CHP13

Suddenly, she heard a gun shoot off.  The plank of wood flew out of Rex’s hand. 

“Get the fuck away from her, or this time the bullet goes straight to your heart.” A female voice said.

Ashley looked up and saw a woman standing about 50 feet away at the end of the dark alley.

“Let’s get outta here now, this ain’t worth it.” One of the minions said.

The three men ran off into the darkness.

Ashley collapsed on the ground. The woman ran toward her.

“Miss, I’m Rita, the owner of this bar, are you ok?” she asked Ashley frantically.  “Do you need me to call an ambulance?”

“No, no don’t, I’m ok, really.” She said trying to sit up without grimacing in pain. The woman seemed to be in her fifties, her eyes were kind, but there was a hardness about her that only came with a life rife with difficult experiences.

"Where’s you learn to shoot so good?" Ashley asked her.

The woman smiled slightly.  "Fruits of a misspent childhood." she replied. 

“Are you sure, you’re ok?” the woman asked her.

“Yeah, I’m sure, just a few bruises really, I’ll be fine.  Thank you very much” Ashley said standing up keeping a hardened expression on her face to hide the pain she was feeling. If Rita called an ambulance, then the police would soon follow and there would be questions that she didn’t want to answer.  Maybe Aiden had a good explanation for this.  He must have one. He wouldn’t do this to her…not intentionally.

“Now I know it’s none of my business, but what trouble you got yourself in with those dealers?” Rita asked her.

“What kind of dealers are they?” Ashley asked her.

“You don’t know?” Rita asked. She had just assumed that this young girl hadn’t kept up with payments to support her drug habit, but getting a closer look at the brunette, Rita realized that she seemed to be clean.

“Mainly cocaine, I’d say. I’ve had to throw them outta the bar on more than one occasion for carrying on their illegal business on my property.”

“Cocaine?” Ashley said dumbstruck.  Aiden had told her he was clean….no, he hadn’t said he was clean, he said he wasn’t on heroin anymore. Fuck.  Ashley felt so angry and betrayed.  She couldn’t believe she had been so blind.  She had trusted him and this is how it turned out.  Spencer had been right…Ashley couldn’t believe she had lost Spencer over Aiden, that son-of-a-bitch.  When she found him, she’d kick his ass.  But she knew he was probably long gone.  She had honestly thought he had changed but he was still the same guy he was when she broke up with him…but she knew she owed him a lot, he had taken the fall for her before.  She couldn’t call the police.  She didn’t want to deal with them since she had had too many bad encounters with them in her youth.