Page 138 of I Stop Somewhere Waiting For You

The air grows stale as we stare at one another in silence, my attention focused on Mav, who continues to silently assess the situation for an out. I see it in his eyes, the exact moment he realizes he doesn’t have a clear shot. Though he hides it well, his frustration is evident in the tightening of his jaw, in the panic bleeding through his stare.

“You got nowhere to go,” he seethes, just as Cabir attempts to initiate a step back.

“The fire escape leading down from the roof will serve us just fine. And Bishop, if I see one fucking agent, I will throw us both off the side. You can scrape her body up off the pavement, while I drag her soul down to Hell.”

Mav’s fingers tighten around the grip of his gun, his teeth clenched in anguish as I watch him start to unravel. This time Cabir takes notice, a slow chuckle rumbling up his throat. I suddenly realize if I’m going to escape this alive, two things need to happen.

One—just as Cabir suggested, I need to create my own out.

And two—I need to do it now, because if he gets me away from Mav and Nicky there’s no telling what will happen.

With Cabir distracted, my hand slips up inside the high slit of my dress, locating the thin Velcro strap wrapped around my upper thigh, securing my blade in place. Inching my fingertips along until they twist around the warm metal pressed up against my skin, I grip hold, manipulating it into my palm.

Mav tracks the movement with the subtlest of glances. Steadying his expression with newfound resolve, he maintains his aim. Mav’s gaze flickers to mine, the world muting as our eyes lock. My thundering heartbeat slows, a sense of calmness washing over me while I draw strength from his presence. I feel Cabir start to pull and I realize it’s now or never.

Toeing off my remaining stiletto, I call out to my brother, though my vision remains trained on the love of my life standing before me. “Nicky.” My voice comes out strong, set with determination.

“Right here, Baby J.”

My head snaps to the left, my eyes finding him across from me—positioned about half a floor lower—on the opposite flight of stairs. The wide-open space separating us spans somewhere near eight feet if I had to guess, with a straight drop down if I don’t make it. He looks up at me, his expression baring hints of concern as he awaits my next words.

“I’m gonna need some woogity woogity.”

Nicky’s head tilts in confusion before his eyes slightly widen with understanding. I see the moment it clicks.

That’s my cue.

Without further hesitation, I flick the blade open and drive it into Cabir’s leg, twisting once it’s rooted deep. He roars out in pain, briefly loosening his grip on me in the process. I drive my elbow back into his ribs, and when I feel his hand slip from me entirely, I turn. Gripping hold of the railing, I launch myself over, kicking off with my feet as a gunshot rings out and I begin my descent.

Nicky simultaneously lurches forward. His stomach spears into the railing as he doubles over, his arm shooting out into the space between us as his fingers find mine. They graze one another, and for a moment I think I’m a goner, but then they somehow interlace with my own, locking in as his other hand swoops down to grip my wrist. My freefall is interrupted as I swing forward in his grasp, my upper body slamming into the lower portion of Nicky’s railing and dislocating my shoulder in the process with an audible pop.

“Fuck!” I scream out in pain, hanging like dead weight as my brother struggles to maintain his hold.

“Shit, J,” he strains, gasping for breath when the force of my body pulled him forward into the steel bars. I’m sure the still healing gunshot wound to the shoulder isn’t helping matters. He steadies himself, yanking me upward as I scream out at the intense burning sensation tearing through my shoulder. “I know, this is gonna hurt. Deep breaths.”

I inhale, attempting to breathe through the pain just as Mav rushes over. Reaching down, he takes hold of my other hand as he and Nicky lift together. Within seconds, they’re dragging me over the railing, collapsing backward to the ground with me in Mav’s arms.

“You crazy, crazy bitch.” Mav grips hold of my face with both hands, pulling my forehead into his as his mouth crashes against mine. He kisses me deep, with equal parts urgency and relief. “Don’t you ever… EVER… do that to me again. You fucking understand me?” He shoves the hair back from my face, eyes glistening with unshed tears as he kisses me once more. “Trying to give me a fucking heart attack at twenty-six.”

I risk a glance at the platform from which I jumped. My eyes settling on the crumpled collapsed heap that is Cabir, his hand sticking out from beneath the bottom rung of the railing.

“Is he…?”

“Fucking dead,” Mav states, his hate filled stare shifting toward Cabir’s body. He rocks back slightly before spitting in the direction of his corpse. “Burn in Hell, motherfucker.”

I breathe out a sigh of relief only to have it morph into a tortured hiss when I’m reminded of the intense pain still radiating from my shoulder. Mav’s attention immediately shifts down just as Nicky crawls over to us, settling alongside me.

“It’s dislocated,” Nicky explains, his hands gently assessing for any additional injuries or breaks as they travel down the length of my arm. I wince in pain, my eyes screwing shut as tears involuntarily spill from them. “I know, J.” Nicky begins maneuvering my arm into the necessary position for what I know is coming next. “But I promise it’s gonna feel so much better as soon as I pop it back in. Now, gimme one more deep breath.”

Nicky’s eyes lock with mine as we simultaneously inhale. With a quick jerk and another pop, the painful flash of heat slicing through my joint suddenly dulls to a low throb. My body instinctively relaxes, collapsing back into the railing, yet Mav’s quick to intervene. Careful to ensure he doesn’t hit my bad arm, Mav embraces me, scooting us backward ‘til he’s leaning up against the wall next to Nicky with me resting on his chest.

Nicky pulls his belt free, fastening it around my arm and neck into a makeshift sling. “Try not to move it too much. We still gotta get you checked out to make sure you didn’t tear anything major in there.”

“Mom?” The word slips out in a panic now that my adrenaline’s starting to fade.

“She’s okay,” he nods, dropping back into his seated position alongside us. His reassurance allows me to relax further into Mav’s embrace.

Maverick extends his fist toward Nicky. “Happy retirement, fucker.”

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