24. Chapter 24
Chapter 24
Zach
T he station is abuzz when I get in for my afternoon shift.
“What’s going on?” I step next to Steve as he looks at the TV.
“Apparently, there’s a gunman on Pineville City campus. Something about taking a professor hostage.”
All the blood pools in my feet. Eli works there. And I know he’s picked up a summer course. But…it’s not likely he’s there today. Right?
“Are they calling in reinforcements?” Every so often, if Pineville City has something major going on, they’ll call out to us for added support. It’s rare, but we always respond if needed.
“Not sure. This is just developing. I don’t even know how the news is there so fast, because we just heard about it a few minutes ago.”
My eyes train on the set in the common room when I see the building they’re standing near. A lump lodges in my throat. It’s the mathematics building. Eli’s building.
Grabbing the remote from Steve’s hand, I turn the volume up. “And from what we’ve gathered, the young woman has an economics professor in the quad just on the other side of this building.”
My feet are moving before I’ve even had time to think about what I’m doing.
“Zach? Where are you going?”
“It’s Eli. He’s the econ professor. I have to go. I’m going.” I’m out the door and in my squad car, lights flashing before anybody can stop me.
As I speed down the road toward Pineville City, I call Mazie.
“Hey, sweetie. I wasn’t planning to hear from you until tonight. It’s been a pretty good day at the bake—”
“M. Listen to me.”
“Okay.” There’s a waver in her voice as she realizes this isn’t a social call.
“You need to be calm. I need you to be calm. You need to stay where you are. Do you understand me?”
“Zach. You’re scaring me.”
With a heavy sigh, I don’t hold back. “There’s a gunman on PC campus. I have a feeling they’re targeting Eli.”
There’s a sharp intake of air and a whimper cuts down the line.
“But, Mazie, listen. I’m on my way. I’m going. I’ll protect him. I promise you.”
“What if…what if it’s already too late?”
“From what I was able to gather from the news and rumblings at the station, they seem to be at a standstill. This person…I don’t know. They’re not a mass shooter, so this isn’t a random occurrence. There’s a reason they went for Eli. They have an issue with him specifically and probably want something from him. And hopefully, I’m wrong.” Though deep in my gut, I know I’m not. Some instinct is telling me that he’s in trouble.
“I don’t want you there either, Zach. It doesn’t seem safe.”
“There’s no other option, Mazie. You know I’m not going to leave it to somebody else or to chance.”
“I know,” she whispers.
“Tell your sisters, stay at the café . I’m serious. Don’t try to be there. I don’t want to have to worry about you too. Promise me.”
“I promise.” Though I can’t see her, I know the tears are free flowing. She’s scared. For the two most important men in her life.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.” She hiccups the last word and the hysterics start. All I want to do is wrap my arms around her.
Without a goodbye, I click the line dead. If something happens to me, I want the last words she heard from me to be me telling her that I love her.
By the time I pull up to campus, it’s blocked off. I park the squad car amongst the rest and head over to the central command. It’s easy to find when you know what you’re looking for.
“We know they’re in the quad that’s in between the wings of the building. But that’s the only information we have to go on. Not easy to get to without being seen and we don’t want to spook anybody.”
My brows bunch together. “So what’s your plan?”
“Who are you?”
“From Juniper Grove.”
“We didn’t call in reinforcements yet. You’re free to go. We’ve got this.”
“All due respect, I’m almost positive the man being held at gunpoint is a friend of mine. So I’m not leaving. You’re welcome to bring up disciplinary action with my chief.” I stand my ground, shoulders back, thumbs through the front harness of my vest.
“You got some balls on you, Juniper Grove. Go stand over there and wait for command.”
I salute him and walk off. But I don’t do as he says. Instead, I snag my bullet-proof vest and head down the road a bit, slipping under the police tape and dashing toward the first building.
One thing about your best friend working at the college is you get an inside scoop and private tours. Yes, the quad they’re in can be hard to get to. But not when you know there’s a secret entrance in the northwest corner.
According to Eli, it’s mostly used by stoners because it’s a bit more private than the other entrances and exits, with a short hallway and overhang that hides it from view. It’s also somewhere he says kids go to hook up, though the way he’s been acting lately, I wouldn’t doubt that he knows that from personal experience.
The door is old school, fireproof metal, and I cringe as it creaks when I open it, hoping the sound didn’t echo down the hallway.
As I walk toward the light, I’m able to take in the scene while remaining in the dark.
A slight woman with vibrant red hair is shakily holding a gun and pointing it at Eli as tears run down her face. He’s standing across from her, hands up in peace. And clearly scared shitless.
While I want to take a moment to digest this, to realize it’s my best friend in trouble, it’s better that I don’t go there. It’s better that I keep my professional face on, and let the adrenaline keep me moving.
As I sidestep through the shadows to get into a good position to move in front of Eli, I can hear the woman talking quietly. Not as much as what I’d expect from a situation like this.
“You ruined my life.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
“I was happily married. And then you came along.”
“I…I didn’t mean to…I don’t know what to say.”
“My husband is divorcing me and taking me for everything I have. I’ll be ruined . Because of you,” she snarls and spits in his direction.
What little composure she had is deteriorating. I have to move fast.
Quickly moving out of the shadows, I go to stand in front of Eli, my hands raised. I don’t want to hurt this woman, and I’m hoping we can solve this without firing any weapons.
“Hi there. I’m Officer Benning. I see we have a little issue going on here.”
“What are you doing?” Eli hisses at me.
“Shut the fuck up and stay behind me.”
“Mazie—”
“Needs her brother. Now shut up.”
The woman’s eyes are narrowed as she takes in the brief exchange, but she hasn’t lowered her weapon.
“Hi. I’m Zach. What’s your name?”
Her head turns to the side as she looks me over skeptically. “Nadine.”
“Nadine, care to tell me what’s going on here? Maybe I can help.”
“That asshole ruined my life. So I came to end his.” She juts the gun in our direction.
“I’m sorry to hear that. You know I’ve known him my whole life? He can be a bit of a doofus. Doesn’t always make good decisions.” Negotiations aren’t something often needed in Juniper Grove, but it’s something I aced at the academy.
Though I can’t feel it thanks to the adrenaline of the moment, I know my heart’s pounding away. My vest only protects so much of me if she presses her finger on the trigger.
Thoughts of Mazie run through my mind. What would she do if I died? But they’re quickly chased away with how utterly broken she’d be if it were Eli instead. She’s lost enough family to meaningless crime.
My mom will be in town tomorrow anyway. I’d hate for it to be to plan my funeral.
This is what I signed up for. I always knew there was a chance something would come to this, that my life might end on the job.
Angrily, she swipes at the tears that are streaming down her cheeks. She seems stably unstable. She's not quite on level ground or she wouldn’t be here, but she’s not about to lose composure.
“He has three younger sisters, you know. And a baby niece who adores him.” I’m trying to appeal to her empathetic side, the part that showed up and didn’t just find him and shoot. The part that will hopefully get us out of this mess unharmed.
But when she straightens her spine and tips her chin up, I know I’ve read her wrong. “You think I care? There are people in my family suffering from this situation. His should suffer too.”
She’s not waiting because she’s not sure she wants to do this. She’s torturing him a little, playing with his emotions and letting him realize his life could end, that she’s in control and he fucked up.
There is no negotiating with her. She’s here for revenge. While it seems extreme, you never know how somebody’s going to react when their world falls apart. And so rarely do they turn the hatred inward, even if that’s where it belongs.
As my mind races for a way to get at least Eli out of this safely, a barely visible red dot lands on the woman’s chest. Clearly a SWAT team was called in. And I’m sure the commander in charge of the situation was none too happy to find me not only gone but standing here in the middle of the situation. It’s a slap on the wrist I’ll take when this is over.
The dot is not something we’d typically have in the sunlight, and sometimes not even when there’s an unstable assailant. But part of me feels like it’s meant for me. So that I know they’re here for support.
“Nadine, you know I can’t let you hurt my buddy here. And I don’t want to have to arrest you. Or worse. If you put the gun down and walk away from it, I’ll let you get a solid punch in.”
“Hey!”
“Shut. Up.” I grit the words through my teeth. Does he not understand the severity of the situation we’re in? Maybe he thinks she won’t really do it, that this is just an overreaction. But he should know that sometimes people don’t think through their actions when faced with a life-altering situation.
“A punch? You think a punch is enough punishment for him?” Though I still have no idea what actually happened, I can wager a guess. They slept together, which her husband then found out about.
“It beats the alternative. Because if you pull that trigger, and shoot my friend, I have to pull my weapon on you. Even if you refuse to put it down, I’m going to have to unarm you, and you’ll go to jail.”
Her eyes widen for a moment as she considers the consequences, something she probably didn’t do beforehand.
But it disappears as an evil grin pulls up her lips. “It’d be worth it.”
That’s when I realize that the only way for this to end is for this bitch to go down. Eli can be a jackass; I’ve seen it with my own eyes. But he’s also one of the purest people I know. And while he seems to be going through something lately, that doesn’t change the type of person he is.
And nobody deserves to die for something such as this.
Now’s the time to take action, but the first step is getting Eli out of here. Crossing my right foot over my left, I tilt my chin to my shoulder. “Left.”
While I hope he gets my message, Eli’s a smart guy. So when I shift slightly to the right, I’m relieved that he follows step. It’s going to be slow going to get him to the same exit I came in through. But it’s the closest one, and I hope that the darkness will make it harder for us to be seen. If we make it that far.
To avoid risking saying more, I take another slight step. Eli doesn’t miss a beat.
Unfortunately, we don’t get far before Nadine realizes. “What are you doing? Where do you think you’re going?” She takes three steps closer as she shouts, gun raised.
I take a step back, hoping Eli takes at least two, and hold my hands up. “Nothing’s going on here.”
“You’re moving him closer to the exit! I didn’t say he could go anywhere!”
She’s losing composure.
“Tell Mazie I love her.”
I can feel him stiffen behind me. “Tell her yourself.”
But I barely hear him as I take a calculated step forward and slightly to the right.
“Don’t. Stop.”
“You know I can’t do that, Nadine. But you can end this. You can put the gun down and slide it toward me and we can all walk away from this.”
She tips her head toward the sky and screams.
I seize my moment and lunge for her.
But she’s quicker than I am.
A bang rings through my ears as fire rips through my shoulder and I fall to the ground. There’s a muffled shout and another shot.
The pain is so debilitating that I can barely breathe, let alone get up, which is all I want to do to see if Eli’s okay.
Though my eyesight is blotchy, he comes into view over me, and I scream in agony as he presses his hands to my shoulder.
He’s okay. I did it. He’s okay.