Everyone here has people they love, family, friends. Just because they’re not part of my pack doesn’t mean that they should put their lives in danger for us. They have their jobs, their tasks, and taking on extra risks isn’t part of it. They’re not cannon fodder, they’re people.
And it’s not like anyone’s going to argue with Caleb when he says he’s going to do something...
When he tells them to protect Luca and me while he’s going to check things out, they listen, they don’t argue.
I hold my breath as I watch my mates slowly make their way over to the next alley, weapons ready.
Fuck.
I hate this.
I hate this so much.
Vera sneaks ahead of the other two, her frame small enough that she can squeeze between the walls and some trash cans. And then she’s gone from my view.
Fuck.
Watching on in silence, only able to look, not knowing what’s going on. It’s hard. It’s so fucking hard, and every step they take away from us makes my heart squeeze tighter.
Three more gunshots ring out, and Caleb and Miles race into the alley. I hear and watch them shoot at someone, at people, and my heart feels like it’s going to break out of my chest.
I can’t do this. I can’t. But I also can’t look away.
“Jorge.” Derrick is next to me, his voice calm, though he’s got his eyes on the alley that Vera, Caleb and Miles disappeared into. Then people from the team Derrick was with earlier pass us by, as quiet as the night, following the three. “Let’s go.”
“I can’t.” My eyes go back to the alley. My body won’t move.
I need to see that my mates are okay.
I need to see them.
I can’t leave until I’ve seen them.
Then Derrick pushes me to the ground, his hand heavy on my back as he curses. I hit the ground hard, trying to make sure Luca doesn’t get hurt, but it feels like every muscle in my body screams out at the sudden movement and even more sudden stop.
The next moment, the two people who were standing next to us are shot. Blood splatters in my face as I watch one of them fall down, a large gash in their shoulder and another one in their leg.
“Get up!” Derrick’s voice is insistent and even though I feel like I have no energy left to do anything, my body moves at his words.
He positions himself at my back, his back against mine, becoming my human shield. I feel the recoil as he shoots at someone behind us. “Get up. Get moving!”
I nod and as I scramble back up, it seems that Luca has also started to move again. He’s still holding onto me tightly, but he’s walking, stumbling in the same direction as I am. Down an alley I have no idea where it leads, away from Vera and Caleb, away from our mates. And also not in the direction that Timothy’s van is, so also not in the direction of Mathew and Riley.
Fucking hell.
“Here. We can hide here.” Luca suddenly stops and points at a shape in the darkness.
Derrick shoots open the lock and we pour inside what appears to be the storage of some store. I can’t see what’s on the shelves, but it’s cool and quiet.
We might not be exactly safe, the people from the Hearts won’t stop trying to kill us just because we’re in here, but at least we’re no longer out in the open.
What the fuck happened?
What the fuck went wrong?
Where did those people come from?
And why didn’t anyone know they were there?
