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A scream tore from my throat as I summoned every ounce of energy to get my body moving again. With my feet under me, I finally started to feel my limbs again. I pushed my feet to move until I was running toward him, stumbling and tripping, but I was almost to him. The monster pulled a gun and I reached for my holster, only to remember that Jason took my weapon from me.
The monster aimed for Parker, threatening to end his life before he had a chance to live it. I dove, knowing I would only have this one chance to save him. His little body hit the pavement under my crushing weight, and he cried out, clinging to me as he screamed my name.
I wasn’t even sure any of it was real. I rolled off him, protecting him from the monster behind me as I looked into his eyes. “Parker?”
“Jack!” he cried out, clinging to my body.
He was real. He had to be. I couldn’t be imagining all this. Sharp pops filtered into my brain, but I didn’t understand what any of it meant until I heard the footsteps running over to us.
“Jack!” Then Johnny was there, rolling me away from Parker. He screamed, trying to hold onto me as I was pulled away from him. Why were they taking him from me? Did I have it wrong? Was it not really him?
“Parker,” I whispered, trying to get back to him. He screamed as Pete picked him up and carried him away, pushing the kid’s head into his shoulder.
“Stop fucking moving!” Johnny yelled at me.
“Parker,” I called again, reaching out for him.
“Hey!” Jason shouted, grabbing my face and holding it until I was staring at him. “Just hang on!”
“What?”
My head lolled to the side as soon as he released me, and that’s when I saw the monster’s lifeless eyes staring at me as blood seeped out from under his body.
He was dead.
30
PETE
“Grab his arms!”Johnny shouted, taking his feet.
Sirens wailed as police swarmed the area. As soon as we found the container, I called it in to the chief, who was on standby, waiting for us to clear the area. As soon as the kids came running out, police intervened, gathering up all the kids. I should be helping them right now, but Jack was lying on the ground with a gunshot wound. He would die if I didn’t help.
I hurried to his head, lifting from his armpits. Jason kept pressure applied to his side as we hauled him up and moved as quickly as we could to the car. “We need to call an ambulance,” I said, trying to take control of the situation.
“If we call an ambulance, he’ll be dead within the hour,” Johnny spat. “These guys don’t fuck around, and Rico won’t leave anyone alive that can testify against him.”
I knew what he was saying was true, but he was going to die if we didn’t get him help soon. Rafe flung open the door to the backseat and I crawled inside, dragging Jack across the seat. Blood smeared over the fabric, leaving a stain that would be impossible to get out. They’d have to get rid of the car.
Jason crawled in, putting pressure on the wound again. He lookedup at me, “Take Parker and go with Rafe. We’ll meet up with you at a safe house.”
“But—”
“Just fucking do it!” he snapped.
There was no time to argue. I shut the door and ran to Parker’s side, hoping he wasn’t too traumatized to remember me. Kneeling down, I waited for him to look at me.
“Hey, Parker. Remember me?”
He nodded. “I want my mama.”
“I know, and I’m gonna take you to her.”
I held out my hand, waiting for him to take it. I wanted to scoop him up in my arms and hold him tight to me, but he didn’t know me well enough for that. I led him over to Rafe’s vehicle, not quite sure that he was the right guy to go with, but he was my only ride and we had to get the hell out of here.
“Get in. The safe house isn’t that far away.”
As he turned, I grabbed his arm and forced him to look at me. “No funny shit. We have a kid with us, and he’s our responsibility.”
