

"It's the girl. The bank teller." Seth stared at the blank look on Richie's face. "Remember?"

Richie slowly nodded as he turned back to face the road.

"You have another hostage?" Cataleya sent an incredulous expression towards the brothers. The kicks continued at Cataleya's back, hitting her no matter where she moved.

"We're never gonna get across the border with her making all that racket," Richie commented.

Cataleya still held a look of disbelief as she listened to their exchange. How had these two survived this long? They seemed to be complete idiots. Not to mention she was growing tired of their constant bickering.

"-We do not take hostages for a reason. It gets messy. Like Tucson." Seth spoke, his arms moving wildly as he spoke.

"That was Tacoma-"

"-Whatever! We should've just left her at the door. And her," Seth motioned towards the backseat, "outside that damn liquor store. But for some reason, you had to bring them along."

They talked of Cataleya like she wasn't even there.

"She wanted me to bring her," Richie mumbled, his eyes flicking to Cataleya before returning to his brother.

"She- What? Whatever, something happened at that bank, Richard. Something that got you killing, and you haven't stopped since."

Cataleya's chest tightened with those words. She deemed herself fearless in most cases, sometimes almost having to be in order to survive. But if there was one thing she was afraid of, it was death.

"You can't trust him."

The voice again.

Richie turned back to Cataleya, his eyes looking past her, or seemingly through her.

"Get rid of him."

"What?" Cataleya replied, knowing she must've imagined it. But as she did so, Richie's eyes moved to hers.

"You want me to kill him?" Richie asked, Cataleya not sure if the question was for her, or the small voice.

She looked down, staring into her lap. It's the stress of the situation. I'm just, freaking out a bit.

"Stop the car." Richie deadpanned.

"No, I'm not-"

"Do it now!" Richie yelled as he grabbed the wheel, ripping it to one side and causing the car to spin.

Richie all but jumped from the car before Seth even had time to hit the brakes, running to the edge of the road where it dropped off. She reached for her door handle until Seth stopped her.

"You, stay put," he warned, before throwing open his door as well to follow his brother. "Hey, you, stupid shit! You could've killed us!"

Cataleya watched as the two disappeared off the side of the road, waiting a few seconds before jumping to the driver's seat. She reached for the ignition only to realize the keys were gone. Grumbling, she began trying to pry it open to access the wires and hotwire it. But it was stuck, and she wouldn't be able to do anything without a tool.

"Damn it!" She slammed her fists onto the steering wheel.

Cataleya closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the seat. She realized she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. And even if she made a run for it, Richie mentioned Mexico. They were all going in the same direction. They'd catch her.

Cataleya let out a frustrated yell, banging the wheel once more, before unlocking the door and stepping out into the unrelenting heat. She walked to the edge of the road, finding the two brothers fighting at the bottom.

"Dios mío." She sighed, "These fucking idiots..."

She started down towards them, the sand slippery beneath her boots.

"Hey," she shouted towards them.

They didn't hear her in the midst of their brawl, continuing to throw around and assault each other.

"Hey! Jackasses!" Cataleya yelled a little louder, finally catching their attention.

They turned to her, breathing heavy and coughing.

"What are you doing?" She questioned, annoyance in her voice. "I'm a hostage. Not a goddamn family therapist. Get your shit together." She crossed her arms as she looked from brother to brother.

Richie stared, surprised by her outburst, before pushing himself off the ground groaning as he did so. He started walking off opposite of she and his brother.

"Hey, I'm not done with you!" Seth called after him, giving up when Richie continued to walk away.

He waved off his brother before looking to Cataleya, pointing. "I thought I told you to stay in the car." He reached his hand out for her to help him up.

Cataleya rolled her eyes as she assisted in pulling him to his feet. "I'm not good at following directions."

"Obviously." Seth scoffed, dusting himself off before walking back up to the car.

Cataleya looked in the direction Richie had walked before starting after Seth.

"You two fight more than me and my brother did."

Seth chuckled, turning around to help Cataleya up the side. "Sounds like you weren't exactly the Brady Bunch, then."

Cataleya shrugged. "We had our moments. He was just so... self-righteous all the time. And I did a lot of things he didn't agree with."

Seth hummed in response, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Like what?"

Cataleya raised her eyebrows. "I barely know you. You're not getting any of my dirty secrets."

She shoved her hands into the back pockets of her shorts, kicking at a small rock that had suddenly caught her attention.

A small laugh left Seth as he reached down to unbutton his jacket and pull it open. He sent a sly look in Cataleya's direction as he replied. "Alright, then. When we know each other better."

He turned away from her to open his door and grab a phone, coming back up as he dialed.

Cataleya took a few steps away, looking out at the vastness of Wherever They Were, Texas. The sun kissed her skin, and she felt the tingling heat as it did so. A small breeze caused fallen hairs from her ponytail to softly brush against her cheek.

Seth spoke into the phone as he looked towards her, watching as she pulled her almost fallen ponytail all the way down. Her dark brown hair shined bronze in the sunlight. She pulled it back up, her fingers brushing through the long strands before returning to her back pockets.

"-something ain't right with him."

Cataleya could hear the worry in Seth's voice. She'd picked up on something about Richie at the store, that there was something wrong. The concern with which Seth spoke of his brother confirmed it.

She turned around to face him as he spoke to whoever was on the other side.

Cataleya took his distracted moment to inspect him. She noticed he spoke with his hands a lot, every other word garnished with a wide gesture or wave of his hand. His dark eyes occasionally flicked up to her before returning to the ground. Seth's eyes were intense, but not like his brother's glacial blue ones. No, his held a sort of mischievous glint, she thought. Looking into them felt like secretly watching a movie your parents would never let you watch, taking in every scene with red cheeks and wide eyes.

Seth hung up, shoving the phone in his pocket with an angry huff.

Cataleya tilted her head in silent question.

He just shook his head before walking past her down to the bottom of the roadside again.

She followed as Seth aimlessly walked, head looking side to side in search of his brother.

"Richie!"

They rounded a patch of tall dead grass to find Richie just standing there, holding something. As they neared, Cataleya noticed it was some sort of dead animal. She let out a sound of disgust.

"Put that thing down!" Seth scolded as Richie looked down at it. "Why the hell would you pick that up?"

Richie replied, "I thought she wanted me to." His tone was almost childlike.

"She?" Seth asked, walking closer to his brother.

Cataleya watched the two with interest.

"What's wrong with me?" The sadness in Richie's voice sent a small pang through Cataleya's chest. He truly had no idea what plagued him. She could relate, in some ways.

She watched as Seth comforted his brother, offering to quit, dump the car, the hostages, and take care of him.

"-we'll fix it, okay?" Seth soothed. "Now put down the damn dog and I'll get you one of those Kahuna burgers you like."

At the words, Richie dropped the animal in his arms, Cataleya cringing at the squishing sound it made as it hit the ground.

Seth ushered Richie forward, letting him walk ahead as he placed a hand on the small of Cataleya's back and walked beside her.

He looked down at her before speaking. "We didn't mean to scare you, and I'm sorry you got dragged into this mess. Seems like you already had enough family drama before we dragged you into ours."

She sighed. "You have no idea... I guess I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. My luck's finally run out."

Seth forced a small smile. "I guess so."

They reached for the car door handles right as a phone rang.

"I thought you grabbed all the phones," Seth asked his brother.

"I did."

They turned to Cataleya.

"Left mine in my car," she offered, watching as they walked to the trunk and opened it to reveal a woman with her hands bound and mouth gagged.

"Oh my god," Cataleya gasped quietly as the sight suddenly threw her back into reality. These were dangerous criminals she was with, no matter how cordial they seemed.

"Well, if it ain't Tonto," Seth spoke into the pink phone he'd taken from the woman's pocket.

She listened to Seth banter with whoever was on the other end before Richie threw it to the ground and stomped it.

He looked to Cataleya, eyes as piercing and magnetic as ever, before turning back to his brother. "We have to go."

She looked out over the sand again, noticing a red design from where they'd found Richie. She looked intently, making out a familiar small shape.

Her blood ran cold.

"Today, Sweetheart," Seth called out his window to her.

Cataleya mindlessly slid into the backseat, her hand immediately flying to the necklace tucked underneath her shirt.

She pulled it out and held it in front of her. Her thumb swiped across the obsidian eye, eyebrows furrowed as she racked her brain for reasons it would match the bloody symbol Richie left in the sand.

Cataleya's eyes snapped in Richie's direction. The odd man had just become a lot more interesting to her.

°°°

author's note;

So I have decided that I am going to attempt to post every Friday or Saturday. I feel like that's enough time for me to have chapters written and edited and ready to publish.

How are y'all liking it so far? I'm still kinda iffy about my writing seeing as it's been a while since i've actually done it lol. Here's hoping it's actually readable.

Question: Who do you think she'll have more chemistry with? I'm curious as to what y'all think about her current relationship with the brothers and how you think it will adapt.
🤔🤔🤔

Well that'll be that for now. Thanks for reading and don't forget to vote/comment! Love ya.

;tabitha