Total pages in book: 147
Estimated words: 137176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Fortunately, the man wasn’t waiting for me, but having to clear the immediate area gave him an even wider lead on me. I managed to catch a glimpse of him as he bolted across the street. I knew the layout of the neighborhood around Jenna’s house because every agent working the case had to study different maps and memorize the layout of the neighborhood before starting the job. The reconnaissance paid off because I knew exactly where the guy was going to end up.
I approached the small alley between two houses. It was where the owners kept their garbage cans and there was no way out of it except one—back through the alley’s entrance.
Which I now had control over. I was standing between the guy and his only means of escape. He was trapped like a wild animal, desperate and determined to flee.
Since the alley had several garbage cans that the guy could use for cover, I had no choice but to move to one side of the alley and use the wall for my own cover. “Put down your weapon and kick it away. Come on, buddy, let me see those hands,” I urged.
I didn’t expect the guy to actually do it and would have been happy to hold him there until the police got to the scene, but the untimely arrival of a teenager with a garbage bag in his hand changed everything. With his eyes glued to his cell phone and earbuds playing music so loud even I could hear it, he was completely oblivious to what was happening. Unfortunately, he was on the opposite side of the alley’s entrance, so I had no way to grab him and pull him out of the line of fire.
Everything after that happened in slow motion. I yelled at the kid to drop to the ground. Despite the loud music, he somehow heard me and followed the order, but not before the gunman stood. He aimed his gun at the boy, forcing me to step in the alley so I could take my shot. I yelled loud enough to divert the man’s attention so that he’d aim the gun at me, which he did.
Unfortunately, my brain chose that moment to do what it had been doing to me for months.
It failed me.
A grainy image appeared in my head followed by a current of electricity that made it feel like someone was trying to hot-wire my brain. Cold, wet asphalt met my body as it crumpled to the ground. Darkness surrounded me as ice began to spread from my gut out to my limbs. I could see the stars glittering in the night sky and all I could think was I had to be dreaming because the sky was never clear in LA. I heard someone yelling my name but then it was silent. I tried to fight the darkness that was there to steal me away from the night sky, the stars, and the familiar voice that had called out to me, but it was no use.
I had to go wherever the darkness was taking me, so I closed my eyes and hoped that when I woke back up, all those things would still be there. The night sky, the stars, and most importantly, that voice.
CHAPTER 7
Cass
“JJ.”
I kept repeating his name over and over because JJ seemed to be locked within himself. His eyes were open and he was still standing in the same spot he’d been in, but he hadn’t spoken or moved.
JJ’s response, or lack thereof, along with the close call was scaring the ever-loving shit out of me.
“Get back in the house,” I yelled at the kid who was still crouched on the ground. “Call 911.”
The kid took off, leaving me alone with JJ and the body of the man I’d shot.
“JJ,” I said again as I carefully turned him toward me. “JJ, baby, can you hear me?” I ran my palm along his cheek. My adrenaline was flying sky high.
Just like the night I’d watched JJ fall to his knees and then onto his back on the hard asphalt of a quiet street, I knew what had just happened would be a memory that would also haunt me for the rest of my days.
When I’d pulled my vehicle to a stop across the street from the actress’s house only a few minutes earlier, I’d been prepared to sit on my ass all day as I shadowed JJ. Then I’d seen him and another man exit their car, guns drawn. I’d immediately gotten out of my car and sprinted to the house, but I’d lost precious seconds as I’d climbed over the fence that lined the front of the actress’s property. My boots had just hit the driveway when I’d heard the gunshot.
The discharging weapon had immediately thrust me into the past and fear for JJ had taken over. I’d reached the back of the house just in time to see him climbing to his feet from beneath the upper floor balcony and running toward the steep slope behind the property. It hadn’t mattered to me who he had been chasing. All that had mattered was getting to JJ so I could back him up. The dry, crumbling soil and long brush had threatened to steal my feet right out from under me as I’d run full speed down the hill.