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five-star uber review

Bianca stared out the window of Barracuda Mike's car and wondered how she managed to get kidnapped, again.

Sure, this time, she went on her own free will but really, what choice did she have?

JJ got himself in deep shit again and like always, she had to bail him out. Bianca crossed her arms over her chest in an attempt to lessen her annoyance but it seemed the two men in the front were picking up on it too.

"Where are you taking me?" Bianca demanded.

"To pay a visit to an old friend," Barracuda Mike deadpanned.

The girl's eyebrows drew together and a beat passed in which she wondered how that had anything to do with her. Before she could ask, however, two more beat-up, old cars swerved onto the main road behind them.

Bianca peered out the rear window, noticing one of the drivers give her a sickly wave, "Someone's following us."

Barracuda Mike rolled his shoulders back, "I know."

A chill ran up Bianca's spine and she tried to sink lower into her seat. She was quickly regretting offering herself to be the ransom of sorts and prayed JJ would hurry up and find Kiara.

"I gotta ask," Barracuda Mike peered through the rearview mirror. "What's a pretty girl like you doing with a kid like JJ?"

Bianca held her tongue and stared out the window. She might be here against her will but that didn't mean she needed to engage with this guy.

"What? You too good to talk to lowlifes from the Cut now?" The gunman in the passenger seat spoke up. "Hate to break it to you, kid but you're sleeping with one."

Okay, scratch that last part. Now, Bianca was pissed.

"What do you want from me? A five-star Uber review?" She scowled. "Hate to break it to you, buddy but holding me at gunpoint and using me as leverage is not the way to get it."

To her surprise, Barracuda Mike snorted, "You got a smart mouth on you," He hummed. "But there's no point in taking your anger out on us. You can thank your little boyfriend back there for getting himself into this mess. He did tell you what he got himself in for, didn't he?"

Bianca pursed her lips and returned to staring out the window in silence. Her refusal to give in, however, only made him snort in amusement.

"No? Well, let me be the one to burst your bubble, Sweet Pea," Barracuda Mike shared a grin with the man beside him. "Luke's kid came up to my guys at Rockfish with that cop killer best friend of his, get this- begging me to let him pull some weight in exchange for a space in the cargo hold of our plane."

Bianca wanted nothing more than to wring JJ's neck, so much so that she dug her nails into the seat below. God, she loved him but sometimes, he could have the stupidest ideas.

"So, I told 'em if they drove that U-Haul full of fresh produce right up to Elizabeth City to make the drop then they had a deal," Mike continued. "But they couldn't even do that right-" He chuckled humourlessly. "Can't trust Maybank's, you know? That's a lesson I shoulda learned a long time ago."

Bianca knew better than to open her mouth. Besides, it's not like she could have JJ's back without defending his slimy asshole of a father. Luke didn't exactly have a good reputation with... well, anyone really.

"I'm tellin' you this for your own good, Sweet Pea. Take it as a warning..." Barracuda Mike drawled and glanced at the girl through the rearview mirror. "Guys like Luke- like JJ? They always gonna be in some kinda trouble- some kinda debt," He shook his head. "You ain't gonna change him if that's what you're thinkin'. Couldn't change Sheila."

Bianca hesitated, "Sheila?"

She couldn't make out his expression but she noticed his hands tighten over the wheel. One of them reached over to the glove compartment on the passenger side and pulled out what appeared to be an old photograph.

Barracuda Mike outstretched it to the backseat and with reluctance, Bianca took it. Her eyes narrowed at the beautiful woman with a blonde, bouncy blowout. One of her legs kicked up as she kissed who appeared to be a less pot-bellied version of Barracuda Mike.

"Careful with that- it's one of the last few I have of her," He hummed while driving.

"What happened?" Bianca whispered. It felt strange to be conversing about such intimate topics with a drug smuggler.

"It was years ago," Mike took the picture when Bianca handed it back. "We were young and in love. I would've done anything for her. Too bad she couldn't stop carpet surfing long enough to see it."

"I'm sorry," Bianca didn't know what else to say.

"It's alright," Mike dismissed with a wave of his hand. "What I'm trying to say, Sweet Pea is that people don't change. It's in their nature- it's who they are. Here's the hard truth- sometimes... just lovin' 'em ain't enough."

Bianca couldn't help but think that wasn't entirely true. Her father changed. He was capable of changing. She saw it when he tried to get Ward and the crew to turn the boat around.

Rafe too. Whatever that phone call was about earlier, he was clearly trying to make amends. Even Ward seemed to have a change of heart recently.

She remembered the boy Rafe used to be. Sure, he never was a stand-up guy, Ward made sure of that. But he was better. At least, better than after he started seeing Barry.

Bianca crossed her arms over her chest, "I don't believe that," This time, when she spoke, her voice was firm.

"You sayin' what I think you're sayin'?" Barracuda Mike's muscles tensed beneath his flannel and he shifted in his seat. "You sayin' I didn't love her enough? Is that it? 'Cause I did. I loved her with every fiber in my goddamn being-"

"No," Bianca didn't flinch at the defensiveness in his tone. Instead, she held his gaze through the rearview mirror, "I'm saying sometimes, that's all you can do."

Sometimes, she forgot people like Barracuda Mike had feelings too which was crazy because she used to be guilty of pretending she didn't care too. But now, staring at his dark eyes through the mirror, they glistened more brilliantly than ever. Even in this hard shell of a man.

"She could see it," Bianca whispered. "Something like that...Love... it doesn't go unnoticed."

For a moment, Bianca was sure the man holding the gun would whirl around and shoot her right between the eyes. Her heart pounded beneath her ribcage, so hard she could hear it in her ears.

Finally, Barracuda Mike muttered in a gruff voice, "What do you know about losing someone? And to addiction of all things," He scoffed. "You're just a kid."

"I mean, he's not dead yet," Bianca shrugged. "...But I did lose him."

A beat passed before he spoke again, "We're almost there."

Ten minutes later, the car pulled up to a run-down Motel. Bianca's lips curled into a scowl as she took in the outside.

The vacancy billboard had been knocked down, most likely from hurricane Agatha, and hadn't been fixed since then. The sides were covered in cobwebs which no doubt led to a family of spiders up the wooden staircase. Bianca was sure this place was haunted.

"Can I just wait in the car?" She squeaked from the backseat as both men opened their doors.

The two cars that were following earlier parked on either side of them, and a few more large, burly men got out from both. They each greeted Barracuda Mike with a head nod and a grunt before joining the gunman a few feet away from the car.

Barracuda Mike opened Bianca's door, towering over her, "'Fraid not Sweet Pea."

Her eyes narrowed into what she hoped was her most threatening glare, "What are we doing here?"

Barracuda Mike rolled his eyes and reached to pull her out of the seat, "I'm collecting what's mine."

"Don't touch me," Bianca scowled, ripping her arm away from the man. She took a step back to put some distance between them, "What do you need me for?"

"Let's just say, I'm owed a lot of money and all I need you to do is keep your pretty little mouth shut and knock," He grunted, pushing her forward into a walk.

Bianca stumbled for a moment before regaining her stride and tried not to make eye contact with Mike's henchmen who followed behind. She kept her gaze trained on the wilted and dying grass ahead of her.

"Just knock? On the door...?" She frowned. "That's it?"

"That's it," Barracuda Mika gave a nod. Each step they took up the splintered and chipped staircase creaked under their feet.

Bianca whirled around at the top of the staircase, staring Barracuda Mike down and forcing his henchmen to stop below her, "Why can't you get someone else to do it? Why do you need me?" She snapped.

Her eyes flickered over to the gunman who tightened his grip over the barrel of the gun. The others had clenched fists and one glared daggers through her. She knew she was being difficult and pissing them off but she agreed to be the ransom, not a pawn in some drug operation.

"Because," Barracuda Mike seemed to have more patience with her. "We've been trying to get our hands on this slimeball for some time now and for some reason, he keeps slippin' away. If he sees me or any of my men, he'll just do a runner but..." He trailed off, stepping up to the top step so he was towering over Bianca again. "He sees a little girl scout like you knocking around, selling cookies then we got a shot."

Bianca crossed her arms over her chest, feeling the heat of all their stares. She kept her eyes on Mike, "And what if I don't want to?"

Barracuda Mike smiled and leered down at her, seemingly amused by her threats, "Then you can kiss you and your boyfriend's ticket to South America goodbye."

Bianca swallowed thickly. She didn't have a choice here, she knew that. And yet, the stubborn part of her refused to admit defeat.

But when the gunman cocked his rifle toward her, Bianca's arms fell limp at her sides. Her heart pounded painfully behind her ribs, clearly one wrong move here was just as dangerous as knocking on this dingy motel door.

"Hey," Barracuda Mike's gruff voice cut through the air and he pushed the rifle to aim at the ground. "There's no need for that...right, Sweet Pea?"

Bianca sent him one final glare before turning on her heel to head toward the line of motel room doors. Her nails dug into the palms of her hands, forcing one foot in front of the other.

"See?" Barracuda Mike let out a small scoff. "Atta girl."

Bianca's stomach curled with disgust but the men on the staircase shared a look of content before following after her. Each door appeared as worn down as the last. The bottle-green paint was chipped and the numbers stuck to the door were rusty.

Leaves were jammed underneath some of the frames, and the door knobs were covered in a fine layer of dust. If Bianca didn't know any better, she would've assumed this place was abandoned.

"What's the number?" Bianca gritted out.

"Eight."

The girl paused in front of it, sending a glance over her shoulder to which Barracuda Mike nodded. He and the henchmen stood a couple of doors down, armed and ready. Bianca could just make out the outline of guns in their back pockets.

Bianca's palms were sweating now and her heart practically hammering in her ears. With one final urging look from Barracuda Mike, she raised her fist and knocked three times.

There was shuffling on the other end. Then, suddenly, movement from the window curtain drew her eyes toward it before it was gone less than a second later.

It seemed the image of Bianca, wringing her hands together and anxiously shifting her feet was enough for whoever was on the other side to open up because before she knew it, the clinking and clanking of metal bolts against metal locks resonated from the other side. The door swung open revealing the last person she thought she would ever see again.

"Barry?" Bianca's lips parted, frozen in place.

This was who owed Barracuda Mike money? But didn't Rafe split his cut of the Cross of Santo Domingo with him? Vaguely, from the back of her mind, she recalled Barry telling her that he had 'people' on his back, threatening him to pay up after Bianca put him in jail.

"B-dog," Barry leaned his forearm against the wooden frame, adorning a white singlet top and a damp towel around his neck. "I can't say I ain't pleased with this visit but how'd you find me?"

Bianca hesitated, "I- I didn't."

"... Oh, hell-" Barry's eyebrows drew together in realization but before he could slam the door shut, Barracuda Mike appeared over the girl's shoulder and forced it back open.

"Great," The man grinned, holding the wooden frame open with one arm. "You already know each other. This should make things a lot easier."

Bianca blinked and mayhem erupted around her. Mike and all his henchmen stormed through the door, holding their weapons out in front of them. At the same time, all their bodies trying to cram their way into the small door frame forced Bianca to stumble inside the motel room with them.

"Aye- yo!" Barry could only stare with wide eyes as his motel room was ransacked by Mike's henchmen. "Watch it-"

"You know what we're here for, Barry!" Barracuda Mike snarled, slamming the door shut after them. "Where's the money!? I want my money, Barry!"

Thunderous thrashing reverberated between the four walls and Bianca pressed her back against the wallpaper. She ducked her head when a lamp was thrown across the room and shattered against the floorboards.

Bianca's heart leaped to her throat. Her hand covered her lips to prevent it from escaping. Her mind raced, trying to recount how she even found herself in this predicament.

She never should've agreed to go. What was going through her mind when she thought she could hold her own amongst these grown, dangerous men!? JJ was right. She truly had no idea what she was getting herself into.

Bianca dared to look up. Blurs of tall, dark men trashing the room filled her vision. Drawers and clothes were strewn across the ground. If the place didn't already look abandoned, Bianca feared the next-door neighbors would've called the cops already.

Barry stood in a panic, his arms outstretched, "I told you, dude! I just need a minute to figure my shit out!"

"It's been months, Barry!" Barracuda Mike roared above the crash-banging surrounding them.

Bianca tried to make herself smaller in the corner of the room. The walls shuddered and dust snowed from the ceiling above. She glanced up, her eyes narrowing at the roof which appeared to be wallpapered over with a hideous, yellowing sheet. Vaguely, she could make out the indents of a square-like door.

Bianca's thoughts were drawn away when another one of Mike's henchmen tore a gold-framed painting to the ground and punched a hole through the wall as if there were something behind it. The girl's breath hitched. Maybe, if enough of them were preoccupied, she could sneak out and leg it back to Kitty Hawk or the airstrip.

"Look, I got this gig- woah, woah, watch it!" Barry shoved one of the men as they ripped the sheets off his bed and threw the mattress on the ground. He turned back to Mike, "I got this gig, I don't even need to be selling shit no more, man- I'll give you a cut just-"

"I don't want a cut, Barry," Barracuda Mike leered down at the shorter man. "I want what you fucking owe me!"

"If you want your fucking money- it's right here!" Barry pointed toward Bianca, causing the girl to stand straighter. "She's the one who put me in fucking prison- what the hell are you even doing here!?"

Barracuda Mike's arms crossed over his chest, his expression giving nothing away, "So, you're the one I have to thank for costing me all that business."

Bianca's throat tightened, and she was sure that even if she could manage any words, they would sound pathetically soft. Her eyes flickered between the two men. Barry had a sick smirk etched across his lips.

"How old are you, kid?" Mike nodded in her direction.

This was it. She should've at least said a proper goodbye to JJ. Bianca swallowed thickly and whispered, "...Seventeen."

It was silent for a moment. No one said a word. And then, Mike snickered.

Moments later, it turned into a deep chuckle as he whirled around to face Barry, wiping a tear from his eye, "You let a seventeen-year-old put you in prison?" Even his henchmen were tittering now.

Barry's smirk turned into a deep scowl, "Look, I know how it sounds but don't underestimate her."

Now, Mike was laughing even harder, a chorus of chuckles filling the room, "You're really gonna... blame the- the kid," He doubled over. "For getting a-arrested, I can't- you really are the scum of the earth, Barry-"

The men were so absorbed in their amusement, they failed to realize Barry had reached behind the frame of his bed and pulled out a shotgun. It was only when the click of the safety being switched off echoed through the room, did the men sober up.

But by then it was too late. Bianca stared down the barrel, a few inches away from her forehead. Her mind kept telling her to run but not a single one of her limbs listened. Her feet were cemented to the ground.

"Nobody move a goddamn muscle," Barry's tone was low but commanding. "You pull some shit and she's dead, you hear me?" He raised his voice. "You want another body on your hands, huh, Mike?!"

Another?

This was really it, Bianca couldn't help but think. No one here gave two shits about whether she lived or died. No one was coming to save her now. Not JJ, not the Pogues. Not even Rafe.

The henchmen reached behind them to pull out their guns but it was Barracuda Mike's instruction that caused them to freeze, "Stop!" He snapped. "Nobody move!"

Bianca's throat constricted as if the air around her grew hands and wrapped itself around her throat. Her hands tightened to fists at her side to hide the trembling.

Think, Bianca. Think. There had to be something. No way did she live through getting stuck on a deserted island, surviving a plane crash, and being hunted by a King Pin in a foreign country just to be shot down by Barry of all people.

Barracuda Mike scoffed, "What? You think you can threaten me?" But his hands, outstretched in surrender, said otherwise. "Do it. Shoot the kid. I don't give a fuck about what happens to her."

Bianca's eyes squeezed shut on their own accord. She couldn't swallow. She couldn't breathe.

"Oh, yeah?" Barry sneered, hovering his finger over the trigger.

author's note. honestly i don't even mean to do these cliff hangers they just happen sometimes hehe <3 hope u guys are having/had a great day! drop a comment about what you thought of the chapter !!