“Ready?” He claps, and I nod, following him out to the elevator. We go down alone, and I’m confused about where his backup will meet us. We continue through the lobby and out to street level, where the car and Lee are waiting.
After we both slide in, he takes off like one of my racing games, zooming through red lights and screeching tires. Surprisingly, he didn’t try to drift the car around the turns of highway bridges.
I’m holding tightly to my seat, but Vince is emotionless. His face looks as if he’s been put into charging mode, and honestly, it’s pretty threatening. I don’t know how long the drive is, but I know it’s long. The sky seems darker this evening than it has in a while, and I can’t find the moon in the sky. It’s eery and silent as we cross through this bumpy, long road out in some back road country part of California that I had no idea existed until now.
When we finally stop, I unbuckle my belt, but Vince throws his arm at me, grabbing my wrist.
“Just me.” He whispers, and I cock my head.
“No way, man! I’m going.” I say at talking volume, and he cups his hand over my mouth.
“Shush. For once in your life.” I nod, and he slowly lets go, making sure I don’t let out another sound. I try to breathe quieter than normal as he continues.
“Lee said Carlito left a note to come alone if I wanted to keep her alive. This is the location he asked me to meet him. If for any reason I need you guys, I’ll hit the speed dial, and as soon as Lee gets a ring from me, you can join.”
I nod, whispering, “And that's the worst-case scenario?”
“Yeah.” He breathes back, looking out the window for a moment before leaping out of the car and closing the door quietly. My nostrils fill with the scent of smoke, and I wonder what’s happening beyond the brick walls of this old abandoned building. It almost looks as if a fire had just happened, and now the smoke is blowing in the wind as the only memory of missing bricks turned to ash.
That was pretty poetic, Beys, but also not on topic. I shake my head to focus. I need to be ready. Ready for Jess, ready for possible violence, and ready to put my life on the line for these people I can now call my friends.
There are three distinct gunshots not soon after he’s gone, sporadically spread out. There is no call, just the faint sounds of blood-curdling screams.
“Are we gonna do something?” I ask Lee, who seems uneasy but shakes his head.
“We were given orders. We follow them.” He nods, but I know he doesn’t believe that shit. He wants to help. Why should I have to wait for him to figure it out, though? I growl and shift my jaw as the sirens grow louder. My eyes flicker between the door, then Lee— over and over— and I can tell he knows what I’m thinking.
“Don’t even think—“ before he can finish his sentence, I leap out the door and hit the gravel running, speeding straight for the tattered building faster than a bullet. (Probably the best euphemism given the current circumstance.)