Entering and Exiting Life at High Speeds: 2

Well, I'm going to do what I hate in a story. I'm going to skip around, and leave somethings out, because they're just too...they're mine, and I want to keep them that way. I'm not going to fill the spaces between the last part, and this one completely, mostly because it's boring. You know how it is...puberty, drug use, revenge, fighting and all that good stuff. 1

All you need to know is that by the time I was 16, me and Joei were about at the top of the crime world in my town. Don't get the wrong idea about me, I'm not a bad person. I don't steal, and I don't lie, I don't murder people, and I'm a fairly nice person, but if you mess with my friends, you're toast. Simple as that. 2

I'll never forget the night I fought. I didn't know what it meant to rule all the 'underworld' of my city, but suddenly, I was greedy, and I wanted it, and with Joei as my backer, and a .45 stashed in the waist of my jeans, I set off on the worst night of my life. 3

'You can't be serious, Cat.'4

'Did I say it?'5

'Well, yea, but still...this is insane. You think you're gonna beat out Rocks with no trouble?'6

'I didn't say that. I know it'll be hard. I'm not an idiot. He took Kassi, and he's going to pay for it.'7

'I know, Cat, but Kassi's back, and she's alive, and she wasn't hurt too bad.'8

'I don't give a god damn! I don't care if he did or didn't rape her, all I know is that she had bruises when she came back, and laying one finger on any of my friends is grounds for waking up in the hospital. You know that, of all people.'9

That shut Joei up pretty fast. Leslie was in the back seat, checking the weapons she had, and preparing to use them should anyone see us. Her silencer was attached to the barrel, and she was deadly silent. She kept her shit to herself, and between me and her. I respected her for it. 10

I'd been in some scrapes before. I can't tell you how many people I had sent to the ER with broken bones for messing with Joei. He knows the score about my friends. This one time some steroid using jock roughed him up in middle school. I showed up at his school about 15 minutes later and beat the brakes off the kid. 11

I'm the leader of a gang. We're the good guys, but we rule this town now. Me as the leader, but I was elected by my guys, Joei at my right hand, Cory, Zach, Dustin, Nate and Danny, Leslie and Kassi, Stef (the only girl who has ever kicked my ass) Mick, and Tia (my girlfriend, as crazy as they come, but I love her anyway), And up until a few months ago, Chris. That's us, the Wildcats. 12

Which is kind of dumb, since no one on the street ever calls me Cat. Even tho that's my name, they never use it. They all call me Luxe. One night after a really hard fight between the WCs and a rival gang, the Vipers, I beat the leader. Barely. I was lucky. I never saw Rocks's knife coming. So after that, everyone started calling me Lucky, and Luxe is short for Lucky...yea, a nick name for a nick name is kind of stupid, but hey, I don't mind it. I'm getting off subject.13

Anyhow, after that slime ball Rocks got beat, he said he wanted a truce. It was shaky, and stupid, but I agreed. Three days later, Kassi disappeared. I knew it was him, it was a clean job. Kassi was waiting for me to meet her after she got off work. I was running a little late, and before I got there Rocks and a few of his guys grabbed her. So much for a truce. 14

Kass came back a few days later, pale as a ghost, bruised like hell, and practically hysterical that I was alright...which was weird. She told me about them beating on her, and some other unmentionable things guys do to pretty girls. I decided that the truce be damned, I was going to kill that son of a bitch for this. This was all out war. 15

Joei and me drove out there, armed like crazy. I had the knife Rocks have me, the .45 I'd gotten from Stef, some pepper-spray, an a few other lovely things for him, should he get physical beyond necessary. Well, actually, I was just gong to gut him, and watch him bleed for what he did to Kassi.16

I'm a fairly quick, quiet person, and I always know what's going on a little past everyone else. Not saying I can read minds, but I can come scarily close. I'm not a believer in shit like that, but I know what I can do. I heard Rocks upstairs. There were three other guys with him. He was afraid of me. I knew it.17

I stormed up to Rocks's door and banged with all my might. Some third level lackey opened the door and looked me up and down. 18

'Hey, Doll face. What can I do for you?'19

Gross...I pushed him far enough away that I could pull my .45 out and give him the business end. 'You can start by not making a sound, or I'll blow your fucking brains all over this wall. Then I want to see Rocks. And remember, if you so much as breathe a word that I have a gun, I'll kill you here and now. Call for him.'20

The kid as scared. I was a formidable opponent. I might be skinny, but I'm pretty intimidating for a girl. Five-foot-seven, and 125 lbs, with blond hair, and icy blue eyes that change. And I know they had to have been flashing grey right now, because I was ready to kill someone. Kill Rocks. The boss of the city. The crime boss of the city, who knew everything from drug shipments to rapists, murderers to parties, vandalism to arson, and everything in between. I didn't know what it meant.21

'Hey Rocks, you got a visitor. I checked her, she's clean.'22

'Who is it?' Rocks said in his deep, creepy voice. A voice that dripped with contempt for all those who had anything good left in them. He was a killer, and ruthless bastard. And he was smart. A whole lot more dangerous than most bad guys I took on. 23

I pushed the kid down, and pointed my gun at his head as he came down the stairs. 'Me.'24

He sat in shocked silence for a moment, then recovered, going for his own gun. I knew that gun. I'd been on the business end of it a few times myself, but I was never scared. His 10 mm was going to be mine before the end of this night.25

'I got the drop on you Rocks. Don't even try it.'26

'Why are you here?'27

'Kassi.'28

'That bitch I grabbed from the parking lot? Your new girlfriend, Luxe? Jealous that I got to pound her first?'29

'Not at all.' Though I have to admit, Kassi is gorgeous, but that's beside the point.30

'Completely alone? That's a bad move.'31

Joei sunk back to the shadows, ready for anyone who thought they'd sneak up on me. Then I heard it. Joei fired three shots. I kept my eyes on Rocks. 'You're dead, Rocks. You can either leave now, in a car, with nothing, or in a body bag. Choose.'32

'I'll take the body bag before I bow to a whore like you.'33

'Not the best choice.'34

I cocked the gun and allowed him, 'Any last words?'35

'Did he cry?'36