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“Celt?”
“Jesse, it’s okay to come out,” Celt called again.
“Is the boy there?” Lio asked, jogging over.
“Someone is,” Celt answered, a hand covering his eyes as he stared into the treeline.
“Jesse!” Chance hollered, cupping his hands. The bushes rustled, and something came crashing through them. Celt didn’t have time to see what it was before a teenage body rammed into him and wrapped himself tightly around him. Fuck, it was his boy!
Celt reacted, wrapping his arms around Jesse, and grabbed him tightly. Jesse was shaking and crying, and they gave him space. Long minutes ticked past as the boy tried to come to terms with the fact he was safe. For all his smart mouth, everyone realised Jesse was still a kid.
“Okay, buddy?” Celt asked gently when Jesse pulled back and wiped tears and snot from his face.
“No, not until we get those fuckers,” Jesse choked out.
“Tell us what happened, Jesse,” Lio said.
“Mom and I were arguing about lunch. As we drove around that corner, the car shuddered, and one guard turned around. The driver tried to control the car and rolled it to a stop there. Security told Mom and me to get down and drew their guns, but a bullet came straight through the window and shot the driver. Mom screamed and told me to run, but I wouldn’t.
The other guy started shooting, but we couldn’t see what he was firing at. Mom pulled me close and said that when there was a break in the gunfire, to dash into the trees. I said I couldn’t leave her, and Mom answered she couldn’t exactly run. Mom told me that if they had me, she’d do whatever they asked just to save me. Mom stated she could attack them if they didn’t have me, and if I wanted her to fight, I needed to go.
I was arguing with Mom when the second guy was shot. I saw a figure approaching and jumped out and rushed into the trees. They followed me cursing, but I kept running and ducked behind a bush. I didn’t go too far in because I knew I’d get lost. All I had to do was stay quiet and wait them out. It was that Higgins. I caught a glimpse of him, and he had a gun he was holding out. I heard a car start, and then Higgins cursed and went back to the road. Higgins was yelling at someone, but I couldn’t see who.”
“Jesse, you did good, son,” Lio said calmly, nodding approval.
“I stayed hidden until I heard the sirens, and then I crept out of the bushes. But because I didn’t recognise anyone, I remained hidden. It could have been a trap. Then I saw you, and I delayed because I didn’t want to admit I was a coward who left Mom.” Jesse’s voice broke.
“No, no!” Celt said fiercely, grabbing Jesse by the shoulders. “If Higgins had taken you, your mother would do whatever she needed to ensure you lived. They would have hurt you to force her into shit. By you running, you gave Chey a chance to fight, and you’ve identified one of those who shot those guards. We might have suspected Higgins, but we had no evidence. You’ve given us that proof. Lio can now put an APB out because we got you, a witness, son.”
“Leavin’ your mom was one of the hardest things you ever had to do, Jesse, especially knowing Chey couldn’t run herself. That makes you a hero because you hid and survived, even when a man with a gun came after you. That takes courage, and it’s braver because instead of bolting blindly to safety when you saw cops, you made sure they were genuine,” Chance explained. Jesse stared at Chance as self-loathing crossed his face.
“I still left Mom to Higgins,” Jesse hissed.
“And if you hadn’t, they’d be forcing Chey into shit, son. Jesse, you must understand that. If Higgins told her to get naked and suck his cock in front of you, she would. To save your life, do you get what she’d have done to protect you?” Chance replied firmly as Jesse paled.
“We gotta find Mom,” Jesse responded, and Chance frowned.
“Ah kid, you don’t know. They left Chey here. Chey’s on her way to the hospital,” Lio said, and Jesse’s shoulders dropped.
“They didn’t get Mom?”
“No, thought you knew that. Your Mom was unconscious when we found her, and we’ve sent her to the emergency room,” Lio explained. Jesse frowned.
“Why was Mom unconscious? She was fine when I ran.”
“Did Chey take a knock?” Lio asked, confused.
“No, the car rolled to a stop. Mom was covered in blood, but that was….” Jesse motioned at the vehicle without looking at the two dead guards.
“Strange. Why the hell would Chey be unresponsive?” Celt demanded as Lio’s mouth pursed. Lio yanked his radio from his belt and moved away, barking into it.
“This ain’t good,” Celt muttered. Lio’s body stiffened, and he yelled for Gold, who jogged over. Lio spat a few words, and Gold got on his phone. Hellfire and Jesse watched as the two men swapped glances and Gold rubbed his forehead. Lio walked back over to them, looking tired.
“We got a problem. Chey never reached the hospital. Gold is chasing the other local medical centres to see if she’s been diverted there.”
“What does that mean?” Jesse asked, concerned.
“We don’t know, son,” Lio said as crime scene investigations arrived. They stood to one side as they waited for Gold to return.
