Jackie deepened her crouch, balancing on her heels, and lifted her left arm up swinging the portfolio into the arc of the pipe, effectively deflecting it. But the blow caused her to lose balance and she fell to her knees, bare skin scraping the concrete. As she fell, she let her purse off her shoulder, jammed her hand inside, and pulled out her handgun. With one smooth motion, she aimed and fired at the man with the pipe, hitting him in the stomach.
He dropped the pipe and stepped back, looking down to check the wound. “Fuck!”
The man behind him stumbled down out of the van, paused to consider his options, then went to help his partner. He grabbed him by the arm and pulled him toward the van. “Come on, man, she doesn’t even have the girl. Let’s go.”
Jackie lowered her weapon and tried to get on her feet, tugging her heels off so she could fight if she needed to.
The injured man tore his arm away. “Fuck that. We’ve been following this bitch for days. Time to get this done.” Consumed with adrenaline, he stepped forward, picked up the pipe, raised it overhead, and lurched toward Jackie, who now crouched on bare feet. Having found her balance, she deftly raised the weapon and put two quick shots into his chest. He fell forward, the pipe coming down on her shoulder. In desperation, the fallen man grabbed her arms and clothes as she tried to get away.
The other man moved in, pulling a length of tape from the roll. The ripping sound sent Jackie into a full rage. She wrenched her gun hand free, swung her arm up, and fired two more shots. The first one hit tape man in the chest. Upward momentum carried the second shot higher, so it ripped through his throat. He dropped the tape, stumbled to the side, then fell to his knees as he wrapped his hands around his neck.
The pipe man had gained on her though and threw a wild punch that caught her on the side of her face. Her head snapped to the side and she fell, limp, semi-conscious, still clutching her weapon. The pipe man rocked back on his side, gurgling something inaudible, before Jackie blacked out completely.
𓂓
“Parking lots,” Michael said.
“Yeah, parking lots,” Jackie repeated.
Michael placed a hand on Jackie’s shoulder to reassure her. “What happened after you passed out?”
“I found out later that a security guard from inside the office building heard the shots, came running out, and found us all lying there.” She shuddered at the thought of herself lying on the sidewalk, unconscious. “He called 911 and stayed until they arrived.”
“And the two men?”
With a pained look, Jackie said it. “Both dead.” A single tear streamed down her cheek. “I never knew their identities. Didn’t want to.”
When she finished, Michael could only affirm her actions. “Whenever you think on that, try to imagine what their plans for you might have been. You did what you had to do.” He paused, then added, “If it makes you feel any better, that first time wasn’t easy for anyone I know either.”
Jackie steeled her expression, wiped her cheek dry, and turned away, nodding. “Yeah, okay.”
Sensing the need to move on, Michael turned to the duffels and continued going through them. “Let’s double-check the med pack. Then I want to lay out our weapons and go over the plan with everyone else,” Michael said. Jackie nodded again, then went over what she’d restocked.
𓂓
A few minutes later, Michael called out to the group, “I think we’re ready to roll. I’d like to go over the plan and then the weapons.” He waved everyone over. Sean stood and reached out a hand to Clay, who took it gratefully as he stood from the couch. Moving stiff in his first few steps, he made his way over with Martha following.
As they formed a semicircle around the worktable, Martha spoke out, “Does anyone want to talk about Clay, what’s happening to him, or how he cracked all the glass?”
“No,” everyone said in unison, followed by a few chuckles around the group. Martha picked up some movement on the fringe of her vision and noticed that Evan had appeared, displaying an exasperated look.
Clay stood silent while Michael broke the tension. “Deep topic. Maybe later? I’m not sure we have the time.”
Everyone nodded in agreement as they stared at Clay’s battered face. “Maybe you’ve had enough, Clay,” Michael said.
Clay focused his gaze, looking Michael in the eyes. “No self-respecting man would walk away now. If I can help, I will.” Clay paused for a moment. “If it’s like you said and the police won’t do anything... no offense...” Clay nodded to Michael.
Michael gave Clay a hard look as if warning him. “None taken,” he said with caution in his voice.
“Then it’s up to us,” Clay continued. “Besides, that last time Evan merged with me in the hospital parking lot, I was fully conscious of it. I felt the surge. It was...” Clay reflected on the connection with Evan. “It was empowering. Martha has been explaining to me how this works and there is a chance I can hold the connection a bit longer. Maybe help more this time.” Clay glanced to the floor. An embarrassed look came over his face.
“You were smart and did what you could,” Michael said.
Out of the side of her vision, Martha noticed Evan nodding approvingly, appearing to agree with Michael.
Jackie walked over to Clay, stood beside him, and put her arm around him for a brief side hug, rubbing his back gently. “Thank you,” she said softly.
He looked down and smiled at her, making brief eye contact before the lights in the workshop flickered angrily. Everyone looked up in surprise.
“Just so you know, Evan is here too,” Martha said. She glanced at Evan again and saw him glaring at Clay. Even though it seemed clear that he disapproved of Clay’s connection with Jackie, it looked as though the two men were slowly earning each other’s respect. Even in death, the dynamics between men appeared to be the same.
Suddenly uncomfortable, Jackie dropped her hand and took a small step sideways to create some space between her and Clay. She glanced up to Clay, then turned her attention to Michael.
Michael gave Jackie an approving nod, indicating that he considered the matter settled. Then he looked to Sean and Martha. Before he even got started, Sean spoke up, “Don’t even try it.”
Michael’s features softened a bit. “Sean, you’re the most important thing in the world to me. I can’t put you in harm’s way.”
Jackie joined in, “Sean, you’ve done enough already.”
Sean set his feet and crossed his arms. “I can help and stay out of the line of fire, just like the hospital parking lot. You need a driver. I’ll hang back and be ready when you come out.”
Michael nodded in agreement. Inside, his heart swelled with pride. If anything happened to Sean, he’d never forgive himself. But he was right. They needed his help. Michael’s gaze shifted to Martha. “We can call you a taxi.”
Martha considered it for a moment. “I can stay in the SUV with Sean, in the back and out of sight. Besides, with Evan here, I’m sure I can help Clay understand more about his newfound ability.”
“I’d appreciate that,” Clay said.
Michael nodded to Martha. “Okay.”
