Taken and Misused.

[Vaughn’s Point Of View]

My eyes snapped to my wrist watch once more, watching the little metal hands tick towards seven o’clock. I had one hour until I would have to go pick up Elisabeth to take her to a stupid fancy thing which could possibly end up with me dead, and I was sitting on the roof of the warehouse I lived in, throwing rocks off the top of it. Stephen had called me twice from a pay phone and assured me the plan would work, he didn’t sound too happy with me for ruining Elisabeth’s life though. I had gotten a really long lecture on how she had aspirations and talent and I was making her throw it away because I couldn’t keep my eyes off pretty women. Talk about making a guy feel like crap.

I threw a rock off the roof, putting as much effort as I could behind it. The rock sailed over the street and hit the building on the opposite side. The first girl I could possibly love, and I put her in danger just by being my friend. I chucked another rock off my roof, grunting in frustration as I threw it.

My cell phone rang and I picked it up from where I had set it next to myself. “Hey there buddy”

“Stop beating yourself up about this, at least not right now. I’ll help you beat yourself up once Elisabeth is safe,” Stephen’s clipped, Russian voice threatened. I guess he was still not very happy with me. “Are you ready to go? My father is planning to pick Elisabeth up himself if you do not come; he thinks you are planning to make a run for it.”

I shuffled up and walked over to the ladder that led back into my home, “I said I’d pick her up at seven o’clock” I muttered, holding the phone to my ear with my shoulder as I descended the ladder.

“And you know where to go?”

“Yes mother”

“Vaughn, if you do not take this seriously I assure you Elisabeth will be the only person I plan to save” Stephen threatened. I frowned at his tone and his words.

“I thought we were friends?” I muttered, walking to my room. “You have a thing for Elisabeth?” I questioned.

“She is a good girl that does not deserve this-“

“And I’m the idiot that ruined her life” I finished for him, the words hitting my heart pretty good. Stephen was quiet for a moment so I spoke. “I’ll be there on time.”

“Good.”

I hung up my phone, setting it on my night stand and opening my closet. I pulled out the tuxedo Stephen had had sent to me this morning. Obviously he knew I had absolutely no formal attire in my closet, no matter how much I didn’t like him, he still knew me like only a friend could. Yet he was livid with me, but he was still helping me. A whole bunch of conundrums right there.

Elisabeth hadn’t called me yet and part of me was glad, I was wasting a first date with her. First dates were supposed to be romantic; they weren’t supposed to entail a murderous Russian who wasn’t too fond of me or an escape plan. Glory jumped up on my bed and watched me lay the tux out on it; I sighed and looked at him. “I bet you’ve never had any girl problems or murderous Russian problems” I said, getting nothing but a tail wag for an answer. “Thought so” I muttered.

Once I was in the tux I looked over my appearance in my bathroom’s mirror. Without the leather jacket and jeans I did look pretty different, I chuckled slightly, maybe Semyon wouldn’t recognize me. Glory was rolled over on his back, asleep, when I came back into my room with my hair gelled into a less messy fashion. I rubbed his stomach and paused. What would I do with Glory? He couldn’t stay here by himself, and I doubted taking him along would blow over well with Stephen. I picked up my cell phone and dialed the number of a friend, he wasn’t like family to me but he was one of the few people I hung out with that wasn’t involved in street racing or any illegal activities like it. He worked at a local car repair shop for a living.

“Hello?” he answered.

“Hey, Zack, it’s Vaughn” I said, putting a little warmth into my tone to hide the sudden sadness I felt.

“What’s up?”

“You know how you told me you’ve always wanted a dog like Glory?” I asked, remembering the statement from when he first came to visit me and was introduced to Glory.

“Well, he’s one heck of a dog” he said with a chuckle.

“Yeah, he is” I muttered, scratching behind Glory’s ears. He woke up and looked at me, still rolled over on his back. “I was wondering if you could take care of him for me” I asked, the words like salt on a wound. Glory was like family, always waiting for me at home, always happy to see me. For seven years I had been the owner of him, so it was pretty hard giving him up. Like a part of me was going with him. A man and his dog.

“You going on a vacation?”

“Something like that”

“How long do I get to take care of him?” he asked, already sounding a little eager. Zack was still eighteen but he had his own place, he was a good kid and that was the only thing that made me feel better about putting Glory in his hands. I knew he’d have a good home.

“I’m not sure, maybe a month… or two” I said, not even sure if I’d be alive that long. “I’ll give you some money to pay for the dog food and anything he might wreck” I added.

“Yeah, sure, no problem” Zack answered and I breathed a small sigh of relief. “When are you bringing him over?”

“Now?”

“Alright, I’m at the shop but the boss doesn’t mind dogs, maybe he’ll become our mascot” Zack laughed at his little joke and I smiled a bit. Glory was definitely going to a good kid.

“See you in a minute” I said before we bid our goodbyes and hung up. Glory was giving me a funny look, probably because I was giving him a sad look. “You’re making me feel like a wimp” I muttered, looking away from him. I pushed the small chest in front of my bed out of the way and opened the safe under it with a code. After I had gotten about five hundred dollars for Zack I slipped another four hundred into my wallet. Just in case. My eyes caught the small handgun lying at the bottom of the safe and Stephen’s words flew back into my mind, no guns. I closed the safe again and picked up Glory’s leash, clipping it on his collar. I whistled for him to follow and went back down the metal steps to the main room.

I stopped and knelt down to face Glory, “if you chew up Zack’s furniture you’re in for a world of trouble, and don’t piss on the carpet, it’s not cute” I said, rubbing behind his ears. He licked my face and I stood up quickly. “Yeah, don’t do that either” I muttered, grinning at him despite myself. I grabbed the small duffle bag I had put a few things in, including a change of clothes, just in case. Stephen hadn’t told me to take any but I wasn’t going to spend any unnecessary time in this tuxedo.

Approaching my front door Glory started growling, “what is it?” I questioned just as a knock sounded. Glory was still growling when I opened the door slowly to reveal a man dressed in black, with a bald head and muscles that were way too big. “Let me guess, you’re here on Semyon’s orders to make sure I’m not making a run for it?” I said, raising an eyebrow. The man didn’t answer. “Or you’re here to intimidate me, which would explain your unoriginal bad-guy look” I continued, gesturing at his appearance with my hands. I could tell I hit a nerve with that comment. “Just to reassure you, I am coming tonight, I’m about to go pick up a beautiful young woman who is way out of your league, not make a run for it. I’m not dressed for that occasion” I finished, keeping a straight face the whole time.

“You think you are funny?” tall-dark-and-menacing asked.

“I like to believe so” I replied, a smirk pulling up the corners of my mouth.

“You know what I find funny?” he asked.

“Steroids being illegal?” I answered, raising my eyebrows again.

“The thought of your face being slammed against that wall” he growled, pointing a chubby finger at the stretch of wall next to my door.

“You have a very dry sense of humor then” I said, looking back at him after observing the wall for a moment. He lunged at me and I ducked under his outstretched arm, huge he may be but I was far quicker than him. Glory bit into his ankle and he let out a loud roar like sound, I glanced at the ground and looked around for a moment before noticing a rather large rock. “That’ll do” I muttered, picking it up and tossing it up in the air for a moment before throwing it at tall-dark-and-menacing’s head. For a moment he just stood there, and then he crumpled onto the sidewalk. Glory came back next to me wagging his tail. “Good teamwork” I praised, hurrying to my car before anything else happened.

“A lovely start to my evening, don’t you think so Glory?” I said as I started up my mustang.