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I clutch the phone tighter. “Taj?” I say.
All around me, the others sigh in relief.
“Petal? Fuck I never thought I would hear your voice again. I’m in trouble,” he tells me.
He launches into the story of how he got caught talking to us a week ago. They tortured him and would have killed him today but he managed to escape.
“Where are you?” I ask. Alan is already tracking the location of the phone call.
“I’m in New Orleans,” he answers. Then he groans like he’s in pain.
Of course.
“He’s in New Orleans,” I tell Roman. They all don’t waste a second before launching into action.
“The festival was Mardi Gras,” Brock says.
I can’t believe I was stupid enough not to remember that Mardi Gras happens in March.
“Taj I’m so sorry. Are you oaky? Are you in pain?”
He coughs and then begins talking but I can tell he’s exerting a lot of effort. He’s not okay.
“I might have gotten shot,” he says.
My heart stops for a second.
“We’re on our way. Just stay there, okay?”
“No, Petal. Don’t come,” he starts to say.
“I love you,” I tell him. He must be joking if he thinks I’m not coming for him.
Then I turn to the rest of the guys. Roman informs us that the private jet is ready.
I tell Taj we’ll be there in two hours. I suggest going to the hospital but he can’t. The robbers are looking for him and hospitals are the first place they would look. He says he’ll wait for us. With tears in my eyes, I hang up promising to be there for him.
*******
Upon getting to New Orleans, it’s easy to find Taj. He stayed near the payphone he used just like we asked. He’s in a really bad shape, pale and bloody. There are bruises on his face and his lip is cut but despite all that, he’s okay. He’s alive and we’re together.
I kneel next to him in the abandoned restaurant he found. I’m crying as I place a soft kiss on his lips.
“Hey, Petal,” he says looking relieved to see me. To see all of us.
The guys look at him worriedly. He’s bleeding on one side. I check the wound and it doesn’t seem like the bullet pierced anything important. I help him put pressure on the wound while he tries to talk.
“It’s okay, you don’t need to talk,” I say soothingly.
“No,” Taj says sitting up even though he must be in a world of pain.
“The robbers, they’re leaving the bunker. If we don’t go now, we’ll never find them again.”
Roman nods like he understands.
“You need to get to a hospital, Taj. We’ll take care of the robbers. Alan, stay with Petal and Taj. Get him to a hospital.”
Alan nods. Taj gives the rest of the guys the directions to the bunker and they leave. I’m sure they’ll be fine against a dozen men. They’re heavily trained. I hope they make those robbers suffer.
