“An alert has already been sent to Elliot. The cars all have GPS trackers. He’ll have a unit on the way already.” More gunfire, I couldn’t tell how much of it was aimed at us or in the distance. “Thomas and Joe are engaging the shooters. They can handle it, Lo. Don’t worry, okay?”
My phone rang before I could answer her. I began to cry when I saw Alfie’s name on the screen. I answered it, staying low.
“Alfie…”
“Lola, the police are on their way.”
His voice slid over me like sunlight, soothing me. “I know. I love you. I’m sorry I asked to leave Harrington.”
“It’s alright. Just stay alive. Just stay safe?—”
I screamed as the car rammed us again. My phone fell out of my hand and we began to slide down the embankment. We rolled and rolled again, flying around the car with no seatbelt to secure me. My head slammed against an unshattered window as we came to a stop.
I couldn’t breathe. Everything hurt. The car was on its side. I managed to shuffle into a sitting position. Blood trickled down my neck but I couldn’t think about that now. My phone. My Alfie. Maia.
Everything was spinning but I could make out voices. Male voices. Relief hit me.Thomas and Joe.But my mind started to clear and I realised it couldn’t be them. Thomas and Joe weren’t Irish. Rough hands reached through the window and grabbed my hair. I screamed as I was pulled out of the flipped car.
I could only struggle for a moment before a blow to my stomach knocked the wind out of me. I fell to the ground, gasping for air. Panic ripped through me as a bag was thrown over my head. I was kicked over onto my front and my arms wrenched behind me. It was quick, methodical. I pulled in a breath to scream but only a strangled cry came out. Shots were still firing on the road but down here it was quiet now.
Too quiet.
Where was Maia?
I kicked, connected with something soft and I heard a groan. If that was the only point I scored it was better than nothing. They began to drag me, I fought as hard as I could. Never in my life had I felt so small. So helpless.
I heard a strange pop, then a weight landed on me, crushing me.
More pops, lasting only seconds but it felt like a lifetime. The weight was suddenly pulled off of me and I gasped for air as the bag was removed. I blinked, trying to take in my surroundings. Our car was trashed. There was a dead man on either side of me. Above me was Maia. She pulled a knife out of nowhere and cut the zip tie binding my hands. Glass had shredded her face, blood smeared her white shirt, but she looked incredible.
“Police will be here in minutes. We just need to wait,” she said as tucked her knife away and picked up her gun.
“I feel cold.”
“You’re in shock. Deep breaths.” She pulled me up. You weren’t supposed to move after a car accident.
“You have a gun.” I’d never seen Maia with a gun before.
“Deep breaths, Lo.”
There was blood on both of us. So much blood.
Phone. I needed a phone.
Where were we? Address? What fucking road was this? I’d lived in this town my whole life, why didn’t I know the name of the fucking road?
I could hear sirens in the distance.
“Lola, I need you to move. There are a lot of them, we need to hide behind the car until help arrives.”
A lot of them. Thomas and Joe…
“My dad…” This was him. His fault.
“We need to?—”
More pops came from behind and she lunged in front of me, gun raised. The shooter went down and we were moving again.
“Let’s go.” Maia pulled me towards the car but it seemed so far away. She staggered and through my blurred vision I was able to see blood, more blood than I’d ever seen pouring out of her abdomen.
