When Grayson had been shot multiple times, there was a lot of blood, but the amount oozing from this one bullet wound was frightening. “Jake, why are you bleeding so much?” I cried, pressing down harder.
“Don’t worry about me, Margo.”
Dominic’s voice filled the cab before I could answer. “Got your location. Talk to me.”
“Margo and I were targeted on campus,” Jake said, his voice like a robot. He glanced in the rearview mirror. “Got a tail following us,” he added, sounding weak.
“What?” I hissed, looking out the back window.
Sure enough, three blacked out sedans were following, weaving through the evening Seattle traffic.
“Is this Gordon?” I practically shouted. “I thought he went underground.”
“Calm down, Margo,” Dominic softly urged. “We’ve notified the local feds and police. They should be en route. Everything is going to be okay. Jake, debrief.”
Jake told Dominic what happened and then paused, groaning. I looked at him and went back to the screen on the dash. He hadn’t told Dominic about the gunshot.
Oh, fuck no.
“Jake was hit,” I croaked. “They shot him in the arm.”
There was a pause, maybe half a second, and it had fear coiling around my neck. “Copy that. We’re on the way, chopper is ready. Jake, head to the safe house,” he ordered.
Jake didn’t answer.
I looked over, my stomach dropping at how pale he was.
“Jake isn’t—he can’t—Jake!”
My friend’s eyes rolled back, his head hitting the head rest. His arm fell away from the wheel and the car swerved. “Fuck!” I barked, taking a hold of the wheel. “Jake passed out!” Once I got control of the wheel and straightened out, I looked back at my friend. His mouth was hanging open. He was out. “Dominic! I can’t—help!”
That’s when he lost composure. “Fuck!”
“Ahh!” I turned the wheel toward me just in time to dodge a couple crossing the street. “I can’t…”
The car was slowing down.
Shit.
Shit.
My ears started to ring. “Dominic, the car. Jake can’t press on the gas.”
In the background, I heard a crash and Hayes’ voice. It was muffled, but the fear in it had my heart breaking. The black sedans had boxed the SUV in. I looked out Jake’s window and saw a gun pointed at me, its owner gesturing for me to pull over. We were near Pier 58, the white ferris wheel sparking above the dark water. I steered the car off the road and onto the curb, and when it came to stop, I frantically grabbed Jake’s face.
“Jake! Please!”
His eyelids fluttered open for a moment. “Don’t…don’t tell Millie,” he rasped, gasping for breath. Snatching up his wrist, I checked his pulse, not knowing who Millie was.
“I won’t tell Millie shit,” I vowed as the black cars surrounded us. “You can tell Millie. Wake up! Stay with me, Jake.” The men, dressed in black suits and ski masks were coming for us—for me. I looked around and then went back to my friend. “I need you to stay alive. Stay alive, Jake.” I looked at the screen, knowing the boys were still listening. “Save Jake first.”
“Margo, baby,” Hayes roared in the background, the familiar sound of chopper blades cutting to the air was the reason I nearly missed it.
Tears were hot on my cheeks and my chest was heaving. I couldn’t fight all of these men alone.
I didn’t stand a chance. It would get me killed.
“Save Jake first,” I ordered on a sob and ended the call.