I never thought I’d actually be in this position. My stories aren’t the kind someone receives death threats for, let alone ends up with a maniacal asshole pointing a gun at them. Paul should have stayed away. He should have trusted his gut and put as many miles between himself and the Abello crew as he could. But he came back, because of me, because I pushed and pushed and pushed and made promises I couldn’t fucking keep.
Why did I have to push so hard to break this damn story?
If I had never started my probe into Mayor Dunne, and discovered the apparent Abello connection, none of this would be happening. So what if Dunne took some bribes and gave away some contracts? So what if he may have had some help from Abello in disposing of unwanted rivals and inconvenient speed bumps to his political climb?
None of it directly affected me. None of it interfered with my ability to live my life and do my job. Damn me and my ambition. Damn the journalistic integrity that prevented me from turning a blind eye to the apparent corruption. I thought I could make a difference; I thought I could actually change things.
All I’ve managed to do is put my life, as well as Paul’s, in danger, and I still don’t even have any actionable evidence.
Complete. Utter. Miserable. Failure.
Matteo barks out another laugh at my false bravado and steps closer to Paul, who has remained silently shaking near to me. “Well, maybe you need a little reminder of what I’m capable of.”
In a split second, his gun goes from down at his side to the back of Paul’s head and he fires.
I cry out when the second shot rings out through the phone and in the air outside. The first time Matteo fired, I swear my heart stopped.
Everything I had dreamed of for my future, everything I had dreamed of for a future with Danika, disappeared in a millisecond.
Until I heard Danika’s voice again, I thought for sure we were too late. It had apparently just been a warning shot, but Matteo just said he wanted to remind her what he was capable of…
Images of her lying in pools of her own blood, her eyes wide and lifeless flash across my vision, mingling with the memories of Star’s death. That’s been happening a lot lately, ever since Doc got me talking about the accident. The visions, the nightmares, things I had somehow managed to push out of my head after the accident—all of it came crashing down like a tidal wave.
And now, I might lose Danika.
No. I can’t.
The officer standing outside my open door says something to me, but I don’t hear it over the rush of blood in my ears. I’m listening for anything over the line, any indication at all of what has happened, but the line is dead.
“Oh God!” I scream and drop the phone on the seat next to me, dropping my head in my hands as the tears stream from my eyes. I can’t do this. I can’t.
Three sharp cracks ring out and I turn my head to the officer who has turned back to look toward the building. His walkie squawks and garbled words race out in an indistinguishable stream. He responds and starts to walk away from me toward one of the police vehicles.
“No,” I cry, grabbing his arm, “what’s happening? Is Danika all right?”
He pulls my hand from his arm. “She’s okay. Your friend really knows how to take care of business.”
His words don’t immediately register. All I hear is that Dani’s okay, and, at this moment, that’s all that matters. Then I realize he said something else.
“What? What do you mean?” The officer doesn’t answer me and turns to speak with another officer, putting his back to me. I look past him toward the warehouse and see several dark figures moving around. A flood light spills out from the SWAT vehicle parked behind me and in the bright florescent lights, Gabe emerges from the building with someone cradled in his arms.
Danika.
My heart beats out of my chest and I can’t seem to get any oxygen in my lungs as I watch Gabe stride across the parking lot toward the parade of vehicles along the street. The flashing lights of the squad cars, ambulances, and fire trucks paint strange colors across his stern face. Every step he takes seems to last for an eternity.
I’ve never felt more helpless in my entire life. Not even when I was laying in that hospital bed being told I lost the use of my legs. Nothing compares to the agony of watching and waiting, knowing there’s nothing I can do.
The closer he comes, the more anxious I get.
I should have been in there. I should have been the one who saved her.
She has to be okay.
As they approach the fence-line, I notice her tan trench coat is streaked in something dark.
Blood.
She’s not okay…
My vision blurs and my head swims and I struggled to keep my shit together. Gabe moves through the opening the police cut in the fence and makes his way toward the car.
Her arms are wrapped around Gabe’s neck and her face is turned into him, obscuring my view and preventing me from seeing her like I need to. The officer who has been standing near the car steps away to make room, and Gabe steps into the open door next to me.
“Savage.”
I know he’s talking to me; I hear his words. But answering him is out of the question. My voice is caught in my throat.