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I’m in awe as he scopes the streets with speed, agility, and precise movements. His gun points in all lines of direction, remaining in sync with his line of vision. He’s definitely done this before; he’s a pro, a trained killer. It’s then I realize I almost made love to a cold, hardened criminal. I mean, I guess I knew it before, but seeing him actually doing it before my very eyes brings on a whole new reality.
He dips his drenched head back into the car, and instinctively, I shrink back from him. He uses his hands, signaling weird shit to me, like I’m privy to his special communications. I don’t want to go now. I don’t want to go anywhere but home. What I would give to be able to click my heels three times and wind up in the safety of my father’s arms right now.
Travis motions again, more aggressively this time, indicating it’s time for me to clear out. “Julianna, get out! It’s not safe. We’ve got to go!” he shouts through the whirring of the wind and rain. I guess it beats being in the car with a dead man. The thought sends a cold shiver down my spine. I feel as if I’m in a dream as I clamber my frazzled, sore body up off the floorboard of the vehicle. As soon as I get up, everything in this moment turns into slow motion. I hear the screech of tires, the crunch of metal and shattering glass, and before I feel the full impact of something slamming into my head, everything goes black.
~Travis~
When I hear a loud, thunderous crash and metal crunching against metal, I know we’ve been hit, and it grips my soul, ruthlessly twisting it in a knot. I glance up just in time to helplessly catch sight of Jules’ head being whiplashed back into the doorframe¸ while the driver’s side of my vehicle is being smashed to smithereens in the blink of an eye. Fear like I’ve never known rips my heart right out of my chest.
Thank God I was trained in combat situations, reacting quickly to sudden adversities, because this scenario is no different. I pay no attention to who the perpetrator is; I need to help Jules immediately, and every second counts in getting the both of us out of here. I climb into the back of the vehicle and quickly lift her lifeless body, which is sprawled out across the backseat, praying to God she doesn’t have a serious neck injury. If we stay here another second, she’s as good as dead anyway. I don’t have time to focus on the details of what just happened here, but there’s no way in hell this was an accident.
I cradle her in my arms, supporting her neck with my hand as I begin hauling ass, looking for cover. The rain is pelting so hard it stings my skin, and my vision is blurry at best. With the wind whipping around us, and the rain coming down in sheets, in an instant, my poor Jules is soaked to the bone.
There is no full-on sprinting, not without jarring Julianna’s head and neck, and since she’s knocked out cold, I don’t know the extent of her injuries, so I have to be extra careful.
I glance behind me and see no movement coming from the other vehicle. What a clusterfuck of a situation. If I didn’t see this catastrophe unfold before my very own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it.
I dart through the gates of an unlocked wrought iron fence and don’t stop moving. My breathing is rapid and heavy, my muscles growing more fatigued by the minute, but I will not give up. There are so many hidden pathways and secret places, and the way all of these houses downtown are interwoven; it’s easy as hell to disappear. I’m thankful I know these streets like the back of my hand. I know exactly where I am, and I just say a prayer no one has added a new fence to their yard in the past decade.
I squint, trying to make out images through the pouring rain. I’m quite confident we’re safe, but I could’ve also sworn I wasn’t followed to Charleston either. I squeeze Jules a little tighter against my chest and take a sharp turn, running parallel with Broad Street as I make my way through strangers’ backyards. Staying off the main streets and remaining inconspicuous is the name of the game.
Seems like I’ve been running for an hour straight, but I know it’s only been about five minutes. I stop beside a house and huddle with my back to the wall in an L-shaped corner of a porch to catch my breath. The foliage is heavy enough here to provide some concealment, so I decide to camouflage us underneath the low trees and thick bushes beside the porch. I believe this is the most opportune place to hide out and regroup.
