“It’s just for a second,” I promise. “The wall’s too high for him to make it by himself. He’ll need your help.”
She swallows hard, glances again at the wall, then back at Jackson, and gives a sharp nod.
With the grace of a dancer, she places her bare foot on my hands, her hands on my shoulders, and as I straighten, hoisting her up, then above my head, she reaches for the top of the wall and pulls herself up.
Then she straddles the shingled top and turns back to watch us.
“Your turn, bud,” I say, looking at Jackson.
He peers up the length of the wall, his lips twisting anxiously. “It’s so high up.”
“I know, but you’ve got this. I’m going to lift you up. You just need to reach for the top of the wall and try to pull yourself up.Your mom will be there to help, and I’ll be right down here to spot you.” I’m not sure if he knows what that means, but I don’t really want to finish within case you falland put that in his head right now.
Jackson nods and takes a deep breath as if to steal himself.
Then I take him by the waist and lift him onto my shoulders.
Even if I stretch my arms to the farthest length, I wouldn’t be able to get him high enough on my own, and I pivot as I consider my options.
“Okay, bud, I need another favor from you. I want you to stand on my hands, and when I lift you, I need you to lean toward the wall. Use your hands for balance and try to keep your legs as straight as possible.”
“Okay,” Jackson says nervously, but he does as I say, straightening his knees when I take his feet and leaning forward when I slowly lift him off my shoulders.
He wobbles a few times on the way up, but as long as I keep my pace slow and steady, he’s actually quite athletic for a kid.
Absently, I note that he’s wearing shoes while Stephanie was not—though he only has one sock on.
And I wonder if the bastards who took them told him to put his shoes on but were too impatient to let him put on socks.
A low, throbbing fury settles in my chest, but I push it aside and lift my gaze as I fully extend my arms.
Jackson’s fingers come just shy of the wall’s top edge, and my stomach sinks.
Stephanie’s going to have to pull him the rest of the way up.
She scoots forward quickly, her legs bracing around the wall as she leans precariously down to get him. “I’ve got you, Jay,” she promises, scooping her arms beneath his armpits.
“Hey!”
The shout blasts through my body like a hand grenade, jolting my heart, and it takes every ounce of my self-restraint not to move before I’m sure Stephanie has a firm grip on Jackson.
She strains to pull him up, and my heart stutters in my chest at the sound of a gun cocking.
“Get the hell out of here!” I shout, giving Jackson’s feet one final boost. Then I turn, drawing my weapon as a shot cracks through the night.
36
STEPHANIE
I’m too focused on getting Jackson safely up and over the wall to see what’s happening down below.
But I can tell something’s wrong by the urgency in Gio’s voice.
Then the sound of a gunshot echoes through my body as if the bullet itself had struck me.
Jackson screams, and my heart stops as we lose our balance, tipping back over the wall.
I twist, reaching, and catch us just in time, the clay shingles biting into my fingers as I slam against the far side of the wall.
