‡
Immediately, I struggled, fighting as fiercely as I could.
“Stop, Jena,” a deep voice rumbled in my ear.
I recognized Jack’s voice. I went limp, all the fight going out of me. My eyes watered with tears of relief. If nothing else, I at least had someone else here to help me.
“Is she still inside?” he whispered.
I nodded. “She’s expecting a guy named Renaldo. I don’t know if he’s coming alone or what.”
Jack grunted. “Get that boss?”
I glanced over my shoulder to see Jack talking into a Bluetooth headset. King must be here somewhere.
The door to the building crashed open and my body went rigid.
“Jena, you fucking bitch!” Katie screamed. “I will find you and I’m going to shoot your fucking kneecaps off!”
Jack lifted me off my feet and literally carried me around the corner to the back of the building. I blinked rapidly when I saw a black SUV sitting there, wondering if sheer terror was causing me to hallucinate.
He threw open the driver’s door and shoved me inside and down into the passenger floorboard. After he slammed the door shut, he sprinted around the hood to the driver’s side. Just as he was about to climb in, I heard the sharp crack of a gunshot. I watched in horror as he groaned and semi-collapsed across the steering wheel before sliding down into the floor, half hanging out of the SUV.
“Jack?” I whispered.
His eyes rolled back in his head and I saw the blood gushing from the wound in his shoulder. He appeared to be breathing, but there was nothing I could do to help him yet.
“Oh shit.” I risked a peek above the dashboard and saw Katie making her way toward the car, her gun up. I knew she couldn’t see me, so I ducked back down into the floorboard, trying to form a plan out of my chaotic thoughts.
I spotted the gun butt sticking out of a holster at Jack’s waistband. Quickly, I crawled forward and grabbed it. I hadn’t fired a handgun before, though Tia had shown me hers when we lived together and explained how it worked. It had been close to six years ago though and the memory was fuzzy.
Hands shaking, I studied it. It looked alien and terrifying. However, I’d rather have it and hope I got a lucky shot off than have to face Katie down with nothing in my hands.
The safety. I had to do something to the safety. I turned the gun and saw a little black lever on one side, close to my right thumb. The dot next to it was white. Shit, did that mean it was on or off?
Quickly I flicked it in the opposite direction and saw a reddish orange dot. That gave my memory a boost. Red or orange meant it was ready to fire.
Panting, I crouched in the passenger seat and wrapped my right hand around the gun butt. I struggled to remember what Tia said about how to shoot, fear clouding my ability to think clearly.
Squeeze, don’t jerk.
As clear as if she were sitting next to me, I suddenly heard Tia’s voice telling me what to do.
Don’t hesitate. If they’re armed, you only have one chance to catch them off guard. Aim for the body, the biggest mass. You’ll be less likely to miss.
Somehow, hearing Tia’s voice in my head calmed me down. I took slow deep breaths and kept my eyes fixed on the driver’s door, bracing my forearms against the seat to keep my aim steady.
I was glad that Jack was also down in the floorboard and out of the line of fire. I didn’t want to risk hitting him.
I heard Katie’s footsteps getting closer.
“Where’s Jena, motherfuck-”
She didn’t finish her sentence. As soon as she appeared around the door, I pulled the trigger. I didn’t let myself think about it, I just did it.
Her body jerked violently, but her grip on the door kept her from falling down. “What in the hell?” she moaned, looking down at her belly.
In horror, I watched as blood bloomed on the front of her grey t-shirt. Her head came up, the fire of hate burning in her eyes. Her arm started to lift, the gun in her hand.
“Katie, don’t do it,” I begged, tears falling down my cheeks.
A thin line of blood trickled out of the corner of her mouth as she tried to smile. It looked more like a grimace. “Fuck you, Jena.”
Her arm came up and I knew she was about to fire. A sob escaped my lips as I pulled the trigger again. Then again. I shot her two more times until her arm dropped and her body collapsed on the ground.
Crying, I lunged toward the door and grabbed her gun out of the grass. I threw it in the back seat.
My hands were trembling as I checked Jack’s pulse. It was quick, but still felt strong, though I wouldn’t know if that was good or bad since I had no first aid training.
My entire body shook as I reached out of the door and laid my fingertips against Katie’s throat. I left them there for a long time. There was nothing.
Sobs began to wrack my body. It was all too much. I didn’t know what to do. I curled up in the front seat and began rocking back and forth.
Jack released a quiet groan, ripping me out of my hysteria. I didn’t have the luxury of falling apart. Jack was hurt and I had to call for help.
I needed a phone. I knew Jack had a Bluetooth in his ear, which meant he had a phone somewhere. Quickly, I started going through his pockets.
I found his smart phone in his back pocket and yanked it out. I nearly dropped it when it rang in my hand. I saw King’s name on the display and sobbed in relief.
Connecting the call, I lifted the phone to my ear. “K-k-king,” I stuttered, my teeth chattering.
“Jena?”
“Y-y-yes.”
“Are you safe?”
“Yes, but Jack’s hurt. We need an ambulance.”
“We’re almost there. We’ll take care of him.”
I sniffled. “Okay.”
“Where’s Katie? Did Jack manage to take her down?”
I sobbed again, louder and harder. “N-no.”
“Where is she? Jena, I know you’re worried about Jack, but you need to get somewhere safe. He’ll be fine, I promise.”
“She’s…she’s dead,” I whimpered.
King was silent. “Jack killed her?”
“No.”
“Oh fuck, Jena, what happened?”
I took a shuddering breath. “I had to-” My voice cracked. I swallowed hard. “I had to shoot her. She was trying to kill me. Oh God, oh God, I killed her. I killed her.”
“Darlin’, I’m almost there. I’ll be there in less than two minutes. Can you stay on the phone with me? Stay with me, Jena.”
I pulled my knees to my chest and began to rock back and forth in the seat. “I killed her, King. I shot her. I did what Tia told me and I shot her until she died right in front of me. Ohgod, ohgod, ohgod.”
“Jena!” King called sharply.
I could hear him, but I was trapped in my mind. I began sobbing in earnest then. “They’re going to put me in jail, King, for the rest of my life. Then I’m going to hell. I took a life. Murderers go to hell, don’t they?”
I couldn’t hear what he said in response because the phone slipped from my suddenly nerveless fingers. My eyes were fixed on Katie’s body.
I wasn’t aware of the passage of time, only the image of my friend’s lifeless body that was curled up against the driver’s side door.
The passenger door opened and I didn’t resist as arms reached in and pulled me out of the car.
“Jena.”
My name sounded so far away, as though I were standing in the bottom of a well and they were at the top.
“Jena!”
Something smacked my cheek, breaking through the shock that deadened my senses.
I gasped and my head jerked back. I blinked and Tia’s face came into focus.
“Where else are you hurt?” she asked, anxiety making her voice tight.
“Huh?”
“Your arm is bleeding,” she stated. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”
I shook my head. “No, no. Just my arm.”
I winced as Tia started dabbing away the blood oozing from my bicep.