Provoke

Chapter Thirty

Leeta

Cutting through the silence, three single gunshots rang out.

I squeezed my eyes shut under my blindfold, not wanting to think about what was happening. Please not Mace. Then I felt a weight fall over me. A warm, thick substance covered my stomach. What was happening? I began to sob as I jerked my body, desperate to get out of this nightmare.

“You, in the corner. Both of you, now.”

Holy shit, Ben.

Relief surged through me, my heart racing as I began to hyperventilate. I yanked at the handcuffs wildly, losing the little control I had left.

“Ben, help me please. God, get this thing off me,” I said, sobbing like crazy.

“Leet, it’s okay, we’re here,” he soothed, slipping the blindfold from over my eyes.

I wailed as he pushed Luke’s body off me, grabbing a towel to cover me up. I shivered, my body shaking uncontrollably.

“Leet,” he said, stroking my hair, his eyes locked to mine. “You need to calm down. You’re going into shock. I need you to look at me and breathe, okay? Can you do that?”

I stared into his soft brown eyes and nodded. My chest rose in quick succession as I tried to slow my breathing. I closed my eyes. In, out. In, out. In, out.

“That’s good. Good girl. Nice and slow. You keep doing that so I can check on Mace, okay?”

My eyes shot open, a sob escaping me as I focused on Mace. We wasn’t moving. Oh God, please let him be okay.

“Help him! Please don’t let him die, please don’t let him die,” I sobbed, my body beginning to shake again as my lungs began to burn as I tried desperately to fill them with air.

“Leet!” Ben shouted. I stopped, my eyes falling on his. “Please, Leet, you need to calm down. He’s unconscious, but alive. I can’t help him if you can’t help yourself.”

I nodded, closing my eyes. Okay, I was okay. My arms twitched as I forced myself to breathe. My dizziness began to fade as my breathing improved.

“Good girl, Leet. Keep breathing. We need to get him to a hospital, okay? Do you think you can stand up?” he asked.

I nodded, and then remembered the handcuffs that were restraining me. “I—Ben, I can’t.” I pulled my wrists against the metal of the cuffs.

Then Ben was leaning over me, stroking my hair again. “It’s okay, Leet. Let me check…” He disappeared, and I realized he was searching Luke for the keys.

“It wasn’t him who handcuffed me,” I remembered. “The big guy, it was him.”

“We don’t have time, Leet. I need you to be brave, okay? I need you to hold your hands very still and close your eyes. Can you do that for me?”

I nodded, squeezing my eyes shut as he positioned the chain.

“I’m going to shoot it apart, okay?”

“Yes.” I braced myself for the gunshot.

Bang.

The vibration of the gunshot rippled through my body. I pulled my arms down over me, the towel still covering my chest, and sat up. Ben embraced me, his soft, soothing voice calming me down.

He reached for another towel, using the first towel to wipe as much blood from my stomach and chest as he could before wrapping the fresh one around my body.

“Here,” he said, shrugging out of his jacket.

I slipped my arms though, zipping it up, the warmth engulfing me.

“Can you stand?” he asked, his voice full of concern.

I nodded and edged my feet to the ground, stepping over Luke. I found my shoes and pulled them on, still shaking, then raced to Mace’s side.

“We need to get him to a hospital now,” Ben muttered. He placed Mace’s arm around his neck and hoisted him up, but he was too heavy, too out of it. “Shit.”

“The trolley,” I realised suddenly.

Ben’s head whipped in the direction of the table. “That might just work,” he muttered. He raced over, wiping the surface clean, and wheeled it over. “I’m going to have to lay him on his stomach,” he said.

I watched helplessly as he leaned over and threw Mace’s arm around his neck again, this time using all his energy to hoist him over the trolley.

“Okay, we’re going to have to move fast. Keep an eye behind me.” He reached into his belt and handed me the gun. I took it, shocked by the weight.

He wants me to shoot?

“I need you to have my back, Leet, okay?” Ben looked at me earnestly. I nodded. I could do it. I had to do it, for Mace.

“Let’s go.”

We moved slowly along the corridor, with no idea where the others were, or what the fuck was going on. Not much further. Just up here, and then we’re free. All we needed to do was get out, unharmed, and we were free. This nightmare would be over.

I sighed, tears springing my eyes as we pushed our way outside, and around to Ben’s car, which sat right out the front. Two other cars were along side his, with two men standing in front of them, smoking. God I hope they’re with Micky. They came running over, offering their help to carry Mace to the car.

I sighed, doubling over, trying to catch my breath. We were okay. We were safe.

#

“How did you even find us?” I asked Ben. We were waiting by the cars while Micky rang ahead to speak to a doctor at the emergency room who ‘wouldn’t ask questions’.

We watched as two of his men helped Mace into the back seat of the car, laying him down. He was starting to come around, but he still looked in bad shape.

“I tracked your phone,” he admitted sheepishly. “I can’t believe you guys just left me there,” he added, shaking his head. “I was taking a leak and then next thing you guys were gone.”

“We had to,” I protested. “If we’d waited for you, Luke would’ve been long gone.”

“Still. You could’ve texted me or something,” he muttered.

Shit! Why hadn’t that occurred to me?

He rolled his eyes and put his arm around me. “Don’t worry, I’ll get over it. I mean, it’s not the first time you’ve left me stranded.”

“Ben…” I hesitated. Things had just gotten really awkward. Just like that, our past was back out there like a bad smell.

“Leet, it’s fine. I get it. Come on. We need to get him out of here.”