Amor Culebras

"Wrong gas station, princess," a husky voice said.
My eyes flowed the gun, revolver, back to a man I had just heard about on the news. About a handsome thief named Seth Gecko. I knew my bad day just got significantly worse.
"Richie, take her and put her out of sight, " he called behind him.
Richard or "Richie" as he was known as was the younger brother to Seth. He was also the brain who cracked the safes in banks of which they robbed a lot of.
"Come on," he said. "Nice and easy."
Seth pulled my arm and put the revolver behind my head. My eyes fell on Richie. He was more handsome than his older brother, but I couldn't really focus on that at the moment. He points another gun in my direction and signaled to walk towards him. I let out a breath and took the four steps that closed the gap between him and I. Once in his reach his big, warm hand wrapped roughly around my arm and pulled me towards the back of the gas station.
To be honest I wasn't entirely sure I would live to see the end of the day if I did anything against them. They weren't known to murder unless they were forced into a corner. I stood a better chance of getting out of this alive as long as I did everything they told me to do.
"Hands," Richie ordered.
I looked at the floor and raise my hands. He put several layers of duct tape on them. I really didn't want to give him any reason to hurt me.
"Look at me," he snapped harshly.
I raised my head quickly and met two very distinctive beautiful blue eyes.
Crap, I thought.
I have a soft spot for blue eyes. This was not the time to be thinking about how gorgeous he was.
"Quiet or Lights out, got it?" He said waving his gun near my head.
I nodded taking a deep breath. He turned me around and pushed me gently towards the drinks in the refrigerated area at the back of the gas station. He gently pushed on my shoulder to make me sit. Then walked back to end of the aisle. I could feel my heart slow down. All I had to do was sit quietly and I could go home. Not a hard task.
It was then that I noticed the Ranger on the floor bleeding from a shot in his chest. How I missed that in the first place was beyond my current comprehension. I knew I was in real deep shit. I had no room for error. I looked up at Richie astonished.
"See, he didn't listen and that's what happened," Richie said with a menacing smile on his face. "You're not going to make me do that, are you?"
I shook my head no.
"Good girl," he said.
Of course I would be the one to find out that the younger Gecko brother is batshit psycho. Beautiful and crazy. Just my luck.
"Richie, all good?" asked Seth.
I almost forgot he was there.
"All peachy," he said giving me the crazy-eyed smile again.
I heard the door open again and this time things would spiral quickly out of control. I saw Richie go on high alert. I put my head down and prayed to whatever higher power would hear me. The cashier interrupted me by shooting Richie in his hand. The blood hit me in the face. I froze when he fell back and his head hit my knees. He seems in a trance or something. Those beautiful blue eyes were glassy and distant.
I looked from his eyes to his hand that had a gaping hole in it. Seth was in the background yelling. I heard 'grab' and 'hostage' before I was yanked to my feet by Richie with his good hand. His arm came around my waist and his cologne filled the air around me. I knew I was being used as a shield. There was another Ranger pointing a gun in my direction.
"Let her go!" the Ranger shouted.
He really wasn't in a position to negotiate my freedom. Richie had the gun pointed at my head again. My heart thundered in my chest. I could see Seth not far from us. He had the entryway blocked. I knew that either I made it out of the gas station or no one was. The Ranger was still arguing with Seth.
"She gets a bullet if you don't lower your weapon, Ranger," said Richie.
I was really worried that the Ranger would try to play hero and get me killed. He seemed to be thinking hard. He partner was telling him not to sacrifice me. I was still trying to figure out how he wasn't dead already. That's when I saw Ranger lowering himself and his weapon to the floor.
I breathed a sigh of relief. Richie dragged me with him to the entryway. Seth was already pulled up with the car door open and waiting.. I was pushed in and Richie followed behind me. The car fishtailed and I was thrown into Richie's lap. I heard him grunt from taking my full weight against his chest.
"Ow!" I heard Richie gasp.
"Sorry!" Seth yelled.
The car righted itself and I realized that I was sitting on the injured hand. I quickly shifted into the area between them. Then I looked at Richie then Seth.
"Seth," I heard Richie snap.
"What?!" He retorted.
"What now?" He said gesturing to me.
"Fuck if I know," he started. "Cut the tape. She can nurse your hand Mr. Genius."
I looked at Richie and put my hands up so he could cut the tape. He sighed angrily and pulled out a weird looking white handled knife. I stared at his face so I wouldn't freak out with a knife in the general vicinity. He cut the tape and left me to pull it off. I did.
"You ever treated a gunshot wound before?" he asked when I looked at him again.
"No," I said softly.
He raised his eyebrows in a quick motion.
"Cut off a part of this shirt and tie it around my hand," he said handing me the knife and a shirt.
I quickly did as he said and gave him back the knife. He and his brother exchanged a look I didn't understand.
"The princess has a brain," I heard Seth say.
"Princess has a name, Seth," Richie said sounding offended.
"No shit Sherlock," Seth quipped."Is she your girlfriend or something?"
"No, but we kidnapped her. We could at least ask her, her name," Richie said absently rubbing his injured hand.
"Emerald," I said quietly.
"What?" they said.
"My name is Emerald. Or Eme, for short," I said after taking a breath.
"Seth, we stole a precious gem," Richie chuckled.
I saw Seth smile out of the corner of my eye. Great! They found my name amusing.
"Well, Eme. If you're a good girl you will make it through this without getting hurt," Richie said putting his arm around me.
His cologne and blood smell surrounded me. I shivered without being able to stop myself.
"Don't be scared." Richie laughed, leaning closer. "I don't bite. Hard"
He looked like the poster child for crazy with that grin on his face.
"Richie, knock it off," Seth snapped.
I got the sense that there was some kind of double meaning that I didn't catch. I mentally wasn't entirely realizing how much danger I was possibly in.
"What?" Richie asked in half-joking manner.
His arm was still around my shoulder. I tuned out their conversation because I was busy enjoying his warmth. I didn't realize they were talking to me until Richie said my name and turned my head to face him.
"Emerald, you in there?" He asked.
I blinked slowly coming back to planet Earth.
"Yeah," I said quietly.
"Good," he said and opened the car door.
It was then that I realized we had stopped at a hotel.
"Let's go," he said holding out of his hand.