Chapter Twenty Six
Carter
I was showing bodies away from me, not looking if I hurt someone in the process. My only focus was to get to Harley. To find her, and to take her to safety.
I jumped up on the stage, counting the people there.
Finn was missing too.
“Carter,” Trevor’s hand landed on my shoulder and I whipped around, my hand going up on instinct. I almost decked him “Calm, brother,” he muttered, grasping my hand and pulling it down.
“Fuck calm,” I said.
Taking a step, I once again looked around.
The left wing was empty of people but full of crates, and equipment.
In the right wing, Tim was sitting on a box, his hands to his head that was between his spread knees. There was no sign of Reid.
“Lock the place down,” I barked. “No one leaves until we find her.”
“Already on it,” Trevor muttered looking down at his phone.
I turned left and started for the wing.
“Where’re you going’”
I glanced at Trevor over my shoulder,” After them. I need to find her, now.”
I could feel Trevor following me. Soon he held the phone over my shoulder so I could see the screen.
“They’re huddled in the bathroom, on the other side of the building.”
I could see the same damned thing that Reid said in his text.
“Tell him not to go in, we have no clue what’s the situation there.”
We were across the building and nearing the bathroom in just a handful of moments.
With each step, my breathing became more shallow, sweat tickled down my back, and voices felt like they were coming from miles away.
Fear gripped me, trying to suffocate me.
“Breathe, we’ll get her out,” Trevor murmured as he crossed the door and pushed his back against the wall on its other side.
I took a breath, counted to four, then released it. I had to slow it down, otherwise panic would surge inside me, and I could end up doing something that would hurt Harley.
As we took positions, with Reid emerging from the shadows, we heard yelling from the inside.
“Finn took Harley in, Cassie waited for them here,” Reid muttered, not looking at any of us.
“Do you see anyone else getting in?” I questioned.
Reid shook his head in the negative just as a blur of motion barreled through the wall of man surrounding us, and before either of us could stop him, Jude rushed into the bathroom.
Seconds later a gun went off. Everything in me stilled, my knees buckling down when another one was heard.
Not even taking a second to think of what I was going into, I walked through, my gun at the ready.
Fury and pain swirled inside me, making my vision blurry.
There, on the white tiles of a filthy bathroom, a pool of blood was gathering from underneath Finn's body.
Cassie was standing, looking down at Jude that had his hand clamped around his shoulder. Blood was seeping from between his fingers.
And Harley was huddled in a corner, her eyes unfocused, tears dripping down her face.
“You can’t hurt her,” Just screamed, and then got up to his feet.
“You can’t save her,” Cassie taunted him. She was either so far gone she didn’t even notice us coming in, or she perceived Jude as a bigger threat.
I motioned Reid and Trevor to get to Cassie and contain her, as I slowly crept over to Harley.
Just then, Cassie swung her gun at me.
“Not one step closer, lover boy,” she said with a calm voice.
I froze but looked at Harley.
As she saw me, her face crumpled.
She slowly got up to her feet, her whole body quacking.
Cassie moved like a flash, gripping her hair, she shoved Harley in front of her body. “You’re gonna let us walk right out.”
“You know there’s no way in hell I’m gonna do that,” I said looking around, trying to figure out a way out of this situation.
Cassie smirked, “Yes, you are. You as well as me know damn well, you have no other choice.”
“If I do that, you’re just going to hurt Harley, and I can’t let you do that.”
“I won’t hurt Harley,” she said softly. “I’m going to kill her. I have to. That’s the only way that he’ll love me.”
“Warden,” Harley called them.
As my eyes came to hers, a wall of sorrow hit me, “I love you.”
Her words spoke of finality. Of end before we even had a beginning.
“I love you too, Dynamo. But this is not the end.”
Cassie shook Harley by her hair like she was a ragdoll, making her face confront in pain, “see, even she knows there’s only one way out of this.”
“Trevor,” I said, not looking away from Harley.
Her eyes widened then, “She’s my sister, Warden.”
Her voice was full of pleas. Harley was scared that we would hurt her sister. A sister she didn’t even know about until just now. A sister that wanted to kill her.
Just then, Jude screamed, leaned down, and charged towards Cassie and harley, “You can’t hurt her. I need her.”
Reid reached out and grabbed him by the collar, hauling him into one of the stalls.
Trevor shifted and took aim.
Harley’s lip quivered, and she mouthed, “I love you.”
Cassie turned her head, a laugh just starting to burst out of her, her focus on Jude’s failed attempt at getting to her.
The third shot rang through the bathroom, and Cassie's fist slipped from Harley.
I rushed over and took her into my arms before her body even had a chance to sway in the opposite direction.
“You shot me,” Cassie screamed. “You fucking shot me.”
“Calm down, bitch,” Trevor muttered as he turned her to her belly, and zip tied her wrists. “It’s just a flesh wound. The docs will stitch your leg right up before you head over to prison.”
“Carter,” Harley pushed her face into my chest.
My heart felt like it was trying to beat right through my sternum to get to the woman that owned it.
“It’s okay,” I kissed the top of her head. “It’s all over now.”
“Someone call 9-1-1,” Reid yelled then. He was standing in the stall, holding an unconscious Jude in his arms.
His eyes came to mine, “She shot him in his shoulder, probably nicked the vein or an artery.” Jude’s eyes were closed, her face turned white. “He’s barely breathing, and his pulse is getting weak. We need to get him to the hospital now.”
Harley looked up then. Her eyes went to the stall.
“No,” she whimpered and took a step to go to Jude.
“Don’t,” I said, and pulled her back into my body. “You can’t help him. Not now.”