Ex-Con Times Two

by Jay S. Wilder

  Someone’s come looking for me.

  I can’t sit in here while they get shot by my captors.

  I violently rub my wrists together and go to stand, but my weight is shackled to the chair. It pulls me back down. The chair’s legs hit the floor and my head rattles.

  The door opens and I recoil.

  “Katelynn.”

  A familiar pair of eyes latches onto mine.

  “Hunter?”

  I can hardly believe it’s him. He rushes into the room and drops behind me. His fingers fly at the ropes around my wrists and torso.

  More shouting, this time more distant, sounds.

  “How did you find me?” I ask.

  “Right now, let’s just focus on getting out of here.”

  The ropes around my wrists give. I pull my sore shoulders forward and rub at the spots where they cut into my skin.

  Hunter undoes the rest of the ropes. He takes my hand and pulls me to the door. At the edge, he stops and peeks around. Fear tingles underneath each inch of my skin and I grip his hand tight. I’m not letting go of it, no matter what happens.

  “Let’s go.” He pulls me around the doorway. Pressing ourselves against the wall, we crouch low and run. The warehouse is one big open space with several smaller rooms along the back.

  I glance over my shoulder, at the open area. The place is empty, the door leading outside half open.

  Hunter takes me into the room in the back corner, where a long, short window has been broken.

  “Watch the glass,” he says as he takes me by my waist and lifts me up. I reach through the opening and clutch at the grass on the other side. The dry blades against my hand are freedom. They’re the thing I really thought I might never have again.

  I dig my hands into the dirt and pull myself through the window while Hunter pushes. Landing on my knees and hands, I scramble out of the way. Hunter pulls himself out and kicks his legs out, landing on his feet.

  I’m out.

  Hunter takes my hand in his again just as the sound of sirens pierce through the air.

  35

  Hunter

  I press my back against the wall and forge a path between it and the bushes surrounding the warehouse. Katelynn pushes against my shoulder and grips my hand tight.

  “Where’s Jake?” she fearfully asks.

  I pause at the corner of the building and drop to the ground. “In the building over yonder.”

  From our spot, we can see the parking lot between the two warehouses. The black SUV and a white Camry are parked close by. The SUV wasn’t here at the time Jake and I arrived.

  I squint my eyes and look for my friend in the windows of the second warehouse. There’s no sign of him, which is good. He’s doing his job of keeping out of the way while creating a distraction.

  Gunshots erupt close by. I push Katelynn down into the dirt.

  “Keep low,” I say into her ear.

  The SUV revs and shoots across the parking lot. The sirens fill the air, loud enough it’s hard to think.

  Tires screech and four police cars pull into the cracked parking lot. They surround the SUV, which grinds to a halt. Police officers jump out of the cars and point their guns at the SUV.

  Gunshots patter like rain. I press my chest into the dirt and gaze through the bushes. To the right, away from the police and SUV, something blue flashes.

  Jake.

  He’s headed towards me and Katelynn. He ducks behind an old rain barrel.

  I switch my gaze to the police. The SUV door has flung open. A man shoots his gun over the top of it.

  “Jake!” Katelynn cries. Her fingers claw at my arm.

  “I know.” I whip my gaze back around towards Jake just in time to see him clutch at his shoulder and fall to the ground. All the air sucks out of my lungs.

  Jake kicks his heels into the dirt and pushes himself behind a scraggly tree. But it’s nothing more than a sapling. He’s still out in the open.

  A gurgled cry comes from the other side of the lot. One of Bennie’s men falls. His back slams into the asphalt and his gun flies from his hand.

  The rest of Bennie’s men drop their guns and raise their hands in surrender. A shorter man, who has to be Bennie, slowly climbs from the back of the SUV and raises his arms above his head.

  The police rush in on the group, yelling at them to get down on the ground.

  Jake stays where he is, his face turned away from me and Katelynn. We can only see part of him, but it’s obvious he’s not moving.

  A choked sob leaves Katelynn.

  “Get up slow,” I tell her. “With your hands up.”

  We ease our way up and step out from the brush. I watch Jake out of the corner of my eye. He still doesn’t move.

  A cop notices me and Katelynn. Three seconds later and we’re rushed.

  “She was kidnapped,” I loudly say above the shouting.

  “Our friend is hurt!” Katelynn yells. “He’s over there!”

  They pat us down and make us walk to a cop car with our hands still up. We’re put into the back and shut in. Yards away, Bennie Whispers and his men sit in the backs of their own police cars. At least they’re handcuffed while Katelynn and I aren’t.

  “Don’t they believe us?” Katelynn asks.

  “They’re being careful. They don’t know who we are.”

  “Jake,” she mournfully says but doesn’t go on.

  I guess she can’t. There’s no telling what state he’s in.

  An ambulance arrives and they put Jake on a stretcher. Because of the cop cars and bodies, our vision is blocked. Katelynn and I don’t know what the hell is going on.

  A cop opens Katelynn’s door. “Katelynn Rafferty?”

  She sits up straighter. “Yes, Sir.”

  “Your parents reported you as kidnapped.”

  “I was.” Her voice shakes and her chin quivers. “Our friend… Is he going to be all right?”

  “We don’t know just yet. He’s on his way to the hospital. The paramedics will take care of him. Right now, we need to get you to the station to take your statements.”

  Katelynn falls back against the seat. The cop gets behind the wheel and drives away from the scene.

  “He could be dead,” Katelynn moans.

  I tighten my fingers around hers and hold on tight. It’s the only thing I can do.

  36

  Katelynn

  The police take us to a room in the station and sit us in plastic seats in front of a desk. An officer I haven’t seen yet comes in with a folder and sits down in front of us. We give him our names and answer a few questions to confirm our identity. I don’t know where my purse is. The last I saw it, it sat in my car while Bennie’s men carted me away.

  “Is Jake all right?” I ask the man who’s introduced himself as Officer Simmons.

  “I don’t know about your friend. I’m sorry.”

  It’s like the weight of the world is pulling me down. I grip Hunter’s hand hard as I can, but it doesn’t make me feel any better.

  “He and Hunter came to save me,” I explain. “Hunter pulled me out through a window.”

  Officer Simmons peers at Hunter. “We’ll need to get your statements separately. Miss Rafferty, if you’ll follow me this way, please.”

  He leads me to a room and leaves me with another officer. This time I give the whole story, holding nothing back. I tell everything I know about Bennie Whispers and Brad’s and Will’s involvement with him.

  I end my story at Hunter rescuing me and the police showing up.

  “What about Brad?” I ask. “Do you know where he is?”

  “Mr. Churchill has been taken in,” he says. “He’s undergoing his own questioning.”

  I nod and look at my hands on the table. I no longer feel guilty about revealing the truth. I gave Brad and Will chances to fix things and they never did. Whether Brad took Bennie to get money or not, they were all headed back into the warehouse around the time the police showed up.

  It�
�s up to them to face up to the mess they’ve made.

  And it’s up to me to wash my hands clean of all of this. For real this time.

  “How did you know where we were?” I ask.

  The officer raises his eyebrows. “Someone called in a tip.”

  “Will?”

  “We’re not sure who it was.”

  I know it’s Will. It has to be. Anyone else that’s been involved in this whole thing has already been taken into custody.

  Maybe Will’s judge will go light on him since he provided information. I can only hope so. I may be leaving Will to his own fate, but I still hope it’s a semi-decent one.

  I’m escorted from the room and back to the first one I was in. Hunter is still there, a new man sitting across from him. I take my seat and wait for what’s next.”

  The new man clears his throat. “Miss Rafferty, I’m Mr. Pullman. I’m Hunter’s parole officer.”

  “Oh.”

  Hunter looks at me. “Jake’s too.”

  Mr. Pullman gathers some papers in front of him. He looks like he’s about to leave.

  “They’re not in trouble, are they?” I ask. “Hunter and Jake saved me. This whole time they’ve been helping me out. I might me dead without them.”

  I feel Hunter’s eyes on me but I don’t dare look his way. If I do I might break down and cry all over the place. I shouldn’t have said the word ‘dead’. Not with Jake possibly being just that.

  “Taking into account both of your testimonies, no. They’re not in trouble. Being at Bennie Whispers’ property was a violation of their probation, but based on your story, Miss Rafferty, they’re getting off with a warning.”

  I exhale in relief. “Thank you.”

  Mr. Pullman gets up and leaves.

  “Have you heard anything?” I ask Hunter. “About Jake?”

  “No.” His voice is flat. He looks like he’s in shock. “Have you?”

  “No,” I choke out. “We need to get to the hospital.”

  Tears blur my vision as we make our way through the police station. Hunter is given his belongs, but there’s nothing for me to take. I don’t know where my purse is right now, but I can’t think about that until I found out more about Jake.

  Just as we’re leaving, the woman at the front desk tells me I have a call coming in.

  “Hello?” I ask the receiver.

  “Katelynn!” My dad roars. “Are you all right?”

  I press my shoulder against the wall to hold myself up. “Yeah, Dad, I’m fine.”

  “What the hell happened?”

  “It’s a long story. Please just know that Hunter and Jake didn’t do anything wrong. They saved me.” A tear falls down my cheek and I wipe it away.

  “Your mother and I are coming to the station to get you.”

  “No. Don’t do that. I have to go to the hospital. Jake is… Jake’s been shot.”

  Dad grumbles something I can’t make out.

  I sniff and blink my eyes to stop more tears from falling. “What?”

  “What do you mean they saved you?”

  “They found me, somehow.” My voice shakes with each word. “And Hunter untied me while Jake distracted the men.”

  “How is Jake doing? Where did he get shot?”

  I glance over my shoulder. Hunter, standing near the door, shoots me an anxious look.

  “I don’t know, Dad. We’re going to see him now. I have to go. We need to call a taxi.”

  “I’m picking you up.”

  “No,” I fiercely say. “I have to go...”

  He interrupts. “I’m coming to get you and Hunter and I’m driving you to the hospital. I’ll be there in ten.”

  The line goes dead. I put the phone down and walk back to Hunter. “My dad is coming to drive us to the hospital.”

  His eyebrows rise in surprise but he doesn’t say anything. Instead he just pulls me against his chest. I inhale his scent and let it fill me up.

  37

  Katelynn

  I wish Jake’s own smell was here to do the same.

  We wait outside for my dad. As soon as his truck drives up we rush down the steps. My dad parks at the curb and jumps out.

  I open my mouth to tell him we don’t have time to waste, but he drags me into a deep bear hug. His shirt smothers my face and his cheek presses into the top of my head.

  I swallow the burning in my throat and step back. Dad extends his hand towards Hunter.

  “Thank you,” he says, the words containing a raw edge.

  Hunter shakes my father’s hand. His throat bobs and his eyes shine. If I didn’t know better, I would think two of the strongest men I know are close to tears.

  “Let’s get you to the hospital,” Dad says.

  We pile into the truck and he tears away from the police station.

  Deep orange rays push between the buildings and stretch across the street. The sun will be setting soon. I’ve completely lost track of time.

  It’s been the longest day of my life.

  Soon it will be over. The thought should comfort me, but it doesn’t. If the day ends and Jake isn’t with us, I don’t want tomorrow to come.

  “What do you know about Jake?” Dad asks.

  “I called the hospital,” Hunter says. “But I couldn’t get a real answer. All the nurse knew was that he was being treated.”

  “He’s alive?” My heart flips.

  Hunter’s lips tightly draw together. “That’s what the nurse I talked to said. She didn’t tell me anything about the bullet wound. I don’t know where it hit.”

  We’re silent the rest of the ride. Dad pulls up to the front of the hospital and lets me and Hunter out. As he drives off to find a parking spot, the two of us rush the front entrance.

  “How did you find me?” I ask as we go through the first set of sliding doors.

  “Will tipped us off. He had an idea about where you and Brad might be.”

  “Then it was him that told the police where we were.”

  “Likely.”

  “And what was that noise? That booming? And there was all that shooting.”

  “It was all from a recording of gunshots and bombs.”

  I stop abruptly at the edge of the lobby. “A recording?”

  “Jake played it from the stereo of his truck.”

  “Wow,” I breathe. “Wow.”

  Hunter turns to face me straight on. His eyes pierce mine. “He’d do anything for you, you know. Anything to keep you safe… And I would too.”

  A sensation I’ve never felt fills me up. It’s both uplifting and painful. Hunter’s words are ones I’ve waited years for a man to say to me. But they come on one of the worst days of my life.

  His fingers intertwine with mine. “Let’s go find Jake.”

  38

  Jake

  Why aren’t they here?

  This is the closest hospital to the warehouse, yet the nurse here in admissions is telling me that no one by the name of Hunter Cavanaugh has been brought in.

  “Are you sure?” I ask the middle-aged nurse again.

  She shakes her head and rolls her swivel chair back away from the computer and desk. “No, sir. I’ve checked both names under the spelling you provided, plus a few variations. There’s no Katelynn Rafferty or Hunter Cavanaugh.”

  I drop my head back against my pillow. Hunter and Katelynn are all right.

  Hopefully.

  I didn’t catch sight of them during the shoot-out at the warehouse. Everything happened too fast. I left the spot I’d hunkered down at in the second warehouse. One of Bennie’s men was looking over at it like he suspected someone was in the building.

  I’d parked my truck behind the warehouse, just out of sight. With the speakers blasting the recordings I downloaded, I figured the noise would be enough of a distraction.

  But the cops got there and the situation turned even crazier.

  They got Bennie. I saw that much.

  But what happened to Hunter and Katelynn? Did he g
et her out of the warehouse? Was she even in there?

  “Can I use a phone now?” I ask the nurse. The room I’m in doesn’t have one and I left my phone in my truck because it’s what I used to play the downloaded noises.

  “Sure, hon. I’ll go get one for you.”

  “Thank you.”

  She leaves the room. My back is sore. I sit up straighter and pain shoots through my shoulder.

  “Shit,” I curse. I should have asked for some morphine or whatever the fuck else they can give me.

  First comes getting in touch with Hunter. Last I saw him, he had his phone on him. Here’s hoping he still does.

  “Jake!”

  My neck swivels towards the door. Katelynn rushes into the hospital room, Hunter right behind her.

  “Oh my God,” she cries, falling into the chair next to my bed. “Are you all right?”

  All the air leaves my lungs. “Jesus Christ,” I hiss. “What happened to you guys?”

  Katelynn bites her bottom lip and nods. Her eyes are red and puffy. A fresh tear falls down her face. “We were worried. I thought… I didn’t know what happened.”

  “I saw you get shot,” Hunter explains. His face is pale and stretched thin.

  Their eyes fall to the bandage on my left shoulder. Katelynn takes my hand and holds it tight.

  “One bullet,” I explain. “It went right through. I had to have surgery, but it was pretty small. Still hurts like a mother fucker, though.”

  Katelynn smiles through her tears. “I’m just glad to see you’re all right.”

  Hunter gruffly clears his throat and turns away. “It’s good to see you, man,” he says in a thick voice.

  I grin wide. “I’m pretty happy to see you two, as well.” My eyes fall to Katelynn. I lift my good hand and stroke her cheek. She drops her head against my palm and I cradle it there.

  “Katelynn,” I softly say.

  She cuts me off with a kiss. I move my lips against hers and absorb her warmth. My chest fills up with it and nearly cracks.